Camera Review – Panasonic FZ1000

Posted March 15, 2020

Camera Review

Panasonic FZ1000 for Birding.

I researched smaller digital cameras for use in the field where the terrain is difficult.  On flat trails or on stakeouts, the 5+pounds of my Nikon camera and lens are not so much of a problem. But I find it dangerous and tiring to lug my heavy artillery around Lower Florida Canyon or other similar trails.

After looking at the recommendations online, I picked up a Panasonic Lumix FZ1000.

The Panasonic features a 1’’ 20mp sensor camera with a “equivalent” 400mm f/4 lens which says “Leica” on it.  I don’t know if the lens is actually made by Leica. I doubt it. The outfit weighs less than 2 pounds.  Plastic.

First, my issues- After changing some of the settings, like focus or exposure mode, the camera will not retain the new settings when you turn it off.  You have to store the new settings under one of the custom modes, C-1, or C-2. The camera resists manual focus, no matter what settings are used.  The inability of the camera to consistently focus on a clearly seen bird on a nearby perch in good light is infuriating. The single-point focus mode is mostly useless and often would entirely fail to focus on an easy bird- where my Nikon’s focus would be instantaneous.  The battery will not last long if you leave the camera on the “on” position.  The EVF has its own sensor to tell the camera when you are looking through the eyepiece, and turns the EVF dark when not needed.  But if you carry the camera around your neck on the strap, the camera cannot tell the difference between a jacket or shirt and your eye, and the EVF will stay on and after a relatively short period you will hear the camera’s long beep signaling that the battery is low and the camera shuts down.   The quality of the bird photos are not what I had hoped..  Few are good enough for editorial use, and none of them approach my D500 or Z6 – not even close.  The printed manual is not helpful. The “advanced” manual is on a CD. Should be on a USB drive.

On the positive side, the camera weighs under 2 pounds, and is easy to tote around.  The EVF is very good and its delay is less than on the Z6. The camera shoots in raw format which would be a major advantage if the camera was capable of better photos. As it is, the raw format helps. If the camera was used generally For landscape or architectural photos, or taking pictures of your third cousin’s birthday party or funeral, it would fine and there would be lots of praise, as it is far superior to cell phone cameras because of its relatively large sensor.  I have no issues here, some of the landscape photos are actually quite good. See the photo, below, of the San Xavier Mission. But compared to the full frame Z6 with birds, the camera’s promise is an illusion.  The FZ1000 is good for documentation if you can get the camera to focus on the bird.  95% of my bird photos are not so good with this camera. The rest are marginal, a few decent, and none approach the D500 or Z6.

Ultimately, the choice boils down to whether you are willing to accept the performance of the Panasonic, compared to the Z6 or D500, because of the portability issue.  For a situation where you need a documentation photo of a rare or difficult species requiring a long hike up a steep trail, you may accept the results.

The above two pictures of the same tanager taken with the FZ1000 and Z6 at the same site needs little discussion.

This is about the best you can expect with the FZ1000 when digging a bird out of a tangle of bushes or hiding in a tree. 400mm. Poor quality.

This is typical of the camera trying to dig out a photo in a jumbled scene. 400mm Bad bad bad.

Bad

If most of the photos looked like this one, I would be OK with the results. The photo is still poor but passes the documentation photo test.

A bit soft, actually very soft, but passable for a documentation photo.

This photo is the only bird pic that is better than “decent.” Yet, just a minute after taking this photo, the camera balked at focusing on another perched bird the same distance away. Go figure.

This photo is a bit soft, but almost passable.

This disgusting lush is a resident at Santa Rita Lodge in Madera Canyon. He drinks way too much and has been in and out of rehab several times recently. Passable photo.

This type of photo is what this camera does best. Good detail. Photoshop helps with the dynamic sky. 24mm.