Panasonic Lumix FZ1000 II Hands-On Review

We recently had a chance to check out the brand new Panasonic Lumix FZ1000 II, a great bridge camera with impressive spec and performance. Available here:

Key Features of the FZ1000 II:
- 25-400mm focal range f/2.8 - 4.0
- 20.1 MP Sensor
- 5 axis HYBRID O.I.S
- 440 shot battery life
- Up to 12fps continuous shooting
- 4K Burst mode

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Our Video / Photo Kit:

[peterdisbury]

Had 2 iterations of this device and both could not perform. Ran through all the settings in multipe scenarios and it really performs in 100% light, sunny beach days or at home. Tracking birds it fails miserably, semi low light birds are mushy no matter what FStop you use or Exposure value is set. ISO is its Kryptonite and it suffers with birds in shaded environments. Glad I had the opportunity to use the camera but just falls short in all areas, for me.

[davidlewis]

Lots of comments on social media along the lines of, "I would have foregone all these changes if they had just implemented weather sealing" For me and I know many others the biggest problem with the FZ1000, FZ1000ii and FZ2000 is not being able to use it anywhere that has a damp or dusty atmosphere. Retailers need to tell Panasonic about this on our behalf, just think how many more units you would sell if weather sealing was included?

[peterdisbury]

No one seems to Mention the 4K Time Lapse over the standard 1080p….what a game changer in 4K. Then there are the different Video Formats and in Manual/Video you have all the adjustments you have with the still photos such as Aperture, Exposure, ISO, White Balance, Exposure Metering, spot and Zone focus…..incredible for an all in one…

[peterdisbury]

What NO ONE IS TALKING ABOUT is the fact that the 400mm does not really give you that much beyond your eyesight focal length.
According to Eye Doctors, the focal length of the human eye compared to a Full Frame camera lens is 50mm (FULL FRAME) this 1" sensor is about 5x smaller than the FF.
When you zoom in on your YUUUGE 400mm you lose 200mm due to the sensor being so small.
Here is the easiest way to see this....
-
On a Tripod zoom out from 25mm to the same range your eyes see (using the LCD). It is right around 200mm using the LCD and in some cases further to 300mm. Once you have matched the same focal length as what you SEE read the focal range on the camera.
The EVF(aka:Electronic View Finder) is cropped in so it makes a difference viewing your field of view but the LCD is a different matter🤔

[myfriend]

Don't laugh but I just bought a used fz200 with its tiny sensor and 12 megapixels and I'm getting great pictures. The fz300 adds 4k and is weather sealed! I think sensor size is only a piece of the equation. The constant 2.8 zoom is a huge advantage and the lens is wonderful.

[Shokt]

Panny should have made it a constant aperature and weatherproofed it. And/or increased the focal length to 600 and placed a m43 sensor in it to handle some low light issues w/ additional AI.

[feelgeorge]

Can you compare it to the FZ2500? pretty please

[ViktorGazo]

I'm not sure how to understand what panasonic did here. There used to be FZ 1000 then they came out with FZ 2500 (this one I own) and then FZ 1000 II. The newest is lacking ND filters plus manual focus ring compared to the FZ2500, also I noticed the only difference for video is the 120FPS in 1080p mode (this one looked actually pretty bad to me in the sample in the video). Any other owners of FZ1000 or FZ2500?

[pgulysse]

Thanks for the review.


Nothing on a coming "FZ2000 / 2500 mark II", "G3 X mark II"?


Would like to see other videos on... to compare the FZ1000 M2 with :


RX10 M4
G3 X
FZ2000/2500
V-Lux 5.




Thanks.

[victormilla]

Hello and thanks for The video
Can you tell me if theres too much differences in between the FZ2000 model?
Except the zoom I don’t see anything else...
Which one do you recomend to an all around travel use?
Is there any heavy reason to choose one or another?

[atv-com]

I just purchased one of these from you. It's great, but wondering i there is a function to change the control ring direction when zooming and focussing.. Many thanks.

[BigSpoonGaming]

What's the difference between the FZ1000 II and the FZ2500?

I know the FZ2500 has built in ND filters and it seems really similar to this camera.

[SusanHagstrom]

Any idea where I can get a written guide/book for this camera?

[anthonyfisher]

What kind of Tripod are you using please because I'm looking to get one

[petereastment]

Overall, very intuitive Information. Looks like a good camera.😊

[markymark]

Hi there I am going on Holiday on Friday to Spain and am taking this camera 📷 with me can you recommend best settings for Photos and Video for me to get maximum from my Memory card installed??

[lasaventurasdemateo]

muchas gracias por tu video me fue de gran ayuda. por tu video me decidi por comprar esta camara.. ya la venia viendo desde hace dias.. recien la acabo de pagar por internet.. ahora a esperar mi caja. saludos desde ciudad de guatemala.

[NetvoTV]

When will Leica version release and the lens is it new? Compare to RX10 IV which one better?

[tonyzecchinelli]

Hi Good Review - may I know if it can works with a powerbank as now it is usefull for many camera "see Sony" . Which kind of battery does it use and I repeat can this camera works with a powerbank by usb ?

[SynthGrooves]

Im not seeing many improvment over the old fz1000