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| FZ1000 |
The Panasonic Lumix FZ1000 was announced in June 2014. So it has now been on the market for over three years and is still available new from camera stores.
The FZ2000/2500 was announced in September 2016.
At the time the FZ2000 appeared to be the follow up model to the FZ1000. I bought and used an FZ2500 and came to the conclusion that this model is more a video centric alternative to the FZ1000 than a direct update.
I see the FZ2500 being to Panasonic’s bridge camera lineup what the GH series is to their Micro Four Thirds series. Panasonic has just announced the G9 as their top stills model to give the company a presence in the high end stills camera ILC market.
As a stills camera the FZ2500 didn’t offer me much in the way of advantage over the FZ1000 and it had a lens which offered poorer sharpness and a smaller aperture.
Many reviewers and users posting on forums have reached the same conclusion.
So I would like to see Panasonic come out with a G9 equivalent in the bridge camera lineup.
This would need to answer the challenge of the Sony RX10Mk4 and to do that would need a very convincing set of specifications, capabilities, image quality, performance and ergonomics.
Sony has shown that a high price point is not an impediment to sales as long as the capability is there.
It seems Canon is also discovering this. In Australia the G1X Mk3 went straight from pre-order to back-order due to strong initial demand despite the high price point.
I have used the FZ1000 extensively over the last three years in a wide range of conditions. In the process I have come to some clear understanding about what I want to find in an upgrade model.
The concept
The idea of an all-in-one-do-almost-anything camera is highly appealing.
I think this will become the preferred camera type for enthusiast photographers when more of them realise than ILCs are un-necessary for good photography.
The lens
I think Panasonic has to at least match the Sony RX10 Mk4 with its impressive and versatile 24-600mm f2.4-4 optic. The RX10 Mk4 is only 13mm deeper than the FZ1000 so the size need not be a great problem. But see below-“now here’s a thought”.
I find I use the 600mm focal length on my FZ300 very frequently. It is very handy for sport/action and birds, perched or in flight. Focal lengths longer than 600mm (equivalent) present increasing difficulty keeping a moving subject in the frame.
Build quality
* More consistent optical quality in the lens. My family has owned five FZ1000s over the years. One of them had an absolutely stellar lens, which by the way tells us that when it is built and assembled properly the lens is capable of excellent results right across the focal length and aperture range. This copy got a bit of junk in the lens which was removed promptly by the Panasonic Australia service agent but the lens was never the same again.
The copy I am currently using a good to very good throughout and is a keeper but the other three delivered mixed results, good at some focal lengths but not others.
This issue of lens quality control has been a bugbear of Panasonic models for several years. They really need to fix this. If that means raising the price point, so be it.
Performance
There is room for several improvements here.
* More consistently accurate focus in Burst Mode with AFC when following a moving subject.
In Pana-world this presumably means fitting the latest version of DFD and combining that with upgraded lens focussing operation.
I took the FZ1000 out a few days ago and was a bit disappointed to find a lot of my action shots were not quite in focus.
* Auto ISO algorithm. The algorithm used in the FZ1000 and most current and past model Panasonics is almost antediluvian in the world of camera technology. Come on Panasonic. Just copy the focal length sensitive system which Sony uses. ASAP.
* No blackout EVF with real time image preview even at high frame rates.
* A global shutter would be the icing on the cake of performance enhancements.
* Much larger RAW buffer.
Design/layout/controls
* Twin dial control layout similar to that on the G9, GH5 and FZ2500 but reworked for improved ergonomics.
* Thumb stick (a.k.a. joystick) with 8 way action to move the active AF area.
* Allow user choice to disable the annoying lens retract with image review.
Image quality
* Any bit of extra dynamic range (highlight and shadow detail) would be welcome.
* Any reduction in high ISO noise would be welcome.
Things I don’t need
* More pixels.
* Any burst rate faster than about 10fps is just overkill and produces masses of files which have to be managed and reviewed. I find that 5-6 fps is plenty for most action photography.
* Larger size, however I would tolerate a bit of extra depth (lens length) to get the focal length upgraded to 600mm at the long end. But see “now here’s a thought” below.
Now here’s a thought
In many ways I prefer my FZ300 to the FZ1000. The FZ300 is smaller, lighter and has a longer, wider aperture lens. Zoom, focus and general operation are very fast and responsive. The lens is quite small with a filter thread of only 52mm.
But the FZ300 uses the much smaller 7.67mm (diagonal) sensor which cannot match the image quality of the Sony 15.9mm sensor used in the FZ1000, particularly in low light levels.
I have long wondered if an intermediate sensor size might be the solution. For several years the 9.3mm (so called 1/1.7 inch) size was popular but in recent times no cameras have been released with this sensor size. Maybe nobody makes it anymore.
The so-called “2/3 inch” size with a 4:3 aspect ratio used in Fujifilm compacts a few years ago measures 6.6x8.8mm for a diagonal of 11mm.
I think that a new generation sensor with a diagonal measurement of about 10mm and high ISO noise levels significantly less than current models could be key to finding the ideal bridge camera formula.
I think a model about the same size and mass as the FZ1000 could accommodate a 24-600mm lens with an aperture range of about f2-f2.8 and a filter thread about 67mm (the same as the FZ2500).
Now thatwould be really interesting.
If I were on Panasonic’s product development team I would be thinking not to match the RX10 Mk4 point for point but to outflank Sony with a lighter, smaller product having a smaller sensor and wider appeal.
If Panasonic or any other maker could get this right they would only need to make one model bridge camera, saving heaps on R&D and production and marketing costs.
I have used plenty of superzoom bridge cameras and found that when the focal length gets longer than 600mm and certainly any more than 800mm they get very difficult to use. Moving subjects are hard to follow, focus and image quality are problematic with atmospheric haze and distortion.