Panasonic just announced the FZ1000 Mark II, a followup to the excellent FZ1000 — one of my favorite cameras (the perfect “Swiss army knife” of cameras). The FZ1000 was so good, in fact, that many people wondered what could be improved. It turns out the answer is, not very much. The Mark II primarily adds five things:
- Touch screen (with slightly better resolution)
- Video-based focus stacking
- Video-based post-shot focus select
- Bluetooth connectivity (if it works — camera companies are the Keystone Cops when it comes to phone apps)
- More physical controls, including an additional control wheel
You also get:
- Slightly better internal editing
- More monochrome photo styles
- In-camera grain adjustment
- Expression detection
- Three auto-white-balance settings
- White-balance bracketing
- Aperture bracketing (in addition to exposure bracketing)
- Better battery-life rating
- Romanian as a built-in language
- Exif 2.31 instead of Exif 2.31
And the Mark II is 21g (0.74 oz) lighter (yes, lighter).
The lens and sensor appear to be exactly the same, which is good news (because it’s a great combo) as well as bad news (because more modern sensors do slightly better in the dark and offer higher quality video). [Update: Digital Trends says that Panasonic says it’s a new sensor.]
Here’s a side-by-side comparison of the two cameras:2
| FZ1000 | FZ1000 Mark II | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | ||
| MSRP / Amazon | $499.99 / $497.99 | $899.99 / $897.99 |
| Body type | ||
| Body type | Bridge | Bridge |
| Weight (inc. batteries) | 831g (1.83 lb) | 810g (1.77 lb) |
| Dimensions | 137 x 99 x 131 mm (5.39 x 3.9 x 5.16inch) | 136 x 97 x 131 mm (5.35 x 3.8 x 5.16 inch) |
| Optics | ||
| Lens | LEICA DC VARIO-ELMARIT with 15 elements in 11 groups (5 Aspherical Lenses / 8 Aspherical Surfaces / 4 ED Lenses) | LEICA DC VARIO-ELMARIT with 15 elements in 11 groups (5 Aspherical Lenses / 8 Aspherical Surfaces / 4 ED Lenses) |
| Focal length | 9.1-146 mm | 9.12-146 mm |
| Focal length (equiv.) | 25-400 mm | 25-400 mm |
| Optical zoom | 16x | 16x |
| Extended zoom | 22.4x (3:2 / 10M file), 32x (3:2 / 5M file) | 22.4x (3:2 / 10M file), 32x (3:2 / 5M file) |
| Maximum aperture | F2.8-4 | F2.8-4 |
| Maximum aperture (equiv.) | F8-11 | F8-11 |
| Stabilizer | 5-axis hybrid O.I.S. | 5-axis hybrid O.I.S. |
| Sensor | ||
| Max resolution | 5472 x 3648 | 5472 x 3648 |
| Other resolutions | 4864×3648, 5472×3080, 3648×3648, 3888×2592, 3456×2592, 3840×2160, 2592×2592, 2736×1824, 2736×1824, 2432×1824, 1824×1824, 1920×1080 | 4864×3648, 5472×3080, 3648×3648, 3888×2592, 3456×2592, 3840×2160, 2592×2592, 2736×1824, 2736×1824, 2432×1824, 1824×1824, 1920×1080 |
| Image ratio w:h | 1:1, 4:3, 3:2, 16:9 | 1:1, 4:3, 3:2, 16:9 |
| Effective pixels | 20 megapixels | 20 megapixels |
| Sensor size | 1 inch (13.2 x 8.8 mm) | 1 inch (13.2 x 8.8 mm) |
| Sensor type | CMOS | CMOS |
| Image | ||
| ISO | Auto, 125-12800 (expands to 80-25600) | Auto, 125-12800 (expands to 80-25600) |
| White balance presets | 5 | 5 |
| Auto white balance settings | 1 | 3 |
| Custom white balance | Yes (4 slots) | Yes (4 slots) |
| RAW support | Yes | Yes |
| JPEG quality levels | 2 | 2 |
| File format |
|
|
| Focus | ||
| Autofocus |
|
|
| AF Metering | Face/eye detection, tracking, 49-area, custom multi, single area, pinpoint | Face/expression detection, tracking, 49-area, custom multi, single area, pinpoint |
| Autofocus assist lamp | Yes | Yes |
| Digital zoom | 4X | 4X |
| Manual focus | Yes | Yes |
| Minimum focus range | 3cm (1.18 inch) [wide angle] / 100cm (39 inch) [telephoto] | 3cm (1.18 inch) [wide angle] / 100cm (39 inch) [telephoto] |
| Number of focus points | 49 | 49 |
| Screen | ||
| Articulated LCD | Fully articulated | Fully articulated |
| Screen size | 3″ | 3″ |
| Screen dots | 921K | 1,240K |
| Touch screen | No | Yes |
| Screen type | TFT-LCD | TFT-LCD |
| Live view | Yes | Yes |
| Viewfinder | ||
| Viewfinder type | Electronic | Electronic |
| Viewfinder coverage | 100% | 100% |
| Viewfinder magnification | 0.7X | .74X |
| Viewfinder resolution | 2,359K | 2,360K |
| Photography features | ||
| Minimum shutter speed | 60 sec | 60 sec |
| Maximum shutter speed | 1/4000 sec | 1/4000 sec |
| Maximum shutter speed (electronic) | 1/16000 sec | 1/16000 sec |
| Exposure modes |
|
|
| Photo Styles |
|
|
| Picture Adjustment |
|
|
| Scene modes |
|
|
| Filters |
|
|
| In-camera editing | RAW, resize, crop, title, text stamp,video divide | Retouch, RAW, resize, crop, title, text stamp, video divide |
| Built-in flash | Yes | Yes |
| Flash range | 13.50m (44 feet) [wide angle, Auto ISO] / 9.50m (31 feet) [tele, Auto ISO] | 13.50m (44 feet) [wide angle, Auto ISO] / 9.50m (31 feet) [tele, Auto ISO] |
| External flash | Yes (via hotshoe) | Yes (via hotshoe) |
| Flash modes | Auto, Auto/Red-eye Reduction, Forced On, Forced On/Red-eye Reduction, Slow Sync, Slow Sync/Red-eye Reduction, Forced Off | Auto, Auto/Red-eye Reduction, Forced On, Forced On/Red-eye Reduction, Slow Sync, Slow Sync/Red-eye Reduction, Forced Off |
| Drive modes |
|
|
| Max. continuous drive | 12 fps | 12 fps |
| Self-timer | Yes | Yes |
| Metering modes |
|
|
| Exposure compensation | ±5 (at 1/3 EV steps) | ±5 (at 1/3 EV steps) |
| Bracketing | ||
| AE Bracketing | ±3 (3, 5, 7 frames at 1/3 EV, 1/2 EV, 1 EV steps) | ±3 (3, 5, 7 frames at 1/3 EV, 1/2 EV, 1 EV steps) |
| WB Bracketing | No | 3 frames along blue/orange or magenta/green axis |
| Aperture Bracketing | No | ± 1EV (3 or 5 frames) |
| Focus Bracketing | No | 1-999 frames, adjustable with 10 levels |
| Video features | ||
| Resolutions3 |
|
|
| Max Recording Time (4K) | 110 min | 120 min |
| Format | MP4, AVCHD | MP4, AVCHD |
| Microphone | Stereo | Stereo |
| Speaker | Mono | Mono |
| Connectivity | ||
| USB | USB 2.0 | USB 2.0 |
| HDMI | microHDMI | microHDMI |
| Microphone port | Yes (3.5mm) | Yes (3.5mm) |
| Headphone port | No | No |
| WiFi | 802.11b/g/n | 802.11b/g/n |
| Bluetooth | No | 4.2 |
| Physical | ||
| Environmentally sealed | No | No |
| Battery | 7.2v, 1200mAh Li-ion (DMW-BLC12E) | 7.2v, 1200mAh Li-ion (DMW-BLC12E) |
| Battery Life (CIPA) | 360 | 440 |
| Other features | ||
| Languages4 |
|
|
| Orientation sensor | Yes | Yes |
| Timelapse recording | Yes | Yes |
| Remote | Yes, wired | Yes, wired |
| GPS | No | No |
1
What you potentially get with Exif 2.31, according to the official spec, is:
- Time difference to UTC(Universal Time Coordinated) as tags relating to Date and Time: three time offset tags respectively corresponding to the three existing tags (file change date and time, date and time of original data generation, date and time of digital data generation)
- Tags relating to shooting situation(Temperature, Humidity, Pressure, WaterDepth, Acceleration, CameraElevationAngle)
2 
A prolific writer and avid photographer, J.M. Hoffman picked up his first camera when he was eight years old. And even though he abhors a cliche, he never looked back.
Acclaimed as a "master raconteur" who writes with a "flair" (Times Literary Supplement of London), Hoffman authored two non-fiction books and contributed to over a dozen others before writing The Warwick Files. He continues to write fiction and non-fiction.
In addition to writing and traveling the world lecturing about his books, Hoffman has also directed a dance troupe, taught darkroom technique, and explored Patagonia on horseback. From time to time he can be seen playing table tennis poorly at the WTCC. He lives just north of New York City.
Panasonic hasn’t published complete specs in English for the FZ1000 Mark II yet. I took these from the French versions of their European websites.
3
Frame rates vary by model location. Some resolutions may not be available on all models.
About J.M. Hoffman
Lux Umbraque is in beta. Most features are working. Some are not, and some basic content is still being uploaded.... (keep reading.)