Some of the often mentioned here in the Amazon customer reviews, and elsewhere on the Internet strengths:
++ Great picture quality - both when taking pictures and movies.
++ Option for 4K video.
++ Super Fast and Safe autofocus. A far cry from what I've experienced with superzoom cameras.
++ HDR program. Both sky with the clouds as well as the landscape and the foreground are clearly visible. Natural colors and there is no glare Met with this camera for the first time, am thrilled. But you have to keep in triggering the camera very still or use a tripod. In addition, you should then also never forget to issue this function again.
+ Swivel Monitor. Portable monitors are almost a must, what can also be seen from my camera range for me. Near-ground and overhead shots are considerably easier to photography and filming of people is much more discreet and you can use smaller stands or does not have the shaky center column extension.
+ "Focus Peaking", which means that during the manual focus, the sharp areas can be marked with a "bluish sparkle". Particularly when filming helpful.
+ Leica Lens 2.8-4.0 / 25-400 mm KB. A sufficient super zoom range, high speed, optical apparently very good. With iZoom-setting can be increased when apparently still good image quality at 800 mm KB. There is also an additional digital zoom of up to 1600 mm KB goes high. The photos were all but so far unacceptable. In addition to the low resolution and the stabilizer with this 32 times magnification is obviously overwhelmed. If at some distance you can see the Loch Ness monster, for example, you can use that, but otherwise useless.
Some lament the, depending on the setting, significantly impaired Wide range in video mode. Believed to be the most extreme case of 4K video with 16: 9 format that is then only 37 mm KB. But even that is perfectly adequate when filming. Look even aware of television! Whether documentation, television or cinema, you will hardly ever see a wide angle shot. The movies with wide angle is a typical mistake of amateurs, just as often, but not quite so beastly such as the zooms, the much too long sequences far too wide pan or the simultaneous Comment.
+ Very good image quality on both monitors, so also in the viewfinder.
+ Camera spirit level. Meanwhile, well-spread, but lacked the recordable still with my Panasonic FZ100 and FZ200 also the consequence model.
+ No perceptible tripping delays, but that is also in better compacts well for some time now the rule.
+ A highly effective stabilizer. Have a singing bird freehand at 416 mm KB - 1/125 sec. - Bl 4.0 -. ISO 400 photographed. Even in the 1: 1 view of an amazingly usable image quality.
(The stabilizer, often acclaimed, Panasonic FZ50, incidentally, was a joke, and just one of many weaknesses. In my camera range, she was the only real bad buy. Remarkably, the same manufacturers and probably the same engineers as the FZ1000!)
+ Hot shoe, naturally with TTL metering.
+ Filter thread (62 mm). Always have a UV filter placed as a lens protection and often use Nahvorsätze of Raynox. An adapter ring 62mm-55mm can also connect the Panasonic DMW-LT55 Tele-converter (1.7x). Despite its high price, I still have no positive experience. However, quite possible that the stabilizer and my amateur tripod were overwhelmed by this combination.
+ Five self-programmable Fn keys. My current occupation:
Fn1 - HDR
Fn2 - Zebra Pattern marking very bright areas.
Fn3 - LVF / MON - choice between the monitor and viewfinder and automatic changeover
Fn4 - moving the AF-field
Fn5 - QuickCorrect
The assignments of Fn2 is quite unimportant, what areas "through hell" are you can imagine with a little experience itself, because you need no zebra pattern. Often enough you then anyway little or no possibilities to control.
+ Although high, but I quite deem appropriate price. The Leica version "V-Lux" cost proud 1100th
Details are I liked it, but little or no mention in the Internet:
[++ The Super Macro function is not, as usual, limited to the most wide-angle setting, but can be high zoom to 75 mm KB! Unfortunately --- This point is omitted, because later there was the great disillusionment. The insects pictures taken with said 75-mm-KB-Super Macro had a very modest dissolution. After much research then found the cause. This is only a digital zoom, so an automatic enlarged. A somewhat older question: Are digital zoom nonsense and window dressing? However, they have at least the advantage that you can reposition the AF point precisely. ---]
++ The bracketing function can be the turning wheel lock top left. For example, in my Fujifilm HS20 you had it every time the camera again adjust. Make now almost all photos with this option does not exist with this setting, except HDR images. The subsequent deletion of incorrectly exposed images on the computer or even in very obvious cases, the camera takes in a little practice very little time to complete. A reworking of a single wrong exposed pictures would take much longer and is also limited in JPEG shots possible.
Since I use this feature a flat-rate, I have "lost" a single motif by incorrect exposure. One of the three images is always correct. Although I must stress, however, that I have been working for years with the exposure compensation function, and accordingly so did experience. Many of the three rows have been so made to manually corrected area.
According to my estimates has been in 70 to 80% of cases the mean intake the right, in 20 to 30% the underexposed and only in a few exceptional cases even the overexposed.
+ Option of a very small autofocus field, useful for macro shooting with their small depth of field. In small animals you have on the eyes, keep in flowers on the stamens. Initially thought I could use this setting permanently. However, the field is so small that it if you do not consciously paying attention to very often no focusable edges and structures are.
Weaknesses that are often mentioned and I can confirm:
- Switched on, the camera is constantly a grinding, rattling noise. When shooting in quiet surroundings you can hear it on the record and acts as a in the distance quite slow passing train. This noise is coming from the stabilizer, but it's no use to eliminate this. While I was in my middle age, grinding even hear when the camera is two meters, some older people may not even notice when you hold the device to your ear there. Therefore, there is no doubt the Internet some contradictory statements on the matter.
At constant background noises such as talks, traffic and music all in nature photography is no problem, but very well. It is increasingly for me the big drawback of this camera. The use of a directional microphone brought in this respect, unfortunately, little to nothing. Soon I'm going to try it with a long microphone cable and a clip-on microphone.
- The tripod mounting hole is so close to the cover of the battery memory card compartment that this is blocked by nearly any tripod quick coupling. Especially annoying when changing the battery on the go. Have however, by chance, changed to a tripod whose quick coupling does not screw with coin slot but with a swivel bracket. This is now a noticeable relief.
- Just as big and heavy as a digital SLR with zoom lens. But while I was annoyed two years ago and over again about the weight and the size of my Canon EOS 600D, I am this time considerably more accommodating. When EOS halt came a whole series of disadvantages should, among other things: pesky lens changing, mirror shock, massive restrictions on video mode in Live View mode ridiculously slow autofocus, surprisingly mediocre image quality (probably blame the cheap Canon kit lenses) and in close-ups often focus.
- A Panasonic perhaps intentional equipment deficiency is the lack of headphone jack. Since I am but I can still breaking in the movies too early to assess the importance of the details.
Minor weaknesses:
- As usual with camera manufacturers, the original replacement batteries are very expensive. Currently I use two Li-ion batteries of Patona (950 mAh, 6.8 Wh, 7.2 V). The lower capacity has not bothered me, it may be, however, that their life is significantly lower.
- What are the reasons you have to turn off the stabilizer? There is sure what, but it seems to me senseless for it specially set up a special switch on the lens. Especially if the well is not as big and especially so clearly stands out that one off him sometimes unintentionally.
- Use almost only the AF modes "single-span" and "point". Relatively useful but seems to me the function "Multi-Custom" in the focal areas are on a horizontal line. According to the aesthetic rules does not have this focus-line but, as specified, are in the center but on the edge of the lower third of the picture. This can be adjusted, but amazingly is deleted after turning off the camera. When switching on the line is again in the middle.
Conclusion: For my claims, primarily some moderation quality nature photography and film with little effort and without much luggage, pretty sure the currently best camera in the world. In the coming years, perhaps even months, can change that. For example, if the result is a just-appointed smaller, lighter device with no operating noise.
A real competition would already now the Panasonic GH4 which also has 4K video. But will cost even without lenses considerably more and, above all, the only stabilized autofocus superzoom Panasonic 3.5-5.6 / 14-140 mm OIS (28-280mm KB). 280 mm KB than maximum telephoto too little and the minimum focusing distance is 30 instead of 3 centimeters. Would be more or less necessary then so a macro (Panasonic-Leica 2.8 / 45 OIS, 700, 230 g) and a telephoto zoom (Panasonic 4,0-5,6 / 100-300 OIS, 530, 520 g). It would be already over 2,500 and would have again the annoying Objektivgewechsel where even dust, dirt and water can penetrate into the interior of sauteuren devices.
