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Wednesday, 2 August 2023

Panasonic Lumix FZ1000.2 revisited in 2023

 

All photos Panasonic Lumix FZ1000.2

I recently posted about the Panasonic Lumix FZ300 bridge camera which benefits from a  striking improvement in image quality when Adobe Denoise AI enhancement is applied to Raw image files.

I wondered if a similar improvement might be achieved with the larger Lumix FZ1000.2 model. So having sold off my last FZ1000.2 several years ago I bought another one and have been re-acquainting myself with its charms and in the process exploring the effect of Adobe Denoise AI on image quality.

And I found that yes, Denoise AI can provide a very considerable boost in image quality from the FZ1000.2 especially with high ISO settings in low light.

Although the smaller FZ300 remains my sentimental favourite because it packs such a lot of capability into a very compact package,  I have to admit that in most situations the FZ1000.2 with its larger sensor does deliver better image quality and is probably the better all round performer.

Unfortunately it appears that camera makers have been directing their R&D efforts into mirrorless interchangeable lens system bodies and lenses over the last few years, with no new or upgraded bridge camera models appearing since 2019.

Fortunately there are a few bridge cameras still on the market which do a good job and are still worth buying.



Based on my own considerable experience with many bridge cams over more than 10 years I nominate the Sony RX10.4, Panasonic Lumix FZ1000.2 and Panasonic Lumix FZ300 as three which I can recommend buying in 2023. Each appears to be currently available. I say “appears” because various rumors about the Panasonic Lumix FZ1000 (and FZ1000.2)  being discontinued have been circulating for several years. It has not happened. Yet.

The original Lumix FZ1000 was released in 2014. The current FZ1000.2, introduced in 2019,  is a mild upgrade utilising the original body, sensor and lens. The camera uses a Sony made 13.2 x 8.8mm (diagonal 15.9mm) sensor also used in several compact camera models from Sony, Canon and Panasonic.

With an area of 116 square millimeters this is about one third the area of an APSC crop sensor and we could fit about 7.5 of these onto a standard 24x36mm full frame sensor.

The crop factor is 2.74. Thus the zoom lens on the FZ1000.2 has an actual focal length range of 9.1 to 146mm which is equivalent to 25-400mm on a full frame camera. The principal benefit of the small sensor is that it allows lens designers to fit a compact 16x zoom for great versatility in a very compact package, with no need to change lenses, ever.

Camera makers would have us believe that they produce some kind of groundbreaking new technology with each new camera model. The reality is that improvements from model to model are incremental and usually marginal. Sensors have improved over the last ten years but not by as much as camera promoters would like you to believe. Many of the improvements relate to data handling speed which translates to high frame rates without much change in key sensor capability as measured by dynamic range and signal to noise ratio. 

All this is by way of offering some attempt to understand how 9 year old technology in the FZ1000.2 could be competitive in 2023. The proof is in the pudding as they say and my experience of making pictures with the FZ1000.2 is that the camera is capable of making excellent pictures in a wide range of photo conditions.

The things it can do effectively greatly outnumber those it cannot do so well.



Upgrade opportunities

Let us have a look at the main things the FZ1000.2 cannot do or does not do very well, or does at a level which has been surpassed by more recently released cameras.

Most of these relate to autofocus technologies and performance metrics.

Autofocus   Recently released mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras including (at last) those from Panasonic utilise phase detect autofocus systems of some kind. The FZ1000.2 and all other bridge cams except the Sony RX10.4 use some kind of contrast detect autofocus. Panasonic’s version is called DFD and it actually works pretty well most of the time on both still and moving subjects. But phase detect AF systems especially those from Canon, which uses dual pixel AF and Sony which uses a different but equally effective system work even better with a higher percentage of sharply in focus frames of still and especially moving subjects and subjects with low contrast in low light.

In addition the new AF systems use artificial intelligence to detect and focus on and track people, animals, birds, cars and various additional specified subjects. The FZ1000.2 has face/eye detect AF and tracking but not at the level of more recent camera releases.

So there is room for improvement there and Panasonic already has the requisite technology.

Frame rate

The FZ1000.2 can run at 6 still frames per second with AF and AE and Live view on each frame. That is not bad and actually good enough for many purposes but recent MILCs can run much faster, with or without a stacked sensor. I think some users would welcome a modestly higher frame rate.

The lens

The focal length of 25-400mm (equivalent) and f2.8-4 aperture covers the great majority of photographic situations. If the zoom range or aperture were greater the lens would have to be larger which I doubt many uses of the FZ1000.2 would appreciate. I would however like to see improved quality control leading to less sample variation which has in my personal experience been an issue with this lens.


Controls

This issue is subject to personal opinions of users whose experience and expectations will vary.

However my studies of camera ergonomics indicate that unmarked controls the functions of which can be user selected are in general preferable to marked controls which of necessity have a fixed function.  An exception to this might be the  Mode dial although even this does not necessarily require a scripted (with writing thereon)  interface. An unscripted interface, dial or similar could allow the user to make active only those modes which are regularly used.

The issue of scripted dials, buttons etc becomes an issue when we switch from one Custom Mode to another. If all functions can be controlled electronically we can switch from, say, landscape to birds in flight settings with one action. But when there are scripted user interface modules we have to alter these in addition.

So, on the FZ1000.2 the drive mode dial and the focus mode lever are scripted modules which have to be changed in addition to the Mode Dial position when switching from one Custom Mode to another.

The FZ1000.2 lacks a thumb actuated joystick to move AF area position. The perfect location for this is right where the AF/AEL button currently sits.

 



Where the FZ1000.2 gets it right

The most important things are the overall concept and basic implementation.

These are the conceptual issues which are the most difficult to get right.

Every camera design requires a set of compromises. For instance a larger sensor allows better image quality but requires larger lenses with restricted zoom range and a higher unit price.

A smaller sensor restricts ultimate image quality but might be good enough for purpose depending on precisely what that purpose might be. The smaller sensor allows designers to make a more compact package with a greater zoom range and/or smaller f stop.

With these thoughts in mind we can undertake a conceptual overview of the FZ1000.2.

Human hands all work the same way with four fingers and an opposing thumb and most adult hands  are of similar size.  Everybody’s fingers are able to flex and extend in the same ways. The consequence of this is that there is a size, shape and configuration for a camera which proves suitable for the majority of adult humans.

As it happens, by brilliant design or just good luck and maybe a bit of both the FZ1000.2  is just the right size, shape and configuration to suit most adult humans. Not too large, not too small, just right. The handle height, shape, depth and thickness suits most people. The thumb rest is secure and comfortable for most people.

Notwithstanding my reservations described above the control layout of the FZ1000.2 is mostly very user friendly. The twin dial Canon-style layout of the top deck with front dial behind shutter button is in my evaluation, the most ergonomically efficient in the business. Most of the other controls are well placed and operate with good haptics.

The sensor size is large enough that it is highly unlikely anybody would look at a photo made with this camera and make adverse comment about the image quality, unless the photographer has done something wrong at the time of capture or in post processing.

But that same sensor is small enough to allow a compact, versatile good quality 25-400mm (full frame equivalent) lens to be incorporated. Most photos made by most photographers will be covered by this focal length range. Interior architecture might require a wider angle and there is a workaround for that in the form of multi-image merging. Bird photographers often require a longer lens and for those occasions when a very long lens is needed then the FZ1000.2 will not do the job. But I have made lots of bird photos with the FZ1000.2 because many birds in city and suburban environments will allow us to approach quite close. In fact plenty of them will approach us hoping for a feed.

The menus are clearly laid out and easy to understand and navigate. The way in which the controls work to select AF area and change its position and size are very well implemented. The EVF is of good quality. The fully articulated touch screen monitor is extremely useful for under and over hand work in landscape or portrait orientation.

Panasonic cameras including the FZ1000.2 have lots of useful features such as 4K video, auto panorama in camera, focus bracketing, macro mode and many more.

Is 20 million pixels enough ?  For the great majority of purposes of course it is. About the only time I might want for more pixels is when I photograph a distant subject (usually a bird) which is small in the frame and requires a big crop for final output.

One of my regular frustrations when I elect to go forth with my interchangeable lens kit is having to leave something at home such as the macro lens, the long zoom, the wide angle lens or something else. With a bridge cam all this bother goes away. I just take one camera and that’s all there is. I gain much more than I lose by doing this.

I can and do switch quickly and easily from flower close-ups to birds in flight to landscapes to street and documentary style pictures without having to make any change to my equipment. This makes the FZ1000.2 a very versatile photo device. And with the benefit of the new Adobe AI post processing capabilities, image quality in all these modes is greatly improved. In the past we could reduce noise but this also reduced sharpness and resolution. Now we can have both reduced noise and enhanced sharpness and resolution.

Some readers of the blog have asked why I have not been using DXO Prime or  Topaz denoise. The reason is that I want to keep all my post processing in the Adobe space and have been waiting for Adobe to release their own AI image processing which they have now done in emphatic fashion.

So there we are with the Panasonic Lumix FZ1000.2 in 2023. It looks like a bridge cam revival is coming to my world of photography.

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2 comments:

  1. GREAT stuff, Andrew...appreciate your time and talents!

    I'm considering an FZ-1000.2 as a general "walk-around" camera. Read your thoughts above (and your separate suggested set-up guide) and see that the camera is still getting good-to-great reviews as late as 2023 and early 2024.

    My only real concerns are some reported QC issues that I've come across ((lens parts separating inside the barrel, etc.), AND the fact that it appears that the firmware either ISN'T upgradeable or HASN'T been updated. The only listing I could find (one) on Panasonic Global was for the "original FZ-1000...and that was from 2015!

    That said, and the fact that the 1000.2 is getting a bit "long in the tooth"...are those serious enough issues that I should be looking at something different / newer?

    Cheers!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Excellent post! I've been debating between the FZ-1000.2 and your sentimental favorite the FZ-300 for awhile. I think I'll go with the FZ-1000.2 now.

    ReplyDelete