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Panasonic LUMIX FZ1000 II Camera Review

Tested using Methodology v0.12.1
Reviewed Jun 23, 2021 at 10:33 am
Latest change: Writing modified Jan 29, 2024 at 09:10 am
Panasonic LUMIX FZ1000 II Picture
7.0
Travel Photography
6.9
Landscape Photography
7.2
Sport & Wildlife Photography
6.4
Raw Photo Performance
6.9
Vlogging
7.6
Studio Video
2.8
Action Video

The Panasonic LUMIX FZ1000 II is a bridge camera with a fairly long zoom lens. It delivers solid all-around performance, and its long zoom lens gives you the versatility to shoot far-off subjects and wildlife, capture everyday moments, or zoom in for close-ups. Image quality is great, with very little noise at higher ISO levels, making it well-suited to shooting indoors or in low light. However, sharpness declines as you raise the ISO, although that's typical of a bridge camera due to the smaller sensor size. It can shoot video in 4k or FHD, although it's best suited to shooting FHD video, as its autofocus and stabilization features perform significantly worse in 4k. While it isn't too portable, it feels well-built and comfortable to use.

Our Verdict

7.0 Travel Photography

The Panasonic FZ1000 II is decent for travel photography. It's on the bulkier side, but it's still fairly portable, as the built-in lens means you don't have to carry extra lenses with you. It delivers good image quality overall for its sensor size, though it isn't the best option for low light. Unfortunately, its autofocus does a poor job of tracking faces, but it's very good at tracking objects. The advertised battery life in photos is good, although we don't currently test this, and it may vary with settings and usage.

Pros
  • Good overall image quality for its class.
  • Good object tracking.
  • Very good battery life, depending on usage habits.
Cons
  • Poor face tracking.
  • Fairly bulky.
  • Mediocre low-light performance.
6.9 Landscape Photography

The Panasonic FZ1000 II is okay for landscape photography. It has a long focal length that gives you a lot of flexibility to frame the shot the way you want. It also has good image quality for its class, though its dynamic range is limited, and noise management is mediocre in low light. On the upside, it feels well-built and comfortable to use. However, it's rather bulky, so it may not be convenient to take to remote shooting locations.

Pros
  • Good overall image quality for its class.
  • Long focal length.
  • Well-built and very comfortable to use.
Cons
  • Fairly bulky.
  • Mediocre low-light performance.
  • Limited dynamic range.
7.2 Sport & Wildlife Photography

The Panasonic FZ1000 II is decent for sport and wildlife photography, especially for casual use or birding. It has a long focal length that's great for capturing far-off subjects. It also has good image quality for its class, though it isn't well-suited to low-light situations. It has a quick, continuous shooting speed, especially in its silent shooting mode, which is great when you don't want to scare away wildlife. Its autofocus system is good for tracking moving objects, but unfortunately, it does a poor job of tracking faces.

Pros
  • Good overall image quality for its class.
  • Long focal length.
  • Fast continuous shooting speed.
  • Good object tracking.
Cons
  • Poor face tracking.
  • Mediocre low-light performance.
6.4 Raw Photo Performance

The Panasonic FZ1000 II has passable RAW photo performance. Its dynamic range is alright, so it captures a reasonable range of detail, but you'll still lose out on some highlights or shadows in high-contrast scenes. Images also lack some fine detail when punching in, and it isn't the best choice for low-light photography, with mediocre noise handling. It performs well for a bridge camera, and you can still get relatively good results in bright conditions.

Pros
  • Good overall image quality for its class.
Cons
  • Mediocre low-light performance.
  • Limited dynamic range.
6.9 Vlogging

The Panasonic FZ1000 II isn't really meant for vlogging. It has a fully articulated touchscreen, which lets you monitor yourself while recording. It also does a great job of stabilizing camera shake in FHD while walking at a moderate pace, although stabilization isn't as good in 4k. Similarly, face tracking performance in FHD is superb, but it struggles to focus on faces when shooting in 4k. Video quality is great in 4k, but there may be some visual noise in darker conditions. However, it's on the bulky side, so it's not particularly easy to carry around on the go while vlogging.

Pros
  • Decent video quality.
  • Good autofocus in FHD.
  • Great FHD video stabilization.
Cons
  • Poor autofocus in 4k.
  • Poor 4k video stabilization.
  • Fairly bulky.
7.6 Studio Video

The Panasonic FZ1000 II isn't really intended for studio video, though it has good video features for a bridge cam. It has a good number of inputs and outputs, including a microphone jack, a remote control input, and an HDMI port. It supports clean HDMI output, so you can connect an external recorder without overlays. Unfortunately, you can't adjust the bit rate output in 4k, but video quality is decent overall. It has great autofocus performance in FHD, but sadly, autofocus performs poorly in 4k.

Pros
  • Decent video quality.
  • Good autofocus in FHD.
Cons
  • Poor autofocus in 4k.
  • Can't adjust 4k bit rate.
2.8 Action Video

The Panasonic FZ1000 II isn't meant for action video. It isn't rugged and isn't designed to be mounted on a helmet or action cam mount. It isn't rated as being water-resistant either, although we don't currently test for this. The frame rates are also limited, so it's not well suited to capturing fast action or high-speed video to generate smooth slow-motion footage.

Pros
  • Decent video quality.
  • Great FHD video stabilization.
Cons
  • Poor 4k video stabilization.
  • Not water resistant.
  • Not designed to be helmet-mounted.
  • Fairly bulky.
  • 7.0 Travel Photography
  • 6.9 Landscape Photography
  • 7.2 Sport & Wildlife Photography
  • 6.4 Raw Photo Performance
  • 6.9 Vlogging
  • 7.6 Studio Video
  • 2.8 Action Video
  1. Updated Jan 29, 2024: Added text to the 'Raw Photo Performance' verdict box and updated existing verdict boxes for clarity and accuracy.
  2. Updated Jan 29, 2024: Converted to Test Bench 0.12.1.
  3. Updated Apr 24, 2023: Converted to Test Bench 0.12.
  4. Updated Apr 17, 2023: Converted to Test Bench 0.11.
  5. Updated Oct 03, 2022: Converted to Test Bench 0.10.
  6. Updated Aug 05, 2022: Converted to Test Bench 0.9.
  7. Updated Apr 25, 2022: Converted to Test Bench 0.8.
  8. Updated Jun 23, 2021: Review published.
  9. Updated Jun 18, 2021: Early access published.
  10. Updated May 31, 2021: Our testers have started testing this product.
  11. Updated May 28, 2021: The product has arrived in our lab, and our testers will start evaluating it soon.

Differences Between Sizes And Variants

The Panasonic LUMIX FZ1000 II is only available in one color variant: 'Black'. You can see our unit's label here.

If you come across another variant, or your FZ1000 II doesn't correspond to our review, let us know in the discussions, and we'll update it.

Compared To Other Cameras

Panasonic LUMIX FZ80

The Panasonic LUMIX FZ1000 II is a better overall camera than the Panasonic LUMIX FZ80. Both are bridge cameras with long built-in zoom lenses, but the FZ1000 II uses a slightly larger sensor, giving it better image and video quality. It also has a longer battery life, a larger, higher-resolution viewfinder, and a fully articulated screen. It feels more comfortable to shoot with, but it isn't as portable as the FZ80, and because of its sensor size, it has a shorter focal reach.

Test Results

perceptual testing image
Design
2.1
Design
Portability
Height
3.8" (9.7 cm)
Width
5.5" (14.1 cm)
Depth
5.4" (13.8 cm)
Volume
114.9 in³ (1,883.3 cm³)
Weight
1.82 lbs (0.82 kg)
7.5
Design
Build Quality

  • The body is made of plastic
  • Inputs and ouputs are covered by rubber flaps
  • Lens ring turns smoothly but offers nice resistance
  • Top back dial is difficult to turn and feels slightly uncomfortable to use
  • Zoom toggle is sensitive to make use easy, but not so much so that you can't control it
  • The screen and hinge mechanism feel very sturdy
  • The flash mechanism feels somewhat flimsy
  • Has a directional pad to navigate the menu as opposed to a dial, which may make it more difficult to navigate depending on personal preference

Design
Body
Body Type
Bridge
Water Resistance
No
Mirrorless
Yes
Rugged
No
Hot Shoe
Yes
Customizable Button
Yes
Command Dial
3
Tripod Mount
Yes
Lens Mount
No Lens Mount
Built-In Flash
Yes
Fastest Shutter Speed
1/4,000 s

Note: Despite being advertised as weather-sealed in the specs on Panasonic's website, this camera is not actually weather-sealed, as stated in the user manual.

Design
In The Box

  • Panasonic LUMIX FZ1000 II
  • Shoulder strap
  • Lens cap
  • Lens cap string
  • Lens hood
  • USB-A to Micro-USB cable
  • AC adapter
  • 1x Panasonic DMW-BLC12PP battery
  • Owner's manual

8.5
Design
Ergonomics & Comfort
Hand Grip: Small Hand
Yes
Hand Grip: Medium Hand
Yes
Hand Grip: Large Hand
Yes
Hand Grip: Extra-Large Hand
Yes

  • The grip is large, with rubberized thumb rest and front grip, and holding the camera feels secure
  • Three command dials, including lens ring, make it easy to adjust exposure parameters
  • Buttons are easy to reach, for the most part
  • Rubberized eye cup around viewfinder feels comfortable, with a lot of space between the viewfinder and the body
  • Screen is fully articulated
  • In AF mode, the lens ring is used to adjust zoom, and it does so in increments, making it easy to reach your desired focal length
  • Shutter speed dial feels stiff and somewhat uncomfortable to use
  • Can't change SD card while mounted on a tripod due to placement of slot

Design
Viewfinder
Viewfinder Type
Electronic
Advertised Coverage
100%
Advertised Resolution
2.36 million dots
Advertised Magnification
N/A
9.5
Design
Screen
Screen Articulation Type
Fully-Articulated
Screen Max Brightness
919 cd/m²
Advertised Resolution
1.24 million dots
Size
3.0" (7.5 cm)
Touchscreen
Yes
9.0
Design
Menu System
Guide Mode
Yes
App Name
Panasonic Image

  • Menu system is easy to navigate using the directional pad or touchscreen
  • Quick menu gives you access to commonly used settings like ISO, drive mode, and exposure compensation
  • You can customize up to eight buttons to suit your preferences, along with five customizable tabs on the screen
  • Display option allows you to check shooting mode, aperture, shooting speed, ISO, exposure bias, white balance, flash setting, drive mode, autofocus mode, focus mode, file format, Wi-Fi, and more all at once, though you can't see through the viewfinder or screen while looking at this display
  • Guide mode can explain certain features and functions to novice users and is easily toggled by pressing the 'Display' button

7.0
Design
Built-In Lens
Maximum Aperture
2.8 - 4.0
Max Aperture (Full-Frame Equivalent)
f/7.6
Minimum Focal Length
9.1 mm
Maximum Focal Length
146 mm
Max Focal Length (Full-Frame Equivalent)
400 mm
Optical Image Stabilization
Yes
Luminance
77.9%
Light Falloff
65.5%
Design
Sensor
Sensor Type
MOS
Advertised Effective Pixels
20.1 MP
Sensor Size
1-inch
Processor
Unspecified
Extended ISO Minimum
80
Native ISO Minimum (Base ISO)
125
Native ISO Maximum
12,800
Tested Firmware
Ver. 1.0
7.8
Design
Battery
Battery Type
Panasonic DMW-BLC12PP
USB Charging
Yes
Power Delivery While Recording
No
Advertised Battery Life In Photo
440 photos
Tested Battery Life In Video
134 min
Photo General
6.7
Photo General
Photo Shooting Speed
Low Speed Continuous
2 fps
High Speed Continuous
11 fps
Silent Shooting Continuous
11 fps
Raw Buffer Size
31 Photos
JPEG Buffer Size
104 Photos
Buffer Empty Time
21 s
4.8
Photo General
Photo AF-C Tracking
Autofocus Tracking Shots
Perfect Focus Hit Rate
36%
Usable Focus Hit Rate
44%
10
Photo General
Photo AF-C Center Point
Autofocus Center Point Shots
Perfect Focus Hit Rate
100%
Usable Focus Hit Rate
100%
8.0
Photo General
Photo Image Stabilization
Minimum Shutter Speed Achieved
1/10 s
In-Body Image Stabilization
No
Photo Image Quality
6.9
Photo Image Quality
Photo RAW Dynamic Range
Dynamic Range At Base ISO
9.1 f-stops
Dynamic Range At 1/500s Exposure Time
7.5 f-stops
Dynamic Range At 1/2000s Exposure Time
6.4 f-stops
Dynamic Range At 1/4000s Exposure Time
5.6 f-stops
6.1
Photo Image Quality
Photo RAW Sharpness
Vertical Edge MTF50 At Base ISO
1,323 LW/PH
Horizontal Edge MTF50 At Base ISO
1,319 LW/PH
6.1
Photo Image Quality
Photo RAW Noise
SNR 18% At 1/8 Exposure Time (125 ms)
32.2dB
SNR 18% At 1/30 Exposure Time (33 ms)
27.9 dB
SNR 18% At 1/125 Exposure Time (8 ms)
22.4 dB
SNR 18% At 1/500 Exposure Time (2 ms)
16.3dB
Pictures Sample Gallery
Pictures Sample Gallery
The Skate Park Picture
JPEG Skate Park Picture Download
RAW Skate Park Picture Download
Pictures Sample Gallery
The Polish Church Picture
JPEG Polish Church Picture Download
RAW Polish Church Picture Download
Pictures Sample Gallery
The Studio Picture
JPEG Studio Picture Download
RAW Studio Picture Download
Pictures Sample Gallery
The Stairway Picture
JPEG Stairway Picture Download
RAW Stairway Picture Download
Video General
Video General
Video Features
Full HD Video
Yes
4k Video
Yes
6k Video
No
Clean HDMI Output
Yes
Advertised Max Chroma Sampling Over HDMI
Not Advertised
Advertised Max Bit Depth Over HDMI
N/A
Log Picture Profile
No
Recording Light
No
Video General
Audio
Audio Test Sample
Audio Recording
Stereo
Microphone Level Display
Yes
Video General
Video File Format And Compression
MP4 H.264 / MPEG-4 AVC
Yes
MP4 H.265 / HEVC
No
MOV H.264 / MPEG-4 AVC
No
MOV H.265 / HEVC
No
AVCHD H.264 / MPEG-4 AVC
Yes
All-I Compression
Yes

Note: All-I compression is only available using the AVCHD format in FHD at 60i.

4k Video
5.8
4k Video
4k Video Frame Rate
240 fps In 4k
No
120 fps In 4k
No
60 fps In 4k
No
30 fps In 4k
Yes, with a Crop
24 fps In 4k
Yes, with a Crop
4k Crop At Max Available fps
1.45 x

Note: This camera has a longer equivalent focal length when recording in 4k compared to FHD, as a result of the 4k crop factor.

7.7
4k Video
4k Video Internal Recording
Bitrate Maximum In 4k
95 Mbps
Bitrate Minimum In 4k
95 Mbps
Chroma Sampling In 4k
4:2:0
Bit Depth In 4k
8 Bit
Record Time Limit In 4k
30 min
Overheat Recording Interruptions in 4k
0

Note: This camera doesn't have any adjustable bit rate settings. It only outputs 4k video at approximately 100 mbps.

5.6
4k Video
4k Video Autofocus Performance
Object Tracking In 4k
4.3
Face Tracking In 4k
5.4
Face Detection In 4k
Yes
Eye Detection In 4k
Yes

Note: We tested autofocus performance using settings that deviate from our usual methodology to account for this camera's focal length. As such, the results may not be fully comparable to other cameras we've tested.

7.5
4k Video
4k Video Quality
Low Light Capability In 4k
7.0
Test Scene Extract In 4k
8.0
6.6
4k Video
4k Video Rolling Shutter Effect
4k Rolling Shutter
5.0°
Full HD Video
5.5
Full HD Video
FHD Video Frame Rate
240 fps In FHD
No
120 fps In FHD
No
60 fps In FHD
Yes
30 fps In FHD
Yes
24 fps In FHD
No
FHD Crop At Max Available fps
1 x
7.4
Full HD Video
FHD Video Internal Recording
Bitrate Maximum In FHD
27 Mbps
Bitrate Minimum In FHD
20 Mbps
Chroma Sampling In FHD
4:2:0
Bit Depth In FHD
8 Bit
Record Time Limit in FHD
30 min
8.4
Full HD Video
FHD Video Autofocus Performance
Object Tracking In FHD
6.7
Face Tracking In FHD
9.5
Face Detection In FHD
Yes
Eye Detection In FHD
Yes

Note: We tested autofocus performance using settings that deviate from our usual methodology to account for this camera's focal length. As such, the results may not be fully comparable with other cameras we've tested.

7.0
Full HD Video
FHD Video Quality
Low Light Capability In FHD
7.0
Test Scene Extract In FHD
7.0
6.6
Full HD Video
FHD Video Rolling Shutter Effect
FHD Rolling Shutter
5.0°
Storage And Connectivity
Storage And Connectivity
Storage
Card 1 Slot
SD Card UHS-I
Card 2 Slot
No 2nd Card Slot
7.8
Storage And Connectivity
Inputs / Outputs
USB
Micro USB
HDMI
Micro (Type D)
Headphones
No
Microphone
Stereo
Wi-Fi
Yes
Bluetooth
Yes

Note: This camera also has an input to connect a remote. Note also that the microphone jack is located on the other side of the camera (not pictured above).