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ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

Panasonic FZ1000 Review... (2 Viewers)

No-one seems to have taken the plunge and bought this, so far, then ? (Although underwater use is presumably not recommended.)

Having asked. at Birdfair. if there was a cheaper model on its way, to go 'in between' the FZ-200 and FZ-1000, was told they (UK Panasonic) hadn't heard anything.

I have to say that $900 to £750 isn't a very good exchange rate, at the very least.

However, the FZ-200 is now over 2 years old, and must be due for replacement, soon. Surely, this (replacement) can't be the FZ-1000, can it ?
 
If the UK is remotely like Denmark, then the UK prices include your VAT/salestax. That is not included in US list-prices, taxes are always added at the checkout. US sales tax depends a little on the shipping address, but the times where you automatically could avoid it by ordering online is nearly gone. Of course, you could avoid the US sales tax by ordering shipped to the UK, but then the UK duty officers will want their share on import.

Niels
 
If the UK is remotely like Denmark

A humorous reply could only be in Denmark's favour, Niels.

I've just experimented with a US online camera store, to find there was no sales tax, when shipped within the States (?). Perhaps our US members could comment on this.
 
A humorous reply could only be in Denmark's favour, Niels.

I've just experimented with a US online camera store, to find there was no sales tax, when shipped within the States (?). Perhaps our US members could comment on this.

Amazon.com which is the place I have the most experience with has a long list of states for which they withhold sales tax.

Niels
 
4k stills from the FZ1000

Much has been said about the ability of the FZ1000 that allows you to grab 4k still shots off the video recorded in that format. Here are three examples. Unfortunately they have to be downsized to post in this forum, so you may not see them in their full glory, but let me re-assure you that the full sized stills from the 4k video is very impressive. They certainly do not look like a still image taken from normal HD video. I think for bird photography this is a very useful addition to this camera and will have many uses, especially for those birds that sit and flit around on a branch while you are taking shots.
 

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Hi Swissboy, no post processing at all on any of these images. I wanted to show exactly how they looked coming straight from the camera.
 
very impressive. They certainly do not look like a still image taken from normal HD video.

Very impressive, indeed, scodgerott. This camera has suddenly become much more attractive to me- but not my pocket !

Now, could you post a few stills, in different conditions, to show how well it might compare with the FZ-200 and FZ-150, please ?

And, how easy is it to use, compared with the above two models ? Are there any minuses- apart from the increased weight ?

Many thanks.
 
Very impressive, indeed, scodgerott. This camera has suddenly become much more attractive to me- but not my pocket !

Now, could you post a few stills, in different conditions, to show how well it might compare with the FZ-200 and FZ-150, please ?

And, how easy is it to use, compared with the above two models ? Are there any minuses- apart from the increased weight ?

Many thanks.

Thanks for the compliments. I'm attaching three images, two from the FZ1000 and one from the FZ200. The first one, from the FZ1000 is of a small bird that I took recently using a combination of extra optical zoom and iZoom to give a 35mm equivalent of 1120mm. The other two shots are both taken at ISO 3200 in a reptile house at the Melbourne Zoo. The FZ200 did pretty well, but the FZ1000 shot is better. None of these shots have had any post processing. The 2nd shot is from the FZ200 and the third shot is from the FZ1000.

With regards to ease of use. Its definitely more complicated than the FZ200. It has another complete set of menus. There are settings that aren't available on the FZ200, like viewfinder focus, which if you turn it on, will allow the camera to focus every time you put your eye to the viewfinder. Its something I don't particularly like, but some people do.

The FZ1000 also has some things that require a couple of steps rather than one that you might find on the FZ200. Take manual focus, on the FZ200, you simply flick the side switch to MF and you're done. On the FZ1000 you have to flick the switch on the lens barrel and also the MF selector on the back of the camera. With panoramas you select that from the "scene" mode, as you do with the FZ200, but then you have to go into the menu to organise what way you want to pan. Its an extra step. However most things are done in a similar way and the camera is much quicker and the viewfinder is wonderful.
 

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I'm attaching three images

Wow ! Thank you.

I thought the FZ-200 was supposed to be good (I still have the FZ-150, tho' know a couple who have both); but this knocks both into a cocked hat.

I probably know the answer to this: but, would you say it's worth double the price of the others ?

And, are you constantly achieving the quality you've demonstrated in the posted shots ?
 
......... The first one, from the FZ1000 is of a small bird that I took recently using a combination of extra optical zoom and iZoom to give a 35mm equivalent of 1120mm.........

That is definitely a VERY convincing argument for the FZ1000. Here there is no no longer the argument that the FZ1000 has less reach than the FZ200. So far my main reason for not considering the 1000. Sure weight and size matter as well, but picture quality particularly at the long tele end is the main consideration.
 
To firsttreesjohn - With regards to price, it is worth the extra money. Once you play with it, you are hooked. Its so responsive that you feel like you could shoot anything with it, you can't of course, but it does deliver the goods in both speed and image quality. The quality is really good, but in good light I don't think there's too much in it over the FZ200, in lower light the story changes and the FZ1000 delivers a much better result. Also note that the the bigger size and weight isn't really an issue. I don't even think about now and its not so heavy to be a burden to carry. Its still relatively light compared to a DSLR with a comparable lens.

To Swissboy - The focal length, or lack of it over the FZ200 worried me as well and before I got the FZ1000 I wasn't convinced that it could match the FZ200, which I mostly use at 3mp picture size to give me 1170mm EFL. However at 10mp plus iZoom, its very competitive in the zoom range and still gives a better and more croppable image. Attached is another shot I took of a small/medium bird at a distance of about 10-15 metres. In this shot, I reduced the file size to 5mp, that combined with iZoom gave me an EFL of 1600mm. I think the result is still pretty good.
 

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Some very good images seem to be achievable.

Has anyone tried birds in flight yet? If so, with what result and what limitations?

Tony
 
Some very good images seem to be achievable.

Has anyone tried birds in flight yet? If so, with what result and what limitations?

Tony

Hi Tony,

I have taken quite a few shots of birds in flight, but all have been with a red dot sight, which is a worthwhile addition and they only cost about $50. The limitation is mainly the electronic zoom. It like most, if not all, electronic zooms are too slow to effectively zoom back quickly to frame the shot, then zoom in to take the shot. It can be done, but its hard work and not good for small fast moving birds. I try and take lots of swallows in flight. I took thousands with the FZ200 (with the RDS). My experience so far with the FZ1000, is that although its definitely faster in AF and bursts, my keeper rate is about the same as the FZ200, which translates to about 5 to 10 shots/thousand. Attached are pics of a Gannet and a Swallow. The Gannet pic was easier as they are slower moving, but I used the RDS on that as well.
 

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.......all have been with a red dot sight, which is a worthwhile addition and they only cost about $50..........definitely faster in AF and bursts, my keeper rate is about the same as the FZ200, which translates to about 5 to 10 shots/thousand. Attached are pics of a Gannet and a Swallow. The Gannet pic was easier as they are slower moving, but I used the RDS on that as well.

Great shots, though at the keeper rate you mention, one might wonder whether there is no increase simply because you became more critical than with the FZ200?
By the way, I find it an absolute bother that each burst is stored in a separate folder. For quick comparisons, I spend a lot of time just getting the pictures out of these folders. I understand that other ( i.e. non-Panasonic) cameras don't have this stupid set-up? Have you found a way around, other than setting the time to zero?

And once again, I'd like to ask about this red-dot sight you are using. I had asked some time in the past but then got lost in the varieties one finds offered. I there a version that you can particularly recommend? And how does one fix these to the camera?
 
Great shots, though at the keeper rate you mention, one might wonder whether there is no increase simply because you became more critical than with the FZ200?
By the way, I find it an absolute bother that each burst is stored in a separate folder. For quick comparisons, I spend a lot of time just getting the pictures out of these folders. I understand that other ( i.e. non-Panasonic) cameras don't have this stupid set-up? Have you found a way around, other than setting the time to zero?

And once again, I'd like to ask about this red-dot sight you are using. I had asked some time in the past but then got lost in the varieties one finds offered. I there a version that you can particularly recommend? And how does one fix these to the camera?

Hi Swissboy, I keep hearing people talk about these folders that the bursts go into. I have never encountered them on either the FZ200, or this new camera and don't really understand what they are talking about. All my shots appear as individual images both in the camera and when I download them into iPhoto, so I can't offer a way of solving that problem, as its a problem I don't have.

Red Dot Sights (RDS) are a small piece of equipment that sits in the hot shoe of the camera. I have attached a picture. They help you track a bird by following the bird with the dot. Its a lot easier than trying to do it via the narrow confines of a long telephoto lens. The RDS has a semi reflective screen at the front, which will show the reflection of the LED light in the housing at the rear of the device. Once you line that up with the focus point of the camera, then the focus and dot should be pointing at the same thing. They do have some disadvantages, mainly the dot can be very hard to see in certain lighting conditions. The other disadvantage is that as you don't use the viewfinder, you can't know for sure what you've photographed. I often get half a wing, or tail instead of the full bird. With small birds, you don't need to have the dot very far off the target for you to miss it completely.

Buying one is a bit of a problem for two reasons. A firm called www.gadget.brando.com used to sell them complete with the hot shoe attachment, but they appear to have dropped the RDS from their list of products. The second problem is that there are plenty on Ebay, but most don't come with the sliding rail camera attachment that you need to attach it to the hot shoe. They were originally designed for guns and need the extra piece to enable attachment to the camera. You can find the rails on Ebay as well, but you'll have to do a search for sliding rails for a red dot sight. It was cheaper to go to gadget.brando, as it all came complete. Buying the two items separately is a little bit more expensive. I would still have a look at gadget.brando just in case they are stocking them again.

Let me know what you find.

Regards

Rodger
 

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Hello, to all at Bird Forum,
i am totaly new to taking pictures of birds, so please tell me if they are good or rubbish, i have seen some stunning images on this sight and was so envious i had to join lololo, i am a 60 year old photography enthusiast and have just recently purchased a panasonic FZ1000 Camera and have fallen in love with it, so much to learn, however, time will tell and i hope soon in the near future to try my best at getting some nice bird capture shots.
Thank you all for reading my introductory note,
Best Regards,
XVOYAGERX
 
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