Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ1000 with 1-inch sensor and 4K recording announced

Panasonic has announced the Lumix DMC-FZ1000 , its latest superzoom camera which also happens to be the world’s first superzoom with 4K video recording functionality. The FZ1000 will start selling from July onwards at a price of $899 or approx Rs 53,360.   [caption id=“attachment_225726” align=“aligncenter” width=“480”] Panasonic DMC-FZ1000 sports a 20.1MP 1-inch CMOS sensor[/caption]   Panasonic DMC-FZ1000 houses the same 20.1MP 1-inch sensor CMOS sensor that was seen on the Sony Cybershot RX10. The Leica DC Vario lens on the FZ1000 has a focal range of 25-400mm (35mm equivalent) which gives 16x optical zoom. The maximum aperture at the wide end is f/2.8 whereas at the telephoto end is f/4.0. It offers a 5-step speed control for the optical zoom which can come in handy while shooting videos. The Venus Engine image processor also features multiple noise reduction systems such as multi-process NR, random filter and aperture filter.   [caption id=“attachment_225723” align=“aligncenter” width=“480”] Panasonic DMC-FZ1000 sports a 24-400mm f/2.8-f/4.0 Leica DC Vario lens[/caption]   Unlike other superzoom cameras which only focus on the optical zoom, the FZ1000 will be the incorporating 4K video recording (3840 x 2160, up to 30fps in MP4 format). This makes it the first compact camera (cameras with attached lenses) to support 4K video recording. You can also capture 8MP equivalent still images while shooting 4K video. Apart from 4K video, it supports full HD video recording at 60fps in AVCHD or MP4 formats.   Another interesting bit about the FZ1000 is the Depth From Defocus (DFD) technology which Panasonic claims improves the AF speed significantly. You can shoot up to 12fps in high-speed burst shooting mode. The camera sports a 3-inch 921k-dot LCD screen on the rear and a 2359k-dot OLED view finder. The LCD screen is tiltable.   [caption id=“attachment_225724” align=“aligncenter” width=“480”] There is a 3-inch 921k-dot LCD screen on the rear and a 2359k-dot LED EVF[/caption]   Like all new compact cameras these days, the FZ1000 will sport Wi-fi and NFC allowing image transfer as well as remote shooting.   The India availability dates aren’t out yet. The Panasonic DMC-FZ1000 whose official US pricing comes to around Rs 53,400 will most likely be priced over Rs 60,000 when it comes to India, considering the multiple taxes that will be levied. If it comes to India soon, it may just prove to be competitive to Sony RX10 which costs around Rs 85,000. Sure the Sony RX10 offers f/2.8 across the zoom range, the FZ1000 offers higher optical zoom and 4K video recording - which may be attractive to some. Both cameras use the same sensor, so if Panasonic can keep the pricing on a tight leash, it will be interesting to see how Sony responds.