Panasonic FZ1000 Field Test

The Panasonic FZ1000 is a camera that interests me greatly. Last year, I reviewed the Sony RX10, and this is about as clear and direct a competitor to that camera as one could ask for. And both cameras speak to me, because now that I have a five year old son, I'm finding that when traveling I seldom have space to bring my DSLR kit.

Whenever I'm headed on an overseas trip, there are just too many little essentials, toys, and whatnot that need to be packed in my carry-on. Something invariably has to give, and it's usually my DSLR and lenses that have to make way, swapped for a more compact camera. Mirrorless certainly saves some heft with the body, but quality lenses generally aren't radically smaller than their DSLR counterparts. And while a compact camera like my Sony RX100 is undeniably portable, I sacrifice a lot in terms of versatility for its pocket-friendly nature.

The Sony RX10 appealed to me a lot, because while not pocket-friendly, it's still much smaller than an interchangeable-lens camera outfit with similar coverage. The same is true of the Panasonic FZ1000, and while it's a little bigger, it offers almost double the zoom range. I've yet to see both cameras side by side -- I expect to do so before my second shooter's report -- but the FZ1000 is of similar size to my Pentax K-5 DSLR with 18-55mm kit lens mounted, even if you count the FZ1000's deeply-protruding viewfinder.

Shortly before the biennial Photokina tradeshow, we kicked off our review of the Panasonic FZ1000 with a real-world shoot at a nearby tomato festival. We'd planned on this second part of the report following rather sooner, but the flood of tradeshow work -- among other things -- threw a spanner in the works.

Still, the delay meant that we had another chance for a splash of vibrance, as I recently went shooting the fall colors in downtown Knoxville, Tennessee. And for this second and final Field Test, I had the Panasonic FZ1000's main rival -- the Sony RX10 -- along for a side-by-side comparison in the real world. It was interesting, to say the least!