Well I see it as a bit of a mixed bag, the colour is very good and it's very sharp, but there is massive burnout on the sky and white shirts and dress at times. My Panny video cams are very good at dealing with those sort of problems, so I am disappointed with the burnout on the video. I would hope that setting the camera up properly would sort that out, but something to experiment with.

Roger

I think the burnout is also because he overexposed his shots, the DR of this camera is probably a bit limited so exposing correctly becomes more critical.

As Noa said, its over exposed. But you are never going to get everything perfectly exposed in harsh sunlight. It looks like a light was used on some of the interior shots, and not exposed correctly. I find the histogram very accurate on the FZ1000. Maybe it was shot in P mode or ia rather than manual. This camera really needs to be used in manual to get the best out of it.

As Noa said, its over exposed. But you are never going to get everything perfectly exposed in harsh sunlight. It looks like a light was used on some of the interior shots, and not exposed correctly. I find the histogram very accurate on the FZ1000. Maybe it was shot in P mode or ia rather than manual. This camera really needs to be used in manual to get the best out of it.

I think you are probably right on the ia mode, as the FZ200 will burn out in those sort of lighting conditions on ia, so I always use the manual settings.

Roger

Hi Roger

As requested .. here is how I mounted the little splitter and level controls on the camera ...works pretty well but it would have been nicer if I have found a black box not a cream coloured one!!!


Chris

Now that is exactly how I thought it should be and the same as mine when I get the bits. Can't you just spray it black with an aerosol spray paint?

Roger

Hey Roger

I think I should have bought the black box! I think paint will peel off the shiny plastic too. They had black boxes but they had tabs at the bottom so it could be mounted to a base and thinking about it now I could have quite easily cut the tabs off!! Total cost (including the box and knobs) was $12.32 so that wasn't too bad an investment.

The "commercial" 2 channel mixer on the other hand was $139.00! but I'm getting a refund!!

I was going to mount the box directly over the hot shoe but then the knobs would have been in the way if I need to use the EVF at outdoor weddings when the sun is right behind me so I made a simple aluminium bracket that not only lifts the box a bit up but also towards the front of the camera so the controls are clear of the viewfinder.

Hopefully your camera should arrive pretty soon??? I have no weddings for 4 weeks but I do have a commercial Real estate shoot on Monday that I will do with the FZ1000 ...

Chris

Chris

Now, regarding the blown out highlights on that video that Noa, Roger and Colin mentioned..I wonder where the guy set the iDynamic menu option ... it works a bit like my Nikon's D-Lighting and where you have a huge exposure difference between the foreground and background the camera will balance out the shot. I do a lot of Real estate photography so often I'm in an empty room with one or two windows have light streaming in but the rest of the room has indoor lighting. Nikon's D-Lighting works wonders so the exposed windows don't blow out as they normally would ... I must test out some video on my realty shoot next week and see if it works the same

Nevertheless I still would rather have a blown out sky than a blown out wedding dress ...I think he maybe did something wrong there???

Colors looked pretty good on that last clip - maybe a bit over saturated for me personally. WB was a little all over the place as well, but overall it looked nice.

Now that Sony has released their new 4K compact cameras, it will be interesting to see if Panasonic does a FZ2000 or 1000m2.

Now that Sony has released their new 4K compact cameras, it will be interesting to see if Panasonic does a FZ2000 or 1000m2.

You do know the fz1000 is a 4K camera and that is has been released not that long ago?

Hi Chris,

Sounds like a pretty good saving over the commercial mixer :-)

On the blowout of the video footage, I used quite a lot of footage from my FZ200 on the last wedding and it looked way better than some of the footage on the posted video. It took me a while when I first got it to get used to setting it up properly, but should give me enough information to set the FZ1000 up pretty quickly.

I have received an email from HK saying that they are shipping my FZ1000 and I will receive a tracking number shortly, so hopefully will arrive late next week in time for 3 schools shoots on the trot.

Roger

I think he maybe did something wrong there???

Yes, he overexposed the image :)

Duh Noa

I realise that ..it's pretty obvious .. I was just wondering what menu settings he might have not looked on the menu ..You can adjust the dynamic balance and the high light range too ..It actually has a lot more exposure adjustments than my Sony's and yes, you can do a thumbwheel ISO adjust too like we wanted on the EA-50! I do like the way Panasonic always make their thumb wheels go left or right to adjust and then you push the wheel in to set the adjustment so it can all be done with one finger.

That thumb wheel adjustment is the same on the FZ200, it is so convenient and easy.

Roger

My FZ1000 is out for delivery today, I hope they've sent the right camera this time!!!!!!

Roger

Brilliant Roger

Soon you can play to your hearts content! I did two Realty shoots today and the footage is excellent!!

Once you have fiddled a bit I have some questions for you and if you have any I will gladly do my best to answer them!

My FZ1000 is out for delivery today, I hope they've sent the right camera this time!!!!!!

Roger

:) Surely, it has to be Roger.

Uummh, bump!
Great thread!
Anything else I should know before dropping my hard earned cash on one?
Or is there another thread with more info?
Cant get the search function to work on my android tablet, which is all I have to use at moment.

Hi Jack

Brilliant cameras and awesome footage too!! You can pickup a few wedding highlights shot on the FZ1000's on my You Tube channel if you need to see the sort of result you get.

https://www.youtube.com/user/softweigh

Roger started another thread right here which you also might find useful .... a bit more recent than this one but if you have any questions feel free to ask!

http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/wedding-event-videography-techniques/529342-using-panasonic-lumix-fz1000.html

Chris

Thanks heaps for that, Chris!
Definitely nice footage there, has made my decision easier.
Some interesting reading in the "Using the Panasonic Lumix FZ1000" thread.
Might head over there, to ask questions!

Could anyone tell me how long this will record? Panasonic's website has this:

Continuous recordable time (motion pictures)
MP4Approx. 110 min

Actual recordable time (motion pictures)
MP4Approx. 55 min

Is that true? Rather than the usual 30 minute time limit?

I am considering picking up a pair of these to shoot 4K at weddings as stationary cameras. Sort of like I use my 4K GoPro...

Hi Rob

Sadly no! The camera is crippled to record 30 minutes at a time in AVCHD then it needs to be reset. In MP4 which I prefer to use it's actually a bit less ...At 25P it does runs of 27 minutes as the MP4 format has a maximum file size of 4GB and recording stops when you get to EITHER 30 minutes OR the file size exceeds 4GB

Is a GH4 out of your budget? That has continuous recording and interchangeable lenses and, of course 4K ... I haven't had any issues with the time limit so far even with Catholic ceremonies but if you need a camera stuck up on a Church balcony that needs to run 15 minutes before the ceremony right thru to once the bride has exited then it isn't going to work ... It seems a shame to also use something as good as the GH4 just as a safety camera!! I still use my Chinese SJ4000's for set and forget cameras and found they are cheap as chips and don't give me hassles the GoPros used to give me...but again no 4K

Is a GH4 out of your budget? That has continuous recording and interchangeable lenses and, of course 4K

I'm hoping to find something cheaper since I want two of them. Largely, I like the idea of 4K for the up front side aisle cams where I can digitally zoom in for the vows later. I can get two of these FZs ready to shoot for the same price as just one GH4 Body.

I don't mind the 30 minute time limit. Most ceremonies I make one lap to refresh everything now (70Ds up front), but will be shooting solo from now on. Instead of 3 DSLRs and a GoPro, I was thinking 4 cameras (maybe 2 camcorders and 2 DSLRs) and a GoPro for the ceremony, then 2 DSLRs with decent low light at the reception.

Hi Rob

I have no issues with the limit .. I wonder how the Panasonics will mix with the Canons? The footage from them is nicely saturated and incredibly sharp compared to my old Sony cameras ... I'm using two at ceremonies and they really are amazing value for money and have way more features than I expected ... I only found out a few weeks ago that you also have a "resume zoom function" so if you are zoomed up a bit on the couple and turn the camera off while the couple sign the register, you can turn it back on and it reverts straight back to your previous zoom setting ...I got tired also of changing lenses so the 25-400 zoom covers everything! Yeah, 4K will blow you away the resolution is mind blowing!!! Have a look at some samples on YouTube ..Just search for FZ1000 4K

I normally use two 70Ds up front, same as you Robert. With a Sony FX1000 running in the aisle, Seem to be able match the colours OK with those three. But mixing the "FZ1000" presents more of a challenge, got lots of green to deal with. Have tried mixing with the 70Ds, with some success by dialling the white balance more to the red and yellow side, then have a play in post, using "resolve". that gets it close...

I really need to have at least three cameras the same, preferably without the time limit thing. Or at least the one in the Aisle have no time limit, also, be 4K for cropping later


Just reading this thread, I can see I'm not the only one trying to sort this out.

I must admit I have always gone for matched cameras so I have never had the problem. To be honest I would rather shoot with just two cameras //one locked on the couple and running all the audio and a second for cutaways and reverse shots and of course bridal entry/exit and register signing. I do run the action cam as a "semi-aerial" static on a light stand high above the main camera and it's great to keep photogs out of the shot and makes a nice occasional super wide cutaway but if I can I only use it if I really have to as there is a fair amount of extra colour correction involved and I'd rather have the time for myself!

There is nothing wrong with using your B-Cam handheld and doing the odd cutaway to keep the first half of the ceremony from getting boring then during vows you can move to the side and behind to grab some nice reverse angle shots. ... and it only needs two cameras which are my FZ1000's

Jack asked in a different thread about how far away the Wifi remote app works on the camera. I have used it at 20 feet, but could maybe be longer especially if line of sight. Can be very useful to restart, or just stop/start when needed. You can also view the footage live on pad or phone and adjust zoom, aperture etc. Can be extremely useful in the right situation.

Roger

To be honest I would rather shoot with just two cameras //one locked on the couple and running all the audio and a second for cutaways and reverse shots and of course bridal entry/exit and register signing.

We don't have a signing here. However, my main issue is that I want opposite side cameras for the vows. Then the aisle cam is a safety to those. The entire rest of the time, I pretty much only use 2 cameras. However, moving to solo shooting, I was thinking I"d have more stationary, unmanned style cameras pre positioned for certain moments (my GoPro, in the balcony, is pretty much just for the processional and recessional, for instance), and then I'd have one camera on a mono pod for cutaways and such.

With the wifi remote app.... hmmm, that would be nice.

Well, I can pick up FZ1000s for about $700 (refurbished or gently used). Maybe I'll get 2 now, and consider more later. That would still leave an issue for receptions.

The low light performance isn't all that great, though, right? If we're comparing to Canons, is it about like the 70D, which is fine til ISO 1600, but really, really should be pushed past 2500?

Kind of depending what your tolerance is. I've known many Videographers who'd never go beyond 1600, whereas I'll shoot 6400 and damn the noise. Bright noisy vs dark and clean. I'd rather see what's going on through grain than squint in a gloomy image.

The fz1000 has a variable zoom so you lose 2.8 once you zoom in. Noise levels at 2.8 I see from samples compare to the GH4, not too unsurprising. So good until the lights are low, then I'd think you'd see a difference to the 70d. You can always pick up one and try it out. If you don't mind the time limit and looking for extra cameras on a budget, its worth your while. Not sure how easy it'll match the look of your 70d though.

Thanks, Steve, Roger.

I found a good video laying out its issues.

It looks like the low light is about the same as my Canon 70D. At receptions I already use my 5d Mark ii as my primary, and pretty much by itself once the dancing starts. These are cheap enough I could buy two, and keep my current cameras. Matching problems be darned.

The only other thing I have real issue with is the battery/card door being blocked by the quick release plates. However, if the battery will get me past an hour, these will do their job just fine. If its a Catholic mass, my only possible hour+ stretch without a break, I can change batteries/cards during communion.

F/4 at 500mm (in 4K) would be a wonderful problem to have. Boo hoo. Right now I have a cheap STM leans with 250mm reach (so... 300+mm equivalent) at f/5.6 and the same 30 minute time limit. At least with these I can link each to a cheap android tablet and restart them as appropriate.

I glanced at some camcorders, but it looks like what I'd want is a lot more expensive.

We don't have a signing here. However, my main issue is that I want opposite side cameras for the vows. Then the aisle cam is a safety to those. The entire rest of the time, I pretty much only use 2 cameras. However, moving to solo shooting, I was thinking I"d have more stationary, unmanned style cameras pre positioned for certain moments (my GoPro, in the balcony, is pretty much just for the processional and recessional, for instance), and then I'd have one camera on a mono pod for cutaways and such.

With the wifi remote app.... hmmm, that would be nice.

Well, I can pick up FZ1000s for about $700 (refurbished or gently used). Maybe I'll get 2 now, and consider more later. That would still leave an issue for receptions.

The low light performance isn't all that great, though, right? If we're comparing to Canons, is it about like the 70D, which is fine til ISO 1600, but really, really should be pushed past 2500?

As far as fz1000 low light goes, I really think it is brighter and cleaner than my 70Ds, using basic f1.8 primes..... Even zoomed in slightly. Still falls down when they cut the lights though. I havn t been above iso 1600 though. I love the 70Ds, but they might have to go, now that I ve experienced what a great tool 4K is.....

As far as fz1000 low light goes, I really think it is brighter and cleaner than my 70Ds, using basic f1.8 primes....

Interesting. Kind of implies by association the GH4 excels the 70d for low light too, which isn't what some owners have implied, so good to hear another side.

Nothing scientific about my comparisons Steve, just LOOKS better.
Would be a whole nother story using faster primes on the 70D. I've never invested in f1.2s or f1.4s, due to me sometimes struggling with sharp focus when wide open with the f1.8s.

I have pushed the FZ1000's pretty hard at receptions and it's pretty hard to get a noisy image. 1600ISO??? Shucks I have let mine run to 3200 many times and the image is clean and perfectly usable ..I have even pushed the ISO to 6400 when all the lights went out and my LED light was out of reach and was amazed at the lack of video noise at such a high ISO ..with my old Sony EA-50's which have a bigger APSC sensor the image would be full of speckles and blacks would turn brown. Technology is advancing so fast the mind boggles! It's always worth pushing your cameras at a wedding just the once to see what you can use and what you can't use. Maybe our receptions are better lit but the only time I use a video light with the camera is when the venue turn virtually all the lights out for the first dance ..then I just use it as a fill! Because the FZ1000 is a fixed lens bridge camera don't assume that you have to pull out your DSLR and your fastest prime lens ... the FZ might surprise you!!

I'd be surprised if it excels the GH4 in low light at comparable apertures and ISO, especially given both are produced by Panasonic with similar tech and codecs. So far all footage I've seen shows a similar handling of low light and at 6400 ISO on my GH4, blacks are black and noise is more a fine grain than the speckled kind I saw on my old 60d and even the GH2 I currently have. That said, I know when 2.8 just doesn't cut it. I may get a useable image with my 2.8 lens, as long as there's some light to work with. However compared to a fast prime, there's a clear difference in quality.

I'm still waiting any fz1000 owner to show footage of a dimly lit venue at 6400 ISO. Who knows. Maybe I will be surprised. If so I'd wonder what Panasonic gave the fz1000, it didn't feel it could share with the GH4 and G7. I appreciate owners enthusiasm, but saying something is good could only mean its being compared to something bad.

I've spoken with a couple of local wedding videographers that use nothing but GH4s, they both told me that they were not happy with low light perfomance, so always set up lights for receptions. Maybe they are just chasing that BRIGHT video look, no matter what.
You would think that the GH4 would have better low light than the FZ1000.
I personally LIKE the look of darker footage, when it's actually dark, looks natural to me.

I wonder how well the Panasonic camcorders can match with the FZ1000!? Could be worth looking into for me........

Hi Steve

Colin posted a clip here at a very old Church in the UK going right up to 6400 ISO ..I have a feeling it's on this very thread but will need looking for. The GH4 has a bigger sensor and you have the facilities to snap on a very fast lens so technically it should be way faster. However via processing maybe their fancy processing engine performs miracles.. I have no idea ?? My Sony's had APSC sensors and with an F2.8 Sigma lens I do find the FZ has cleaner low light (note I didn't say better) I have also seen talk that big sensors with high pixel counts are not the best light gatherers and fewer and bigger pixels will be better in low light but sacrifice resolution ...The FZ doesn't have that feature so maybe it's just the marvel of electronics ??? Overall I find the end product still a lot better than my bigger Sony cameras. Surely the GH4 with an F0.95 prime has to be way, way brighter than the FZ F2.8 lens??? I just report what I see!!

Dont know if this will help>>>some still frames from 70d and fz1000 video in a dark corner, at home.
Both at f2.8
1600iso, then 6400iso.

Top two are 70D
Bottom two are FZ100.

Hey Jack

So the top two are the 70D - 1660/6400 and the bottom two are the FZ1000 (that's how the clips are named anyway) .... The FZ does an amazing image at 6400 ISO and is quite usable!

I found similar results too but I still zap a small LED light on the B-Cam before the first dance just in case the staff decide that turning down the lights means turning them off!! I have done quite a few weddings and never used any lighting at all. On average using my Sony's in the same situation I would need an F1.8 lens to achieve decent results

The 1" sensor on the FZ1000 does very well as the Canon 70D has an APSC sized chip and both are roughly the same resolution 20.1 and 20.2 mp

I'm off to another wedding down the coast shortly .. should be fun and a break for us too as we are staying overnight

Hey Jack

So the top two are the 70D - 1660/6400 and the bottom two are the FZ1000 (that's how the clips are named anyway) .... The FZ does an amazing image at 6400 ISO and is quite usable!

I found similar results too but I still zap a small LED light on the B-Cam before the first dance just in case the staff decide that turning down the lights means turning them off!! I have done quite a few weddings and never used any lighting at all. On average using my Sony's in the same situation I would need an F1.8 lens to achieve decent results

The 1" sensor on the FZ1000 does very well as the Canon 70D has an APSC sized chip and both are roughly the same resolution 20.1 and 20.2 mp

I'm off to another wedding down the coast shortly .. should be fun and a break for us too as we are staying overnight
Yeah sorry, edited that post!
Would have been easy for you to recognise Chris!

I've spoken with a couple of local wedding videographers that use nothing but GH4s, they both told me that they were not happy with low light perfomance, so always set up lights for receptions. Maybe they are just chasing that BRIGHT video look, no matter what.


It's not as simple as that. Colour and detail can see a reduction in quality once lights go down. It's often not just about getting a useabe image, but one that matches the quality of your day shots. Perhaps a case of being more picky, but a fill light can make quite a difference in getting nice skin tones. Something I find Panasonic's colour science seems to suffer under certain conditions.

Hi Steve

Colin posted a clip here at a very old Church in the UK going right up to 6400 ISO .

Yeah I re-watched. It's hard to say. Looking at surfaces, there's either some very strong noise reduction or heavy compression from YouTube, or both. Kind of wish I could play with the fz1000 myself for a day or so and see how it compares to the GH4. I tend to limit the GH4s noise reduction personally as it can do more harm than good. I find it with Neat Video too, heavy noise reduction just makes floors and walls and other areas with minimum detail look a little off.

I'd be surprised if it excels the GH4 in low light at comparable apertures and ISO

From all the comparison videos I have seen, and there are a few, it each time was clear that the low light performance at the same f-stop and high iso's was similar but the fz1000 was a bit more noisy.

Dont know if this will help>>>some still frames from 70d and fz1000 video in a dark corner, at home.
Both at f2.8
1600iso, then 6400iso.

Top two are 70D
Bottom two are FZ100.

Seeing the images on a large screen, I see ISO 6400 is a little worse than the GH4. Some yellow tinge to the noise, mushiness in some of the detail; not as bad as my GH2 by a long shot, but not quite as good as the GH4 at the same aperture and ISO.

So where does that leave the Canon 70D!!!!????? Looks pretty sad in my comparo's!

So where does that leave the Canon 70D!!!!????? Looks pretty sad in my comparo's!

Er yeah, afraid so. :)

Had fantastic luck filming leopards by spotlight with the FZ1000 while the 70D could not register a good image. It does have very nice low light, much better than my Canon XA20.

Thank you, guys.

Looks like you made my decision easy. I'll be picking up a pair of these in the coming months. Possibly 3.

/for now, that means I'll shoot the ceremony with two FZ1000s, a 70D, a 5d Mark ii, and a GoPro Hero4 Black. Oy, that is going to be a nightmare to match up.

Hi Jack

Just got back from a destination wedding down South and the venue had a lighting controller that had "low" function1" and "function2" .. it was set at "low" so I asked the co-ordinator if I could lift it to function1 for the speeches. Before they started I checked with the A-Cam and decided it was enough light and shot the entire reception with the lighting on "low" ..No on camera light needed the whole evening with the FZ's and images look really good! I post some grabs when I recover from the long drive in 35 degree heat but they certainly looked really good in camera!! It was rather nice not having to setup any lighting!!

These little cameras do an outstanding job for me!!

Thank you, guys.

Looks like you made my decision easy. I'll be picking up a pair of these in the coming months. Possibly 3.

/for now, that means I'll shoot the ceremony with two FZ1000s, a 70D, a 5d Mark ii, and a GoPro Hero4 Black. Oy, that is going to be a nightmare to match up.

I must admit. Rather you than me. Aside from 4 time limit cameras, the sharp fz1000s will show up how soft the Canons are, especially the 5d. A few years back when I got my GH3, I found the 60d impossible to match to it and my GH2. So I sold it and bought a 2nd hand GH2. Saved me loads of time in post production.

Thank you, guys.

Looks like you made my decision easy. I'll be picking up a pair of these in the coming months. Possibly 3.

/for now, that means I'll shoot the ceremony with two FZ1000s, a 70D, a 5d Mark ii, and a GoPro Hero4 Black. Oy, that is going to be a nightmare to match up.

Grabbing another one next week, myself. Then will need a matching "no time limit" camera to set in Aisle.
Still have the 70D in hand for shallow DOF stuff.