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the electronic shutter gives you
up to 1/16,000sec. Maximum
continuous shooting is an
impressive 12fps when used in
AF-S mode or 7fps in AF-C mode.
The FZ1000 II is well served by
a generous range of exposure
modes, all of which are accessed
via the mode dial on the top of the
camera. Available modes include
the standard PASM quartet of
semi and fully manual modes for
more-advanced users, alongside
Panasonic’s ever-reliable iAuto
mode and 24 individual Scene
modes for point-and-shoot duties.
These are joined by a more-than-
generous selection of 22 Creative
digital filter effects, with old
favourites such as Miniature (tilt–
shift) and Toy Camera joined by
things like Bleach Bypass and a
new Dynamic Monochrome for a
high-contrast black & white look.
Rounding things off is a Panoramamode, three user-specified
Custom modes and, last but not
least, a dedicated Movie position
for when you want to record video.
The FZ1000 II features an
extensive in-camera menu system
with a huge array of customisation
options. So much so, in fact, that
we suspect some novice users
could initially find it a bit daunting.
There’s a lot on offer here, from
customising the camera’s basic
controls to customising the way
the shutter button operates and
more. The in-camera menu is
also home to a number of useful
processing tools that can be used
to tweak the way JPEGs will look
straight out of the camera. This
includes Panasonic’s own Picture
Style processing options, along
with a range of Highlight and
Shadow curves that can be used
to tame highlights and boost
shadow detail, or indeed viceversa. In addition to the built-in
presets you can also dial in up to
three custom Shadow/Highlight
curves of your own. Panasonic’s
long-standing iDynamic and
iResolution tools are also present,
with four strengths to choose
from: low, standard, high and auto.
You can, of course, also switch
both tools off should you want to.
Movie-recording abilities extend
to 4K at 30fps, which represents a
slight improvement over the 25fps
of the original FZ1000. These are
supported by a generous range
of 1080p Full HD and 720p HD
options. The camera can record
4K, Full HD and HD movie files in
the PC-friendly MP4 format, or
you can also record Full HD and
HD movies in the AVCHD file
format, which lends itself to direct
playback on a high-definition TV.
In addition to standard movie
capture, the FZ1000 II alsoprovides a couple of high-speed
recording options for slow-motion
playback in real time via the
provision of 120fps and 100fps
Full HD capture modes. Like its
predecessor, the FZ1000 II
provides a 3.5mm input socket for
an external stereo microphone,
positioned so it doesn’t block the
articulating screen. Alternatively
audio recording can be done
via the twin stereo microphones
built into the top of the electronic
viewfinder. Audio settings can be
tweaked via the in-camera menu.Build and handling
At first glance, the FZ1000 II
looks to be broadly the same
as its predecessor, but closer
examination reveals quite a few
differences between the two. In
addition to being slightly smaller- we’re talking millimetres
here – the new model is also
An example of JPEG quality
taken using the FZ1000 II’s
standard photo style
Panasonic Lumix FZ1000 II at 50mm,
1/640sec at f/8, ISO 200