Value For Money
The Panasonic Lumix FZ2000 is available for £1039, which makes it quite expensive compared to the FZ1000, however, if you compare it to the Panasonic Lumix GH4R body only at £939, then the FZ2000 represents quite good value for money. Alternatives to look at include the following ultra zoom cameras with a 1inch sensor:
Panasonic Lumix FZ1000 - 16x, 12fps, EVF, vari-angle screen, 4K video, £629
Panasonic Lumix FZ2000 - 20x, 12fps, EVF, vari-angle screen, CINE/4K video, £1039
Sony Cyber-shot RX100 III - 25x, 14fps, EVF, tilting screen, 4K video, £1399
Canon Powershot G3 X - 25x, 5.9fps, no EVF, tilting screen, FullHD video, £599
You could also have a look at other ultra-zoom cameras in our Top 10 Ultra Zoom Bridge cameras, or have a look at our Top 10 4K Video Cameras. You'll also need to buy a (large and fast) memory card, and a case or bag to keep your camera safe and protected - have a look at our complete guide to camera bags.
Panasonic Lumix FZ2000 Verdict
The Panasonic Lumix FZ2000 offers a 20 megapixel 1inch CMOS sensor, and a new 20x optical zoom lens, with a bright f/2.8 aperture at the wide-angle end of the lens. The camera has a great 3inch tilting touch-screen, as well as a large, bright, high-resolution electronic viewfinder, with a comfortable rubber surround. Build quality is very good and the camera has a lot in common with the Panasonic Lumix GH4, which means that the FZ2000 would make an excellent second camera to anyone familiar with Panasonic's other cameras.
The camera will record 4K video, including CINE resolution, and has a number of advanced options and controls. The biggest drawback is that as you use the zoom, the lens stops down to f/4.0 from 80mm equivalent, which reduces the camera's low-light performance. Due to this, you may prefer a different camera, with a brighter lens, or interchangeable lenses if you have the budget available. If you mostly shoot in good light, or can add light to a scene then this limitation may not be such an issue for you. Video quality is very good, and there are numerous options and controls available, making this an excellent all-in-one camera for those that want both high quality video and stills.
Whilst we were expecting slightly better image quality, the results were good with generally good colour, and exposure. The camera also offers impressive focus performance, with rapid focus that is reliable, ensuring every shot is sharp. The camera also gives good noise performance, with images staying quite sharp until you reach ISO1600 and above. Images were also slightly softer at the telephoto end of the lens.
There are numerous external controls and buttons, as well as full manual controls, and if you're a beginnner, you can also use the camera in auto mode, or one of the scene modes and still get great shots, as well as very high quality 4K video.
Panasonic Lumix FZ2000 Pros
- Excellent focus performance
- Quick operation
- Wi-Fi connectivity
- Unlimited video recording
- 4K CINE video recording
- Dual-axis electronic level
- Custom buttons and ND Filters built-in
- Large electronic viewfinder
- Raw shooting
Panasonic Lumix FZ2000 Cons
- f/4.0 from 80mm equivalent zoom
- To select some of the different video frame rates you have to switch between NTSC and PAL
- Softer photos at the telephoto end
- Quite large
Comments
pablophotographer
Join ePHOTOzine for free and remove these adverts.
Quote:£1100? A similar review today on Tech Radar says £600!!!
If you check any of the retailers such as Amazon, Wex, Park Cameras, etc, the price is definitely around £1099 for the Panasonic Lumix FZ2000. Thanks.
Quote:£1100? A similar review today on Tech Radar says £600!!!
If you go to the any of the commercial links on that site they take you [as I suspected] to offers on the FZ1000 - which is still on the market and considerably cheaper.
Quote:Hello Panasonic, your customer here. Is it too difficult to add the focal lengths on the lens barrel?
pablophotographer
The FZ1000 did do this; the reason the FZ2000/2500 doesn't is that the lens barrel DOESN'T MOVE whilst the camera is turned on - it is always fixed at this extension, so there's no way they could put the focal lengths on it as they'd mean nothing (obviously it retracts into the housing when the camera is powered off, however). It has internal zoom, in other words. This is good as it's very quick (when required) and quiet and the camera doesn't alter its balance as you zoom, either. The extension of the barrel is less than the competing cameras at full zoom.
Sign In
You must be a member to leave a comment.
ePHOTOzine, the web's friendliest photography community.
Join For Free
Upload photos, chat with photographers, win prizes and much more.