Review on 📷 Panasonic LUMIX FZ1000 4K Point and Shoot Camera, 16X LEICA DC VARIO-ELMARIT F2.8-4.0 Lens, 21.1 Megapixels, 1" High Sensitivity Sensor, DMC-FZ1000 (USA BLACK) by Becky Ness

This camera is amazing! If this model had a larger touchscreen than the FZ300, a constant f/2.8 aperture, and weather protection, I would give it 6 stars instead of 5. For a mere $100 difference, I can't live forever. I can see why they don't combine that extra 300 features with a big 1000 image sensor for a PERFECT bridge. 300, suggesting it shows nicer bokeh and performs better in low light. It turned out that the bokeh produced by the 1000s at f/4 was just as beautiful... in some cases even BETTER than what the 300s showed at f/2.8. Even in cases with similar bokeh, the shading in blurry areas was blurry at 300 shots, but not at 1000. And is that a constant advantage of f/2.8 in low light? no Not compared to the much more light-sensitive sensor 1000. Even with the larger constant aperture, the 300 struggled in low light, forcing it to a much higher ISO, and the noise that came with those ISOs was appalling. The 1000 handled the same lighting conditions, with much lower ISOs and NO noise! I thought I would prefer the 25-600mm 300 focal length to the 25-400mm 1000. Comparative shots show that the difference between 400mm and 600mm is not that big. BUT, the 1000 has an additional setting (iZoom) that can be used when shooting in JPG format that extends the zoom from 400mm to 800mm, and the 800mm rendering is almost equal in quality to the 600- mm rendering of 300. I don't have it. I haven't experimented with "digital zoom" on any of the cameras... I have a terrible dislike for digital zoom... they're usually pretty gross. How big of an impact does a 1000 sensor really have on overall image quality and detail? GIGANTIC. MUCH more than I actually expected. Certainly NO COMPARISON straight from the camera. When shooting in RAW it was possible to extract similar detail from 300 files by adjusting exposure, white balance and highlights (details that seemed completely absent when viewed directly from the camera) during processing, but who really needs more steps to Uploading recordings to the final product? If you're looking for a bridge camera that offers the convenience of a huge focal length without the bulky inconveniences of multiple bodies and heavy lenses, and image quality comparable to many DSLRs, this FZ1000 LUMIX is unrivaled in this price range. Both 300 and 1000 MAY be configurable. I made many of the same custom settings on both as I do on my full frame DSLR systems. If you've read this review to this point, you undoubtedly mean business. Just buy this item...you won't regret it!