Panasonic just announced the FZ1000 Mark II, a followup to the excellent FZ1000 — one of my favorite cameras (the perfect “Swiss army knife” of cameras). The FZ1000 was so good, in fact, that many people wondered what could be improved. It turns out the answer is, not very much. The Mark II primarily adds five things:

Touch screen (with slightly better resolution)

Video-based focus stacking

Video-based post-shot focus select

Bluetooth connectivity (if it works — camera companies are the Keystone Cops when it comes to phone apps)

More physical controls, including an additional control wheel

You also get:

Slightly better internal editing

More monochrome photo styles

In-camera grain adjustment

Expression detection

Three auto-white-balance settings

White-balance bracketing

Aperture bracketing (in addition to exposure bracketing)

Better battery-life rating

Romanian as a built-in language

Exif 2.31 instead of Exif 2.31

And the Mark II is 21g (0.74 oz) lighter (yes, lighter).

The lens and sensor appear to be exactly the same, which is good news (because it’s a great combo) as well as bad news (because more modern sensors do slightly better in the dark and offer higher quality video). [Update: Digital Trends says that Panasonic says it’s a new sensor.]

Here’s a side-by-side comparison of the two cameras:2

FZ1000 FZ1000 Mark II Price MSRP / Amazon $499.99 / $497.99 $899.99 / $897.99 Body type Body type Bridge Bridge Weight (inc. batteries) 831g (1.83 lb) 810g (1.77 lb) Dimensions 137 x 99 x 131 mm (5.39 x 3.9 x 5.16inch) 136 x 97 x 131 mm (5.35 x 3.8 x 5.16 inch) Optics Lens LEICA DC VARIO-ELMARIT with 15 elements in 11 groups (5 Aspherical Lenses / 8 Aspherical Surfaces / 4 ED Lenses) LEICA DC VARIO-ELMARIT with 15 elements in 11 groups (5 Aspherical Lenses / 8 Aspherical Surfaces / 4 ED Lenses) Focal length 9.1-146 mm 9.12-146 mm Focal length (equiv.) 25-400 mm 25-400 mm Optical zoom 16x 16x Extended zoom 22.4x (3:2 / 10M file), 32x (3:2 / 5M file) 22.4x (3:2 / 10M file), 32x (3:2 / 5M file) Maximum aperture F2.8-4 F2.8-4 Maximum aperture (equiv.) F8-11 F8-11 Stabilizer 5-axis hybrid O.I.S. 5-axis hybrid O.I.S. Sensor Max resolution 5472 x 3648 5472 x 3648 Other resolutions 4864×3648, 5472×3080, 3648×3648, 3888×2592, 3456×2592, 3840×2160, 2592×2592, 2736×1824, 2736×1824, 2432×1824, 1824×1824, 1920×1080 4864×3648, 5472×3080, 3648×3648, 3888×2592, 3456×2592, 3840×2160, 2592×2592, 2736×1824, 2736×1824, 2432×1824, 1824×1824, 1920×1080 Image ratio w:h 1:1, 4:3, 3:2, 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2, 16:9 Effective pixels 20 megapixels 20 megapixels Sensor size 1 inch (13.2 x 8.8 mm) 1 inch (13.2 x 8.8 mm) Sensor type CMOS CMOS Image ISO Auto, 125-12800 (expands to 80-25600) Auto, 125-12800 (expands to 80-25600) White balance presets 5 5 Auto white balance settings 1 3 Custom white balance Yes (4 slots) Yes (4 slots) RAW support Yes Yes JPEG quality levels 2 2 File format JPEG (DCF, Exif v2.3)

RAW (ARW) JPEG (DCF, Exif v2.31)

RAW (ARW) Focus Autofocus Contrast Detect

Multi-area

Center

Selective single-point

Tracking

Single

Continuous

Face Detection

Live View Contrast Detect

Multi-area

Center

Selective single-point

Tracking

Single

Continuous

Face Detection

Live View AF Metering Face/eye detection, tracking, 49-area, custom multi, single area, pinpoint Face/expression detection, tracking, 49-area, custom multi, single area, pinpoint Autofocus assist lamp Yes Yes Digital zoom 4X 4X Manual focus Yes Yes Minimum focus range 3cm (1.18 inch) [wide angle] / 100cm (39 inch) [telephoto] 3cm (1.18 inch) [wide angle] / 100cm (39 inch) [telephoto] Number of focus points 49 49 Screen Articulated LCD Fully articulated Fully articulated Screen size 3″ 3″ Screen dots 921K 1,240K Touch screen No Yes Screen type TFT-LCD TFT-LCD Live view Yes Yes Viewfinder Viewfinder type Electronic Electronic Viewfinder coverage 100% 100% Viewfinder magnification 0.7X .74X Viewfinder resolution 2,359K 2,360K Photography features Minimum shutter speed 60 sec 60 sec Maximum shutter speed 1/4000 sec 1/4000 sec Maximum shutter speed (electronic) 1/16000 sec 1/16000 sec Exposure modes Full auto

Program

Shutter priority

Aperture priority

Manual Full auto

Program

Shutter priority

Aperture priority

Manual Photo Styles Standard

Vivid

Natural

Monochrome

Scenery

Portrait

Custom

Cinelike D

Cinelike V Standard

Vivid

Natural

Monochrome

L. Monochrome

L. Monochrome D.

Scenery

Portrait

Custom

Cinelike D

Cinelike V Picture Adjustment Contrast

Sharpness

Noise Reduction

Saturation

Color Tone

Filter Effect Contrast

Sharpness

Noise Reduction

Saturation

Color Tone

Filter Effect

Grain Effect Scene modes Clear Portrait

Silky Skin

Backlit Softness

Clear in Backlight

Relaxing Tone

Sweet Child’s Face

Distinct Scenery

Bright Blue Sky

Romantic Sunset Glow

Vivid Sunset Glow

Glistening Water

Clear Nightscape

Cool Night Sky

Warm Glowing Nightscape

Artistic Nightscape

Glittering Illuminations

Handheld Night Shot

Clear Night Portrait

Soft Image of a Flower

Appetizing Food

Cute Dessert

Freeze Animal Motion

Clear Sports Shot

Monochrome Clear Portrait

Silky Skin

Backlit Softness

Clear in Backlight

Relaxing Tone

Sweet Child’s Face

Distinct Scenery

Bright Blue Sky

Romantic Sunset Glow

Vivid Sunset Glow

Glistening Water

Clear Nightscape

Cool Night Sky

Warm Glowing Nightscape

Artistic Nightscape

Glittering Illuminations

Handheld Night Shot

Clear Night Portrait

Soft Image of a Flower

Appetizing Food

Cute Dessert

Freeze Animal Motion

Clear Sports Shot

Monochrome Filters Expressive

Retro

Old Days

High Key

Low Key

Sepia

Monochrome

Dynamic Monochrome

Rough Monochrome

Silky Monochrome

Impressive Art

High Dynamic

Cross Process

Toy Effect

Toy Pop

Bleach Bypass

Miniature Effect

Soft Focus

Fantasy

Star Filter

One Point Color

Sunshine Expressive

Retro

Old Days

High Key

Low Key

Sepia

Monochrome

Dynamic Monochrome

Rough Monochrome

Silky Monochrome

Impressive Art

High Dynamic

Cross Process

Toy Effect

Toy Pop

Bleach Bypass

Miniature Effect

Soft Focus

Fantasy

Star Filter

One Point Color

Sunshine In-camera editing RAW, resize, crop, title, text stamp,video divide Retouch, RAW, resize, crop, title, text stamp, video divide Built-in flash Yes Yes Flash range 13.50m (44 feet) [wide angle, Auto ISO] / 9.50m (31 feet) [tele, Auto ISO] 13.50m (44 feet) [wide angle, Auto ISO] / 9.50m (31 feet) [tele, Auto ISO] External flash Yes (via hotshoe) Yes (via hotshoe) Flash modes Auto, Auto/Red-eye Reduction, Forced On, Forced On/Red-eye Reduction, Slow Sync, Slow Sync/Red-eye Reduction, Forced Off Auto, Auto/Red-eye Reduction, Forced On, Forced On/Red-eye Reduction, Slow Sync, Slow Sync/Red-eye Reduction, Forced Off Drive modes Single-shot

Continuous

AE bracket

Self-timer

Interval Single-shot

Continuous

4K Photo

Post Focus

Self-timer

Interval Max. continuous drive 12 fps 12 fps Self-timer Yes Yes Metering modes Multi

Center-weighted

Spot Multi

Center-weighted

Spot Exposure compensation ±5 (at 1/3 EV steps) ±5 (at 1/3 EV steps) Bracketing AE Bracketing ±3 (3, 5, 7 frames at 1/3 EV, 1/2 EV, 1 EV steps) ±3 (3, 5, 7 frames at 1/3 EV, 1/2 EV, 1 EV steps) WB Bracketing No 3 frames along blue/orange or magenta/green axis Aperture Bracketing No ± 1EV (3 or 5 frames) Focus Bracketing No 1-999 frames, adjustable with 10 levels Video features Resolutions3 3840×2160: 30p[NTSC] or 25p [PAL]

1920×1080: 60p, 60i, 30p, 24p

1280×720: 30p

640 x 480: 30p 3840×2160: 30p, 25p, 24p

1920×1080: 60p, 50p, 50i, 30p, 25p, 24p

1280×720: 30p, 25p Max Recording Time (4K) 110 min 120 min Format MP4, AVCHD MP4, AVCHD Microphone Stereo Stereo Speaker Mono Mono Connectivity USB USB 2.0 USB 2.0 HDMI microHDMI microHDMI Microphone port Yes (3.5mm) Yes (3.5mm) Headphone port No No WiFi 802.11b/g/n 802.11b/g/n Bluetooth No 4.2 Physical Environmentally sealed No No Battery 7.2v, 1200mAh Li-ion (DMW-BLC12E) 7.2v, 1200mAh Li-ion (DMW-BLC12E) Battery Life (CIPA) 360 440 Other features Languages4 Japanese

English

German

French

Italian

Spanish

Polish

Czech

Hungarian

Dutch

Turkish

Portuguese

Finnish

Danish

Swedish

Greek Japanese

English

German

French

Italian

Spanish

Polish

Czech

Hungarian

Romanian

Dutch

Turkish

Portuguese

Finnish

Danish

Swedish

Greek Orientation sensor Yes Yes Timelapse recording Yes Yes Remote Yes, wired Yes, wired GPS No No