Panasonic Lumix FZ1000 puts first 4K video capture in a compact camera

If you were on the fence between a digital SLR and a compact camera with a long zoom lens, Panasonic's Lumix FZ1000 might just turn out to be all the camera you need.

Digital SLRs deliver high-quality photos and HD video, but a dSLR might be too much camera for you in price, size, and weight -- and that's without adding a long zoom lens to the equation. You can get smaller, lighter, long-zoom compact cameras at lower prices, but they come with a loss in image quality.

The FZ1000 bridges the two using a 1-inch 20-megapixel MOS sensor (four times larger than the 1/2.3-inch sensors you find in most longzoom cameras like Panasonic's FZ200) and a 16x f2.8-4.0 25-400mm lens (and yes, it's branded Leica).

Larger sensors require larger lenses, so while its zoom range might not seem impressive compared with the whopping 50x or longer zooms on other bridge cameras, the FZ1000 will deliver better image quality. Also, a zoom lens with similar specs for a dSLR would be large and heavy, not to mention expensive.

Giving the lens a constant f2.8 aperture through the zoom range, like Sony's RX10, would have also made the lens bigger. That camera features a 1-inch sensor as well, but its telephoto end stops at 200mm.

The two cameras are roughly the same size and weight, too, so really it comes down to what you value more, the Sony's constant f2.8 aperture or more zoom range.

Or maybe it'll come down to features for you. The FZ1000 is the first compact camera to record video at resolutions up to 4K (3,840x2,160) in MP4 at 30fps, but it also does 1080p at 60fps or 120fps. You can do 1080p at 60fps in AVCHD, too.

To go with those high resolutions, you'll find a full manual video mode, a mic jack (but no headphonesjack), five-axis optical image stabilization, and a five-step speed control for the zoom for smooth movement while recording. Also, after recording video in 4K, you can grab a single 8-megapixel frame for a still photo.