The Panasonic Lumix FZ 2000

At Jessops, we just love a bridge camera: sometimes you can’t beat that winning combination of super long zoom in a compact and highly portable body. They’re great for travel, wildlife, everyday use – pretty much every scenario you can think of – but they’re also hugely popular with the videography community. So when we heard that Panasonic had unveiled a new member of their FZ series, the DMC-FZ2000, we had to take a closer look.

Firstly, let’s talk about that lens. The FZ2000 has a 20x optical zoom lens bearing the Leica badge – optical meaning there’s no compromising on quality – which is the equivalent of a 24-480mm superzoom. No question: this camera can get you close to the action. Since the FZ1000, this camera’s earlier incarnation, Panasonic has done some impressive engineering inside the lens to dramatically reduce the amount of blur created when zooming and capturing video by 80%: great news for those shooting dramatic scenes.

Inside the lens you’ll find 16 lenses in 11 groups plus a nine-blade aperture diaphragm, which gives you smooth, rounded bokeh blur in the out-of-focus areas of your photos and video. This can be a beautiful creative effect, and it’s well within your grasp as the FZ2000’s lens boasts a variable aperture of f/2.8-4.5: this’ll give you some stunning background blur when working at the wider end and that aperture of f/2.8. Lovely!

Lights, camera...

But it’s not just all about stills: oh no. The FZ2000 is astonishingly well equipped for videographers and those who enjoy creating movies as well as photos – the accompanying press information released when the camera was announced states that the video recording performance of the FZ2000 has “never been seen in a bridge camera” – which bodes very well indeed for moviemakers. It’s capable of unlimited 4K video recording when using a SDXC/SDHC memory card that’s rated UHS class 3, and can capture Full HD video at 200Mbps or 100Mbps.

Those who know their file formats will be interested to hear that you can swap between capturing video in MOV, MP4, AVCHD Progressive and AVCD at a variety of different frame rates. You can even capture video while also outputting real time footage via a micro HDMI cable – great if you’ve got someone else checking a monitor while you film. If you’re into your videography, this little wonder is going to be well worth a look.

Fun with 4K

Panasonic’s 4K Photo mode is a brilliant feature: it allows you to capture the entirety of a situation and then lift out 8 megapixel-equivalent still images showing the precise moment you wanted. It’s a fool-proof way of recording events and has appeared in all of Panasonic’s latest LUMIX cameras: the FZ2000 is no exception. This is definitely a feature to watch out for if you’re looking for an easy-to-use all-rounder of a camera.

Designed for real use

That sounds like an odd title but it’s true: the Panasonic FZ2000 has been thoughtfully and carefully laid out to ensure it’s as simple to use as possible, without any uncomfortable designs or difficult to reach buttons. The grip is well-defined, making it easy to hold onto for longer periods of time, and a bright OLED viewfinder is easy to see even when working in bright situations, so you’ll always know what picture you’re capturing.

Another nice touch is the eye-point of 20mm, which means that if you wear glasses, you won’t have to take them off to see clearly using the FZ2000’s electronic viewfinder.

If you’re sold, get your pre-order in now and we can offer you a whole year of interest-free finance: definitely helpful when planning ahead! And if you do decide the FZ2000’s the one for you, tweet us or post on our Facebook page to let us know – looking forward to hearing from you!