Panasonic FZ1000 vs GH4 4K video low light test (not a review)

GH4 and FZ-1000 LOW LIGHT test in 4K video mode.

Panasonic has launched two very interesting cameras in 2014. First they introduced the GH4, nice for stills and fantastic for video. Then, as a surprise, they soon after launched the FZ-1000 (mirror-less fixed lens camera) which also supports interesting video functions, including 4K video at 100 Mbit/sec. A similar feature as offered on the GH4. So I wanted to check how these cameras are, including for low light.

This video shows a quick and dirty comparison between the GH4 and FZ1000 in low light, at 200 ISO to 6400 ISO, including images at 400% crop. It's best to watch this video in 4K mode, if possible.

Camera settings on both the GH4 and FZ-1000:

Cinelike-D video mode. -2 contrast, -2 sharpness, NR:0, Saturation:0. Luminance level 16-255. Highlight -2, Shadow +2. WB: 3500K.

My conclusions:

The GH4 is better in low light than the FZ-1000, but both cameras are usable up to 1600 ISO. If you want less noise, 800 ISO would be a better choice.

The FZ-1000 does not do a bad job, but it does show more noise than the GH4 in low light. (it has a smaller sensor) My advice: in low light set NR (noise reduction) at 5, on the FZ-1000.

6400 ISO is not usable on either the GH4 or the FZ-1000. In some cases 3200 ISO could be used on the GH4, but I would not recommend it. On the FZ-1000 I would never go higher than 1600 ISO.

My two cents...

Have fun and enjoy the new dimension of 4K video,

CINEVIDEO-NL