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Panasonic X1000 Review

Joseph

May 25, 2023

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The Panasonic HC-X1000 is what?

The first 4K camcorder from Panasonic to hit the prosumer market. The HX-1000 is reasonably priced at £2,559, more than £1,000 cheaper than the Sony AX1, and has built-in ND filters, a 20x optical zoom and a variety of exceptional 4K frame rates and codecs.

• Product
• Features
• Photos

Panasonic HC-X1000 1080p 4K Ultra High Definition Camcorder

• This version is originally intended for sale outside the USA
• Leica Dicomar 20x Optical Zoom Lens Switchable between NTSC and PAL
• Individual Focus, Zoom & Iris Lens Rings Power O.I.S, & Hybrid O.I.S.
• 0.45" EVF / 3.5" LCD Touch Screen Records MP4, MOV, AVCHD to SDXC Cards

Last update was on: September 20, 2023 10:15 pm

$2,308.49

More Info

• This version is originally intended for sale outside the USA
• Leica Dicomar 20x Optical Zoom Lens Switchable between NTSC and PAL
• Individual Focus, Zoom & Iris Lens Rings Power O.I.S, & Hybrid O.I.S.
• 0.45" EVF / 3.5" LCD Touch Screen Records MP4, MOV, AVCHD to SDXC Cards
• Simultaneous/Relay/Background Recording Wi-Fi / NFC Connectivity

A 4K 8-MP 1/2.3-inch BSI is used.

Does Panasonic have anything else to provide a more conventional end of the market with 50p and 60p at UHD (3,840 x 2,160)? This camcorder was produced before the 5D Mk II made the depth of field the standard.

Details and Features of the Panasonic HC-X1000

Who is this for should be your first concern. Undoubtedly, 60 frames per second in UHD is a headline-grabbing fact that would salivate many videographers. This camera is certainly adaptable with MP4, AVCHD, and MOV codecs, but it also has some apparent restrictions you need to be aware of before deciding whether to purchase it.

The HC-X1000 struggles to achieve more than nine stops of dynamic range, undoubtedly because of the reasonably tiny sensor. Even though the MP4 codec can handle data rates of up to 200Mbps, there is little to no space for picture editing in post-production.

This demonstrates that Panasonic was correct when they told us the HC-X1000 was never meant to be used by independent filmmakers. Instead, the HC-X1000 works best in professional settings, such as when photographing events and weddings. Therefore, whether you should upgrade to 4K for this type of work and whether this camera is suitable.

It has all the characteristics necessary for the job. The HC-X1000 has all the typical buttons and switches you would anticipate from this conventional camera shape, as it is an ENG-type camera.
To facilitate quick changeover in rapidly varying settings, white balance features an A and B preset adjusted to 3200k and 5600k for tungsten and daylight. Additionally accessible are auto and custom modes.

The lens is by far the most significant component. The focusing is likewise functional; at no time did it rack to an undesired location or damage an image, but with minimal depth of field, perhaps this is acceptable. The 20x optical zoom is more than sufficient for any ordinary videography scenario.

The 5-Axis hybrid picture stabilization technology, which combines optical and software stabilization, produces excellent results. With surprisingly little vibration, we could use the lens’s telephoto end.
Image stabilization will be a necessary feature for photographers who frequently use a tripod but are not purists.

The camera includes two 64GB SD cards, saving you between £150 and £200 in buying costs. With two SD card ports and the continuous recording mode, which enables one card to be continuously recording while the other shoots what you instruct it to with the REC button, Panasonic is anxious to promote the idea of never missing a photo.

Another choice is to take successive shots, which allows you to catch activity without putting the camera down. Again, this isn’t a revolutionary function, but it’s useful on a camera at the lower end of the market and will work for people covering sports and events.

Great features like histograms, zebras, focus peaking and focus expansion make this camera practical for everyday use. The buttons and menu system make everything accessible and adhere to a standard established in conventional digital video cameras for years. Again, nothing revolutionary, but crucial if you want to believe what you see every day.

In 4K continuous filming, the battery life is acceptable for six hours. This is crucial when filming a full day of interviews since it lowers the likelihood that the battery will need to be changed in the middle of an interview or that you will lose a shot due to a simple issue with the battery. Seeing that one extra battery would be plenty for a day of heavy photography is encouraging. The 64GB SD cards can store 5 hours and 20 minutes of continuous 4K recording at 200Mbps, translating to more than 10 hours if you shoot back-to-back.

The built-in stereo microphone is adequate and detailed, suitable for a room microphone, safety recording, or scratch track.

The design, controls, and usability of the Panasonic HC-X1000

The camera doesn’t appear to have a fully manual exposure mode; even when all physical controls were manually set, the camera still made exposure adjustments automatically. This critical characteristic will turn off the “pro” end of the market. On the other hand, if you’re serious about making videos, this either means you need a camera with absolutely no flaws or a menu system that’s highly convoluted and hides a crucial function.

Additionally, the camera includes an internal “beep” that plays with each button push in the menu system and is inappropriate for a wedding or conference event. Once more, the glaring defect must be correctable inside the menu system. Still, despite checking every submenu accessible and listening to nonstop beeping, we could not locate the setting to turn it off. Although it’s challenging to think it isn’t there someplace, finding it would be pointlessly tricky if it is.

The Panasonic weighs only 1.5kg and feels tiny, streamlined, and elegant in your hands. It is more portable than the Sony AX1, but the build quality suffers. The plastics are pretty flimsy, and the buttons lack a comforting sense of high quality.

The plastic door on the audio controls, which feels fragile and would quickly grab when thrown into a bag, is the worst example of the so-so build quality. Of course, we anticipate worse construction quality at the less expensive end of the market, but saving £1,000 at the time of purchase can prove to be a mistake if the plastic doors break off, exposing parts.

The touchscreen LCD is functional and has appropriate brightness for photographing outside. The touch screen isn’t as snappy as it might be, and reflections still cause issues on sunny days, but it’s adequate.

I don’t think adding a touchscreen to a video camera is desirable because wearing gloves while working as usual. However, using conventional controls can be challenging with a camera this big. This camera differs from a consumer-grade camcorder thanks to its excellent viewfinder, which is a beautiful feature.

Image Quality

As we have seen thus far, the X1000 has some clear advantages and disadvantages, but the image quality tends to work slightly against it. While 4K photos are as detailed as you would expect, there is too much noise. Generally speaking, the Image is too muddy and noisy to be taken seriously; everything that wasn’t captured in broad daylight is lifeless, contrary to what we would anticipate from a 4K camera.

People who think of 4K photographs want them to be crisp, and it appears that Panasonic made the same mistakes with the GH4 as it did with this camera. Oversharpening has the propensity to introduce excessive noise into the Image, which lowers clarity in low light.

Our informal testing resulted in a very “video” nine stops for the dynamic range. Unfortunately, when pushing the blacks in post-production, they are exceedingly murky and lack information. The same is true with highlights; they fade away quickly and are of low quality, typical of cameras of a lower rate.

Depending on the type of work you perform, the image quality might be this camera’s biggest drawback overall. Although it is adequate for primary filming, this camera is well behind prosumer demands at a time when a Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera with 12 stops of dynamic range and 12-bit color depth can be obtained for £650.

There are issues when using your 4K video for post-production. The option of 4K makes sense for post-production since it allows you to trim photos without losing any pixels, which might be helpful if you get stuck in the edit. However, a sound editing system will be as expensive as a camera.

Managing the 4K files in an existing system will be quite challenging. Compared to editing 1080p video, we saw that everything was more than twice as sluggish, from intake through edit to after-effects linking and export. As a result, you’ll probably wind up filming in 1080p more often than 4K unless you’re willing to spend money on new editing tools, which somewhat negates the purpose of the HC-X1000.

Is the Panasonic HC-X1000 a good investment?

While the desire to make 4K video capturing more affordable is commendable, it’s challenging to suggest the Panasonic HC-X1000 now. Although Panasonic markets this camera as a prosumer camcorder, it is difficult to understand why paying more for the option to shoot in 4K at 60 frames per second is worthwhile, given the camera’s subpar image quality.

There is no denying that this camcorder has a ton of features. However, although it checks several desirable boxes for videographers—the lens, battery life, and dual SD card slots—it isn’t the camera we’d recommend if you’re considering moving to 4K.

Panasonic HC-X1000 Specifications

Verdict

The X1000 has several exciting features. However, low light conditions drastically degrade photographs. To fully utilize its other advantages, it requires a sensor with a wider aperture.

Panasonic HC-X1000 Price

• Product
• Features
• Photos

Panasonic HC-X1000 1080p 4K Ultra High Definition Camcorder

• This version is originally intended for sale outside the USA
• Leica Dicomar 20x Optical Zoom Lens Switchable between NTSC and PAL
• Individual Focus, Zoom & Iris Lens Rings Power O.I.S, & Hybrid O.I.S.
• 0.45" EVF / 3.5" LCD Touch Screen Records MP4, MOV, AVCHD to SDXC Cards

Last update was on: September 20, 2023 10:15 pm

$2,308.49

More Info

• This version is originally intended for sale outside the USA
• Leica Dicomar 20x Optical Zoom Lens Switchable between NTSC and PAL
• Individual Focus, Zoom & Iris Lens Rings Power O.I.S, & Hybrid O.I.S.
• 0.45" EVF / 3.5" LCD Touch Screen Records MP4, MOV, AVCHD to SDXC Cards
• Simultaneous/Relay/Background Recording Wi-Fi / NFC Connectivity

Panasonic X1000 FAQs