Panasonic launches 4K Super-zoom Camera FZ1000 for $900

The lines keep blurring in the world of cameras. Used to be, DSLRs shot the fastest and had the most advanced video capabilities. Then mirrorless cameras started beating DSLRs in those respects, and now fixed-lens bridge cameras are putting up a fight.
Panasonic's new FZ1000 superzoom camera, announced today (June 12), is the latest contender. Due in late-July at a suggested retail price of $900, the FZ1000 packs several big-camera features, including its image sensor, electronic viewfinder and the ability to shoot 4K/Ultra HD video at 30 frames per second. It also includes a fixed 16X zoom lens (equivalent to 25-400mm) with a large max aperture range of F2.8 (wide) to F4.0 (telephoto) — good for low-light shooting or for shallow-depth-of-field photos such as portraits. 
MORE: Best Bridge Cameras 2014
The FZ1000 is the latest camera to boast a 1-inch image sensor. For context, that's a lot smaller than the APS-C sensor found in most DSLRs and many mirrorless models – about one-third the size. But it's larger than the tiny sensors typically found in bridge and point-and-shoot models. Sony's new bridge camera, the RX100 III has a 1-inch sensor, as do some mirrorless cameras, such as the Nikon 1 series and Samsung NX mini. The rule of thumb is bigger sensors equal better pictures, but clever sensor design and image processors have been able to wring impressive quality from smaller chips (as we saw in our review of the Samsung NX mini, which was hampered by its lens, not its sensor). 
Especially notable is the ability to shoot 4K video. That beats out every DSLR and almost every mirrorless camera, save Sony's new Alpha a7S ($2,500 body only) and Panasonic's own GH4 mirrorless models ($1,700 body, $3,670 with 12X zoom lens capability), which use far-larger imaging chips. Sony's dedicated consumer 4K camcorder, the AX 1000 ($2,000 with fixed 12X zoom lens), uses a 1-inch sensor.
MORE: Panasonic GH4 vs. Sony AX100: 4K Consumer Video Cameras 
It stands to reason that a smaller chip and lens combination might not perform as well as more-advanced 4K cameras. Even some smartphones, such as the Samsung Galaxy S5, shoot 4K video. But they are probably not threats to a professional 4K cinema camera like the Red Scarlet X, which costs $11,650, without a lens.  The real question is whether the 4K video is good enough for watching on a 4K TV (Panasonic's or others').
At $900, the FZ1000 is more expensive than most entry-level DSLR and mirrorless cameras (even with kit lenses). But its built-in lens provides far more zoom than you could get without spending a fortune on multiple lenses for DSLR or mirrorless cameras. And if the 1-inch sensor's image and video quality is good enough for how you will display content online, it could be a legitimate alternative to an interchangeable-lens model.