FZ1000 No Limit Video

Lumix DMC-FZ1000

The Lumix DMC-FZ1000 by Panasonic is a terrific digital camera for stills, thanks in part to an amazing Leica branded long zoom lens, but what really sets it apart is excellent 4K video, except for one unfortunate limitation: the length of a video clip is limited to 29:59 (30 minute limit, thanks to an EU tariff, even on a USA camera).

One way around the limitation is to feed video while monitoring (not recording) over HDMI to an external recorder like Atomos.

Another way, not documented by Panasonic, is to hack the FZ1000 into service mode with the following procedure:

1. Start with the FZ1000 turned off, with Drive Mode dial set to Single, and Recording Mode dial set to Program AE (P).
2. While holding down Right Cursor, DISP, and AF/AE LOCK (yes, all 3), switch the camera on.
3. Press green Play button to enter Playback Mode.
4. While holding down Up Cursor and AF/AE LOCK (2 things), switch the camera off.
5. Switch the camera back on.

Notes:

1. PAL cameras must be switched to NTSC frame rates to remove the recording limit. (This is not needed on NTSC cameras.) Format memory cards in the camera after making this switch.
2. Recording limit is removed only for 4K video, not HD or other video formats.
3. Yellow exclamation mark that appears when turning off the camera in service mode can be ignored safely.
4. With this hack, FZ1000 is able to continuously record over 80 minutes of 4K video on a 64 GB SDXC card, ending with 2 of 3 bars battery (when starting with a fully charged battery).
5. This hack reportedly also works for a number of other Lumix cameras with the 29:59 limit.

Reset to normal mode:

1. Start with the FZ1000 turned on, with Drive Mode dial set to Single, and Recording Mode dial set to Program AE (P).
2. While holding down Right Cursor and MENU/SET (2 things right next to each other), switch the camera off.
3. When the menu appears, press Right Cursor until the camera actually turns off.
4. Camera has now been fully reset to normal mode with all settings restored to defaults, so must be initialized again (language, date, time, etc).

Helpful videos:

1. https://youtu.be/_WWGZN7T298
2. https://youtu.be/HxmVDdU1xf0