Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ28K 10MP Digital Camera with 18x Wide Angle MEGA Optical Image Stabilized Zoom (Black) by Panasonic
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Digital camera reviews of Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ28K 10MP Digital Camera with 18x Wide Angle MEGA Optical Image Stabilized Zoom (Black)
Digital camera Review: Amazing Photos and Great Features
Summary: 5 Stars
I always do a lot of research before I buy anything over $50. I was impressed by this camera and its reviews. After recieving it, I looked at how thick the manual was and got very overwhelmed. I was used to a point and shoot type of camera. This is to an extent. It does so much more and I am discovering new and amazing things everyday ( descided not to read the ENTIRE manual!) My favorite feature is the sports mode. I have a daughter who is almost 1, and getting her to sit still for a nano second is virtually impossible. This mode inables me to get a shot of her in that nano second before she moves. I love this camera and I think if you are looking for a camera that is going to last a life time and a camera that take pictures that you will enjoy for a life time, then I believe this is the camera for you. If I could have, I would have given this camera 10 stars!Digital camera Review: Amazing camera, especially for the price
Summary: 5 Stars
I had the previous version of this camera a couple of years ago and took thousands of photos with it in all kinds of situations... sunsets in Bali, fireworks on the 4th, dim light in theaters, friends in bars, even product shots with specific lighting for work. This new version is everything that one was and more. I love it. I have a lot of friends who are photographers and and they are consistently surprised at the quality of images I am getting with a $300 camera. It's a whole world of difference from the standard pocket size most people carry around these days, and it's really easy to use.Digital camera Review: Amazing photos, Top rated camera!!!
Summary: 5 Stars
It's my first Lumix/Panasonic camera and I love it. My previous camera was a 5-6 year old Sony 5.0 MP with 3x optical zoom.[...]
Anyways, I have used this Panasonic FZ28 for a month now and have made some prints already and took a lot of shots.
Battery life is above average. I am still learning all the options and features it has but it makes very good quality photos in it's Intellegent Auto mode.
I am very pleased with my purchase and will recommend this camera to anyone who is looking for a camera in this category.
I did a lot of research and this one came on top of the list.
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Digital camera Review: An Amazing Ultra-Zoom!
Summary: 5 Stars
It looks like everything that can be said about this camera has been said. I just wanted to rate the camera and remind everyone of a few bullet points.
This camera, while larger than the compact class, is smaller and noticeably lighter than the other ultrazooms I have looked at. This can make a huge difference when you're walking around all day with it at an event or on vacation.
The Intelligent Auto setting is most impressive. Use this and anyone can take at least good pictures and most people will probably consider their shots a great improvement over past photos. If you want to use Scenes or manual settings you may then learn to do so at your own pace but it's certainly not a necessary step with this camera.
Indoor photos are much improved over my past cameras. Point-and-shoots may never match up with an SLR in low light situations but most of us don't want the kind of expense, quantity of equipment/weight, or learning curve required for this sort of shooting. For this class of camera my shots have been amazingly good and IA will make any adjustments possible, with or without flash.
Also in the indoor shooting idea, having a focal length that enters the Wide Angle range is very, very helpful. Getting down to 27mm gives great side-to-side coverage without the kind of distortion you'd expect in an affordable camera like this. Very nice.
Controls are very sensible and easy to master and the button to flip up the flash is conveniently located and easy to use without looking away from the screen or viewfinder.
I've always stuck with cameras that use replaceable batteries but I'm very impressed with Panasonic's proprietary battery. It charges fairly quickly and seems to last forever (well, a good long time anyway). Extra batteries don't seem over-priced, especially compared to the rechargeable ni-cads I've been using.
Sorry, I don't like to use a still camera for video but my son, of course, couldn't resist trying it (pretty impressive that an 11 year old can use this camera effectively!). The results looked pretty good but other reviews have more detail in this area.
All in all this camera is a great example of fulfillment of the promise of micro-processors. Full auto photography has reached a point where drastic compromise is no longer necessary and high quality photos are possible with a minimum of fuss for the entire family. A terrific camera for almost any situation!
Digital camera Review: An Excellent buy!
Summary: 5 Stars
Let me state for the record that I am a Canon lover and I bought this camera just because I was looking for a high zoom camera and Canon just refuses to go higher! Sorry Canon, I still love you, but now I love my FZ28 better!
Here are my (more than) 2 cents:
Pros:
>> 27 mm Wide angle - No more asking people to squeeze in so they can all fit in the frame! I have a Canon S5 IS too and I took shots of the same place with both cameras and the difference was striking! FZ28 wins hands down!
>> 18x Zoom - Yes its only 486mm, not that much of a difference as compared to S5 IS's 432mm, but if I choose the 3MP mode instead of 10MP mode, I get 32.1x zoom, i.e. 866 mm. That's just awesome. Yes, some of you will freak at "only 3MP resolution", but hey, my first camera was a Canon A80 at 4MP and I have awesome 8x10 prints from that camera, so for sizes like 4x6, a 3MP resolution is sufficient unless you want to crop the image.
>> HD movie recording with zoom - Note that the resolution is 720p and not 1080p. (FYI, I recorded a 4min 36 sec video today and it came to 735 MB. So its a memory hog, but with that resolution, you can't complain)
>> Light weight - Yes its bulky, but at least its light
>> The iA mode worked wonderfully! I took several low lighting shots without the flash and the results were amongst the best I have seen. Admittedly there was some noise (there always is at high ISO), but it was very bearable given the low lighting.
>> Face recognition
>> Orientation Sensor - I don't know why dpreview.com says 'no' for this. The camera DOES have an orientation sensor.
>> Minimum shutter of 60 sec - I can now take some night scenes at low ISO = low noise!
>> RAW mode
>> Smooth opening covers for all the ports. On the S5 IS, I had to pry them open.
Cons:
>> No external flash - Not really a con for me because I don't use an external flash, but I know that many of you do, hence this comment.
>> No 2 second self timer in iA (auto) mode. The 2 second timer is available for other modes.
>> No flip out and twist LCD (Argh! I really like this feature on the Canon models)
>> Custom battery. I much prefer using standard AA batteries that I can buy easily and cheaply in case of a battery emergency
>> I took away 0.5 points for construction because I felt that the camera's exterior looked cheap when compared with that of the S5 IS. The buttons are very plastic looking and the shooting mode dial also doesn't look as sophisticated as that of the S5 IS although it functions just as well.
>> I also took away 0.5 points for ease of use because I felt the menus were more cumbersome to use than Canon menus. Of course, this is a matter of personal preference but I feel Canon has done better in this regard by simple things such as putting some commonly used features as buttons, for instance, the ISO selection button.
>> 2 GB limit on video recording - Argh! I still need to buy a camcorder!
>> MOV format for movies - Again, personal preference. I personally prefer avi.
That's all folks. I will update this review if I find more things worth sharing.
Bottom Line:
An EXCELLENT purchase!