Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ28

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ28 is the latest 18x ultrazoom digital camera with 10.1 megapixel CCD sensor, built-in Optical Image Stabilization, AutoFocus tracking and plenty of other features suitable for both professionals and amateurs.

Introduction:
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ28 is in fact a newer version of the very popular Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ18 with updated features, the latest technology, easy mode for amateur photographers and really good video performance: now the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ28 can capture films in 1280×720 at 30 frames per second. Moreover, when compared to its predecessor the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ28 has a much better high ISO performance and noise reduction system, but more on that in the performance section.


Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ28 pros:
+ Wide array of options offer something for both beginners and advanced shooters
+ Sharp, vibrant images
+ Improved high-sensitivity shooting when compared with the FZ18
+ Excellent in-camera JPEG processing options
+ Very good battery life
+ Extremely solid flash unit

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ28 cons:
+ HD video looks nice but sounds poor
+ Quite old-fashioned design (especially the silvery one looks cheap)
+ ISO 1600 still noisy
+ Some AF weirdness

The design:
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ28 measures 117.6 x 75.3 x 88.9 mm and weighs about 417 grams. It is most certainly made of very high quality materials, but it is hardly visible in the silvery casing. The camera is well balanced and thanks to its rubbery grip is it easily handled. Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ28 does not produce any creaking sounds and feels really good in hand. At the back of the camera is the 2,7 inch 230,000 resolution display which maybe is not the most responsive screen on the marke, but it shows crisp and vivid images. There are also a few dedicated buttons next to the display and viewfinder and a very nice function key which you can assign functions to.

Performance:
The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ28 is one of the best performers in its class available on the market at the moment. The camera is quick, quiet and easy to use. When you’ve set everything up the shutter lag is about 0.08 seconds. Without pre-focusing the camera it will take about 1.25 seconds from press to capture which is also not bad. Also the continuous mode is praiseworthy with its 3.5 fps in the highest resolution. In an unlimited burst mode the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ28 captures three frames in the first second and and then it slows down to about 1.1 fps until you run out of space on your memory card.
The Auto Focus system in Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ28 is really nice and offers six different options. My favourite one is the one that lets you grab focus on an object and keep it focused even if the object moves. The camera also allows you to set the Focus manually but it is terribly time consuming.


The Leica lens also does a good job and is quite bright throughout its range. It is very quiet and takes less than three seconds to move from one extreme to the other. And when you add to it the quite good range of the buit-in flash which reaches 30 feet (over 9 metres) it is quite impressive. Of course the flash has a red eye reduction system and the lens O.I.S. shake reduction system both of which work seamlessly.
The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ28 has also improved image quality when compared to its predecessor - the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ18. Now the camera uses refined image processing and thus the images that you take with it are vivid, sharp, with little noise and very natural colors. The high ISO performance has also been immensely improved and now you can take very good quality photos at ISO 800 and with a bit of effort also at ISO 1600.

Menus / ease of use:
The meu structure in Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ28 is not the luckiest one. I mean there is generally nothing wrong with it, but it is also quite annoying that the list of available options changes with different shooting modes. So it can take some time before you get used to it and always know what you can count on adjusting in a given shooting mode. If you want to do some processing adjustments you can make use of the five-step sharpening, saturation, contrast and noise reduction features. All in all the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ28 is very easy to use and when you get used to the differences in menu lists in different shooting modes you will find your way very quickly. The dedicated buttons an Intelligent Technologies will help the novices, whereas the more advanced features should be appealing to professional shooters.


Selected Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ28 features and specifications:
Sensor
10.1 megapixels, 1/2.33″ CCD
Lens/Zoom
18x (27-486mm) Leica DC Vario-Elmarit, f/2.8-4.4
LCD/Viewfinder
2.7″, 230K dot TFT LCD Display
Sensitivity
ISO 100-1600
Shutter Speed
60-1/2000 seconds
Metering Modes
Intelligent Multiple, Center-Weighted, Spot
Focus Modes
Face, AF tracking, multi-area, 1-area high speed, 1-area, spot
Drive Modes
Single, Burst, High-speed Burst
Flash Modes
Auto, Red-Eye Reduction, Forced On, Slow Sync/Red-Eye Reduction, Forced Off
Self Timer Settings
10 seconds, 10 seconds (3 pictures), 2 seconds, Off
Memory Formats
SD, SDHC, MultiMediaCard
Internal Memory
50MB
File Formats
JPEG, RAW, Motion JPEG
Max. Image Size
3648×2736
Max. Video Size
1280×720, 30 fps
Zoom During Video
Yes
Battery
Rechargeable 710 mAh lithium-ion, 460 shots

Other recently reviewed digital cameras:

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T77, Panasonic Lumix DMC-G1, Canon PowerShot G10, Nikon D90, Pentax K20D, Canon PowerShot SX10 IS, Samsung TL34HD.