Panasonic Lumix Digital Camera Product Review

My Kodak EasyShare digital camera began eating its Lithium batteries recently. I contacted Kodak repair service online and the reply wasn't very useful - the rep said to send it to them and for over $100 they would troubleshoot the problem. Repairs would be extra. No good. I decided to spend the repair money on a new camera.

After much comparative research and Google-exhaustion, I settled on the Panasonic line of digital cameras. One particular model of theirs, the Lumix FZ28K caught my eye as it is in the Ultrazoom class of digital cameras. It has 18x optical zoom and 4x digital zoom.

I take a lot of outdoor pictures, especially wildlife and birds, ergo my need for a zoom lens.

Starting from the beginning, the FZ28 has 10.1 megapixels, scalable down to 2 MP, based on the aspect ratio you select. And, it boasts a premium 27mm wide angle Leica lens that produces superb images on its own.

But wait! There's more! Seriously, this compact digital camera is feature-rich and I'll try to cover the highlights. You can delve deeper into its capabilities at the Panasonic site http://tinyurl.com/68ffsv (I've shortened the 163 character link to the 25 character tinyurl.com link. It's a great utility!)

Here are just some of the many Lumix features:

+ optical image stabilization
+ optical zoom up to 72x when combined with the digital zoom
+ the focal length, in equivalent 35mm range, is from 27mm to an astounding 486mm!
+ 17 scene modes, with an additional 15 advanced scene modes
+ shutter speed down to 1/2,000 of a second
+ image quality: Fine/Standard/RAW/RAW+JPEG
+ automatic face detection
+ automatic face tracking while the image is moving
+ video recording at 4:3 aspect ratio: 640 x 480 pixels 30 fps, 320 x 240 pixels 30 fps/10 fps
+ video recording at 16:9 aspect ratio: 848 x 480 pixels 30 fps
+ the video recording is in 720p high-definition mode!
+ it has a burst shooting mode of: Full-Resolution Image, 2.5 frames/sec Max. 5 images (Standard mode), Max 3 images (Fine mode)

I could go on for quite a while, but this is more than enough of a teaser to pique your interest.

I'm still exploring the huge selection of settings, but I shoot primarily in the iA mode, Panasonic's term for its Intelligent Auto mode that makes it easier for the average photographer to shoot crisp, clear photos without having to make manual adjustments.

Couple that with its Auto AF tracking function, and it's a winner. The auto AF tracking locks on a subject that's in motion and it keeps it in focus. I've found this very useful for photos of birds, deer, etc. This function also improves the face detection function (up to 15 faces), making automatic, continuous corrections to the exposure and focus setting. Even more amazing is it will do this if the person's face is turned away from the camera, as long as there is an initial "capture" of the face.

The camera system comes with standard accessories:

+ battery pack
+ battery charger
+ USB connection cable
+ AV cable
+ CD-ROM software
+ shoulder strap
+ lens cap / lens cap string
+ lens hood
+ hood adapter

The memory card is NOT included. I switched out my SD card from the old camera and it worked perfectly fine. Until, that is, I tried taking some short video clips. You should plan on buying an SDHC (high capacity card) and you'll have no problems. If your PC or laptop can't read the SDHC card, see my other article at
www.associatedcontent.com/article/2332654/product_review_of_transcend_4_gb_memory.html

My real estate agent was so impressed with the quality of pictures I've been taking, that she commissioned me to do a shoot of an Italianate house over 100 years old. The lighting would have challenged a lesser camera, but all did was use the built-in flash at times and the iA setting. I got a lot of complements on those pictures.

If you decide to buy this particular camera, be sure to do some serious searching as the prices at time of this article ranged from $299 to over $500!

Happy shooting!