Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ28K 10MP Digital Camera with 18x Wide Angle MEGA Optical Image Stabilized Zoom (Black)

This is a great point and shoot. It has nice range, it is light, it is easy to operate once you read the manual, it takes great photos. I am a former professional videographer, so the video side of the new cameras doesn't bother me. This camera has enough manual control that you can override the auto exposure, auto focus, auto ISO.
PROS: Focal range, ease of use, Leica lens, manual controls, joystick manual control, quality of photos including choice of RAW to less resolution, battery charge, price.
CONS: VF resolution, focus hunting in some situations, no tilt LCD screen, lens hood doesn't collapse, no focus ring.
If you want it all, get an SLR. Otherwise, this is it for now.

This is the 4th Lumix I have had and I love them as my everyday camera. Unfortunately since I use them everywhere they have a tendency to get dust etc & malfunction fairly easily even with proper care.

I keep getting new ones (cheaper than getting repaired) because they are easy to use and take great pictures.

My wife and I are average users and were looking for a high-end point-and-shoot camera that takes high quality pictures with a large zoom, would also be as lightweight and compact as possible, easy to operate but that would also offer rich manual options when desired. Very quickly we found ourselves comparing between the Nikon P80, the Cannon SX10S and this Panasonic FZ28. We chose the latter due to the superiour reviews, low size and lower cost. We've had the camera for about 1 month now and we're very happy. It meets or exceeds all our above requirements

I thought long and hard before buying this camera. I owned the previous model, the FZ18, and did a lot of research to conclude (or convince myself) that the upgrade was really worth it, and also to find out if there wasn't a better ultrazoom / bridge camera for me. After visiting the forums and reading reviews of the Panasonic and also of the new Nikon, Canon and Fuji ultrazoom models, I concluded that not only was it a valid buy (and gave the FZ18 to my mom, who owns an ancient Olympus camera), but also that the Panasonic was the best bridge camera out there.

However, it remained to be seen whether my one big gripe with the FZ18 -- shutter lag, read my review at Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ18K 8.1MP Digital Camera with 18x Wide Angle MEGA Optical Image Stabilized Zoom (Black) if you're interested -- would still be present or if Panasonic had at least minimized it in the new model.

The FZ28's operation is, of course, very similar to the FZ18's, so for me it was a breeze to set it up. There are only slight button changes in relation to its predecessor, but I found bigger ones in the menus, like more metering and focusing options. I referred to the manual (well organized and very easy to consult) to find the ideal configurations for me. Then I set out to do some test shots.

To my satisfaction, the flying airplane that was in the middle of my frame when I hit the shutter was still in the middle of my frame when I looked at the photos in my computer. This meant that not only had I set the new camera up correctly, but that the shutter lag issue which annoyed me so much in the FZ18 has been drastically improved in the new model. This makes the FZ28 a viable camera for bird shots -- my main use for it -- and I won't be seeing photos of empty blue skies anymore.

Furthermore, despite the small sensor (a characteristic all compact digital cameras share) and increase in resolution, from 8 to 10 MP, image quality has also improved. Shooting at ISO 400, the noise levels have decreased, requiring little or no post-processing in the computer. Image artifacts, like purple fringing, are still present in specific conditions -- such as shooting a dark object against a bright sky -- but much less than before. And the FZ28's handling of low-light situations has also improved considerably.

The incredibly compact and light package still remains, as do the high-quality Leica optics, making the FZ28 a great all-around camera. It has lost a bit in optical zoom, from 506 to 486 mm, because the wide-angle capability has increased (from 28 mm in the FZ18 to 27 mm in the current model), but it doesn't seem to make that much difference overall. And a wider angle is nice in an all-around camera.

I've taken several hundred shots in all kinds of light and distance situations, and even tried iA, Intelligent Auto, something I rarely did in the previous camera -- I normally shoot in Aperture mode -- to see how well it worked. It gave me some very usable images. So if you don't want to think about the settings and just use the FZ28 as a big zoom point-and-shoot, you'll be fine. But tweaking and controling the settings is very easy too.

Battery life is still amazing, but I advise you to get a couple of spare batteries (an original Panasonic or a Digipower will do the job. There are also good reviews on the Lenmar battery, and I'll be giving that one a try). Each photo with the highest resolution and quality is around 4 MB, so several SDHC memory cards are also a good idea. I haven't tested the video capabilities yet, but I'll get around to it eventually.

So far, my conclusion is: if I already liked and enjoyed the FZ18 despite its shortcomings, the FZ28 is a promising step up from that.

Nice Camera, upto 32X optical zoom with lower res. However, no protector that you can buy just yet. I guess Panasonic is working on it. Very Lite compare to the SX10. you have to buy cable for HD viewing, but you view HD on Dual Core computer or fast single. Pictures are very good. Menus are easy after a couple of days. I like the buttons for on and off, and Record and Play. Manual focus works well. only problem is the protector lense is not offered just yet from Panasonic. Pics in JPG and Movies in MOV (QIUCKTIME). Battery seems good (1 week on first charge, still have battery left. Big menus, Day light viewing seems good. zoom has a nice sound to it.

yet another fine line between camcorder and Camera.

Loads quickly to Computer.