Information Engineer

Panasonic’s Lumix DMC-FZ28 digital camera boasts a premium 27mm wide-angle Leica lens with an 18x optical zoom, ideal for tight indoor shots and long-distance action photos. The 10.1-megapixel digital camera also features an enhanced Intelligent Auto Mode (iA), with the new AF (auto focus) Tracking function, making it easier for photographers at any level to shoot sharp, well-focused photos, even when the subject is moving — making it ideal for action shots.
The AF Tracking function, the latest component to be added to Panasonic’s iA system, allows users to lock focus on a moving subject. The camera then automatically tracks the subject as it moves, keeping it in focus without the need to hold the shutter halfway down. AF Tracking makes it easier to capture moving subjects and spur-of-the-moment action shots. The AF Tracking technology also improves Face Detection (up to 15 faces), by providing continuous adjustment of the focus and exposure, even if the face is turned away from the camera.

In addition to the AF Tracking functionality, Panasonic’s other iA technologies include:
- Intelligent Exposure: Helps prevents photos from being under- or over-exposed by instantly analyzing the framed image and adjusting the brightness in areas that are too dark because of dim lighting, backlighting or the use of the flash. The camera will automatically adjust the brightness accordingly.
- Digital Red-eye Correction: This feature helps to eliminate the red-eye problem that sometimes results when taking flash shots at night. Incorporated into the camera, the built-in flash emits a small preliminary flash before the main flash, detects red-eye and will digitally correct it.
- MEGA O.I.S.: Gyrosensors detect hand-shake and the lens system shifts to compensate, helping to prevent hand-shake from creating a blurry image.
- Intelligent ISO: Determines if the photo subject is moving and changes the ISO setting and shutter speed accordingly, thus giving a blur-free photo.
- Intelligent Scene Selector: Senses the ambient conditions, recognizes the shooting environment and will automatically select the appropriate scene mode from: Scenery, Portrait, Macro, Night Portrait or Night Scenery mode. This intuitive technology, helps the consumer use the most common scene modes that are built into the camera, but often go unused, without making any manual adjustments.
- Face Detection: Detects faces in the frame (up to 15 faces), even if they are moving, and selects optimal focus and exposure settings so portraits come out clear.
- Quick AF (Auto Focus): Starts focus on the subject by just pointing the camera at the subject, thus minimizing the AF time.
- Image Leveling: When a captured image “leans” to the right or left because the camera was held at a slight angle when the photo was taken, the Image Leveling function rotates the image to straighten it and crops the unnecessary edges. No computer needed!
- Scene Modes: The DMC-FZ28 offers a total of 37 scene modes to respond easily to any shooting situation. The new Pin Hole and Film Grain modes add unique, film camera-like effects and ambiences to images. Additionally, the actual effects of the scene mode can be viewed on the LCD before taking the shot.
- Flash: Reaches a distance of 8.5 meters at the wide setting and 5.4 meters at the telephoto setting (ISO AUTO).
- SILKYPIX Developer Studio 3.0 SE: Software application comes bundled with the DMC-FZ28 for editing and developing images in the RAW file format.

Technical Details :
- 10-megapixel CCD captures enough detail for photo-quality poster-size prints.
- 18x wide-angle MEGA Optical Image Stabilized zoom lens.
- 2.7-inch high-resolution LCD screen; HD video capture.
- Full SLR-like manual operations including aperture, shutter, program and full manual modes with Advanced Scene modes.
- Capture images to SD/SDHC memory cards(not included).

I’ve had this camera for a week and took over 1000 photos. It’s simply fantastic.

Things I like:
1. The shutter response is much much better than my old camera. In most cases, it will focus quickly and accurately. I use iA mode occasionally. Most time, I set it at program mode with Fn(Function)button programmed to select different focus mode. Contrary to one of the reviewers, I feel it’s very responsive. And Face Recognition really works on this Camera.
2. The lens is great. You can capture incredible photos far and near.
3. Wonderful IQ! I constantly mess around with different shooting modes and do comparison shot. I have to say that the iA(intelligent auto) mode in many cases is doing a better job in focusing, exposure, white balance, etc than I do(Hard to admit a machine is smart than I am. ). I’m still trying and learning. But I feel eventually I might give up and let the iA totally controls me.
4. The menu system is well-written. I’m only half-way through the manual(Probably I’ll never finish the other half). But there’s not a function I hesitate to use or feel frustrated when maneuvering through the menu system.
5. The lay-out of the buttons is well thought-out. I especially like the dedicated record/playback button. Why no one else thought about it. So convenient! Love it.
6. LCD. This is perhaps the brightest LCD I ever had. Everything is nicely detailed.

Things I think the next gen Panasonic FZ should improve:
1. ISO. I have very usable photos which are shot at ISO 400. But there are several times I hope the ISO will be even higher for low-light conditions.
2. Ghost-band(Purple/blue vertical lines) on LCD in strong direct light condition. This happens to many digital camera system. But I feel it shows a bit more on this camera.