Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ28 Review

(Note: All screens and menus can be displayed on either the EVF or LCD.)

The screen when using "iA" or Intelligent Auto mode. This mode is designed for the beginner with fully automatic operation. It will help eliminate blurring from camera-shake/subject movement, as well as detect up to 15 faces and automatically select the focus, exposure and scene mode for the best possible photos.

Shown here is the Program AE mode screen. We are using Auto O.I.S. mode, ISO Auto with the max set at 800, image size is 10M, Fine quality, our battery is 3/3 charged, AF Tracking autofocus, Metering is set to Multiple and there's enough room on our SDHC card for 779 pictures. The time and date is displayed for a few seconds when you first turn the camera on or change modes.

When the shutter is half-pressed and the autofocus is achieved, the AF target brackets will turn green (red if AF fails) and a focus confirmation "green dot" is displayed. This is also when the aperture and shutter speed values are displayed.

Program Quick Menu options:

Stabilizer - Off, Auto, Mode 1, Mode 2
Metering Mode - Multi, Center-weighted, Spot
AF Mode - Multi-Area, 1-Area High Speed, 1 Area, Spot, Face Detection, AF Tracking
White Balance - Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Shade, Flash, White Set 1, White Set 2, Color Temp.
i ISO - Enable or Disable Intelligent ISO
Sensitivity - Auto, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600
i Exposure - Off, Low, Standard, High
Picture Size - 10M, 7M, 5M, 3M, 2M, 0.3M
LCD - Off, Auto Power LCD, Power LCD, High Angle

The Aperture priority mode allows you to select a specific aperture value to control depth of field (range of focus). A small aperture number gives you a shallower depth of field to put the background out of focus.

Shutter-speed priority is the direct opposite of aperture priority, it allows you to select the desired shutter speed and the camera matches the proper aperture. Fast shutter speeds allow you to "freeze" rapid moving subjects or "blur" them with a slower shutter speed.

In Manual exposure mode you select both the shutter speed and aperture value - you must also select the right combination to get the proper exposure level. Unfortunately, there is no on-screen meter to help you "dial in" the exposure.

Rotating the Mode Dial to the SCN position gives access to 17 of the 22 possible scene specific modes, that are optimized for variety of shooting environments and subjects. You can choose from Party, Candle Light, Baby 1. Baby 2, Pet, Sunset, High Sensitivity, HI-Speed Burst, Flash Burst, Panning, Starry Sky, Fireworks, Beach, Snow, Aerial photo, Pin Hole, and Film Grain. While scrolling through the Scene menu, pressing the "Display" button will give a brief description of the Scene modes intended use (shown above). The other 5 "Advanced" Scene modes (Portrait, Landscape, Sports, Night Portrait, Macro) are accessed via the mode dial.

Record Menu options:

Picture Size - 10M, 7M EZ, 5M EZ, 3M EZ, 2M EZ, 0.3M EZ
Quality - JPEG Fine/Standard, RAW, RAW+JPEG
Aspect Ratio - 4:3, 3:2, 16:9
Intelligent ISO - Off or On
ISO - Auto, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600
ISO Limit Set - Auto, 200, 400, 800, 1600
White Balance - Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Shade, Halogen, White Set 1 & 2, Color Temp.
Metering Mode - Multi, Center-weighted, Spot
AF Mode - Multi-Area, 1-Area High Speed, 1 Area, Spot, Face Detection, AF Tracking
PRE AF - Off, Q-AF, C-AF
AF/AE Lock - AF/AE, AF or AE
i Exposure - Off, Low, Standard, High
Digital Zoom - On or Off
Color Effect - Off, B/W, Sepia, Cool, Warm
PICT. ADJ. - Adjust Contrast, Sharpness, Saturation, and Noise reduction
Stabilizer - Off, Auto, Mode 1, Mode 2
Minimum Shutter Speed - Choose from 1 second to 1/125 of a second
Audio REC. - On or Off
AF Assist Lamp - On or Off
Flash Synchro - 1st or 2nd curtain
Flip Animation - Create small in-camera animations
Conversion - Auxiliary lenses
Clock Set - Set the cameras clock

Press the 4-way controller "Down" to enable the Quick Review. This Fn (function) button can also be used to quickly bring up settings for Sensitivity, White balance, AF mode, etc.

Movie mode captures QuickTime video at VGA (640x480), QVGA-H/L (320x240-30/10fps), WVGA (848x480), or HD (1280x720) at 30fps, with audio. The length of capture is limited by the amount of available memory, with a maximum clip size of 2GB. Unlike past models, the FZ28 Does offer the ability to zoom the 18x lens while recording video.