Foreword:

The FZ28 is an image-stabilisation system equipped long-zoom camera that has a usable range from 27mm wide to 486mm telephoto, i.e. 18x zoom. With a 0.20 in electronic viewfinder (LCD) along with a 2.7 in LCD display with 230,000 dots of resolution, this camera promises to be one of the better 10.1 megapixel megazoom cameras in the market.

+Ves:

• Full manual exposure controls.
• 720p 30fps HD movie capture with zoom operational that is pretty fast. It saves in Quicktime MOV. The OIS is available for use as is white balance (including two custom settings), Kelvin temperature colour WB along with a single setting for maximum ISO and minimum shutter speed.
• At 14.6 oz, this camera is relatively lighter than many in the market, but at 3×4.6×3.5 in, this camera is quite large for any pocket.
• The 2.7 in LCD screen is very bright and is viewable with three brightness controls (Auto Power according to the ambient light, Power LCD increases brightness and High Angle that really boosts the brightness)
• The mode dial is pretty slick looking with iA (intelligent Auto), Program AE, Aperture, Shutter and Speed priority modes as well as manual, two custom settings, movie, scene and other scene modes available.
• Thirty-Seven scene modes will keep you busy with customised settings for each being really spot-on. Advanced scene modes with all the priority settings are also available for the enthusiast.

-Ves:

• The ISO settings soften the pictures without a hotshoe. The noise is very apparent even under modest conditions and a fair amount of green and purple fringing is apparent in pictures.
• Distortion around the EVF is apparent, and the refresh rate is very low under low-light conditions.
• The mode-dial is very reflective washing-out the mode-names on the dial.

Final Word:

RAW file capture, speedy focusing and long zoom lens as well as quite a few features ensure that the FZ28 is bought even after its body-build, noise and less-than-fine handling issues are brought to light. This is an all-round megazoom that would fill your bag, but lighten your pockets considerably with its price tag as well.