A quiet noisy winter day in the Sloterpark - Amsterdam

[johvdz]

Wow, congrats, that's exactly the same price I paid for it :-)

I always wear my camera in a simple 'unsuspicious-looking' 'non-attention attracting' waistbag, so I (hopefully) minimize the risk of being bothered by anyone that might be on the lookout for a free camera ;-)

Have fun, looking forward to your first vids! (although my poor old pc can't handle HD vids)

[NorthPlum]

Can you also help me, what camera bag do you have for the fz28?

Thnx!

[NorthPlum]

Well the video is really clear, when I click 'Watch in high quality'.

Ah... but isn't the FZ28 older than the FZ30?

thanks for the reply!

[johvdz]

Yeah, those FZ-numbers are a bit confusing, aren't they? ;-)

The FZ30 was released in 2005 as some sort of 'boosted-up' version of the older FZ20.

And the FZ28 was recently released in 2008, as a 'boosted-up' version of the FZ18, which was a boosted-up version of the FZ8, which ultimately was a boosted-up version of the FZ5, which in its turn basically was a stripped-down version of ... also the FZ20...

I hope you're not getting too confused now ;-)

[johvdz]

Ps.1 and the FZ50 was a 2007 'update' on the FZ30 :-)

One of the big attractions of the FZ30 and FZ50 is that they have 'rotatable' flip-out displays ... I sorely miss this on the FZ20 and FZ28 ... on the other hand the FZ20 and FZ28 are much less 'bulky' and weigh a lot less than the FZ30/50 ... well, of course each type has its own (relative) 'advantages' and 'disadvantages' ;-)

Ps.2 thanks for subscribing!

[NorthPlum]

You've sold me! I'm going to buy the FZ28, I've done a little research myself and looked at your videos testing it and I WANT it!

Oh and one more question, with my current camera, I always have that issue of my battery running out, does the battery last long on the FZ28? Would it be a good idea to carry spares?

Thanks much agaaaaain!

[johvdz]

:-) That's very nice to hear :-)

The panasonic camera batteries are VERY good and long-lasting - but unfortunately also rather expensive if you want an extra one... third-party replacements are much cheaper but vary wildly in quality ... the German brand Hahnel is among the best for replacements ... but if you're lucky you can also get some cheap chinese brand of decent quality ... let me know when you have any questions :-)

Btw, informative review also via google "steves" + "fz28"

[johvdz]

PS: but also don't forget to check out the competition, like e.g. Canon Powershot SX10 and SX1, or the Fuji Finepix s100fs, all with rotatable screens, maybe you like them even more...

In the end I chose for the Panasonic FZ28 because I have loads of spare batteries for my older FZ-types, that all fit into the FZ28 also :-)

(and additionally the FZ28 was cheaper than these 'competitors' as well)

[NorthPlum]

I bought the FZ28 for £231! I looked at the other DSLR and SLR cameras, but nothing could compare to the FZ28, in terms of what it had to offer and the price! I shall be posting a video soon, when I go to London in hd! WOO hoo!

[NorthPlum]

Is the camera an FZ-30? I'm thinking of getting one, is it worth it?

I also like the quality of the video, looks really clear and love the fact you can zoom while videoing.

Thnx!

[johvdz]

Hi NorthPlum,

Thanks, yes it's the FZ30.

Great camera, but read some reviews to decide (e.g. google "steves" + "FZ30")

Quality of vid on YouTube depends totally on how it's pre-prepaired for upload, various settings for convertors/editors will give either good or bad results (see also my Notes next to the vid)

For taking pics I actually prefer the FZ20, but now testing my new FZ28, which makes better vids than both the FZ20 and FZ30 anyway.

Good luck & have fun! :-)