This photo is with the Panasonic FZ 18 F5.6 ISO 100

This photo Panasonic FZ 28 F5.6 ISO 100

These two photos have been posted to give people an idea of the difference between the Panasonic FZ 18 and the Panasonic FZ 28. These were taken quickly this morning before my coffee and were hand held. They were taken at the widest position with each camera. The cameras were set to 5.6 ISO 100 on aperture priority. I tried f4 and 7.1 but in both cameras 5.6 was notable better. As you will see the camera position is different and I know this needs to be done more accurately. This is all the time I have right now between selling cameras and running to the U.S. and Canadian post offices life is busy. Sandy and I are today also taking a trip to the city to take our youngest daughter Ann to the airport. She is moving to France for the next year to work and travel. We are excited and sad and worried most about her cat Oliver who doesn't understand. Bill

These photos have been uploaded with out resizing, the first one was taken with a Polarizing filter.

Here are some more photos from the new Panasonic FZ 28. I took them this morning from the deck while eating my breakfast. This is when I take most of my photos, in the morning with a cup of coffee near by or if you look back you will see there are a few in the evening with maybe a glass of wine close at hand. As to the new Panasonic, I need some time to compare with the FZ18. I have found in the past with new models there can be improvements but often they come at a cost. With market pressure to continually improve a product and then sell it at a lower price some of the changes may not be for the better. I sometimes wonder if the market we have created is working against product improvement. The last models of 35mm film cameras is an example where I often thought the priority was maximizing profit and not improving a product. Stay tuned for more. Bill

These photos are the first that I have taken from the new Panasonic FZ 28. I will post more and first impressions later. I have a FZ18 for a comparison. This may be your first visit to my blog. I am a camera sales person with a small store and because of that we are often the first to have and use a new product. We do sell on-line but if you visit our site http://www.contactphotoarts.com/ you will not find a shopping cart. I like to talk to my customers and there is contact information on our site. We ship across Canada by express post and for U.S. customers we are 15 minutes from a U.S. post office. The price in Canadian dollars is 449.95



The camera at it's widest angle.

This photo hand is held like the other two 1/200 F4.4 100 ISO

This photo is taken against the sun at 18x ISO 100. If you look closely that is Batman on top of the flag pole.

This camera is the newest in the Panasonic line of ultra zoom compact cameras. The previous model the FZ18 has been one of our best selling cameras for the last year. The question today will be, is the FZ28 a better camera than the FZ18. To begin it is important for you to know that I really like Panasonic cameras. I have twenty years of experience selling cameras and in our store with the point and shoot category you will find only Panasonic cameras and one model of Pentax. This is for many reasons but a few are, usually the customers first request is for a camera that is easy to use, secondly a camera that takes good photos. Panasonic does this very well at each price point but what customers don't often think about is that they need a camera that is well made with good quality control. If a customer who I sell a camera to has a problem with their camera it is also a problem for me. I test the cameras before they go out the door. It is important for me to know that what we sell is a good product. I won't sell something unless I would buy it for myself. I can count the number of warranty claims I have helped with on my two hands from Panasonic cameras that I have sold. I have lost count of how many cameras I have sold but it is more than one a day for the last three years. This is also a company that replaces or repairs their defective cameras faster than any other company that I have ever dealt with. Most Panasonic users never experience this but you can understand what a difference it makes to me the sales guy who depends on happy customers.
In the past when a company introduced a new camera my approach would be to wait to read a compressive review, order one to test and then decide if this was a camera that I would like to sell. I started this practice after an experience of having to return 24 cameras that I had ordered with the belief that they were a good product. Panasonic continually introduce new models that surpass the previous ones. If you have read all of this I think you will understand my statement that I like Panasonic cameras. I plan on posting many photos from the FZ28. We will soon be introducing our interactive new web site and there will be also a feature article written for the FZ28. Stay tuned for more, Bill Wilby

Wildlife as seen by the Sigma DP1. Who says one can't take wildlife photos with a small camera and a wide angle lens. Here is both full frame and a 100% crop of a photo I took last night off our deck. In fairness, it is a little easier when they are not shy about having their photo taken. Bill

I recently received my demo Sigma DP1 back from a customer that I had lent it to. For any of you who may not know what a DP1 is, it is a compact camera with a large foveon sensor. This camera for its small size produces excellent image quality. It has a fixed lens that has a wide angle view equal to a 28mm on a 35mm film camera. I plan on carrying this camera with me more often. This morning Sandy and I when for our early spin on our recumbent bikes. I didn't stop to take a photo of the sun coming up but I do see things differently if I know I could. For most people I think the world can looks different if you are carrying a camera. This photo was taken last night sitting on the deck watching the sun going down. Bill

Here is an evening photo taken just after a light rain. It was one of those moments where I needed to do a U turn and go back for the photo. For me it is much like stopping to smell the roses. All it takes is some magic light and a camera near by. The camera Sigma SD14 and a 24 to 70 lens. Bill

Summer time and the living is easy. Last night I was standing by the river bank testing out a new Sigma 24 to 70 lens on my SD14 and a neighbour paddled by. This lens is an older model 24-70 DG DF but is an EX lens and a pleasure to use in the fading evening light. That was some Sigma talk for a great lens at a good price. I hope you are enjoying your summer as much as I am enjoying mine. Bill

Another photo from the new Pentax 17 to 70 F4 SDM. This is my daughter Laura's friend Mandy. Summer time in Grand Forks means cooling off in the river. Laura is still testing this our first lens but we will have more stock tomorrow. I have put together a comparison with a Pentax 16 o 45 and a Sigma 17 to 70. This will soon be on our new web site which will feature articles written by ourselves and our customers. The site is taking awhile because it is custom built. It is an original idea that I have not seen done in the way we are building it. As for the new lens by Pentax, I have ordered several as I think it is very good value and will be a good alternative to a kit lens. Our price 629.95 cdn. Bill

I am still testing and enjoying using the new Pentax 17-70 F4 SDM lens that I have had for the last week. I have done a comparison with the Pentax 16 to 45 and a Sigma 17 to 70. We are still working on our new site to display them. This is a photo of the river this morning and a wasp outside of our store. I was exploring the lens "Bokeh" when the wasp showed up. Bill

There a lot of interest in the new Pentax 17 -70 DA SDM lens. Because of the photo posted below we have had many new people visit this Blog. We are currently building a new interactive web site with articles from our customers as well as our own articles, and one of the first articles will be about this lens because of this interest. In the mean time here are two photos taken at 17 mm and 70 mm, F4. Doing a test like this is not easy and this is only a start. I used an old copy stand and tried to make it level. The distance from the back of the camera is 15 in. or 39 cm. In reviewing these photos I see that the target is not set quite square. This test is meant to give you a indication of distortion and not sharpness. Bill Wilby

This wedding photo was taken by my daughter Laura yesterday. This is with the new Pentax 17 to 70 lens that we have just received. Laura may be the first to photograph a wedding with this lens and I think I may be the first to post photos with this lens as I have not seen any other. My other post are of a boring brick wall near our store posted on the dpreview Pentax forum. As with any new product there is a lot of world wide interest and I find it interesting even with a small store like ours it is possible to be the first. Congratulations Mairen and Andrew and thank you. Here is a link to http://www.laurawilby.com/ Bill

It has been awhile since the last post. Last night we drove over Hardy mountain and spotted these marmots beside the road. This again is the Sigma 120-400 os lens at 1/25 of a sec. 400 mm 5.6 I was sitting in the car but these are hand held. By the number of hits to this blog regarding this lens that I have seen from all over the world it is becoming very popular. I think every one should have one but that may be just the sales man in me talking. Bill

The evenings have been very pleasant with the warm weather. Here is a photo by Laura of Oliver enjoying the last sun of the day. Laura is now using Sigma cameras for her wedding photography. I can't wait to see the results from this weekend weddings. Bill

Sitting on the deck and watching the sun go down last night and what a show. Missed getting a photo of the lighting, but the sky was very colour full and inspiring. Sigma SD14 and 18 to 200 lens. Saturday morning a beaver swam by in a hurry looked too small to be Bob. I haven't seen a beaver for a month so that was also a little exciting. Bill The wine, northern Italy

My daughter Laura and I went for a walk last night hoping to see some fawns. We didn't find a fawn to photograph but I discovered the other end of my Sigma 120-400 os lens. This is at 120mm and I thought it looked good in B+W. I have started to carry a monopod as well. Bill

We have a new family of birds that have just moved into our upper deck. Jill has been keeping her eye on them. The Sigma 120-400 OS focuses very close, and hand held because of the optical stabilization and sometimes there just isn't enough time for a tripod. I think I will take a mono pod home to add to the collection of photo equipment. We also have new fawns but have not been able to get a good photo yet. Stay tuned. Bill

Because of the rain and wet weather I have not had many opportunities to use my new Sigma 120-400 OS lens. This was a photo I took last night. I have thought of trying to do deer portraits with this lens. There may be more to come. BIll

Our daughter Ann's graduation from high school was this past weekend. Here is a photo of her and her school friends. Her mother and I and family are all very happy for her and her accomplishments. I just thought some of you may want to see how wonderful she looked on the day of grad. These colours are captured with my Sigma SD14. Bill

One more taken with the Sigma 120-400 os and my Sigma SD14. Bill

Yesterday morning leaving for work I was surprised to see Mr. Coyote on the other side of the river. Note this is a non Sigma photo, we do take a Panasonic FZ18 home most nights for a point and shoot with a 18x zoom. I have learned living on the river you never know what you may see and having a camera near by is a good thing. Bill