Panasonic

Panasonic DMCFX35 Digital Camera - Silver (10.1MP, 4x Optical Zoom) 2.5'' LCD

All round excellent compact camera now even better value for money, 2008-09-27
The Panasonic Lumix FX35 may seem like "just another compact camera" but what impressed me most about this camera is how difficult it was to think of problems with this camera. This camera does almost everything excellently. Image quality is excellent, and despite more noise than average, detail is very good. The camera provides an abundance of features, such as the excellent ultra wide angle lens, that starts at an impressive 25mm and zooms to 100mm. The camera features a very clever "Intelligent Auto" mode and makes using the camera easy, and fun, and provides an abundance of scene modes for beginners. For those looking for more creativity the camera features manual white balance, exposure bracketing, rapid continuous shooting, a histogram, and other image options. Add in an impressive widescreen HD video mode (16:9 Aspect Ratio: 1280x720 30fps) and you have an impressive all-round package, all squeezed into a tiny, stylish, metal camera. Battery life is rated at 290 shots (according to CIPA standards) - I was able to take around 250 shots before the battery went flat. Highly Recommended.

Panasonic DMCFS20 Digital Camera - Black (10.1MP, 4x Optical Zoom) 3.0'' LCD

• Type: Type - Ultra Compact
• Pixels: CCD - 1/2.33" CCD sensor 10.7 megapixels of which 10.1 effective RGB filter Lens: LEICA DC VARIO-ELMAR 7 elements in 6 groups including 3 aspheric lenses / Resolution (in pixels) - 3648 x 2736
• Optical: Optical Viewfinder - None / LCD display - 3" LCD screen (7.6cm) 230,000 pixels 100% coverage Wide angle mode / Macro Distance - 5 cm / Normal Distance - From 50 cm upwards / Optical Zoom - 4x 35mm equivalent: 30-120 mm / Digital Zoom - 4x / ISO range - ISO Auto, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 6400 / Aperture and Shutter Speed - Wide: F3.3 - F8 Tele: F5.8 - F8 Shutter speed: 8-1/2000 sec Timer: 2 or 10 sec /
• Storage: Image formats - JPEG / Memory Card Type - SD, SDHC, MMC / Included Memory Card - No / Internal Memory - 50 MB
• Video: Video mode - Yes, with sound / Video Sequence - 640 x 480 at 30 images/sec. / TV Output - AV output / Webcam - No

Excellent Camera, 2008-05-26
I needed a new camera for a holiday. I had specific requirements: easy to use point and shoot, reasonable zoom, some flexibility if I felt the need to be creative - and a camera that would produce good quality photographs.
I looked in a few photography magazines - was confused by the huge range of digital cameras - came to the net (realising that it would probably be worse).
This camera appeared to have the features I wanted and whilst, alas, there was only 1 review, it was a good one by someone who seemed to know his stuff.
When the camera arrived I couldn't get over how small it was - tho' once I was used to handling it, not at all uncomfortable to hold.
Personally, I didn't find the instruction booklet particularly easy to understand (tho' I do have a short attention span). Over the course of 2 weeks before the holiday I spent several 20 minute sessions familiarising myself with the camera and its operation.
I was extremely pleased with it. The zoom is great - with the option to 'extend the zoom' - which I found useful (went to Lake Como, Italy and this functionality was essential to some fantastic Lake shots).
The 'Intelligent Auto' (the camera does it for you) is the point and shoot functionality I want and also useful when those who aren't used to the camera take photos. The face recognition system is great for these reasons also.
I agree that the 3" LCD makes it so much easier to see what the photo will look like and also for viewing afterwards.
I advise that you buy a second rechargeable battery (incredibly expensive - £50!).
So far, the camera has been relatively painless to use and the photos are excellent: I'm really pleased.

Panasonic RP-WF930EB-S - Auto-tuning FM Cordless Headphone with 100m range & Battery charging stand (Silver)

Not bad for the price, 2008-11-15
the headphones are quite big and bulky and not the most comfortable pair Ive ever worn, but, the sound quality is pretty damn good once you find the right channel and the range is fantastic. for the £35 ive paid im pretty damn happy with the package, however if id paid the RRP that panasonic suggest for this product then this would have have been a completely different review.

in short an excellent pair of RF cans for the price paid.

Panasonic SHFX67EK Panasonic SH-FX67E-K Wireless Transmitter/Receiver Kit For SC-PT560EB-K, SC-PT86

• For SC-PT560EB-K, SC-PT860EB-K
• & SC-BT100EB-K
• Radio transmission with 2,4GHz

Panasonic DMCFS5 Digital Camera - Silver (10.1MP, 4x Optical Zoom) 2.5'' LCD

• Type: Type - Ultra Compact
• Pixels: CCD - 1/2.33" CCD sensor 10.7 megapixels of which 10.1 effective RGB filter LEICA DC VARIO-ELMAR lens 7 elements in 6 groups including 3 aspheric lenses / Resolution (in pixels) - 3648 x 2736
• Optical: Optical Viewfinder - None / LCD display - 2.5" LCD screen (6.35cm) 230,000 pixels 100% coverage Wide angle mode / Macro Distance - 5 cm / Normal Distance - From 50 cm upwards / Optical Zoom - 4x 35 mm equivalent: 30 - 120 mm / Digital Zoom - 4x / ISO range - ISO Auto, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 6400 / Aperture and Shutter Speed - Wide: F3.3 - F8 Telephoto: F5.8 - F8 Shutter speed: 8-1/2000 sec Timer: 2 or 10 sec / Flash (built-in) - Flash: auto, auto red-eye reduction, fo
• Storage: Image formats - JPEG / Memory Card Type - SD, SDHC, MMC / Included Memory Card - No / Internal Memory - 50MB
• Video: Video mode - Yes, with sound / Video Sequence - 640 x 480 at 30 images/sec. / TV Output - AV output / Webcam - No

Panasonic Lumix DMW-CHFZ8 Blue Semi Hard Camera Case - Designed for DMC-FZ8 and FMC-FZ7

Does The Job For Me!, 2008-08-07
I thought that as there was only one other review for this product, which almost put me off purchasing one, I should add my own experience.... so here goes!!

I admit that I've only just received the case and not managed to do a full holiday road test on it but I'm really pleased with it. I wanted a semi hard one (no Carry-On titters please!) as I tend to be a little rough with gadgets and gizmos. This case seems to fit the bill perfectly and appears to be well constructed and up to the job.

The 2zip/velcro combination on the fastening could be a tad more straight-forward but on the other hand it does make it feel nicely secured which I really like.
My main concern when I ordered was the tight camera fit mentioned in the other review and at first it seemed as though I was going to be disappointed......then I put the camera in the other way (lense cap facing up) and it fits like a dream! Although I admit that if I also enclose the pc+av leads that came with my FZ8 it is a tight fit zipping up the case. There's also a great little pocket for a spare sd card in there-how handy!!
I can see that for some people this case won't fit the bill but if you want a decent case to throw your camera in and swing about without too much concern then pack your leads somewhere else and have a good look at this! If your thinking of packing a tripod or the kitchen sink then look elsewhere because this only does what it says on the tin!!

Panasonic KXTG8321EB Colour DECT Single With Answer Machine - Black

Does the Job Well, 2008-07-29
I previously had a portable phone which, after many years, had started to have problems. I wanted something which looked good and did the basic job but also offered up to date features. I did quite a lot of research before buying and selected this Panasonic solution - I bought two handsets together.

There is plenty of information around on the internet and so I'll try and focus on the things which were difficult to find.

As you would expect, the phone works straight out of the box. Being the typical male I didn't read the manual but still managed to get everything to work without much effort - the phone is quite intuitive to use.

The build quality is very good though for some reason home phones never seem to have the same solid feel as the average mobile phone. I guess some people might find the joystick (for navigating around the menus) a little difficult to use.

I originally wanted a phone which would also work with Skype but eventually decided against this I needed an answerphone (which is outside the standard Skype specification). The answerphone works well (maximum 40 mins) which you can also interrogate remotely.

To be honest the colour screen is a bit of a gimmick - I guess it looks quite good but doesn't offer much more than a mono screen (things like being able to change the background colour dependent on caller and set a background image). I wouldn't therefore let the colour screen influence your selection too much.

The phone book is good and stores names alongside numbers and you can group them into categories. I wish there wasn't such a restriction on the number of characters you can use for the name (I think it is about 15 which is normally enough).

The standby time and talk time appear to be very good though I leave the phones in their cradles for most of the time so I know where they are (thought there is a button you can push on the base station to find a phone that might have disappeared).

Here are some other features which I wanted and the phone has but were not detailed in the item description above: call barring, mute button, night mode (ability to stop wrong numbers in the middle of the night while still allowing family to call), speed dial for frequently used contacts.

Hope this helps.

Panasonic DMCFX150 Digital Camera - Black (14.7MP, 3.6x Optical Zoom) 2.7" LCD

• Type: Type - Compact camera
• Pixels: CCD - 1/1.72" CCD sensor with 15 megapixels (14.7 effective) / Resolution (in pixels) - 4416 x 3944
• Optical: Optical Viewfinder - None / LCD display - 2.7?? TFT LCD screen (230,000 pixels) Viewing angle: approx. 100% AUTO Power LCD and Power LCD modes / Macro Distance - Wide angle: 5 cm Telephoto: 30 cm / Normal Distance - 50 cm / Optical Zoom - 3.6x / Digital Zoom - 4x / ISO range - Auto / 100 / 200 / 400 / 800 / 1600 High sensitivity (Auto) mode: 1600-6400 / Aperture and Shutter Speed - f/2.8-5.6 - f/18 P: 1" - 1/2000 M: 60-1/2000 sec Starry sky mode: 15, 30, 60 sec.
• Storage: Image formats - JPEG / Memory Card Type - SDHC, MMC / Included Memory Card - No / Internal Memory - Approx. 50 MB
• Video: Video Sequence - 1280 x 720 - 24 fps / TV Output - AV (NTSC/PAL) output / Webcam - No

Panasonic DMCFZ28 Digital Camera - Silver (10.1MP, 18x Optical Zoom) 2.7" LCD

• Type: Type - Bridge
• Pixels: CCD - 1/2.33" 10.7-megapixel CCD sensor - RGB filter / Resolution (in pixels) - Information not provided
• Optical: Optical Viewfinder - Electronic / LCD display - Viewing angle: approx. 100%, power on, automatic LCD backlighting, increased angle mode / Macro Distance - Information not provided / Normal Distance - Wide angle: 30 cm upwards Telephoto: 200 cm upwards / Optical Zoom - 18x / Digital Zoom - Information not provided / ISO range - Information not provided / Aperture and Shutter Speed - f/2.8 - 4.4 / Focal length (in mm) - 4.8 - 86.4 / 35 mm equivalent focal length (in mm)
• Storage: Image formats - Information not provided / Memory Card Type - SDHC and MMC / Included Memory Card - No / Internal Memory - Approx. 50 MB
• Video: Video mode - Image with sound (Design rule for Camera File system, based on Exif 2.21 standard) QuickTime Motion picture: QuickTime Motion JPEG / Video Sequence - Information not provided / TV Output - AV output (NTSC/PAL) / Webcam - Information not provided

THE BEST OF ALL WORLDS!, 2008-11-27
UltraZooms have came to bridge the gap between Point-&-Shoot cameras and DSLRs. They may not be the easiest to carry in a pocket (especially in the summer) but offer much better lenses, sensors and features than their mobile-phone sized cousins. This is what has came to be known as the CREATIVITY segment of the camera market - and the PANASONIC FZ28 is the its absolute leader.

For months now I kept borrowing my brother's FZ18 as I was researching the market for my own UltraZoom. Since this could not go on indefinitely (and my summer vacation was coming up), I decided on the NIKON P80. Although a very good camera I found it fickle and unpredictable if left on full Auto. My belief that NIKON would never put out an inferior product was confirmed but I am not a professional photographer: I missed the simplified perfection of my brother's FZ18.
Luckily the Internet merchant I had bought my NIKON from offers an upgrade insurance option: for a small percentage of the total cost I bought the option of returning the camera within 12 months (provided in perfect working condition) and having it replaced with a latest model (from the same merchant of course). So, when FZ28 became available, I did just that.

As with the FZ18, the Intelligent Auto (iA) setting is a dream! Perfect crystal clear pictures under (almost) any conditions, EVERY TIME. There are more tweaking options than one could desire of course, but elusive scenes often do not allow for minute setting fidgeting: a reliable Auto is a good friend in a tight moment.
The older model was reported to sometimes have a problem when there were intense sunlight and shaded areas in the same shot: nothing of this sort with the FZ28. As soon as this becomes available I will post some sample photos to illustrate exactly this.

The new features of FZ28 include a new sensor (10.1MP/2.33") coupled with the also new Venus IV engine; an enlarged high quality LCD (2.7" from 2.5"); a wider lens system (starting from 27 instead of 28mm - but also ending at 486 instead of 504mm); a new auto-tracking focus feature; an auto backlight compensation function (missing from FZ18) and (finally!) zooming while taking video.
The cherry on this cake: FZ28 comes also with a leveling function which helps align buildings or the horizon with the subject - even after taking the picture! (OK, essentially it is cropping but still...)

My only gripe: as with FZ18, FZ28's zooming control is counterintuitive! One zooms IN the picture by pushing in it, whereas zooms OUT by pulling back. Well, as with the FZ18, the direction of the zooming control is in the opposite directions. (If someone knows how to contact Panasonic-Japan by email please let me know, I would like to offer them my opinion).

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!

Panasonic RP-CDHF15E-K HDMI 1.5 Metre Cable With Full 180 Degree `Free Angle Rotating Head'