See, told you people would say the best is the one that they have.|=)|
Before deciding on the FZ28 I researched online for a few months. I pretty much ignored reviews apart from sample images, noise comparison at high ISO, and AF and cycle timings. Mostly I searched the Gallery here and compared IQ and EXIF data. The reasons I chose the FZ28 instead of, say, the SX1 were:
- The High Speed AF mode, in good light, is very fast; it's comparable to DSLR speeds but not consistently so.
- The IQ of the SX10 was better than the SX1.
- Chromatic Aberration (purple fringing) and Barrel Distortion was corrected automatically for JPEGS on the FZ28
- It seemed pretty much accepted that the Leica lens on the FZ28 was sharper, and was faster (F4.4 @ 486mm) than the SX1.
- Noise was well controlled even at ISO 800 (there's a Jay picture in my gallery that was shot at ISO 800).
- Last, but not least, the FZ28 was more than £100 cheaper than the SX1.
Those were my reasons, and I've not regretted my decision. I've taken over 14,000 pictures with the FZ28, learned it's limitations (all cameras have them), and it's not let me down yet. BTW, there's not a great deal to choose between the FZ28 and the FZ18, in fact I doubt I'd upgrade to an FZ28 if I had an FZ18.
But, like I said, don't take anyone's word for it, do some research, and check images in the gallery. One thing to watch out for is the ISO in the EXIF data. If most of the images are shot at ISO 100, then that's not telling you a great deal as nearly every camera is good at that sensitivity. Trouble is, it won't be often that ISO 100 will give you a fast enough shutter speed in the available light for nature, and especially for birds.
All of the above is just my experience based on the camera that I use, nothing more.