Switch to viewfinder with one button, Zoom is simple to use, Adding flash is a one button operation, Fits your hand like a glove, Large screen, Many options for, Picture stabilization is great
FEB
27
2008
Panasonic - Lumix DMC-FZ8 —
In December, 2007, I purchased a Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ8 7.2 MP digital camera, to replace my old digital camera that had finally quit working for me. This was an intentional step up for me, in terms of a digital camera’s capabilities. I had so much enjoyed my old one, which was a gift from my kids, that I found myself deeply feeling the loss of not having one. I’d learned its capabilities quite well and was ready for more. This new one has fulfilled that need/want and then some! I consider myself a beginner, advancing into the intermediary class of digital photographers, so bear this in mind with this review. The design of the DMC-FZ8 was purposely created for ease of use. All the controls are built to be near to hand, easy to understand and use. (It even offers a joystick feature, which I think will be handy once I become accustomed to using it.) Many of their features I can set with the hand that is holding the camera (while my other hand is free), and the camera itself is a good fit to my hand. This time around I was looking for greater capabilities of the zoom features. This camera has 12x Optical Zoom, with an 18X extended optical zoom, which I am absolutely loving. It’s great for close-up shots from a long distance (i.e.–bird watching, moon shots, etc.) It has Intelligent Image Stabilizer to help prevent blurry shots caused by hand-shake or by moving subjects. I’ve been impressed with the long life of the battery. (They claim you can take approximately 380 pictures on a single charge, and I believe it!) The 2.5 inch LCD screen is a high resolution and I find the images are clear and easy to view. It offers Mega Burst Consecutive Shooting, which I have used a few times now and don’t want to ever be without again. There are a large number of special features this camera offers. I’m only mentioning a few in this review, as I am familiarizing myself with the camera’s wide range of options. I have much to learn and will be enjoying that aspect of my camera for a long time yet. I was able to take great pictures, even some close up shots, almost immediately after charging the battery and scanning the first few pages of the manual to familiarize myself with the controls. After learning only a little bit more about the camera, I was able to get a detailed close up shot of a full moon, which thrilled and encouraged me. During the lunar eclipse this month, I managed to get a good shot of the eclipse, and of the storm that prevented me from seeing and photographing any more of the eclipse; complete with a great shot of the night sky lit up by lightning. I am more than happy with my purchase and consider it a great buy and investment. I’m now happily posting images and photo essays to an online community site that I belong to and earning points each step of the way. I can easily recommend this camera to a broad range of intermediate users and would even suggest it to beginners, as I feel that its minimum capabilities are very easy to pick up. It’s a great camera to grow in knowledge with.
Panasonic - Lumix DMC-FZ8 is recommended by tanyatkp
Compact Digital Camera
Mega Zoom Advanced
Point-and-Shoot Digital Camera
Features
Auto Flash
Auto Flash
Digital Viewfinder
Digital Viewfinder
Firewire
LCD Panel
LCD Panel
LCD Panel
Optical Viewfinder
Optical Viewfinder
Red-Eye Reduction
Red-Eye Reduction
Red-Eye Reduction
Megapixels
10 or more
10 or more
10 or more
Optical Zoom
At least 18x
At least 18x
At least 4x
Tags
lumix
panasonic
panasonic,lumix,fz-28
Key Features
Image Sensor Type CCD
Resolution 7.38 Megapixel
Optical Zoom 12x
Camera Type Standard Point and Shoot
Weight 0.68 lb.
Family Line Panasonic Lumix
LCD Screen Size 2.5 in.
Digital Zoom 4x
Lens
Interchangeable Lens Not Interchangeable Lenses
Optical Zoom 12x
35mm Zoom Lens 36 - 432 mm
Digital Zoom 4x
Focus Type Autofocus & Manual Focus
Focus Range 11.81 in. to Infinity (w) / 78.74 in. to Infinity (t)
Macro Focus Range 1.97 in. to Infinity (w) / 39.37 in. to Infinity (t)
Focal Length 6 - 72 mm
Image Quality
Camera Resolution 7.38 Megapixel
Image Resolutions 640 x 480
Image Sensor Type CCD
Video
Video Resolutions 320 x 240
Video Speed 30 fps
Max Movie Length Without Limit (Depends on the camera free memory size)
Video Format QuickTime
Exposure Control
Aperture Range f8/f8 (w/t) - f2.8/f3.1 (w/t)
Shutter Speed 60 - 1/2000 sec
White Balance Auto
Storage
Memory Type Built-in
Compression Modes Fine
Compression Type JPEG
File Size (High Res.) 17.39 MB (7 images on 128MB card)
File Size (Low Res.) 0.17 MB (about 753 images on 128MB card)
Built-in Memory Size 27 MB
Flash
ISO Speeds Auto
Flash Type Built-In
Flash Functions Flash Off
Viewfinder / Display
Viewfinder Digital
LCD Panel With LCD Panel
LCD Panel Size 2.5 in.
LCD Screen Resolution 207,000 pixels
LCD Protected Position Without LCD Protected Position
LCD Screen With LCD Screen
LCD Screen Size 2.5 in.
Interfaces
Interface Type USB
Video Interface Video Out
Power Supply
Battery Type Rechargeable Li-Ion Battery
Battery Life 380 Images
Included Features
Self Timer 2 Sec.
Built-in Microphone With Built-in Microphone
Built-in Speaker With Built-in Speaker
Dimensions
Width 4.43 in.
Depth 3.11 in.
Height 2.84 in.
Weight 0.68 lb.
Miscellaneous
Included Accessories Software
Product ID 40461938
UPC 5025232418992
Family Line Panasonic Lumix