This review is for the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ8, I purchased this in February 2008, and it was my first ever digital camera, and I was just a beginner back then, and I'm not any better now hahaha, I am just a point and shoot photographer, and nothing fancy.  I know there are alot of digital cameras now adays with really high megapixel ratings, but if you are not a serious photographer this is more then suitable for a beginner.  you really don't need anythng more then 10MP in my honest opionion, unless you're going to make a poster out of your photos.  This takes really nice and crips photos, also my opinion, and is very pleasant on my hand.  It really fits right on my hand, and I have larger then average sized hand.  this camera also takes really nice macro shots as well.  and the zoom range is pretty impressive.  The only thing i don't like about this camera is that it is not going to fit in your pant pocket.  but I really don't care, i still love the camera.

jmsp0511

Troy, MI

The Panasonic Lumix FZ8 is an overall great purchase. I bought this camera after my pocket digital was stolen and, more than 10,000 photos later (see some of my samples below), I'm still extremely happy with it. The pictures are very clear, the zoom is excellent and the stabilizer works great. The zoom, I should add, is extremely helpful if you get less-than-front row seats at a concert... 12x optical and up to 48x digital gets you pretty close.  The camera's "macro-zoom" is a little confusing at first but yields good results when you get the hang of it. The camera's aperture and shutter setting are both very good when automated and very easily customized. A number of different scene modes come in handy for various situations (from Sunset to Stars to Sports to "Airplane Window"). The viewfinder and the LCD are both crisp and easy to use. The camera also uses SD cards, which are far less expensive than other types (Sony, CompactFlash). The one irritating fault that I've found with the camera is that, when recording video, you cannot use the zoom controls once you've started recording; you have to set the zoom where you want it and then begin recording, which can be a problem if you're recording say, concerts or sports games. The camera is complex enough that tech-savvy users will be able to meet the majority of there customization needs, but are also simple enough that anyone who picks up the camera will be able to use it. A few accessory lenses (fisheye, wide-angle...) are available, but, not having tried any, I can't vouch for their quality. Overall, I'm extremely happy with this camera and would definitely recommend it.

js0124

Fresno, CA

Almost exactly a year after the introduction of the camera, Panasonic's popular compact super-zoom camera, comes its replacement; the Lumix DMC-FZ8. Where the FZ7 was a fairly major upgrade to the camera that came before it (the FZ5), the FZ8 is, perhaps inevitably, more evolutionary. The body design and operation is almost identical - no bad thing, given the huge improvements made over the FZ5 - and the only really big news is the inclusion of Raw shooting and a much better electronic viewfinder. More controversially the new model squeezes even more pixels onto a 1/2.5-inch sensor, and uses the latest Venus III processor, which has had - to put it kindly - a mixed reception from reviewers and users alike. We are assured by Panasonic that the Venus III has been tweaked for the new Lumix generation (based, perhaps, on the less than stellar reviews and comments), and that the noise reduction system and sensor in this camera are delivering significantly better output. So let's find out if Panasonic has got it right with the DMC-FZ8 - and if it really has solved the few (admittedly important) issues we had with its predecessor, starting with a detailed look at what's changed:

mikehawk01

Belleville, NJ

I am reviewing Panasonic Lumix FZ-28. My main use for the new camera is to record my night life. From time to time, I extend my artistic interest to scenes, buildings, animals, insects, flowers... I've had this camera for a week and took over 1000 photos. It's simply fantastic. Things I like:1. The shutter response is much much better than my old camera. In most cases, it will focus quickly and accurately. I use iA mode occasionally. Most time, I set it at program mode with Fn(Function)button programmed to select different focus mode. Contrary to one of the reviewers, I feel it's very responsive. And Face Recognition really works on this Camera.2. The lens is great. You can capture incredible photos far and near.3. Wonderful IQ! I constantly mess around with different shooting modes and do comparison shot. I have to say that the iA(intelligent auto) mode in many cases is doing a better job in focusing, exposure, white balance, etc than I do(Hard to admit a machine is smart than I am. :-D). I'm still trying and learning. But I feel eventually I might give up and let the iA totally controls me.4. The menu system is well-written. I'm only half-way through the manual(Probably I'll never finish the other half). But there's not a function I hesitate to use or feel frustrated when maneuvering through the menu system.5. The lay-out of the buttons is well thought-out. I especially like the dedicated record/playback button. Why no one else thought about it. So convenient! Love it.6. LCD. This is perhaps the brightest LCD I ever had. Everything is nicely detailed. 7.Night shot are perfect , last day I got Phily down toun photo which is really well. Things I think the next gen Panasonic FZ should improve:1. ISO. I have very usable photos which are shot at ISO 400. But there are several times I hope the ISO will be even higher for low-light conditions.2. Ghost-band(Purple/blue vertical lines) on LCD in strong direct light condition. This happens to many digital camera system. But I feel it shows a bit more on this camera.   Conclusion: It's a fantastic super-zoom camera which can take incredible photos. A nice step-up from simple P&S.

jkcool

Edison, NJ

My husband and I did quite of bit of shopping and decided on this particular camera for the quality picture it took compared to it's competitors. We love the way it fits in the palm of our hands even though most feel that it is a bulkier camera than most.  I take it everywhere being a stayhome mom and taking every action shot of the children I can capture.

sachi1

Oceanside, CA

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ8 has so many features for so little price!  It may take some getting accustomed to for the novice, as it is much more than just a simple point and shoot, but it's worth the "required" reading. The lens is a Leica...German engineering at it's finest.  It captures clear and detailed photos with no noise whatsoever.  This camera also offers so many settings from simple portrait to aerial photography mode!  It has a wonderful zoom and also allows you to shoot in macro mode. I truly love it and cannot stress how great this camera is.

edetore

Lawrenceville, GA

    This camera is a **BIG** bang for the buck! With a 12X optical zoom (which is the most important zoom measurement), using the Lumix lens system, you get better, more vibrant colors from a greater distance, resulting in a professional looking photo. The joystick is easy to use, especially when using the multi-point auto focus, which is also easy to use, and** VERY** quick! This camera can do wonderful movie shots at 30 fps in widescreen! Panasonic has made the camera that is the **definition of versatility**.     With the ten billion different shooting modes (not really ten billion), it gives you the flexibility you need. The biggest **misconception** when buying a camera is when someone buys a camera soley based on brand and megapixel rating. Here's an example of why this is a bad idea: I used a very popular brand of camera that was rated at 8 megapixel and had a 6X optical zoom. I was in a gym taking pics of my son's basketball game. EVERY pic turned out blurred, digitized and badly focused! I even used the so-called "*motion*" mode.  The  point  i'm trying to make is: Camera manufacturers use megapixel to grab a customer's attention, then couple it with a decent zoom and the customer thinks they are getting a really good deal. In fact, they are not. I would highly recommend the **Panasonic** **Lumix DMC-FZ8 **to anyone who is looking for a really good, multi-condition camera at an inexpensive price.    . ****    

ballhawkdawk

Overton, TX

    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.

tanyatkp

Phoenix, AZ

My first digital camera, a Mavica, bit the dust about two months ago. It was a heavy sucker, weighing in at over a pound, but I liked it because the picture quality was just right for shooting stills of my eBay stuff. It also accepted close-up lenses which is good for small stuff you want to sell. It also recorded images on those old floppy disks, of which I have a shoebox full, so I liked the idea of using something alreay on hand. When the disk drive in the Mavica quit working, I took it to my local camera store where they suggested it might be okay to use it for skeet shooting practice, but in reality, sending it back to the factory for a repair/replacment would (1) Take a long time (2) cost as much as a new camera. I opted for (2). My daughter-in-law got a Lumix by Panasonic for Christmas about a year ago and it was pretty snazzy, so I asked the salesman to show me her model (can't recall the numbers right now). It was WAY to bulky and complex for me, so he suggested the FZ8. Wow! When I first picked it up I knew it was pictures at first sight. Light, with a large viewing screen and a rapid response zoom, it was a no brainer. I've shot perhaps 500 shots with it so far and am truely amazed at what it can do in the "idiot" mode...It's a heart on the right-hand options dial. The camera figures out ASA, shutter speed, focus and a bunch of other factors...including bracketing the shot for the best average exposure. I took really difficult pictures of dimly light play scenes and they all came out. The only failures were those scenes where there was very rapid movement. A simple fix, of course, was to set the "film" speed to about 1800. Then the shutter speed could actually begin to freeze the action while delivering superbly crisp shots. The camera even did a good job of compensating for the wild color gels in the on-stage lighting. Importing the pictures is as simple as plugging in the USB cable and attaching it to the camera. I found the USB port a bit small as I'm 65 and need glasses for fine work like that. I found I could "open" the camera in Windows and suck the photos into a handy editing folder on my computer, or do it through any of a number of picture editing programs, including Photoshop. The software that comes with FZ8 will also download the photos. Over all...this is a wonderful intermediate camera for the serious amateur.

OregonOtis

Oregon City, OR