Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ8

The 7.2-megapixel Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ8 is an update to the company's FZ7, a former Editors' Choice winner in the budget superzoom category. The camera retains the FZ7's 12X optical zoom lens and 2.5-inch LCD, and adds a unique feature, an Intelligent ISO mode that helps reduce blur in action shots. Although the FZ8 takes pretty good pictures and performs well enough, its lack of a wide-angle view prevents it from unseating our current favorite, the Lumix DMC-TZ3.

Although the TZ3 offers less-powerful zoom capabilities (10X), its lens boasts a much wider angle—28mm, in 35mm equivalent—than the FZ8's, which I believe is a more important feature. A wide-angle view can help you capture more of a particular scene such as a group portrait or landscape in one shot. The FZ8 has a 6mm-to-72mm range (equivalent to a 35mm lens with a 36mm-to-432mm zoom) and corresponding maximum f-stops of f/2.8 to f/3.3.

You can set up shots using the FZ8's 2.5-inch LCD or its electronic viewfinder, which comes in handy when shooting in bright light. Of course, an articulating LCD would be a nice addition, too, but but it's not a deal breaker: Neither the FZ7 nor the TZ3, both Editors' Choice winners, have this feature. In addition, the FZ8 includes 27MB of onboard memory and accepts both SD cards and the higher-capacity SDHC cards.

Like the TZ3, the FZ8 has an Intelligent ISO mode, which detects moving subjects and automatically increases the ISO to decrease blur. This mode worked much better in bright light than in low-light situations, boosting the ISO to 1,250 for moving objects and dropping it down to 400 for stationary ones. Of course, the higher the ISO setting is, the more noise you'll find in an image, as I did when the camera was set to 1,250. To avoid this, you can specify the maximum ISO yourself: 400, 800, or 1,250. Using the built-in optical image stabilizer, you also have the ability to capture quality action shots; in both low and bright light, I saw marked improvement in my images.

Another one of the FZ8's features I like is its full manual modes, something the TZ3 does not have. You can compose creative shots by playing around with aperture and shutter-speed settings. For example, you're allowed to freeze action shots or create blur in background objects.

In the lab, my test images had excellent color saturation and color matching, with little noise. There wasn't much purple fringing evident in test shots or in real-world shots of tree branches against a bright blue sky. My only complaint was that some pictures had a bit too much contrast, which caused a loss of detail in shadowy areas.

I found that the camera's flash provided just the right amount of illumination. You can fiddle with these settings too, adjusting illumination and exposure. Auto-bracket mode lets you take three successive shots of a subject with three different levels of exposure, making it easier to get it just right.

For video, you can record motion JPEGs at 30 frames per second to the capacity of the card. The camera adjusted well to various lighting conditions, but the highlights in the video seemed blown-out. I like that you can easily switch between 4:3 and 16:9 aspect ratios. If you're recording to the camera's internal memory, however, that menu option is grayed out; you can use only the 4:3 setting in this case.

Like the FZ7, the camera's controls are plentiful and logically placed, so you don't have to dig through menus to adjust common settings. When you do need to use the menu, it's simple and intuitive to navigate.

The FZ8's basic performance is excellent. Resolution averaged 1,650 lines, which is very good for a 7.2-megapixel camera. Bootup time was just over 3 seconds, and recycle time was very quick, at 1.4 seconds. (Both are a small improvement over the FZ7.) In addition, there was not much shutter lag. I detected no pincushion distortion and just a touch of barrel distortion on the lens. The camera has three burst modes: fast, slow, and unlimited. I liked the unlimited setting, which, according to Panasonic, takes about 2 pictures a second.

Overall, this is a great camera for those who like the flexibility that manual modes can offer. It works very well for both close-up shots and capturing the action from afar. But if you enjoy taking panoramic images, though, and don't want to stitch them together after the fact, the TZ3 is a better choice, and it has a more compact, stylish design. For those seeking a more full-featured superzoom, the pricier FZ50, which has an articulating LCD and a focus and zoom ring, is worth looking at. That said, the FZ8 is a capable camera with handy features and a good price.

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ8 is compatible with Microsoft Windows Vista. Panasonic offers a one-year limited warranty on parts and labor for all of its digital still cameras. Visit panasonic.com/support for troubleshooting and more information.

Benchmark Test Results
Check out the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ8's test scores.

Compare the Lumix DMC-FZ8 with several other superzoom cameras side by side.