Compare Prices : Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ8 - Expert Reviews

Review summary: Rather small, stabilized, and producing good shots in low sensitivities, the FZ8 will attract photographers that are looking for a versatile camera. However, you may find some weaknesses for photos indoors.

Pros: - 12x stabilized zoom, - Quite reactive, - Compact body, - Good quality of images in low sensitivities

Cons: - Start-up time rather long, - Degradation of images beyond 400 ISO, - The casing looks « low quality »

Review summary: Panasonic had their hands full trying to improve upon the DMC-FZ7, but they may have done it with the Lumix DMC-FZ8. This camera was released in March of 2007, and on the surface it looks really good. Keep reading to see what we think of it.

Award: Highly Recommended!

Review summary: Almost exactly a year after the introduction of the DMC-FZ7, 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, ...

Pros: Excellent resolution & sharp results, Good, natural color and excellent exposure, Superb 12x optical zoom, Smooth, almost stepless 2-speed zoom, Effective image stabilization, Small and light, but well built, Comprehensive range of controls, Very fast ...

Cons: Some areas of performance actually worse than predecessor, Noise is, as usual, a bit of a problem at lower ISO settings, ISO 400+ noise reduction produces color bleeding and loss of low contrast detail, Default noise reduction too high at all ISO ...

Verdict: Maybe because my expectations have been lowered, maybe because no one else is doing it any better, I ended up liking the FZ8 more than I expected to.

Review summary: Announced on the 31st of January 2007, the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ8 is one of the latest Panasonic digital cameras and features a 7.2 megapixel sensor, a 2.5" screen, and a Leica 12x optical zoom lens with optical image stabilisation. The 12x optical ...

Pros: High quality Leica 12x optical zoom lens ; Good image quality - excellent colour ; Good video mode - 16:9, VGA, 30fps, Sound ; Stylish, well designed, and easy to use ; MEGA Optical Image Stabilisation helps get more blur free photos in low light etc ...

Cons: High ISO images are blurred and lack detail. (due to noise being removed) ; Some noise noticable even in ISO100 photos

Verdict:  The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ8 is an excellent ultra zoom digital camera - image quality is very good with great colour and detail although noise and lack of detail at the higher ISO settings causes some concern. The camera offers an excellent Leica 12x ...

Review summary: The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ8 is a 7.2 Megapixel super-zoom camera with a 12x stabilised lens. Announced in January 2007, it's the successor to Panasonic's earlier Lumix FZ7

Pros: 12x optical zoom with OIS ; Decent quality 2.5in screen ; Quick access to settings ; Good manual control and RAW mode ; 12x optical zoom with OIS ; Decent quality 2.5in screen ; Quick access to settings ; Good manual control and RAW mode

Cons: Noise becomes a problem above 200 ISO ; Wide angle coverage 'only' 36mm ; No flip-out screen ; May be too small and light for some ; Noise becomes a problem above 200 ISO ; Wide angle coverage 'only' 36mm ; No flip-out screen ; May be too small and ...

Verdict: It's revealing three-quarters of the cameras we've compared the FZ8 against here all cost around 50% more. The simple fact is there's no real competition for the FZ8 at its price range other than Panasonic's own Lumix TZ3, which as discussed above is ...