Panasonic Lumix FZ8 Test Drive by Jon Sienkiewicz

If you own an ordinary digital camera you can get some pretty good pictures. And if getting ordinary results doesn’t bother you, you’ll never need a Panasonic DMC FZ8 digital camera with 12X zoom, image stabilization, Leica lens and a yard-long list of other extraordinary features.

On the other hand, if you’d like to explore the realm of creativity that is usually restricted to DSLR shooters—and would appreciate doing it without the cumbersome weight and complexity a digital SLR presents—step right up. The FZ8 enables you to get the great shots you simply cannot get with a simple point-and-shoot camera.

Camera shake is the number one cause of unsharp images. It’s tough to shoot any camera at a shutter speed below 1/60 of a second. But if you’re trying to handhold a telephoto lens at a slow speed, forget about it. Panasonic’s proprietary Mega OIS (Optical Image Stabilization) system uses built-in gyrosensors to detect hand movement. A tiny microcomputer inside the camera calculates the necessary compensation and signals a linear motor to adjust the optical image stabilizer lens as necessary to direct incoming light from the image straight to the CCD. The FZ8 has two Mega OIS modes. Use Mode 2 for best results when shooting and Mode 1 if you want the image stabilization to operate during framing and composition.

Image stabilization improves almost all images, but has the most noticeable impact on long telephoto shots. The Panasonic DMC FZ8 comes equipped with a 12X Leica DC Vario-Elmarit zoom that is equivalent to a 36~432mm on a 35mm camera. Since 1935, Leica has enjoyed a lustrous reputation as the premier lens maker. The 12X zoom used in the FZ8 is faithful to its name. It’s razor sharp at all focal lengths, as evidenced by these accompanying images. And the zoom is very smooth and seemingly can be stopped at just about any point—unlike some long-zoom cameras that chug through a series of preset focal lengths and make precise composition difficult.

Because the 12X zoom range extends from 35mm wideangle to greater than 400mm, the camera is perfect for just about every shooting situation. From scenic shots to portraits, family group snaps to outdoor sporting events, this zoom range covers them all. Wildlife photographers will appreciate the long, jitter-free telephone range. If you like taking pictures of people, you can easily isolate your subject from the background as shown below.

The Panasonic FZ8 has a 7.2 megapixel CCD that is 1/2.5” type. That’s good, but the real story is that the digital image signals are processed by Panasonic’s exclusive Venus III engine. All digital cameras have signal processing engines and, truth told, although “invisible,” this is the part of the camera that separates the wheat from the chaff. Panasonic has a long history of processing digital image signals—including a sterling heritage of high-end professional video products—so it’s not surprising that the Venus III produces velvety-smooth, tack-sharp images. And quickly, too.

As one expects to find on an advanced digital camera, the Lumix FZ8 offers Auto AE, Shutter Priority, Aperture Priority and Manual operation. And of course, a robust assortment of video modes. Taking advantage of the 16:9 aspect ratio (that matches your widescreen television) you can shoot in Wide VGA (848x480) size at 30 fps for full-screen, DVD quality mini-movies. Length is limited by card capacity only. You can also shoot in conventional VGA (640x480) for regular TVs.

This is a feature that some will overlook, but for many it’s a real time saver. The self-timer optionally shoots three images in sequence, without resetting the camera. Once you’ve assembled the family group of squiggling kids and bored adults it’s a real pain to run back-and-forth to rearm the self-timer. And, if you don’t, you run an odds-on chance that at least one pair of eyes will be closed in the final snap. The 3X self-timer saves you steps—and aggravation. Beyond self-portraits there’s another important use for this feature. When you are shooting from a tripod—especially when shooting close-ups—it’s very helpful to use the self-timer to trigger the camera to avoid the additional shake-vibration created by a heavy hand pressing the shutter release button. The 3X self-timer gives you redundancy and that often means you got the shot.

Speaking of close-ups, the FZ8 has an AF Macro mode that is easy to use and produces outstanding results. Although it may be hard to see in the reduced image of the Sakura colored pencils below, highly magnified details of the macro image are extremely sharp with zero fringing and clean, smooth separation between color bands. The colors themselves are rich and highly saturated—and faithful to the originals. This example emphasizes the high performance of the Auto White Balance setting, too.

The Lumix FZ8 Auto Macro feature allows you to capture incredibly sharp close-ups. As you can see from the enlarged portion of this image, the sharpness holds up even through extreme enlargement. © 2007 Jon Sienkiewicz

All of the Lumix DMC FZ8 features are packed into an ultra compact, lightweight body. It’s easy to handhold, thanks in part to the lens shade and adapter (included) that extends the gripping area and provides balance. Even with the shade attached, the camera is small enough to fit into a typical shoulder bag—like the Mountain Smith Focus II L—and still leave room for notebooks, pens, etc. The camera tips the scales at 310 grams (a roll of quarters weighs 226 grams) or about 11 ounces. It feels like nothing around your neck, yet it’s comfortable to handle and use.

Panasonic Lumix DMC FZ8 Digital Camera LCD Display

As has become the de rigueur for digital cameras, the LCD finder is of the large, 2.5” type. It’s bright, and easy to view in sunlight. The eyelevel finder is a bit small but more than adequate. One nice feature, especially if you are just learning about composition or want to practice the “rule of thirds” compositional technique, the LCD can display a set of gridlines that divide the area into nine proportional boxes. These gridline composition guides also make it easy to line up horizontal and vertical features in the scene.

Optional grid line compositional aid, visible on the LCD and in the eyelevel viewfinder, enables fast framing for professional looking results. You can quickly apply the “rule of thirds” without a second thought © 2007 Jon Sienkiewicz

Overall I found the Lumix FZ8 to deliver good battery life. The battery charger is convenient and fast, and the Lithium Ion cell never failed to deliver enough juice for a full day’s shooting, even with heavy use of fill-flash. One of the best ways to improve the results from any digital camera is to turn the flash ON when shooting pictures of people. Fill-flash will brighten highlights, wash away shadows and add snap to most outdoor portraits.

The Panasonic DMC FZ8 has too many features to cover them all, but of particular merit is the set of 20 Shooting Modes. In alphabetical order, they are as follows: Aerial Photo, Candle, Baby 1, Baby 2, Beach, Food, Fireworks, High Sensitivity, Night Portrait, Night Scenery, Panning, Party, Pet, Portrait, Scenery, Snow, Soft Skin, Sports, Starry Sky, and Sunset.

Select the Shooting Mode of your choice to match the situation. The camera responds by configuring every variable to the optimum setting to deliver the best possible results. Think of it as having the experience of a professional photographer built-in, guiding your hand. Even if you are an old hand at fireworks photography, for example, it’s still fun to see what choices the camera makes.

I know many amateur photographers who are very talented but struggle with pocket-size digital cameras. They don’t realize how much they could improve their photos—and their overall picture-taking enjoyment—by stepping up to a more richly featured camera. They resist digital SLRs because of cost, complexity or both. The Panasonic Lumix DMC FZ8 is the perfect camera for them. It offers tremendous value for money—in terms of feature set as well as image quality.