Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ8

I've been wanting something like the Canon PowerShot A series camera for a while. Another hobby of mine involves photographing small objects in a mini-studio settings (not unlike jewel photography, but less demanding/sophisticated). I wanted something that:

- has aperture/shutter priority modes, and manual mode;
- can set custom white balance
- shows live histogram in recording mode.

The Canon PowerShot A720IS and A570IS looked great, but neither had all three features I wanted. A query here on a photography forum last month led to a reply that pointed me to the then-just-announced Panasonic DMC-LZ8. On paper, it looked GREAT: All the features I wanted, 2.5" LCD with 230K pixels (the Canon ones, while having large screens, have low pixel counts), and priced well under $200 to boot. It seemed so perfect that I preordered it, which I normally don't do--I usually prefer the manufacturers to go through a few production batches and iron out all the bugs before buying a camera.

The camera came today from Amazon.com, and I had a chance to take a few quick shots and get an initial feel for the camera. Here are my observation and thoughts. I also have the DMC-FX33, so a bit of the review will be comparing the two. Not that they are in the same category, but the FX33 represents last year's Panasonic design trends and philosophies, and LZ8 this year's, so I thought it'd be interesting to note the contrasts.

The camera feels GREAT in my hand. I'm 6' tall and have I guess about average hand-size for my height, and the protruding grip felt very comfortable. The thumb naturally rests right above the Record/Review switch, which provides a nice counter-pressure point to the grip.

The LZ8 uses two AA sized batteries and SD/SDHC cards. The battery compartment and memory compartments are separate, which I like a lot. The left side of the camera has a door that hides the USB/AV-out port. There's now a dedicated button near the shutter for Panasonic's Extended Optical Zoom, which allows you to "zoom" in further than the 5x optical lens zoom without the traditional degradation in image quality associated with digital zoom. The flipside is that as you zoom out using Extended Optical Zoom, the image size becomes smaller (at the maximum Extended Optical Zoom, the camera produces 3MP images).

Unlike the FX33, the LZ8 does not have a Clipboard mode (at least not that I could find!). I actually really liked that! It was an easy way to carry some photos with me and use the camera as a digital photo album. Not that you can't do that with storing photos on the regular memory card, but the Clipboard mode made it easier. Oh well.

Unlike the FX33, the down button on the four-way controller no longer acts as a quick review button while in recording mode. But, also unlike the FX33, you can enter the full Review (Playback) mode by using a dedicated switch, rather than having to turn the mode dial to Playback mode. The Exposure button controls the aperture or shutter or both values, in aperture/shutter priority modes and the manual mode. The Q. Menu button seems faster (more responsive) to bring up the quick menu than the FX33.

The screen menus have changed little other than the background color. The LZ8 has the same size LCD as the FX33 (2.5"), but 30K more pixels (230K vs. 200K). The menu does certainly seem sharper. A pure eye-candy: When you shut down the camera, now there's a reflection of the word "Lumix" on the screen.

A gripe I have with the FX33 was how narrow the viewing angle was for the LCD. I'm happy to report that the LZ8 is significantly better in this regard.

The images straight out of the camera look great. I know it's a subjective matter, so be sure to check out various review sites and also photo hosting sites that let you view pictures by the camera model to see if you like the image quality. I've also uploaded some 20 images to accompany this review.

So far I'm extremely happy with how the camera feels in my hand, how responsive it is, and how feature-packed it is. I haven't really tested high ISO performance, as that will not matter in the applications I have for the camera (mini-studio). I'm sure pixel-peeping the images to death will reveal all manners of shortcomings and imperfections, but for real-world usage, it rates very favorably against the PowerShot series. Well done Panasonic!

I bought the LZ8 for $162 from Amazon, but u can get it now for $152 from Amazon. I can say without reservation: THIS IS A GREAT CAMERA! I've read 1000s of reviews on digicams on the net, I finally settled on the LZ8 because it had full auto, manual (aperture & shutter), a great 2.5" screen, nice video capabilities and was under $[...]. Many websites complain about digicam's low light capabilities, given my experience with this camera using it's manual controls and a tripod, frankly I got excellent results.

If want to see this camera's capability, then goto: steves-digicams, and under "Photo Contest" look at my entry for 20 May 2008.

Take it from a user with who can make up his mind without fear of upsetting sponsors etc. There is no problem with start up speed, if there is any lag when taking flash photos, the question is what do u expect? This is an 8M camera using AA batteries. If u want a fast 8M camera using LiOn batteries (that might take faster flash photos) then spend $[...] or more and just u might just get that, or buy a DSLR. The bottomline is: if u want Porsche performance then buy a Porsche.

The LZ8 is a honest to excellent $150 camera that will produce great photos and has options that can be only found in more expensive cameras. Read the manual, don't be afraid to experiment, trawl the net for tips on how to take photos and u will have fun with this camera.

I've only owned one other digital camera, a Canon a60. Although it was only 2mp it took some great photos (still does even after 7,000 shots). However, I wanted a new one and did research for about 3 months before deciding which one to buy. I was looking for a pocketable camera that preferably ran off AA's instead of a proprietary li-ion, and could use a SDHC card. I was also looking for a camera that had a nice wide-angle lens and took true widescreen (16:9) photos - which really narrowed it down. I really liked the TZ5 w/ the 720p video, but the twice-as-much price and extra heft and battery steered me towards this little guy. Here are my pro's and con's:

Pro's:
- 5x optical at full resolution, 8x at 2mp (which still takes decent pics, just not as good as my canon at 2mp). There's also an easy-zoom button that auto zooms to 5x then 8x with just one press each time. The third press will put back to the wide-angle.
- size (very pocketable - much better than my a60 which was pocketed itself for the longest time)
- lightweight
- Runs off 2 aa's - in fact... I swear I've taken over 800 shots on my new set of Sony Ni-MH's (2600 or 2700 mah), but I'll just have to test that out again in case I did switch them at some point.
- Venus IV engine vs the older Venus III for better images
- Optical image stabilizer
- boot-up time (from off to shot taken)
- looks and price (both subjective)
- great video (including the ability to do it in 16:9)
- As mentioned above - ability to take true 16:9 images (all the way up to 7mp I believe)
- full manual control, minus focus (something even the TZ5 doesn't have!)
- Easy to use with intelligent auto function that will select the scene mode for you (which has worked really well so far)
- 32mm wide angle lens to capture more. Works great for group photo's or 16:9 outdoors shots.
- Leica lens (although that's like saying your speakers or receiver is "THX certified" - it's all subjective).

Cons:
- Slow shot-to-shot when using the flash
- photo's don't have the canon color (subjective) - they just seem a bit dull.
- blurry shots in low-light condition (more so than my canon a60, but better than my folks' SD400).
- More noise than I'd like. It makes the 8mp necessary if you'll be cropping any of them.

All in all I still think this is the best camera you can buy if you're looking for the same specs I was. I've recommended it to family and friends and even my girlfriend wants one (and she is very careful with big purchases). One way to tell you got a good deal is that the price actually goes UP 2 months after you bought it (especially if it's anything to do with technology). I'm actually surprised it's priced so low with it's bigger brother the LZ10 priced a lot more for just a few more bells and whistle's. If the big optical zoom, wide-angle or 16:9 capabilities aren't necessary than compare image quality to canon's before buying this. Everyone's opinion on a 'good picture' is different, judge for yourself. Otherwise, you'll be happy with this purchase just like I am!

I bought this camera for a 9 day trip to Costa Rica after analyzing all of the possibilities. I was drawn to Panasonic because I bought my daughter a similar camera a few years ago that takes great pictures of my black pets, which is sometimes very tricky. That camera was no longer available, so I had to research the newer ones.
I chose this camera for its size, zoom (I settled for 5x since I didn't want to spend a lot on another camera) and use of AA batteries, which would be easy to find in Costa Rica if the need aroze.
The instructions are easy to understand!!!!! You need to read through them, just the basic part, then look up anything else you are interested in as you go along. I didn't get lots of practice before the trip, but have FANTASTIC photos! I took 1,042! I even got good at having the camera ready, and timing when we'd pass something on the road and getting it centered!!! The 5x zoom with the extra boost to 8x did a great job! I was used to a 10x zoom with my older, large camera which I didn't want to fuss with on this trip.
My travel companions thought I spent a fortune on such a little camera that could do so much! I took movies or bull riding, a close up of a rattle snake, gorgeous sunset photos, and on and on! I could not be happier and I think anyone could easily use this camera and take professional looking photos.
The part you need to know which is hard to find out without digging, is that you need NiMH batteries. I only had to recharge them twice for the almost 4GB of photos I took! Keep a charged set in your camera case, and you'll never miss a shot. Well, I did miss a great shot when my daughter locked us out of our room in the rainforest and on the way I ran into an armadillo on the sidewalk - WITHOUT MY CAMERA!!!!!! We had a great encounter though. He snorted at me and ran away.
I am very happy that I chose this camera for my trip of a lifetime in the rainforest, climbing up volcanoes, hiking to hot springs, and riding through the mangroves. My photos are my treasured memories, thanks to this camera.

panasonic nailed this one. Great for armatures and those who want to get into advance settings. The auto mode covers all the basics and deliverers good shots in all situations. There are enough manual setting to satisfy most. I like the mode dial rather then going Thur a menu & also a separate battery slot. Also takes very nice videos. LCD screen is bright and easy to see outside. Feature rich at a good price.