Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ8 Review

(Note: All screens and menus can be displayed on either the EVF or LCD.)

The screen when using Simple record mode (Heart, on the Mode dial). This mode is designed for the beginner with fully automatic operation. You can activate Backlight Compensation, which will brighten the entire image when your subject would otherwise be dark because of the bright background.

Menu options in Simple mode are minimal.

Pict. Mode - Choose finished image size (Enlarge, 4x6, or E-Mail)

Auto Review - Auto review after capture (off, on)

Beep - Camera beep sounds, Off, Low, or High

Clock Set - Set the time and date

As you rotate the Mode dial, this virtual dial will appear. It can also be disabled off via the setup menu.

Shown here is the Program AE mode screen. We are using Auto White Balance, ISO is set to 100, image size is 7M, Fine quality, our battery is 2/3 charged, the MEGA O.I.S. (image stabilizer) is enabled in Mode 1, Metering is set to Multiple and there's enough room on our SD card for 412 pictures. The time and date is displayed for a few seconds when you first turn the camera on or change modes.

When the shutter is half-pressed and the autofocus is achieved, the AF target brackets in the center turn green (red if AF fails) and a focus confirmation "green dot" is displayed. This is also when the aperture and shutter speed values are displayed. Using its Program Shift option, you can actively change aperture to the desired value and the camera will automatically choose the correct shutter speed.

Pressing the Stabilizer button located on the top of the camera will briefly display this menu of options.

The Aperture priority mode allows you to select a specific aperture value to control depth of field (range of focus). A small aperture number gives you a shallower depth of field to put the background out of focus.

Shutter-speed priority is the direct opposite of aperture priority, it allows you to select the desired shutter speed and the camera matches the proper aperture. Fast shutter speeds allow you to "freeze" rapid moving subjects or "blur" them with a slower shutter speed.

In Manual exposure mode you select both the shutter speed and aperture value - you must also select the right combination to get the proper exposure level. An on-screen meter will display the exposure value as you change the settings.

Rotating the Mode Dial to the SCN position gives access to 18 scene specific modes that are optimized for variety of shooting environments and subjects. You can choose from Portrait, Soft Skin, Scenery, Sports, Night Portrait, Night Scenery, Panning, Food, Party, Candle, Fireworks, Starry Sky, Baby1, Baby2, Snow, High sensitivity, Beach, Aerial photo, Sunset, Pet. While scrolling through the Scene menu, pressing the "Display" button will give a brief description of the Scene modes intended use.

In Intelligent ISO mode, the camera detects the movement of the subject near the center of the screen and then sets the optimal ISO sensitivity and shutter speed according to the movement and the brightness of the subject. You set the Maximum ISO setting that can be used (400, 800, 1250) via the Record menu.

Press the 4-way controller "Up" to enable AE Bracketing, set the EV step value or to apply Exposure Compensation or Flash Exposure Compensation.

Record Menu options:

White Balance - Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Shade, Halogen, Flash, Custom Set 1/2
WB Adjust - Adjust the Auto White Balance settings
Sensitivity - Auto, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1250
Aspect Ratio - 4:3 (standard default), 3:2, 16:9
Picture. Size - 7M, 5M, 3m, 2m, 1m, 0.3M
Quality - JPEG Fine and Standard, RAW
Audio Rec. - Record 10 sec audio note with still image, On or Off
Metering Mode - Multiple, Center-weighted or Spot
AF Mode - Select the desired AF-area sensor combination
Continuous AF - Continuous auto focus, On or Off
AF Assist Lamp - On or Off
D. Zoom - Digital zoom option, On or Off
Color Effect - Off, Cool, Warm, B/W, Sepia
Picture Adjust - Adjust Contrast, Sharpness, Saturation, and Noise reduction.
Flip Animation - Create small in-camera animations
Conversion - Auxiliary lenses, wide or telephoto
Clock Set - Set the cameras clock

Press the 4-way controller "Down" to enable the Quick Review function to view or delete the last image taken.

Macro (close up) focus mode lets you get closer than 1.97 inches (5cm) to your subject at wide angle.

Movie mode captures QucikTime video at either VGA (640x480) or QVGA (320 x 240) resolution with audio. You can also choose a frame rate of 30 or 10 frames per second. The length of capture is limited only by the amount of available memory. Because the FZ8 records sound during movies, the optical zoom may not be used while recording. It can however, be preset before hand.

Movie mode recording options:

White Balance - Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Shade, Halogen, Flash, Custom Set 1/2
WB Adjust - Adjust the Auto White Balance settings
Aspect Ratio - 4:3 (standard default) or 16:9
Picture Mode - VGA (30 or 10fps), QVGA (30 or 10fps)
Metering Mode - Multiple, Center-weighted or Spot
AF Mode - Select the desired AF-area sensor combination desired
Continuous AF - Continuous auto focus, On or Off
AF Assist Lamp - On or Off
Digital Zoom - Digital zoom option, On or Off
Color Effect - Off, Cool, Warm, Black/White, Sepia
Conversion - Auxiliary lenses, wide or telephoto
Clock Set - Set the cameras clock