Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ8 Review

For beginners or anyone that just wants to "point-n-shoot" there's the iA (Intelligent Auto) exposure mode. The camera sets almost everything for you.

IA Quick Menu options:

O.I.S. - Mode 1, Mode 2
Burst Shooting - Off, On, Unlimited
Image Size - 8M, 5M, 3M, 0.3M
LCD - Off, Auto Power LCD, Power LCD, High Angle

Program mode is very similar to Normal mode on the other Panasonic models. It gives you control over a lot more settings than IA mode. ISO, Flash, Exposure and White balance are a few of the controls that you will have in this mode.

When the shutter is half-pressed and the auto focus is achieved, the AF target brackets in the center turn green (red if AF fails) and a focus confirmation "green dot" is displayed. The shutter speed and aperture will also be displayed.

Program Quick Menu options:

Stabilizer - Off, Mode 1, Mode 2
Burst - Off, Burst, Unlimited
AF Mode - Face Detection, 9-Area, 3-Area High Speed, 1-Area High Speed, 1 Area,
Spot
White Balance - Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Shade, Halogen, White Set
ISO - Auto, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600
Picture Size - 8M, 5M EZ, 3M EZ, 0.3M EZ
LCD - Off, Auto Power LCD, Power LCD, High Angle

Program Menu options:

Picture Size - 8M, 5M EZ, 3M EZ, 0.3M EZ
Quality - JPEG Fine or Standard
Aspect Ratio - 4:3, 3:2, 16:9
Intelligent ISO - Off, Max 400, Max 800, Max 1600
ISO - Auto, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600
White Balance - Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Shade, Halogen, White Set
Metering Mode - Evaluative, Center, Spot
AF Mode - Face Detection, 9-Area, 3-Area High Speed, 1-Area High Speed, 1 Area,
Spot
Quick AF - On or Off
Burst - Off, Burst, Unlimited
Digital Zoom - On or Off
Color Effect - Off, B/W, Sepia, Cool, Warm
Pict. Adj. - Contrast, Sharpness, Saturation, Noise Reduction
Stabilizer - Off, Mode 1, Mode 2
Min. Shtr Speed - 1, 1/2, 1/4, 1/8, 1/15, 1/30, 1/60, 1/125, 1/250
AF Assist Lamp - On or Off
Clock Set - Set the time and Date

The LZ8 also features a full manual, aperture priority and shutter priority modes. By pressing the exposure button you are given control of aperture and shutter speeds. The only thing that you can't control is the focus.

Turn the mode dial to the SCN position to access the scene mode presets. This menu is displayed, chose from: Food, Party, Candle Light, Self Portrait, Sunset, Baby 1, Baby 2, Pet, High Sensitivity, Beach, Starry Sky, Fireworks, Snow, Aerial Photo and High Speed Burst. An explanation of each Scene mode is displayed by depressing the DISPLAY button.

There are several scene modes which are located on the dial besides the SCN setting. These others that include Portrait and Scenery include several additional advanced modes for even more shooting situations.

Pressing the 4-way controller "Up" gives you access to the exposure menu. Pressing it again takes you to the Auto Bracket menu.

Pressing it "Right" brings up your flash options.

Pressing it "Down" enables macro mode. In macro mode the camera will focus as close as 5cm.

Pressing it "Left" will give you the self timer options.

Movie mode captures QuickTime video at either 4:3 (640x480 or 320 x 240) or 16:9 (848x480) aspect ratios at either 30 or 10fps, with audio. The length of capture is limited only by the amount of available memory. Because sound is recorded, the zoom may be preset before recording, but it can not be used during.

Movie mode recording options:

Stabilizer - Off, Mode 1
AF Mode - 9-Area, 3-Area High, 1-Area High, 1-Area, Spot
White Balance - Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Shade, Halogen, White Set
Picture Mode - VGA 30fps, VGA 10fps, QVGA 30fps, QVGA 10fps
LCD Mode - Off, Auto Power LCD, Power LCD, High Angle