Customer Reviews

Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ8S 8.1MP Digital Camera with 5x Wide Angle MEGA Optical Image Stabilized Zoom (Silver)

5 star:		(56)
4 star:		(34)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

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'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 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 purchased this camera after reading reviews that said it's image quality was among the best of budget digital cameras. After using the camera for several months, I would be willing to sacrifice some image quality for speed. This camera is insufferably slow. The moment I was hoping to capture is usually passed by the time the camera focuses on it's subject to the time the camera has snapped the picture. And if you're using flash forget about it. After taking a picture with the flash, it will be 10 seconds before you are able to fire off a second shot.

Do not buy this camera unless you are only using it for landscape shots or pictures where the subject will be sitting perfectly still for long periods of time.

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.

I had bought a Canon SD750 and while it gave great outdoor shots I gave it back because the indoor shots were grainy or blurry unless one used flash. I hate to use flash most of the time as it usually gives a glaring effect (not to mention surprising the subject) and want to capture pictures in natural light as much as possible. I also tried the Nikon Coolpix ($200) and got the same result, though marginally better than the Canon. Finally settled on the Lumix which gives fabulous indoor shoots in natural light (while also doing great on outdoor shots). All the other features (incl manual control) were a great bonus as they usually come in higher end cameras/SLRs. Also, the histogram and other settings are visible in playback mode also which most the other cameras didn't have. IMHO, this camera is the best buy in point and shoot, period.

This is my 5th digital camera; I've owned digital cameras since 1999. My 7 year old Cannon S30 got stolen so I was looking for an replacement. My must have criteria includes: wide angle, compact size, stabilization program & uses AA batteries. Of course I wouldn't mind having manual shutter & aperture control like my S30. I did a thorough search and there isn't any choice but the Panasonic's LZ8 or LZ10. The wide angle on my LZ8 is 32mm which isn't that wide as I thought, I should have bought the LZ10 which has 30mm and a bigger sensor.

Here is my review(1-5 pts):

*Construction: 5 (solid & beautiful esp in black)

*Picture Quality: 2.5(average-, not outstanding, except in macro mode which is excellent). My S30 was better

*Performance: 1 (very sluggish when using flash; I don't know if AA cameras are all this slow) Also slow start. However, picture play back is very fast.

Pros: *Wider angle

*Manual shutter & Aperture controls

*Solid construction

*Uses AA Long & battery life. I took 250 pix on my brand new Sony 2700 mah rechargeable batteries and still have 50% of juice left.

*Excellent LCD--high resolution & brightness.

*5x optical zoom can be boosted to 8x if using 2m

*Very good macro(close up) pictures

*Many scenes/modes to choose from

Cons: *Very slow performance esp when using flash

*Picture Quality only average to average minus with higher noise than average. Pictures come out very soft devoit of fine details and with a faded/washed look. In P mode, I adjusted the contrast & sharpness to help improve this shortcoming. Can see a lot of dust dots reflected on the lense when taking very dark photos.

*Too many restrictions on selection; for exemple, you cannot choose resolution less than 3m when in auto mode etc.

I wish the piture quality was better but overall I gave it a 4 because of it's very reasonable price & all the features it possesses like wider angle, compact size, stabilization program ,manual shutter & aperture control & uses AA batteries. Expected better image quality. To bad there isn't any other camera in this price range that has all of the features to compare to.

This camera met all my criteria as a casual shutterbug. I wanted an ultra compact with descent optics and manual overides for less than two hundred bucks. This camera bettered my expectations in clarity and color. I was happy with the macro, video quality, quick focus and zoom.

I've never owned a compact digi that performed great in low light without some graininess. There is a preset scene mode called candlelight that I haven't tinkered with yet that may improve this issue, but it is still exponentially better than my old Cybershot 3.2mp.

This is a great camera for budget minded shooters that want something with lots of options and aren't too put out to clean up a few pics in Photoshop.

I was looking for a small point and shoot to bring around with me all the time. This fits the bill perfectly.

The zoom is sufficient, picture quality is decent, and arguably the best feature is that it uses only 2 AA batteries. The large LCD reproduces the pictures very well. And the on-board memory is a lifesaver. How many times have you run out with your camera only to find you left your memory card in your computer? I have - dozens of times. Granted you don't get too many pictures, you can get by with a dozen pics or so.

That said, the wide angle isn't all that wide. You'll get about a foot and a half or two feet more space to the side if you're taking a group shot.

The images can get a little noisy at night, and if you're used to a dslr, the picture quality cannot compare for sure. But for the price, it's a more than decent buy.