Almost exactly a year after the introduction of the DMC-FZ7, Panasonic's popular compact super-zoom camera, comes its replacement; the Lumix DMC-FZ8. Where the FZ7 was a fairly major upgrade to the camera that came before it (the FZ5), the FZ8 is, perhaps inevitably, more evolutionary. The body design and operation is almost identical - no bad thing, given the huge improvements made over the FZ5 - and the only really big news is the inclusion of Raw shooting and a much better electronic viewfinder.
More controversially the new model squeezes even more pixels onto a 1/2.5-inch sensor, and uses the latest Venus III processor, which has had - to put it kindly - a mixed reception from reviewers and users alike. We are assured by Panasonic that the Venus III has been tweaked for the new Lumix generation (based, perhaps, on the less than stellar reviews and comments), and that the noise reduction system and sensor in this camera are delivering significantly better output. So let's find out if Panasonic has got it right with the DMC-FZ8 - and if it really has solved the few (admittedly important) issues we had with its predecessor, starting with a detailed look at what's changed:
Major changes / improvements over FZ7
- 7.38 megapixel sensor
- Venus III processor
- Raw mode (SILKYPIX Developer Studio included)
- Higher resolution screen
- Larger, higher resolution electronic viewfinder
- Manually selectable ISO 800 and 1250
- A handful of new scene modes including an ISO 3200 High Sensitivity option
- SDHC support and 27MB built-in memory
- Minor feature and interface tweaks
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ8 vs DMC-FZ7 (feature & specification differences)
![]() Panasonic DMC-FZ8 ![]() |
![]() Panasonic DMC-FZ7 ![]() |
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Sensor | 1/2.5 " Type CCD 7.38 million pixels total 7.2 million effective pixels |
1/2.5 " Type CCD 6.37 million pixels total 6.0 million effective pixels |
Processor | VENUS III | VENUS II |
Raw mode | Yes | No (TIFF mode) |
Image sizes (max) |
3072 x 2304 (4:3) 3072 x 2048 (3:2) 3072 x 1728 (16:9) |
2816 x 2112 (4:3) 2816 x 1880 (3:2) 2816 x 1584 (16:9) |
Shooting modes (new modes in green) |
Program AE Aperture Priority AE Shutter Priority AE Manual Program Shift (P mode) Scene Simple Intelligent ISO Portrait Soft Skin Scenery Sports Night Portrait Night Scenery Panning Food Party Candle Fireworks Starry Sky Baby 1 & 2 Aerial photo Snow High Sensitivity Beach Sunset Pet Snow |
Program AE Aperture Priority AE Shutter Priority AE Manual Program Shift (P mode) Simple Scene Macro Portrait Soft Skin Sports Scenery Night Scenery Panning Night Portrait Fireworks Party Food Candle Starry Sky Baby 1 & 2 Snow |
Continuous (burst) shooting | 3 or 2 fps Max 7 images (JPEG Standard) / 5 images (JPEG Fine) |
3 or 2 fps Max 13 images (JPEG Standard) / 7 images (JPEG Fine) |
Sensitivity | Auto ISO 80, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1250 High sensitivity mode: ISO 3200 Intelligent ISO mode |
Auto ISO 80, 100, 200, 400 High sensitivity mode: ISO 800 / 1600 |
Viewfinder | • 0.44" Color EVF • 188,000 Pixels |
• 0.33" color EVF • 114,000 pixels |
LCD monitor | 2.5" Polycrystalline TFT 207,000 pixels |
2.5" Polycrystalline TFT 114,000 pixels |
Battery life (CIPA) | 380 shots | 320 shots |
Storage | SD / SDHC / MMC 27 MB built-in memory |
• SD / MMC |
Other | • Enhanced Multi Focus function |
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ8 specifications
Street Price | • US: $350 (tbc) • UK: tbc |
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Body Material | Metal and plastic |
Sensor | 1/2.5 " Type CCD |
Image sizes | 3072 x 2304 2560 x 1920 2048 x 1536 1600 x 1200 1280 x 960 640 x 480 3072 x 2048 (3:2) 2048 x 1360 (3:2) 3072 x 1728 (16:9) 1920 x 1080 (16:9) |
Movie clips | 640 x 480 @ 30 / 10fps 320 x 240 @ 30 / 10fps 848 x 480 @ 30 / 10fps (16:9) |
File formats | JPEG Exif v2.2 DPOF QuickTime Motion JPEG |
Lens | 36-432mm (35mm equiv) LEICA DC VARIO-ELMARIT 12x optical zoom |
Image stabilization | MEGA O.I.S. (Mode1 / Mode2) |
Conversion lenses | Yes |
Digital zoom | Extra Optical Zoom (4:3: 14.4x for 5MP, 18x for 3, 2, 1, 0.3MP, 3:2: 18x for 2.5MP, 16:9: 18x for 2MP |
Focus | • Autofocus • AF-Macro • Manual Focus(Joystick) • Continuous AF On/Off |
AF area modes | • 1-point • 1-point high speed • 3-point high speed • Multi-point • Spot (user selectable) |
AF assist lamp | Yes |
Focus distance | Normal: 30cm-infinity (wide) 200cm - infinity (tele) Macro: 5cm-infinity (wide) 200cm - infinity Tele Macro: 100cm - infinity |
Metering | Intelligent Multiple Center-weighted Spot |
ISO sensitivity | Auto ISO 100 ISO 200 ISO 400 ISO 800 ISO 1250 High Sensitivity mode ISO 3200 |
Exposure compensation | +/- 2EV in 1/3EV steps |
Exposure bracketing | +/- 1/3 EV -1EV step, 3 frames |
Shutter speed | Program AE: 1-1/2000 sec Aperture Priority AE / Shutter Priority AE: 8-1/2000 sec Manual: 60-1/2000sec. Starry Sky Mode: 15, 30, 60sec |
Aperture | F2.8 - 8 (wide) F3.1 - 8 (tele) |
Modes | Program AE Aperture Priority AE Shutter Priority AE Manual Scene Simple Intelligent ISO |
Scene modes | Portrait Soft Skin Scenery Sports Night Portrait Night Scenery Panning Food Party Candle Fireworks Starry Sky Baby 1 & 2 Aerial photo Snow High Sensitivity Beach Sunset Pet |
White balance | Auto Daylight Cloudy Shade Halogen Flash White Set 1/2 |
White balance fine tune | 2-axis adjustable, ±9steps each, Blue/Amber and Magenta/Green bias |
Self timer | 2 or 10sec, 10sec / 3 images |
Continuous shooting | Full-Resolution: 3 frames/sec or 2 frames/sec max. 7 images (Standard mode), Max. 5 images (Fine Mode) |
Image parameters | Cool, Warm, Black & White, Sepia |
Flash | Auto Auto / Red-eye reduction Forced On Forced On / Red-eye Reduction Slow Sync / Red-eye reduction Forced Off Flash output adjustment 1/3EV step, +/-2 EV Range: 0.3 - 6.0m (wide) 1.0 - 5.4m (tele) |
Viewfinder | 0.44" Color EVF (188K Pixels), Field of View : approx. 100% |
LCD monitor | 2.5-inch Polycrystalline TFT 207,000 pixels |
Connectivity | DC in AV out USB |
Print compliance | PictBridge |
Storage | SD / SDHC / MMC 27 MB built-in memory |
Power | Li-ion battery pack Optional AC adapter |
Weight (no batt) | 310 g (0.68lb) |
Dimensions | 112.5 x 72.2 x 79.0 mm (4.43 x 2.84 x 3.11 in) |
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