Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ8

Manual Control Options
The SLR-like Panasonic FZ8 offers several levels of manual control. For anti-manual users, there is a simple mode along with several scene modes. The next step up is the program mode that offers access to the recording menu and exposure compensation, but doesn’t allow the exposure settings themselves to be changed. The FZ8 can do that too though: the aperture priority, shutter speed priority, and manual modes can be found on the mode dial and offer full access to the variety of manual controls available.

Focus
Auto Focus (7.5)
The Panasonic FZ8 has a great auto focus system that can work continuously or only with the shot and can be controlled in several ways. It can be set to 1-point, 1-point high speed, 3-point, multi-point, or spot auto focus modes. The multi-point uses five areas throughout the frame to automatically find the subject and focus on it. The spot auto focus mode allows users to move the point of focus around the frame using the multi-selector. The auto focus system works well whether the lens is zoomed in or out. The Leica lens can focus as close as 0.16 feet in the simple and macro modes when zoomed out and 6.56 feet when zoomed in. Normally, the FZ8 focuses from 0.98 feet. The macro mode can be turned on using the designated auto focus button atop the camera. The auto focus system is fast and captures sharp subjects. It even seems to do well in low light, although it takes longer to activate the orange auto focus assist lamp. Of note is the Panning scene mode that keeps the subject sharply focused while leaving the background blurred.

Manual Focus (5.0)
The manual focus mode can be chosen with the button atop the camera. Once selected, a vertical bar appears on the right side of the LCD screen. Users must push the joystick up and down to move through the focus range. The resolution on the LCD and viewfinder is good enough to accurately judge the focus, which is better than most digital cameras’ manual focus modes.

ISO (7.75)
The FZ8’s ISO range is better than the previous model’s: the FZ7 had a short ISO range that topped off at 400. The FZ8 has these options in its recording menu: Auto, 100, 200, 400, 800, and 1250. There is also a High Sensitivity scene mode that uses an ISO 3200 setting. On the mode dial, there is a camera icon with an "I" in its center. This accesses the Intelligent Image Stabilization mode, a function new to Lumix digital cameras in 2007. This feature combines the Mega O.I.S. (optical image stabilization) with Intelligent ISO control to reduce blur. The stabilizer senses the movement of the camera and the ISO automatically adjusts according to the subject’s movement. This mode works well, but it shouldn’t be used as an all-purpose mode because more ISO sensitivity increases noise in the images.

White Balance (8.5)
At the top of the recording menu, the white balance settings overlay a live preview. Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Shade, Halogen, Flash, White Set 1 and 2 are on the list. This is a decent selection of white balance options except for the curious omission of a fluorescent setting. The manual white balance settings are more important though – and users can save two manual settings on the Panasonic FZ8. There is also a white balance adjustment that can move in +/- 9 steps toward magenta or green on one axis and blue and amber on the other.

Exposure (8.0)
There are exposure modes for shooters of every level of expertise: from the elementary scene and automatic modes to the more advanced program and manual modes. The exposure settings can be manually adjusted using the joystick on the back of the camera. In the more automated modes, which curtail the amount of adjustments, users can use other methods tobrighten or darken the image. The top of the multi-selector has an exposure compensation icon on it: pushing this multiple times cycles through exposure compensation, bracketing, and flash compensation. The exposure compensation has the typical +/- 2 EV range listed in 1/3 steps; the flash compensation has the same range. The bracketing can be set to shoot three pictures at three different exposure values, adjustable to +/- 1/3, +/- 2/3, or +/- 1. For photographers who want to monitor the exposure in real-time, a histogram can be activated by pushing the display button. When in the simple mode, the top of the multi-selector doesn’t access those three options but instead activates an automatic backlight compensation mode that brightens everything up a little.

Metering (7.5)
The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ8 has the three standard metering options in the recording menu: intelligent multiple, center-weighted, and spot. There is a live preview in the background of the menu, but it’s not very easy to see.

Shutter Speed (8.0)
This ultra-zoom digital camera has a wider shutter speed range than most of its competitors. The Panasonic FZ8’s shutter speed ranges from 60to 1/2000th of a second and is fully accessible from the manual mode. The range shortens when accessed in the shutter speed priority mode: users can only slow it down to 8 seconds. In the program mode, the electronic and manual shutter moves at 1 to 1/2000th of a second speeds. The Starry Sky mode, found in the scene selection menu, has 15, 30, and 60-second exposure times.

Aperture (8.5)
The Lumix DMC-FZ8 has a Leica 12x optical zoom lens and users can manually control how much light is allowed through it. The f/2.8 aperture at the wide end of the zoom lens allows a lot of light through. The maximum aperture shrinks slightly to f/3.1 when the lens is zoomed in. Throughout the zoom range, the aperture shrinks only as small as f/8.