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Panasonic Point and Shoot and Non-DSLR
Home > Digital Camera Reviews > Panasonic Digital Cameras > Panasonic Point and Shoot and Non-DSLR
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Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ8 Digital Camera Reviewby Emily RaymondPublished on May 15, 2007
The controls on the Panasonic FZ8 are fairly typical with the exception of the joystick. The joystick exists specifically to change manual exposure settings when in the manual modes, but can also function as a multi-selector to scroll through menus or pictures in the playback mode. There is also a traditional multi-selector control on the FZ8: it consists of five buttons and functions similar to competitors’ multi-selectors. Using the multi-selector, a user can move through menus and activate features like the flash and self-timer. The quarter-sized mode dial atop the camera has large icons on it. It is easy to see and rotate. The shutter release button is adjacent to the mode dial and is well-placed. It is rounded and smooth with a chrome finish, and is framed by the sensitive zoom ring discussed in detail in the zoom lens section. Overall, the FZ8’s controls are all nicely labeled and placed. Some of the buttons are small, but they are spaced far enough from each other to be comfortably and accurately activated. Menu (7.5) Many of the camera’s features are stashed in menus that can be accessed via the Menu/Set button in the center of the multi-selector. The recording menu leads to many key features and will likely be the most visited menu. It has a red bar across the top left side that says “REC” and pagination on the right. Blue bars appear to the left and bottom edges of the menu. There are directions on where to scroll at the bottom and menu tabs on the left side. There are two tabs: the top has a camera icon and the bottom has a wrench icon. The recording menu is as follows.
The menus are displayed mostly in text with only a few icons. The text is in all capital letters and in a large font. There isn’t a constant live preview in the background, but a temporary preview is displayed when adjusting the white balance, white balance adjust, and color effect items. The setup menu is accessed by the tab below the recording menu with the wrench icon.
Interestingly, the Clock Set option is found in both the recording and setup menus. Why? No one knows. This menu is also displayed in large capital text with a light gray background. Navigating through menus can be done with the multi-selector or the joystick: either way is easy. Ease of Use (7.25) The Panasonic Lumix FZ8’s dumbed-down Simple mode, vast list of scene modes, and intuitive interface make it easy to use. The labels on the buttons are easy to identify and the menus are displayed in large text, which is easy to understand. Handling the camera isn’t complicated either. All in all, the FZ8 is no more difficult to use than any other compact point-and-shoots: the FZ8 just adds a few manual modes and a long lens.
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