Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ8

Picture Quality / Size Options (9.0)
A 1/2.5-inch image sensor is hidden within the FZ8: it has 7.38 total megapixels and 7.2 effective megapixels. There are many image sizes available on this camera – mostly because there are many aspect ratio options.

4:3 – 3072 x 2304, 2560 x 1920, 2048 x 1536, 1600 x 1200, 1280 x 960, 640 x 480
3:2 – 3072 x 2048, 2048 x 1360
16:9 – 3072 x 1728, 1920 x 1080

The pictures can be compressed into JPEG Fine or Standard, or users can avoid compression altogether by shooting RAW files. Some ultra-zoom models shoot RAW files and others don’t: this is a nice feature for photographers who like to really create standout images with editing software because it’s a more flexible file format. RAW and JPEG files cannot be shot simultaneously though, like on the Olympus SP-550UZ. In the playback mode, pictures can be trimmed and resized to any resolution smaller than what the image was shot at. There is also an aspect conversion option, but it doesn’t work all the time and makes odd crops when it does function.

Picture Effects Mode (7.0)
Picture effects can be applied in the recording menu, but not during playback. When scrolling through the color effects, there is a live preview behind the overlaid text. The options are the same as on other Lumix digital cameras: Off, Cool, Warm, Black & White, and Sepia. All of these had proper color and adequate contrast and such. The amount of contrast can be tweaked with the Picture Adjust option in the menu. This option allows users to adjust the contrast, saturation, and sharpness of the images, as well as activate a noise reduction system. High, standard, and low choices can be chosen for each, but there is no live preview so it’s hard to judge just how much the picture is actually changing. Overall, the FZ8 isn’t crammed with picture effects the way that HP or Canon cameras are, but it has a decent variety of options.

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