Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ8

Auto Mode (7.5)
On Lumix digital cameras, the auto mode is also called the Simple mode. It is simple to use, but its icon on the mode dial isn’t quite as intuitive: it’s a red heart. Once activated, it turns into a bona fide point-and-shoot that is amply blessed with zoom. The simple mode dumbs down or disables menus and functions to make things, well, simpler. For instance, the exposure compensation icon on the top of the multi-selector accesses a one-touch backlight compensation rather than cycling through three manual exposure compensation options. The auto mode is easy to use and takes decent pictures in optimal lighting, which is all that can be asked of an auto mode.

Movie Mode (7.25)
The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ8 records Motion JPEG video that plays on QuickTime. Video can be recorded at standard resolutions of 640 x 480 and 320 x 240, as well as a 848 x 480 pixel widescreen version. All of these record at a selectable 30 or 10 frames per second. The internal memory can only record at the smallest resolution, so users will want to purchase an SD card. MMC cards are also compatible with the camera, but they can’t be used to record video on the FZ8. Audio is recorded in mono and video can be shot continuously up to 2GB.

The FZ8’s optical zoom is disabled while shooting. This is too bad; the optical zoom is the camera’s headlining feature. Despite the inability to zoom, the optical image stabilization system still works. This keeps the image stable despite shaky hands.

The inability to zoom in and out while recording videos is disappointing, but the movie mode is otherwise great. It portrayed accurate colors, smooth action, and decent audio. Movies can’t be spliced in the playback menu, but still images can be extracted (although they will be low resolution, so not suitable for creating big prints). The lack of zoom and editing capabilities puts the Panasonic FZ8 at a disadvantage when compared to other hybrid-type models such as the Canon PowerShot S3 IS, which has functional 12x optical zoom, image stabilization, stereo audio, and even a wind diffuser and audio sampling options.

Drive / Burst Mode (7.0)
Panasonic advertises a burst mode that shoots 3 frames per second, but the FZ8 seemed to go just barely slower than this. The burst mode is accessible via the round button to the lower left of the multi-selector. The button won’t activate if lightly pushed - it needs a firm nudge for about a quarter-second. A small burst mode menu appears and offers three choices: high, low, and unlimited. The high mode shoots just under 3 fps for a max of five images at full resolution. The low mode isn’t much slower at 2 fps, but also stops after five images (or seven if the image quality is set to standard compression). The unlimited mode snaps away at 2 fps until the memory card is full. The unlimited mode’s capabilities are what make the burst a worthwhile feature on this digital camera.

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ8 works best with Secure Digital memory cards and performs much slower when an MMC card is used. Speed isn’t tops with the internal memory either, so users who shoot lots of action scenes (and video) will need to purchase SD media.

If users want to jump into the photo, the self-timer can be activated with the left side of the multi-selector. A tiny menu appears with three options: 2-second delay, 10-second delay, and 10-second delay with 3 shots at the end. This is handy for big group shots when it’s nearly impossible to get everyone’s eyes open at once – or you want to snap a serious pose and two silly poses.

Playback Mode (7.0)
Images and video can be reviewed in a few ways. The main way is to rotate the mode dial to the playback icon. If users just want to look at pictures though, they can do so by pushing the bottom of the multi-selector that is labeled "REV" for review. This displays the last image or video taken and allows users to magnify it up to 8x or scroll right and left through the images. Users can’t access the menu to edit the pictures though: the review mode is strictly for viewing. To exit, users simply push the shutter release button halfway. This is convenient – certainly more so than the playback mode that must be rotated in and out of.

In the setup menu, users can customize the display to show the image just taken for 1 or 3 seconds, or zoomed into the center. The auto review feature can be turned off too, which is advisable for those who want speedy shooting.

The playback mode requires a little more time and effort than the review mode, but offers much more functionality. Files are displayed individually or as thumbnail pages of 9 or 25 images. There is a calendar display option that shows the first picture taken each day in a calendar format; this should help users organize easily. By themselves, pictures can be magnified up to 16x and scrolled through with the right and left arrows of the multi-selector. There is also a smattering of features available in the playback menu.

Video can be reviewed, but can’t be split into two files like on many other digital cameras. It can be viewed frame by frame, in slow motion, or at normal speed. Video can be stopped, paused, played, fast forwarded and rewound just like on a VCR. The audio plays back as well. The fanciest feature in the video playback is the ability to extract still images, which can be done by pausing the movie, scrolling to the desired frame, and pushing the shutter release button.

The slide show feature doesn’t play back video at all; the first frame of a video file appears as still image. The slide show’s transition effects are nice though, and the ability to manually switch photos is a nice feature not included on many digital cameras.

Files can be deleted by pressing the delete/burst button to the lower left of the multi-selector. They can be deleted one by one or in batches. Batch deletion is achieved by pushing the delete button twice and then scrolling through images and selecting pictures for deletion, then deleting them at once. All of the images can be deleted at once too. There are on-screen directions for all of this: it’s really not as tough as it sounds.

All in all, the playback mode does just what it should but it takes a bit too much time to enter and exit.

Custom Image Presets (8.0)
The Panasonic FZ8 has almost the exact same scene list as its predecessor, with the only additions being Pet and Sunset modes. There is a "SCN" position on the mode dial that accesses most of the presets: Portrait, Soft Skin, Scenery, Sports, Panning, Night Portrait, Night Scenery, Food, Party, Candle Light, Baby 1, Baby 2, Pet, Sunset, High Sensitivity, Starry Sky, Fireworks, Beach, Snow, and Aerial Photo. If users are confused about any of the scene modes, they can gather some information about them by pushing the display button while viewing the list. This displays the name of the mode and a text explanation, but there is no sample photo like on some digital cameras. The scene mode menu appears as 15 tiny graphics on the first screen and 5 on the second: the graphics move like old-school video games. For instance, the Fireworks mode shows a firework exploding over and over again. When the display button is pushed, the following explanation appears: "For taking a picture of fireworks. Press the shutter when the fireworks fully spread. Recommend using a tripod."

The selection of scene modes is vast. It covers the basics like portrait and scenery, the trendy like food and high sensitivity, and the odd like aerial photo. The baby modes are also helpful. They use pretty much the same exposure settings as the pet mode, but they save birth dates and record exactly how old the child is in the file information. These details are priceless when digging through and organizing old photo files.

The 20 aforementioned scene modes are located within a menu accessed via the "SCN" position on the mode dial. One more preset mode, called Intelligent Image Stabilization, reduces blur from typical shooting situations. It does this by activating the optical image stabilization system to reduce the effects of hand shake while also employing the Intelligent ISO mode that detects subject movement and automatically adjusts the ISO to freeze subjects. This mode works well, but isn’t immune to the noise produced when the ISO sensitivity is increased.