Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ8 Digital Camera Review

Announced in January, the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ8 is an 8-megapixel, entry-level point-and-shoot with a budget-friendly $180 price tag. Besides its low price, the LZ8’s key features include a 5x optical zoom lens, a well rounded selection of Scene modes, and Panasonic’s Intelligent Auto mode. While the camera may be made for beginners, however, the LZ8 gives new photographers the opportunity to grow with program and manual modes to give users more creative control over their photos. Shutter Priority, Aperture Priority, and a full Manual mode are found here, and that can’t be said for many entry-level point-and-shoots. But does the Lumix DMC-LZ8 deliver in terms of image quality? Read on to find out.

Section	The Good	The Bad
Tour	Small and compact with an intuitive button system.	Boring silver plastic frame that feels cheap.
Testing/Performance	Good color accuracy and excellent noise reduction.	Poor resolution and middling scores in dynamic range.
Components	Nice 5x optical zoom lens, adequate pixel count on LCD.	Uneven flash, no viewfinder, smallish LCD screen.
Design/Layout	Compact, intuitive design.	Buttons are very tiny, design is lackluster.
Modes	Two options for Burst mode, Intelligent Scene feature automatically selects preset mode for you.	Playing movies in Playback mode isn't intuitive.
Control Options	Excellent Manual control options - Manual, Program, Shutter Priority, and Aperture Priority are all available.	None.
Image Parameters	Wide variety of image size options spread over three aspect ratios.	Only two, rather than standard three, compression options.
Connectivity/Extras	High-quality jack/port covers, compatibility with readily-available SD/SDHC memory cards.	Software is limited, and panorama shots are stitched in software, rather than in-camera.
Value	Great options for learning manual controls.	Lackluster resolution scores could lead to lower-quality images.