The Panasonic DMC FZ8 is a super zoom camera. This model has seven megapixels and a twelve times optical zoom lens. The main selling point of the DMC FZ8 is probably it's price. While it is not far behind the best super zoom digital cameras in terms of picture quality and features it is a fair bit cheaper than these more expensive models and is well worth considering alongside the offerings from Canon and Sony.
You will find a good selection of features including manual exposure modes, manual focusing and also image stabilisation. Although the camera can be used as a simple point and shoot model to get the most out of the DMC FZ8 it is well worth checking out these more advanced features. Image stabilisation comes into its own when you are using the full length of zoom and when lighting levels start to fall. In these conditions this can help to produces sharper shots.
When it comes to looks the DMC FZ8 resembles a smaller, compact SLR camera. It has a good sized grip to help you hold the camera steady. To accommodate this length of lens a camera has to be somewhat larger than most digital cameras are. It is almost 80mm wide and weighs in at 310g. To protect the camera and make it easier to carry around I would suggest picking up a good quality camera bag. You should be able to find one if you visit a local camera shop. There is a choice of colours with the camera being available in black and silver.
One big advantage of this type of camera is that it has a pop up flash unit. This takes the flash away from the lens. What this means is that the possibility of red eye appearing in lowlight portraits is greatly reduced. Red eye may still turn up occasionally, but it will be a lot less often than if you use a small compact where the lens and flash unit are much closer together.
Another plus point is that I found the DMC FZ8 a bit easier to use than other cameras of this type. I like the way the camera is laid out and I also find the Panasonic menu system one of the easier ones to work with.
A lithium ion battery provides power. Panasonic estimate you should be able to take an impressive 380 shots in between charges. Both a battery and charger are supplied as standard.
Panasonic have built 27mb of storage into the DMC FZ8. Although this is quite high compared to some other brands you will still need to pick up a higher capacity card to go with the camera. Therefore it is worth including an extra £10 - £15 minimum when calculating your budget.
When composing your photos you can choose between a 2.5" LCD screen and a viewfinder. The viewfinder is electronic. This means that when you look through the viewfinder the cameras plays you back a movie of the scene you are about to photograph.
