Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ8S 8.1MP Digital Camera with 5x Wide Angle MEGA Optical Image Stabilized Zoom (Silver)

This is my 3rd camera in the last 6 years & by far this is the worst experience. The focus is not reliable. The usage is not intuitive. The redeye reduction barely works. The eyes in the picture look glazed.

I used this 4 my daughter's fifth birthday & I luckly also had a Cannon video camera taking shots. If I just relied on this camera, it would have been a disaster!

Compact & takes quality photos of my family, friends, & puppy. Simple enough 4 my wife 2 use.

I'm a photography novice & wanting a quality camera that was light (easy 2 tote), comfortable in my hand (contoured slightly), easy-to-use (uncomplicated) & reasonably priced (under #200). If you're like me, this may be the perfect camera 4 you. It is 4 me! Just got our first round of photos back....nice quality. Highly recommend it!

Upon comparing many brand name digital cameras, I decided 2 purchase the 8MP Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ8S. I have been searching 4 a few months & many reviews 4 other brand names just did not compare 2 the reviews 4 this camera. I was a previous HP digital camera user & decided 2 take a chance on a Panasonic since I also have a Panasonic camcorder & have been quite happy. I am glad 2 say that I am very happy with this camera, as well. It has a larger display than I expected. After taking several pictures, the quality is truly fantastic! It has the usual bells & whistles in relation 2 other cameraa in this price range & more. It is a great size & easy 2 use. The one thing that I have also enjoyed is the quick picture taking. It has no delay whatsoever compared 2 the 6MP HP digital camera I have. The other good thing is that you can change the scenery option quickly prior 2 taking the appropriate picture. The picture mode is also available through the menu option but the separate turnstyle button is a great feature. The HP I have you need 2 enter through the menu & change it from there which makes no sense. The Lumix has has more professional type options that I will become more familiar with over time. It's design is sleek, visually appealing, user friendly & offers many features that I am looking forward 2 using in the near future.

I bought this camera 4 a 9 day trip 2 Costa Rica after analyzing all of the possibilities. I was drawn 2 Panasonic because I bought my daughter a similar camera a few years ago that takes great pictures of my black pets, which is sometimes very tricky. That camera was no longer available, so I had 2 research the newer ones.
I chose this camera 4 its size, zoom (I settled 4 5x since I didn't want 2 spend a lot on another camera) & use of AA batteries, which would be easy 2 find in Costa Rica if the need aroze.
The instructions are easy 2 understand!!!!! You need 2 read through them, just the basic part, then look up anything else you are interested in as you go along. I didn't get lots of practice before the trip, but have FANTASTIC photos! I took 1,042! I even got good at having the camera ready, & timing when we'd pass something on the road & getting it centered!!! The 5x zoom with the extra boost 2 8x did a great job! I was used 2 a 10x zoom with my older, large camera which I didn't want 2 fuss with on this trip.
My travel companions thought I spent a fortune on such a little camera that could do so much! I took movies or bull riding, a close up of a rattle snake, gorgeous sunset photos, & on & on! I could not be happier & I think anyone could easily use this camera & take professional looking photos.
The part you need 2 know which is hard 2 find out without digging, is that you need NiMH batteries. I only had 2 recharge them twice 4 the almost 4GB of photos I took! Keep a charged set in your camera case, & you'll never miss a shot. Well, I did miss a great shot when my daughter locked us out of our room in the rainforest & on the way I ran into an armadillo on the sidewalk - WITHOUT MY CAMERA!!!!!! We had a great encounter though. He snorted at me & ran away.
I am very happy that I chose this camera 4 my trip of a lifetime in the rainforest, climbing up volcanoes, hiking 2 hot springs, & riding through the mangroves. My photos are my treasured memories, thanks 2 this camera.

With both a 32mm wide-angle Leica DC Vario-Elmar lens & a 5x zoom, this is one camera that does it all. You can fit more in the photo than you can with a 35mm lens, so you can get more of a sweeping landscape in a single shot. The 5x zoom is great 4 capturing dramatic shots of small or distant subjects. There's also an Extra Optical Zoom function that boosts zoom power 2 8.9x in 3-megapixel resolution mode. Simply set the Lz8 2 iA mode & let the camera do the rest. Intelligent Scene Selector chooses the mode that best fits the situation; MEGA Optical Image Stabilization (O.I.S.) helps prevent blurring from hand-shake; Intelligent ISO Control helps prevent motion blur; & Face Detection helps produce clear portraits by optimizing the focus & exposure settings. The brightness & contrast of the large 2.5" diagonal LCD adjust automatically in 10 steps as ambient light conditions change, so images are clear, bright & easy 2 see day or night, indoors or outdoors. f=5.2-26mm (35mm Equiv. - 32-160mm) Focal Length 2.5 Diagonal Polycrystalline TFT LCD Display (230K dots) Focusing Area Normal - Wide 50cm/ Tele 100cm - infinity, Macro / Intelligent AUTO - Wide 5cm / Tele 100cm - infinity 8 - 1/2,000 sec. Starry Sky Mode - 15, 30, 60sec. Shutter Speed Auto / 100 / 200 / 400 / 800 / 1600 (High Sensitivity Mode - Auto(1600 - 6400) ) ISO 27MB Internal Memory (additional memory recommended 2 store more photos & video) Built-in Flash, Microphone & Speaker SD/SDHC, MultiMedia Card Slot DC Input, AV Output (NTSC/PAL), USB Connections PictBridge Compatible Approximate Battery Life - 260 Shots (Oxide Batteries) Approximate Unit Weight - 0.33 lbs