The DMCFZ8 features the 12x LEICA DC VARIO-ELMARIT lens -- a small, lightweight lens that packs the same zoom power as a big, clunky 400mm-class film camera lens. This 12x optical zoom lens is super-bright, too, at f/2.8 to f/3.3 with a focal length of 7 to 72mm (equivalent to 36mm to 432mm in a 35mm film camera). You've got all the power and flexibility you need to take beautiful shots from telephoto to wide angle and macro. Designed for uses like bird watching, where you need maximum telephoto capability, the Extra Optical Zoom employs the center of the CCD to further extend the powerful 12x optical zoom when a resolution of less than 7.2 megapixels is used. This lets you extend the zoom ratio to 18x for 3-megapixel or less images.
More Room to Zoom
A new 2-speed zoom function allows you to control the zoom operation in two speeds, Low and High, with the zoom lever. Rotate the lever a small amount for slow zooming, and a larger amount for high-speed zooming. This makes it easy to zoom in and out quickly when you need to, or to slow down for finer zooming control. Have you ever faced the following scenario? You set the zoom right where you want it and you're waiting to shoot, but the Power Save function suddenly turns the power off. Or, you've made the zoom setting, but the battery runs out and the power is cut. Or perhaps you've just taken a shot and turned off the power, and you decide you wnat to re-shoot at the same zoom setting. This is when you need Zoom Resume. It stores the zoom position (magnification) in memory, so you can shoot with the same zoom setting once the power is turned on again. This helps make sure you don't miss those great shooting oportunities. Even at 12x zoom, it is possible to get as near as 1 meter from your subject when you select the Macro button. You can take macro shots with easy posture and beautifully soft focused background.
Cool Hand Luke (and Mark, and Linda, and...)
The DMCFZ8 helps you get clear shots every time. Panasonic invented the MEGA O.I.S. (Optical Image Stabilizer) system to fight against hand-shake, the major cause of blurry images. This system, which takes advantage of Panasonic's outstanding lens technology, has long been incorporated into the LUMIX range of cameras. In addition, the DMCFZ8 compensates for the other major cause of blurry images -- subject movement. The Intelligent ISO Control function, made possible by the Venus Engine III, detects subject movement and adjusts the ISO setting and shutter speed to best suit the movement and light conditions automatically. Together, they form Intelligent Image Stabilizer, which makes it easy for anybody to take crisp, clear photos in just about any situations. It's automatic, so you can leave everything to the camera.
Prevent Blurry Shots
The MEGA O.I.S. compensates for the blurring caused by hand-shake. It is now featured on the entire LUMIX range, and is highly popular with users around the world. Even slight hand-shake movement is accurately detected by a sampling frequency of 4000 times per second, and compensated to produce sharp, clear images. This is true, of course, for zooming and macro shots, which are especially susceptible to hand-shake, but it also lets you shoot in dimly lit rooms or uneven illumination, without a flash, to preserve the mood. In short, it lets anybody take beautiful, blur-free shots with ease.
Intelligent ISO
When the intelligent ISO control (I.I.C.) in the DMCFZ8 camera detects subject motion, it automatically raises the ISO setting and increases the shutter speed to prevent motion blur. On the other hand, when the subject is still and no movement is detected, it lets you take beautifully natural photos with a low ISO setting. Have you ever mistakenly used a high ISO setting to take a photo of a subject standing still? If so, you may remember the noisy, grainy result. Of, if you have tried snapping a moving subject at a low ISO setting, your photo was probably spoiled by motion blur. Intelligent ISO Control gives you stunning images with ease because there is no need for complicated settings. The new mode dial on the DMCFZ8 also lets you select I.ISO (Intelligent ISO Control) Mode. It allows the sensitivity to be raised to a maximum of ISO 1250, or to be set to a limit of ISO 400 or ISO 800. I.ISO Mode produces exactly the image quality that you intend. And, selecting High Sensitivity mode from among the Scene Modes allows the sensitivity to be raised all the way up to ISO 3200. This makes it possible to take sharp, blur-free shots of active children of pets even in indoor settings with limited light.
See The Difference
The DMCFZ8 boasts a large, 2.5-inch LCD with full 207,000-pixel resolution for comfortable viewing both while monitoring shots and playing back the results. The pixel-mixed readout method used by the CCD automatically increases the brightness of the live image on the LCD, making it much easier to shoot in low lighting. Thanks to the Power LCD function, which boosts the LCD backlighting by 40 percent, even shooting outdoors in bright sunshine is no longer a problem. The High Angle mode, which can be accessed quickly and easily via a dedicated button, makes the LCD screen extremely easy to view when the camera is held high, such as to shoot over a crowd. There's also a large and clear viewfinder, with a 0.44-inch size and 188,000-pixel resolution. Located directly on top of the lens, it is designed for easy use and fast, accurate framing.
Take Control with Manual Settings
The easy-to-use joystick operation and good design, which were the highly acclaimed trademarks of its predecessor, are inherited by the DMCFZ8. The joystick was incorporated to facilitate operational ease and thereby get the best technical advantage of the multitude of functions offered by the camera. With the joystick it is possible to set focus, aperture and shutter speed manually. You can select Program AE, Aperture Priority AE, Shutter Speed Priority AE, or Manual Exposure Mode by simply turning the dial. This opens the door to a host of creative possibilities. Move the joystick up or down to easily set the parameter of each item. When you set the dial to manual exposure, move the joystick right or left to select the aperture and shutter speed. You can use Program Shift in Program AE mode to keep the exposure fixed while changing the combination of shutter speed and aperture. This function lets you choose the exposure setting yourself to capture exactly the image you want. You can also take advantage of Direct Exposure Compensation, Manual Exposure Assist, and Manual Focus. You can quickly shortcut to frequently used functions, such as light metering, AF Mode, white balance settings, ISO sensitivity sett
