The first full review of the FZ8

[greggh]

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/panasonicfz8/

It was just posted so I didn't read it yet.

Edit: So I read through a bit of it. Still can't use the zoom while in movie mode like the FZ7. And ISO 400 looks worse IMO than on the FZ7 http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/panasonicfz8/page12.asp

[Bushmaster]

I was leaning towards a FZ50 and this camera makes things more difficult. I have checked the samples at dpreview.com and they look not toooo bad.

There are several things a like about the FZ8. The imager of 8meg is plenty for me it has raw with FZ50 I like the manual zoom and focus but 10meg imager is just too much plus the noise popup again.:confused:

[azttttommy]

Did I read that correctly...no macro mode?

[Dario D.]

Still no USB 2.0 support... Goodness. I love my FZ7, but this is getting ridiculous. :confused: USB 2.0 came out seven years ago.

[danielmendes]

azttttommy, Panasonic's specs say

"Macro: Wide 5 cm (0.16 feet) / Tele (except tele end) 200 cm (6.56 feet)- infinity"

[Pave]

hehe, USB2.0 support is something we're never gonna get from Panasonic as it seems. Not that it matters too much. Card-readers are quite cheap nowadays and I find mine most useful :)

[Elisha82]

card readers are convenient but i rather plug the camera in than unscrew the tripod mount each time i need to transfer pics.

[Mike63]

card readers are convenient but i rather plug the camera in than unscrew the tripod mount each time i need to transfer pics.

Someone somewhere on ebay built a handy little bracket the screws to the bottom of the camera via the tripod mount, you then screw the tripod screw into the bracket. The bracket offsets the camera enough to open the battery and memory card door. After looking at it I brought a piece of aluminum home from work to make my own.

[Elisha82]

links pls?
i would love to see it and fabricate my own.

[Mike63]

links pls?
i would love to see it and fabricate my own.

This has more holes for mounting than the one I saw months ago. The link has another.
http://cgi.ebay.com/TRIPOD-ADAPTER-PLATE-Panasonic-camera-fz10-fz20-fz15_W0QQitemZ150096364757QQihZ005QQcategoryZ15215 QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

http://ken.smugmug.com/photos/17316489-L.jpg

[Elisha82]

wow that looks wicked....too bad i hate ebay.

[Mike63]

wow that looks wicked....too bad i hate ebay.

Thats why I will build my own, plus I like to build things.:)

[John_Reed]

wow that looks wicked....too bad i hate ebay.None of my business really, but if you always have your FZ7 on a tripod, why do you need image stabilization? That, to me, is the main attraction of the Panasonic cameras, a feature that I've enjoyed through FZ1, FZ10, FZ15, FZ30, TZ1, FX50, that I can just leave my tripod at home and still expect to get some decent photos, even in low light conditions. I will admit there are some situations where I've either put my camera on a fence rail, or braced my elbows, but not often. What kind of photography do you do that always demands a tripod?

[Elisha82]

i like night photography......i have yet to take the camera out of the apartment since i got it except once.
so most of what needs a tripod is done on the balcony and using slow shutter speeds. also some moon shots. although i will not need a tripod anymore once spring comes and i take my camera outside. but till then it sits on my tripod 24/7. also i rather have it to compose HDR shots.

shots like these don't work too well handheld:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v701/elishajesudason/1020956.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v701/elishajesudason/1020957.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v701/elishajesudason/1020584.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v701/elishajesudason/1020585.jpg

[John_Reed]

Nice night shots. Those are fun to take, from my experience, and I agree, a tripod or at least someplace to plunk down the camera is very useful! Here's one I took, though, handheld, with my FX50 in Mexico recently, at 4/10 of a second:

http://john-reed.smugmug.com/photos/129820517-L.jpg

I think I set that for "Night Scene." Here's one I took leaning against a fence post with my old FZ10 at 5 seconds:

http://john-reed.smugmug.com/photos/5798533-L.jpg

And lastly, TZ1 on a balcony rail at 15 seconds in "Starry Sky" mode:

http://john-reed.smugmug.com/photos/65375205-L.jpg

The last two shots got the "Dark Frame Subtraction" treatment, like I'm sure yours did also, as their shutterspeeds were > 1 second. But hey, no tripod! ;)

[Elisha82]

very nice....whats a dark frame subtraction treatment?
i'm not aware of it.

[John_Reed]

very nice....whats a dark frame subtraction treatment?
i'm not aware of it.Dark Frame Subtraction happens as follows:

1) You take a photo with a shutterspeed of 1 second or greater.

2) After the photo is taken, a mechanical shutter closes across the CCD sensor, and the "dark" photo is taken again, with the exact shutter interval of step 1).

3) The captured image from step 1) and the dark photo from step 2) are subtracted, pixel by pixel, and the result becomes the final image.

It's a way of reducing noise that crops up inevitably in long-shutter photos. I'd be surprised if you haven't seen it happening, maybe just didn't grasp what was happening. You can't shut it off, I do know that. Next time you shoot a slow shot, watch for the "countdown" afterwards. This is the "DFS" interval of which I speak.

[Elisha82]

ah yes i'm aware of that....i didn't know what it was called. i thought it was a Photochop technique.

[Mike63]

I can tell that I need to get out of the house more.:o My best attempt, tripod and all does not compare. It was shot through a double pane window from a Hotel. With all my other attempts I did not have a tripod or a railing nearby.

http://mike63.smugmug.com/photos/133154999-L.jpg

[Elisha82]

John....do you use OIS type 1 or type 2?
and also what are you settings for Picture Adjustments like Contrast, Sharpness, Saturation and NR?

[John_Reed]

John....do you use OIS type 1 or type 2?
and also what are you settings for Picture Adjustments like Contrast, Sharpness, Saturation and NR?2 of the 3 cameras whose images I showed have no specific "Picture Adjustment" settings, meaning the FX50 and TZ1. (Well, they have "Natural", "Standard," and "Vivid," but that's the extent) The FZ10 shot was taken ~3 years ago, and I imagine I just had all the settings at "Standard."

I do like Mode 1 better, because it helps to frame the subject better, by stabilizing the image somewhat before the shutter release.