Panasonic Lumix DMC FH-8 16.1 MP Digital Camera with 5x Wide Angle Optical Image Stabilized Zoom (Black)

I just received the FH8 yesterday (8/14/12 & purchased from Amazon) and have operated it in all setting modes, downloading photos onto my MacBook (OS 10.4) computer. At my point in life (67) I realize that engineering a product is all about compromise. With that said, the FH8 is not a replacement for a worn-out high-end Cannon SLR. It is; however, a very competent camera for the price of $120 or less. The manner in which settings are derived is simple yet effective. You don't need a series of menu levels to scroll through as is the procedure for most all other cameras (Cannon & Nikon). Kudos to Panasonic for making setting the camera simple. The iA setting is where I'll leave my camera because it does an excellent job of adjusting film speed, shutter speed, lens opening and image stabilization whether I want the flash on or off. The FH8 does give the user the ability to adjust the megapixels from 16.1 down to .3 (for posting on the internet). The quality of the "Leica" lense is adequate and the digital zoom is good (amazing for a camera at this price point!). On 8/20/12 I tried the movie mode and was pleased to note it downloaded properly to my MacBook (OX 10.4) in the MP4 format. It downloaded to iPhoto, then was played on QuickTime software. The only negative is the quality of either the "Leica" lens or CCD Image Sensor or both. Sharpness in low light without flash is acceptable but not outstanding. In addition, the FH8 Manual & PhotofunStudio 8.0 SE (both contained on a CD supplied with the FH8) is not compatible with the Mac computers. This is a serious shortfall! All in all; though, for the price it's a good choice for anyone wanting or needing a very small, quality camera that is simple to operate. I have just re-evaluated the FH-8 and because I could download the video I am upgrading the rating to 5-Stars! Since I have just received this unit, I cannot testify as to its durability or the quality of manufacturing. Time will be the judge on that.

I purchased this camera (in the purple/violet shade, as shown) this spring, when my trusty six-year-old digital Samsung tired out and the lens kept sticking. At the same time, I purchased a DSLR. I've been quite pleased with both my DSLR AND this camera-- but as far as value for the money, this Panasonic Lumic DMC FH-8 really goes the distance. I love all of the modes (especially the sunset mode, the food mode, the baby1 and baby 2 modes), and the video is pretty great quality and easy to use. I also love that the on/off button and the switch for switching between shooting mode and viewing photos already taken are so easy to operate. The main advantage of this camera is its lightweight body. The main reason I purchased this camera (after researching for months, reading reviews both online and off, and surveying many friends and students about cameras) is that it combined a compact body with a higher MP count. The photos from this camera are excellent, especially for a compact camera. It's also great for travel-- which was my second requirement for a new camera, as I was making a trip across the country to visit and to take pictures of my new niece. :) An extra perk is that the flash on this camera works well but doesn't tend to make my loved ones blink, as (unfortunately) the more powerful DSLR flash tends to do. This digital camera also does well in low-light situations. One of the very few drawbacks of this camera is that it tends to need recharged quite often-- although I must admit that my old compact digital camera was only 8.1 MP, so "quite often" might be a relative statement. It's easy to recharge, but if you travel quite a bit, I'd say to either pack the charger with you or to take an extra, charged battery. Overall, this camera is a solid five and a great value for the money. I'll continue to use this camera (as well as my DSLR) to capture photos of my darling niece as well as travels for years to come, as it packs well (into a purse or a carry-on bag) and so easily records those impromptu moments I'd hate to forget. :)

My old digital camera finally kicked off, so I decided to get a "pocket size" digital camera to fill in the gaps until I save up for a big lens digital camera. I happened to catch this model on sale on Amazon for $99, so I bit. I was expecting it to be an el-cheapo camera for simple family photos, etc. I have been pleasantly surprised by the number of features and high quality photos the little thing (about the size of a small wallet) can produce. This camera can do panorama shots both horizontally and vertically that are quite impressive. It can also do very good quality black and white and sepia photography. Neither of these features I was expecting, and again have been pleasantly surprised by. There is also a fast lens sports photography setting for pictures you need to take in quick sequence, which is particularly good if you have toddlers on the move. It also has a descent power battery life but not spectacular, but the cute thing is that it comes with a USB electrical outlet converter. In other words, if you are taking it on vacation and are not going to be around to plug it into a computer with a USB power port, you can just bring the USB cord and the regular electric outlet converter and just plug it into a regular electrical outlet in any wall to charge. As noted in other reviews, this model does not have the settings "wheel" on the top of the camera. By that, I mean the rotating nob that many digital cameras have that allows you to physically change the photo settings by just rotating the nob around. You have to physically go into a camera operating system interface to change the photo settings, but that is really easy to do. There is also an "intelligent" setting that pretty much lets the camera pick the perfect photo setting itself, so you really don't have to fool with changing the settings if you don't want to. That lack of a setting wheel really does not bother me at all, but I could see how some people might be intimated by having to push a few buttons to change camera settings. I was also surprised at the video feature on this camera. You can record up to 30 minutes of good quality video footage with sound. The sound mic is fairly clear but not fabulous. You can even replay the video on the camera screen. This is a good feature for families that like to take short video clips of kids. You can even film a video in black and white if you have the camera set to black and white. What I particularly like is that recording video is super easy. There is a little red, recessed button next to the button you press for taking pictures. All you have to do to record video is to press that button once and it will start recording the video, and you press the button a second time to stop the video recording. You don't have to click through several screens to turn on the video record setting like in many other digital camera. You just click the red button and go. In total, the range of settings on this camera for an entry model "pocket" camera are really quite impressive, though there are a few design flaws you might want to think about as follows: I do have two gripes though about this camera, one of which is relatively serious. The first is really more of an inconvenience in that the plug in for USB/power cord is covered by this little rubber cap that is attached to the camera. The rubber cap is attached so close to the plug in on the camera that it is a real pain to hold the little cap back and get the USB male cord plug in get into the socket on the camera. You sort of have to wrestle with it. Again, that is cosmetic, but irritating every time you have to plug the thing it to recharge it or upload pictures via USB cord. The other complaint I have is typical of the types of cameras like this one that has a lens that physically opens up about an inch from a flat, dormant setting when you turn on the camera. In the opening up of that lens, it can create a minor suction of air which can suck in particles of dust into the inner camera lens itself. Once those dust particles get into the inner lens, you get pictures will annoying little blobs on them. You can either photoshop out the blobs, or you have to either have a professional photography guy take it apart to clean off the lens which takes time and money, or you can do it yourself if you know how. (Youtube search 'Panasonic Lumix cleaning CCD Sensor' for several videos on how to open up the camera and clean the lens yourself with a higher end jeweler's screw driver set...just beware that if you do it yourself you will likely void your warranty). All things considered though, this is nice little "on the go" digital camera with high quality pictures and a lot of higher end digital camera features for the money. I quite like mine and use it frequently, but do beware of those two irritating design flaws.

This camera takes excellent photos when the "IA" or Intelligent Auto mode is chosen. The camera automatically chooses the right setting almost 100% of the time and then you have a great photo. We have taken this camera to the Amazon, the Galapagos and the Grand Canyon (1 week whitewater rafting) and it has survived..... well sort of. We haven't dropped it or gotten it wet or soaked... no not at all. What we have though is a camera whose lens is totally covered with dust on the INSIDE. It cannot be cleaned unless I open the camera up. Almost all shots now are full of over 10-20 dust blobs. It makes using the telephoto useless, because the blobs are huge. IPhoto will fix the blobs, but it takes time and is annoying to know that we have a great piece of technology that just cannot stand up to constant use. We've taken about 15,000 photos in 2.5 years with this camera and about 10 hours of video. The video is excellent by the way. Because the cost of having the inside of the lens cleaned is more than the camera is worth, I will chance taking the camera apart next week. There is a video on YouTube showing how to do it. Of course there is the chance that the camera will be useless, but that's the risk. The reason for the dust? Everytime the camera is turned on and the lens comes out of the body, that action sucks in air inside the camera. If you have the camera in your pocket and the body of it has some dust on it.... then.... guess what.... the dust gets sucked in. This has not happened on other cameras I've owned. This is the 3rd digital camera. So... now I'm not sure if I'll ever buy a Lumix again.

This camera is all and more of what I was looking for. I have a nice digital that takes wonderful still shots for my jewelry business BUT it won't take a picture of anything that moves <G>. I needed a small digital (inexpensive) to take photos of the kittens I foster. Needless to say they are NEVER still. I did quite a bit of research before ordering this one. I've owned Panasonic products before but never a camera. I've had it a month now and it not only takes beautiful photos and STOPS the motion (and mine) but it also takes perfect shots of my jewelry including closeups with the macro. I never read documentation unless I have to and this camera is so intuitive I only had to check the purposes of the buttons and was on the road! The settings are simple and easy and some even have a little scrolling marquee banner with additional info that displays with it. I was afraid at first that the small size would be a problem for me because I'm used to using a larger one with a grip. No problem! I put the strap on as a precaution against dropping it, but it's size is just fine, in fact I can put it in my pocket for those unplanned photo ops if I wish. The little case I got for it is perfect and has a caribiner style hook for your belt BUT if I went on a long trip I'd want more space for the back-up batteries and charger I also purchased. This will definately be my travel camera! Don't be afraid to buy this baby. It's a great camera even at twice the price I paid, which was terriffic! Happy "shooting"!

I've had some great digital cameras in my life and this ranks up with the best. My last 2 cameras have been the Canon A570IS and the Lumix DMC-FS7. First, the Canon was a great camera but due to having the camera fall one too many times it died after 2 years. Having spent over $300 dollars on the Canon and having added more children to the mix, my wife and I decided to buy an inexpensive (NOT CHEAP) camera that had great Amazon reviews. That's when I found the Lumix line of cameras. I spent $150 for the DMC-FS7 and thought I hit jackpot because it was absolutely awesome!!! Unfortunately, it got submerged accidentally while on a fishing trip (my fault this time) and never worked after then. Since I was sooo impressed with the Lumix line, I chose to go that route a second time. I wasn't let down. This camera, even though $50 cheaper than the FS7, is equally impressive. I love that I can quickly take pictures and not waste my time zooming in for the close up (possibly missing the perfect shot all together). I can just crop it or resize it exactly how I like it later. Not only will I be able to zoom in real close, I won't have to fix any pictures while at the store, wasting the time of others. Additionally, with the O.I.S., I can take pictures on the go without worrying about blurry pictures because of my hand shaking. It's amazing what technology can do. I'm definitely no professional photographer but the quality of my pictures are just perfect. Although I've read some poor reviews, I suggest you consider the ratio of good to bad reviews. EVERY brand of camera will have their fair share of problems; there's no way to avoid them. I strongly recommend the Lumix line, if not this specific camera. It's definitely worth more than I paid.

Bought this camera for a month-long trip. It was easy to use and took nice pictures, but a week into the vacation it got a speck of dust somewhere inside the camera body that left a smudge on every photo. I took it to a repair shop, and the guy there said it'd cost more to repair it than to buy a new one. I had to toss it.

I've been a photographer for several years now and am very familiar with cameras and doing manual photography. This is my 4th high-end camera, and my previous cameras were Panasonic, Canon, and Fujifilm. This is my first high-end compact camera, however. I like this camera for pretty much the very reasons that drew me to it. I wanted a quality camera that I could carry around as an alternative to my bulky canon, since I found myself not taking pictures often just because I never had a camera on me. I did a lot of research and I liked this one because of its wide-angle, 5x zoom lens, optical image stabilizer (which is featured on all Lumix's), Panasonic brand name (I had a good experience with my first Panasonic, until I lost it), and incredibly small size. This camera does essentially everything my big cameras did, except without as much zoom and the ability to manually set aperture and shutter speed. It may even do some things better. Additional features are its HD video recording, 16 megapixel resolution (which in my opinion is more than necessary), and intelligent auto which really is quite intelligent. Now it apparently has two modes of capturing videos, one in HD and another in motion J-peg or something like that... I don't know. I honestly don't care, but I have taken some videos and they turned out fantastic. Pros: -Wide angle lens (hard to find on compact cameras) which can create more depth of field -optical image stabilizer -plenty, but not too many, scene modes to give me a sense of control in taking the picture (not nearly as good as manual, but sufficient for a compact) -5x zoom, not bad for a small camera -trademark Panasonic picture quality, with good exposure and balanced colors (see my customer pics) -amazingly small! I can't believe all of this is in such a tiny device. -intelligent auto mode which will take great pictures for those who don't know what I'm talking about in this review -reasonably priced Cons: -No manual shutter speed/aperture control. I won't complain since virtually no small cameras have this, but it would have been nice if Panasonic had added this feature. -No mode dial that some cameras have. I list this as a con because some people might consider it one. I personally like it the way it is, although sometimes it takes me a while to get it set the way I want it. The controls are simple enough so I'll just have to get used to it.