Panasonic has introduced the new Lumix DMC-LZ8 with a 32mm 5x optical zoom Leica DC lens and a CCD capable of capturing 8.1 megapixel pictures. I
t sports the venus IV image processing engine that works like a charm, especially in the ’intelligent auto’ mode. There’s also manual aperture and shutter speed controls for those of you who wish to learn through experimentation.
Oh, and did I forget to mention that the venus engine IV also supports a new high sensitivity mode that lets the camera record at a setting of up to ISO 6400, sensitive enough to capture subjects in darkness without using a flash! For those who are used to preset modes, all the standard ones are present.
So you won’t be disappointed. It records video in Wvga and standard vga formats; the output is in the. MOV format.The mega O.I.S. gives you pretty good shake resistance, too. The camera is a little slow between pictures, especially after having used the flash, but that’s to be expected.
It’s a sexy looking camera that gives you most of the features(plus more) as compared to other cameras in the 8 MP range for almost half the price! I bought mine for 6k including the camera pouch, a Sandisk 2GB SD card and 2 rechargeable batteries+charger. Other cameras in the 8M range cost upwards of 9k. Your call.