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

This review will not focus on the quality of the photos - I am NOT a photography expert, and I'm okay with that. I'm just an average guy who wants a small camera that fits in my pocket and takes decent photos wherever I may be. The main reason I was looking for a new camera is because my previous camera (Canon PowerShot SD1300IS) stopped working consistently, and it had some usability issues that really got on my nerves. Again, I am NOT an expert, just trying to offer my opinion as an average everyday user. As far as I'm concerned, most compact point & shoot cameras take decent photos, or at least I can't tell a huge difference between them. OVERALL: I've only had it a week, but I really like this camera so far. The main reasons are some HUGE design/usability differences between the Panasonic Lumix and the Canon ELPH camera families, which are detailed below. - power switch - I really like that this camera has a SWITCH instead of a button. Here's what I wrote in the review for the Canon SD1300IS - "as some people have already mentioned, the on/off button is WAY too easy to accidentally push. For anybody like me who wants a subcompact camera specifically for the ease of carrying it around (in their hip or jacket pocket), this is a HUGE annoyance - almost reason enough to look for a different camera. I am constantly afraid that I will continue to accidentally push the ON button while it's in my pocket and damage the lens motor. I purchased this as a replacement for a broken SD1200, and I never had this problem with that model." - battery release door - I like that the battery release door has a locking switch. To open the battery release door on the Canon SD1300IS, you slide the entire door laterally. I didn't realize this was a problem until recently, when I had problems turning the camera on. Apparently, the wear and tear has messed up the sensor that indicates the door is closed - so now I have to firmly squeeze the door inward while holding it, otherwise the camera won't turn on. - separate picture/video button - I really like that these are SEPARATE buttons. Everybody knows that sometimes speed is of the essence when trying to capture a moment. With my Canon, I can't tell you how many times I forgot to switch the slide from video to photo, tried to take a photo, then realized it was still in video mode, and before I was able to switch it back to photo mode, the moment had passed. VERY FRUSTRATING! But the Panasonic's separate buttons prevents this from ever being a problem again. - panoramic setting - apparently this is a feature in most other cameras, but not with the Canon - but I really like the automatic panorama photo feature! great for beach and scenery pics. So for anybody with the same complaints about the Canon Powershot ELPH models that I detailed above, this camera definitely addresses those. I have no idea which camera takes better quality photos but I am not able to tell the difference.

When I first saw the Amazon listing for this product, I was immediately captivated by the idea of small pocket point & shoot that had the capability of a 16.1 MP picture. After ordering it, when I opened the package I was again impressed by the size of the camera but just a bit concerned about the sturdiness of the camera. Within two weeks of receiving the camera, my wife and I went on a vacation trip to Aspen, Breckenridge, and Keystone, Colorado. We hit the countryside at the peak of color change with the Aspens. The photo's taken with this camera outside were superb! The panorama setting was outstanding! The only thing that I did not care for with the camera was indoor pictures - they all seemed to be overexposed and when the flash was used it tended to be a bit too strong/harsh for indoor shots. The camera held up well during the vacation trip and seemed to use very little battery power. Within two days of getting home the camera started having problems. The motorized lens cover did not want to open. The lens (which when the camera was turned on) would protrude beyond the camera's body quit extending and there was a grinding sound which would only stop when you turned the camera switch to off. Again, the photo quality was fantastic - several of our pictures will be blown up for wall size hanging - but the durability issue was a real deal killer for me. I think the camera would be fine for somebody who just picks it up every now and then to take a photo but not for someone who will use it most every day. Amazon's customer service was fantastic! They helped me thru the return process from start to finish and credited my account back for the purchase minus a restocking fee (which I thought was a bit odd since the camera stopped working). Overall, I am totally satisfied with their customer service and will absolutely no doubt buy again - just not this camera.

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.

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.

I bought this hoping i would be able to switch this camera on and take a quality picture. That just has not been the case. Hence the two star rating. In fairness, I have almost never taken quality pictures- with any camera, but this one was supposed to change that dynamic. I have a job where I travel to exotic places. I got tired of cell phone pix for fotos of these exotic places and wanted a camera that could take high resolution, clear pix. I have been dissatisfied for sometime, but today I decided to put it to the test. I am in St. Petersburg Russia today. Every time I took a picture with the LUmix camera, I took one with my ratty old Blackberry camera. Without exception the one's I took with the BB are superior to the Lumix pix. One particular gripe, and maybe this is just my camera stupidity, is that when the background is brighter than the subject, the background just becomes a blur. Not so with my BB camera. Some people are using this camera and are happy. I am not and if I could get my money back I would. I do not recommend this camera if you are looking for a simple point and shoot picture taking solution,it hasnt been for me.

Order never received. Lasership provided conflicting delivery dates. Ordered 3 items but received none, and while customer service was polite, it was a bit demeaning. Was told Amazon only stocked the camera case, not the camera or battery. Amazon then offered to re-ship the case, but could do nothing about the rest. Why not just offer a full refund - I had to ask for it. Used a gift card and was told amount would be credited back, but have not been able to confirm that yet. Very reluctant to do any more business with Amazon and would immediately cancel any order if Lasership was used. Currently have $200 in gift cards and am considering re-gifting them, and any others I might receive in the future, but not to a close friend. Camera was ordered to be used at a special occasion, had to scramble to find a replacement quickly. Very disappointed.

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. :)

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.