DMC-FX8 Ultracompact Digital Camera

O.I.S and improved stamina makes this a highly flexible camera in all situations.

July 2005 (HWM) by Andrew Chan - Last year, Panasonic's Lumix "FX" ultracompact digicams (the FX5 and 7) took the market by storm. Competitive manufacturers were left scratching their heads as to how an optical image stabilizer (Panasonic's MEGA O.I.S) was crammed into their frames of such small proportions, while their sales teams lamented as buyers voted for them with their wallets. The Lumix FX cameras subsequently displaced the mighty Canon Digital IXUS range as the best selling ultracompact digicams in Japan and several other Asia Pacific markets. Today, this five-megapixel Lumix DMC-FX8 is the latest in the family.

The FX8 looks almost identical to the FX7 that it replaces. It has the same high quality, full-metal construction with a satin texture, the same Leica lens, the same button placement and large 2.5" LCD monitor as well as menu interface. It even has the same sensor and resolution! The key difference in the FX8 is its improved "Venus Engine PLUS" processor that is not only faster, but also more power frugal. Panasonic claims that it only consumes 70% of the power that the previous Venus Engine II does. The new 1150mAH battery of the FX8 is also significantly fatter than the 710mAH one in the FX7. The nett effect of the lower power consumption of the Venus Engine PLUS, as well as the increased battery capacity give the FX8 a CIPA rating of 300 shots, which is above average for an ultracompact and twice the stamina of the FX7. The FX8 also has a few new preset scene modes of which "Baby" and "Soft Skin" tickled us the most. "Baby" can have the age of a baby subject calculated and overlaid on photos while "Soft Skin" simulates a soft focus filter for portraits.

Though Panasonic claims that the new FX8 Venus Engine PLUS is about 50% speedier than the already-fast Venus Engine II processor in the FX7, we could not perceive much difference between the two models. The FX8's startup time was just under two seconds, which is average for cameras in this class, and so too was zooming speed. However focus acquisition was barely perceptibly faster than the older model, and shutter lag was similarly instantaneous between the two generations. The FX8 produced highly similar photos to that of the FX7. Exposure was good with colors that were bright and punchy. Turning on the O.I.S really helped to stabilize the lens in handheld shots using a slower shutter - like night scenes or low light situations, but at the expense of a small amount of graininess (noise) in the photo - a very small price to pay for sharp handheld shots in such situations that would otherwise turn out blur.

All in all, the FX8's greatest strength over its predecessor is its battery stamina, and this is important considering that cameras with such large LCD monitors consume a lot of power. Nevertheless, it is also the latest model in the Lumix range that continues unchallenged as the only ultracompacts to boast optical image stabilization technology.

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