Did not honor warranty
The camera worked very well and took great pictures but then the lens "stuck". I sent it to Panasonic and they claimed that it was damp inside. It was never dropped in water but I took pictures is some very damp conditions. They would not fix it even though it was under warranty.

I would not recommend this company.

Outstanding camera for the price!
I have had this camera (replacing FZ-8) for over a year now, so I can really say I have tested it and found it is the BEST super-zoom camera for the price unless you want to step up to a DSLR with bulky lense collections and pay a fortune for them!
I used it for snap shots during sightseeing, as well as semi-professional photos for architectural and interior design projects (I am a professional interior designer)....I especially like the "wide-angle" lense and the "raw/jepg" setting which can really produce professionally looking photos. The "raw" software included is very easy to use for higher-quality photos.
The newer FZ-28 model basically is very similar to FZ-18, so it should be a good choice if you can get a good price....highly recommend it!

little warrior
I will not sit here and dissect this camera from top to bottom, that is what the manufacturer's manual is for. I will say this, I have had an absolute blast with this camera. From portraits, panorama's and my forte macro world. This is a great bridge camera and I highly recommend it. If you are considering buying this camera don't hesitate, buy it and enjoy.

A great camera for all but the professionals!
This is my third superzoom camera and it is wonderful. The outdoor shots are perfect, indoor shots are great and even the indoor pictures in lowlight using the zoom (these are the toughest to get good results) come out very acceptable, and the video is as good as it gets. Its not perfect but what is. There is some shutter delay using the flash in the auto mode (just like most digital cameras), and you can't zoom while taking a video. The video zoom has been resolved with the new FZ28.

I have owned two cameras in the Canon S series of superzooms and was very happy with them, but I like this even better. Before you buy this model check out the FZ28 - it has some improvements that may be important to you. However, if there is a significant price difference, I am sure you will be pleased with the FZ18.

Works great with only minor problems.
I'm a tech teacher for a high school and I've worked with lots of different cameras and the Panasonic Lumixes have always been my best buys for the price range. My students love the built in zoom lens (no need to change lenses on the run) and they feel like they're using something more sophisticated than a basic point and shoot. You also get a large number of pictures on one battery charge even if you constantly use the LCD. The only cons I've found are that they have problems indoors with low artificial light. If you don't watch what you are doing you end up with a lot of yellowed images. I often have to adjust the white balance and iso settings. You can't beat the Lumixes if you're trying to buy a versitile camera with zoom for under 0.

I like take photo with my new carmer the picture come out relt nice and clear
I buy my camera to take picutre for the church i go to so
for the picture come out nice I realy like kodax Easy share

GREAT CAMERA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hi,
I already own a camera just like this one and love it. Bought this one for my son, plan to buy one for my daughter later for her b-day. Only thing missing on this model is the stablization, but can do with out most of the time. It's a great camera and I love using it. I get really great photos and can zoom up on the image alot and still get great quality!!!! I looked at the newer cameras, but I wanted a viewfinder to look through and some of the newer models don't have a viewfinder, which drove me up the wall.
Love this camera!!!!!A+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Kodak Easyshare DX7590
I conducted several tests against Canon and Nikon lenses. I don't know how or why but the Schneider KREUZNACH Varigon came out on top! The low pixel count requires working-around, but no big deal.

One of Kodak's best models ever!
I live in a small town and am kind of the resident camera expert and have bought digital cameras online for about 25 people. I have owned this model of Kodak camera (twice, in fact - have now upgraded to a DSLR) and have bought it for about 5 of my friends. It is a great camera. It takes very sharp, clear outdoor photos with excruciating detail. It does a better job than most, indoors with a flash. Very vibrant colors. It's quite fast and has good flash range and recharge time. It has 10x optical zoom which isn't stabilized, but I never had any problems with blurring, even at maximum zoom range (granted, I am quite good at holding a camera steady).

Kodak has one of the easiest to use menus in the business and this one is no exception. I am also a fan of the joystick design which makes navigating a "joy". This camera is practically indestructible. It seems to be faster and takes better photos than the newer models that Kodak has put out lately (z712, a612). I even liked this model better than the P850 which is supposed to be their professional model, but it is much heavier and doesn't have anything on the dx7590 in the performance department. I keep recommending this one to people over and over again. I only held back one star because of the grainy lcd (the photos are never grainy - just the screen) and very slight amounts of softness in some images - which is very typical of Kodak. Overall, it's one of the best cameras I've owned - and I've tried almost every brand and model out there.

It's interesting to me how a camera company can get some models right and others are not so good. This one was a winner.

OK Camera, Horrible Battery
The camera takes very good pictures, but the overall size makes it cumbersome to carry around. In the two years I've owned it, I brought it with me less than I would've for a smaller camera with worse optics. On hikes it is pretty much impossible to bring along because it's too big to fit in some day packs.

And after only having this camera for two years and using it sparingly, it will not work now because the camera electronics will not fully charge the battery. Purchased replacement batteries, which are specific to this camera, but these will not fully charge either. For the price of the camera quality control should be significantly higher, buy a Canon, or something that will let you use standard sized (AA, etc.) batteries at least, instead.

DO NO WASTE YOUR MONEY
Buyer beware. I thought this was such a great camera for a short time. It took great pics at first. Then the thing started not focusing and not taking the picture when I depressed the shutter button. Because of frustration in never getting a picture or if so it was blurry, I just stopped using it. Today, after having decided it was not right to have wasted this money, I read tons of reviews online of people with the same problem. This is obviously a defect, but as I just called Sony about it, they are saying "no, no problems, defects, or recalls. That will 4.00 to repair." Seriously folks, find a different camera or you WILL more than likely have the same issue!!!!!! Read all of the reviews you can find!!!!

Buyer Beware
An otherwise nice piece of equipment is ruined by it's Achilles heel...the shutter button switch. I suspect that everyone with an H series camera has a problem, many may not even know it. I have had it twice. The first time the camera would only take pictures intermittently, but it did take pictures. Sony fixed the bad shutter release assembly. My research indicated that one of the less obvious signs of a problem is that the auto focus does not work when the button is pushed 1/2 way. That is the issue I have now. When I push the button fully it will focus and take a shoot, but I can't set the shot up the way you are supposed to. Sony will fix it for about 0.00. I said no thanks. Of course consider this: many have had the shutter button simply disintegrate. I guess I am one of the lucky ones?

Worth the money
I've owned this camera for 2 years and I've taken well over 7,000 pictures with it. It was my very first digital camera and my introduction to "real" photography - I don't think I could be any happier with it!

Why only 4 stars? Because I'm a tough grader and I'm not the ideal customer for this camera. A dSLR would have suited me better but that was out of my price range at the time. The Sony DSC-H2 did everything I wanted when I first got it but it is not designed to be upgraded and diversified with good quality lenses as your skills and creativity grow.

There are so many good things about this camera that I'm going to start off with the bad.

Cons
- fairly poor scaleability, this camera is great for someone who wants a point and shoot with a HUGE zoom range but it is poorly suited for someone who plans on moving to an SLR. It doesn't have a hot shoe so you can't add a flash. The lens adapter is a standard size so you can add screw on type lenses but they all reduce image quality.
- size, it's a big camera for a point and shoot, a camera bag is a must. But it's too small for my hands (but the dSLR Rebel series are small in my hands)
- ergonomics, the buttons are small and I have to use my finger nail to push them. Some functions are poorly thought out (manual zoom is almost impossible to use)
- what's this about a shutter button problem? I havne't had it but I've read about it... thought I should at least mention it.
- poor low light performance, ISO noise at 800 and slow max aperture of F/3.5
- slow flash cycle time
- lens adapter and lens hood create flash shadow (both must be removed for close up flash shooting)

Now for the pros
- price, awesome camera for the money (paid 0)
- image quality, outstanding with sufficient light
- adjustability, it has all the settings found on a dSLR (ISO, aperture value, time value, full manual, presets. +/- exposure
- video (poor quality but you can record hours and hours on a big memory card
- ease of use, this was my first camera and I was shooting from the moment I got it
- accepts regular AA in a pinch
- 12x optical zoom with image stabilization, you'd could spend well over 0 to get a stabilized zoom lens (excluding camera) and you still wouldn't have the range of this little unit!!
- plug and play, USB connectivity, JPG right off the camera, can print striaght from camera with the right printer

Conclusion - this camera is awesome for the right person. This person could be a soccer mom type who wants a no fuss camera that can capture goals from across the field. A grandparent who wants a capable camera that anyone can use for close up portraits or wide open vistas. A student who wants a capable camera to record their life but doesn't intend to develop artistic photographic skills.

Who this camera isn't for:
If you're a creative type who finds yourself holding the camera at your feet or above your head then I recommend finding a model with an articulating LCD. If you're getting into photography and you want a camera that will grow with you then get a dSLR. If you want a camera to stick in your pocket go buy a compact point and shoot. For everyone else, consider this camera.

As for me? I had it, I loved it, but I've grown up. Now I'm sinking over 5x this camera's price into a Canon 40D and lenses.

Excelente cámara
Hace más de un año que compré la DSC-H2 y aun me parece que la compra fue buena. Esta cámara permite a los amateur practicar con distintos tipos de fotografías en diferentes ambientes, lo cual la hace muy versátil. Por supuesto no es un modelo para llevarla en el bolsillo ya que es un poco voluminosa y eso pudiera incomodar a la hora de tener que llevarla consigo. Una parte buena es que usa pilas AA normales o recargables lo que permite estar que el usuario no se quede sin baterías ya que se consiguen en cualquier parte. En cuanto a la calidad de las fotos son muy buenas y uno puede elegir la calidad de las mismas. Cuando uso distintos tipos de exposiciones, resulta una experiencia muy buena debido a los resultados que se pueden obtener. Si la memoria lo permite, se pueden grabar varios minutos de video, pero pero en este caso la calidad de las películas no es muy buena y es por ello que considero que no es perfecta, sin embargo cuando necesito videos, la uso aunque se que me debo cuidar de ciertas tomas en las que la cámara no responde como uno quisiera, de todas formas la recomiendo ampliamente si el interesado quiere buenas fotos y algo de video. Si compra una cámara de este tipo, y no es un usuario experimentado, le recomiendo buscar en cualquier librería especializada, libros de fotografías y verá que muchas cosas y trucos que se indican en esos libros, los podrá ejecutar sin ningún problema.

Beautiful camera but be forewarned
I love the quality of photos that this thing lets you snap out. Range of focus can get a little annoying if you're a chronic macro mode user (as I am), but it's still beautiful.

I'd give it 5 stars except for one little detail: that darn shutter button. I went into this purchase knowing full well that at some point, that little button would come off. 8000 photos in... yep there it went, right in my hand.

You can still take photos by jury rigging it with a paperclip, but it's a little hair-raising to worry about potentially warping the auto-focus (Which is what I hear is going to be the next part to die), but it's doable.

The replacement part will cost and if you want it priority shipped, for some reason it's another . >.< The box for the button is, no joke, a foot tall (the button's half the size of a dime, mind you. Did it NEED that much protection??).

So yeah, wonderful camera. Beautiful image quality, giving many lower-end DSLRs a run for their money. Bad button design.

Kodak Easyshare Z712 Camera
I've had this camera since 2007 and am extremely satisfied with the pictures it takes and ease of operation. I have read so many complaints about it eating batteries, I had to comment on this problem. If you buy an equivalent Kodak Li-lon charger and battery at a site like BestBatt.com, you will be able to take many photos. I've never counted how many as I bought two batteries and swap them before they run down which is recommended for this type of battery. The charger runs .50 and the Li-lon batteries .88, plus shipping. When I went on vacation for 2 weeks, I took pictures the entire time without having to recharge the battery.

Can't recharge batteries
The camera is incapable of recharging its own batteries and kills AA batteries in less than a couple hours of use, so add another 0 to the cost as you will need a charger and a pair of rechargable batteries in order for the camera to fuction.

Customer service is unknowledgable, unhelpful, and at times even deceiptful. Over the first year of use, I mailed the camera in three times for repairs. The first time they performed their usual clean-and-return treatment. The second time they kept it for two weeks and mailed it back untouched (a fact that they confirmed during later phone calls). They never conceded that the unit was faulty and never replaced the unit.

I will not buy Kodak again.

KODAK EASYSHARE Z712 IS DIGITAL CAMERA 7.1MP
I love this Camera. Has all the features i need and takes great photos. The 12x optical zoom is great for getting in close on distance subjects.
Easy to opertate has many settings. Gives me clear photos with it's image stabilazation feature. Has a fast shutter and good size LCD. 7.1 MP is all most need rather than spending extra money for larger MP. Larger MP are only necessary for Poster size prints anyway.

Probably the most useful digital camera under 500$
I Purchased this camera 18 monts ago for work. I photographed critical elements of a hazardous waste clean-up which aided in the release of a facility 30 photos have been published with no need of touch up I have only blown two of 4'867 photos holding a little long on the button-the camera resets quickly enough for anothe shot, that alone sets it apart. Low light level is excellent the zoom is good enough even dummied down to e-mail levels to read fine print on lables. if I could have one thing better it would be batteries (not the cameras fault) the more pics you store the shorter the battery life!

easy share Z712 digital camera
seller was quick, honest, fair. camera is a described and works fine. seller got it here fast and responded to my emails quickly. i would have no hesitation buying from this seller again. i love the camera and service was excellent.

After 15 months...
After 15 months and several thousand pictures I am very happy with my FPs700. I use it as a point and shoot camera (I have no special photography experience) but it has advanced features also. I was able to capture hundreds of photos of my dogs puppies. This gave me a great album of memories and also allowed me to upload photos to the internet to find them great homes. The camera has performed as expected and has shown me excelent results for my needs. I chose this larger camera to allow me to better to grip it. It looks and feels like a profesional camera. I have had great battery life. I am using Radio Shacks 1.2v, 2100mAh batteries I purchased with the camera. I very infrequently need to recharge them. I use the LCD display and very often the flash and have never had to change the batteries mid-shoot. I took action photos of the puppies that turned out great. The shoot speed (from shoot to shoot) is not too bad (about 2 secs with the flash). It also has a sequential shoot feature that works ok. I use a SanDisk 4gb SDHC card and use that to transfer pictures from the camera to the computer using the included software. Other photo software, like Picasa, works also. I find the resolution, using it as a point and shoot camera, to be adequate for my needs. The photos I take with the FPs700 is as good as any photo I took using various 35mm film cameras (only I can take hundreds of extra pictures with the digital camera). I can take clear pictures that can be zoomed to see more detail. I do have one problem; there is a spec of debris on the lense below the outer lense. This only shows up on dark backgrounds but it can be seen sometimes. There seems to be a gap between the outer lense and the lower assembly!? I have tried to get to the lower lense but have not been suscessful yet. I have always kept the lense cover handy but the design is just prone to this. I was very fortunate to have been able to purchase mine at Radio Shack for 0.00 March, 08'. A great price for a great camera. I personally would have to reconsider at 0.00 though. When I purchased my camera I was in the less that 0.00 range.

Fuji S700
Great camera for a point and shoot... (read the mannual)learn the manual side of the operation for what this camera can do. the finepix photoshop is lame. I down loaded picasa 3 (free download) works great with this camera. but try to keep the long shots on the optical side of the zoom.for better results later. I could go on and on...one of the biggest things is I take it with me and get the shot... with out lugging a back pack full of lenses around. take time to get to know the camera its alot for the money. I see the price has gone up.... use the view finder instead of the display... saves the batteries ....easyer to see and set up the shot.

Great camera and I got it as referbished
This is a great pre-DSLR camera, it is a point and shoot with a little more muscle and girth and great accessories, I don't have any yet but have been reading about them, hope to get a couple of lenses soon. I gave it only 4 stars because I have not tested/played with all the features but I am having fun doing so. I have added a few photos some of my gecko Gator I really enjoyed. I really recommend this camera and I hope to get a DSLR in a couple of years and hope this will help me get used to it.
If anyone has any suggestions for me please leave a comment.

Very Impressed!!!!!!
This camera is the best for its price. Plain and simply this camera is awsome!!!!! It does go through alot of batteries though.

fugifilm finepix s700
this is the best i've ever used and just ordered one for my daughters birthday. 5 stars from me

he won't contact you and it will be late
I was very disappointed with this seller. Immediately after order (10 minutes), I realized this camera used AA batteries and I did not want it! Amazon said it already "shipped." (obviously it didn't since it arrived on the last day of expedited shipping (7 days later). This guy, Will, did not answer any of my emails (I asked if he would consider cancelling or offering me another camera choice--even if he couldn't do that he could have answered one of my emails).
The camera arrived late with a note that said he was sorry, he was "in finals." He included a 1 gig SD card (what are those, B0007GIXR4.99?) as my solace.
The camera did finally arrive (too late to present the gift it was supposed to be. The camera, itself, is fine for what it is. His price was less than anyone else, but next time I won't go for a savings.
I would never order from this guy again since if something were broken, I would not expect him to do anything about it. If you want your order quickly, as you would expedite from rush shipping, don't use him.

Best camera I ever purchased
I have owned this camera for a few years now, and its the easiest, and best camera I have ever used. Its easy to point and shoot, fast to open and ready to shoot, uses low power and is rugged enough to travel anywhere.

I highly recommend this camera to anyone, and would buy one again!

Better than great for everyday.
This is a great little camera for everyday use, I love it; goes everywhere with me. The picture quality (9MP) is fantastic, and I like the macro and zoom performance. As close to SLR you can get, IMO. If you are looking into serious photography, this will not do. However, fabulous camera for the price!

A Strange Animal
I'm a huge fan of Fuji's sharpness and color reproduction (at least to my eyes)but as many of the reviews have stated it has its problems too. It has a pretty big CCD compared to many of the other cameras in its class which a huge plus. My biggest complaint with this camera is with the Flash, and its kid of silly. A pop up flash is Okay but there is no Flash on/off feature so if I want to disable the flash during a shot I have to push the whole flash back down. The write time and flash recycle is one of the slowest I've seen but there aren't too many occasions where I can't wait. I'm not sure if it is just my camera but it seems to have some "quirks" such as the LCD going from Bright to Dark, I don't know if it's a power saving feature or what. I was also disappointed in the fact that it didn't have an scene modes other than Portrait, Sports and Night. I don't use them too often but they can be useful to other people who just want to take a picture (e.g. My wife). At least it has a Manual Feature.

If it weren't for the lack of the Flash on/off feature and it's quirky behavior, I would have given it another star.

A good walk-around camera
This compact camera was announced on July 28, 2005 for Fuji's 2006 catalog, and was dropped from their 2008 catalog. That was a long run for a compact model camera. Fujifilm has moved on from it's E-series, and none of their current compact models offer a configuration comparable to the E900. At the time of this writing, remaindered E900 stock is still available on the Internet for around 0, less than half its original retail price. A contemporary camera model with a similar, albeit more fully featured, configuration would be the 12 MP Canon G9, at about 0.

The nine megapixel "Super CCD" featured on this model caused a minor sensation when it was announced. This sensor is still being used in the Fujifilm S9600 model. Super CCD sensors are unique in that their pixels are arranged diagonally, rather than horizontally. This reduces aliasing along diagonal lines (and supports pixel-doubling in Photoshop's ACR).

I considered purchasing this camera when it first came out, but opted instead for a dSLR model. But, now I wanted a compact walk-around camera for a project where a dSLR kit would be too much baggage. The E900 again came under consideration. I was attracted by these features:
~ RAW capture capability (I prefer to shoot everything in RAW).
~ 2xAA battery power is cheap, lightweight and long-lasting (e.g., Sanyo Eneloop).
~ The high ratings for the E900 I read on internet camera review sites.
At just over nine ounces, batteries included, this camera fit my requirement for portability. It is too big to fit in my shirt pocket, but I avoid putting precision instruments in shirt pockets.

Compact cameras are trending toward ever-smaller (including hi-res cameras in cell phones), while dSLR cameras are incorporating more consumer features, like "live view," image stabilization and face recognition. I guess I am becoming a digital Luddite, because Minox-sized cameras do not appeal, nor do SLR cameras laden with techno-froufrou. Offer me a camera with extended dynamic range, higher sensitivity and greater resolution, and I am listening. A camera that pays expressway tolls has some other consumer than me in mind.

The RAW capability of the Fujifilm E900 is seriously under-supported by the manufacturer, to the point of being counterproductive.
~ Selecting RAW capture requires drilling deep into the setup menu on the camera.
~ The RAW developing software included with the camera provides no image adjustments and outputs TIFF files at only 8-bit tonal depth. This obviates all(!) the value of RAW capture.
~ The exposure bracketing feature is not available in RAW capture mode.

I shoot RAW because I process all of my images in Photoshop, where RAW images, with their 12-bit tone depth, accommodate much greater image manipulation before tones start to degrade. Also, using Adobe Camera Raw (ACR), I can optimize white balance and realize another f-stop of dynamic range.

I appreciate that most camera users would not find RAW capture to be of value. Photographers using this camera are likely to use 0 software to adjust their images, which typically functions at 8-bit tonal depth. The extra image data captured in RAW cannot be used by these programs. It makes sense, therefore, that Fuji has dropped RAW support from their current models, except for their Pro dSLR and two high-end "bridge" models.

Here are the compromises/limitations I have discovered so far, comparing images from the E900 to ones from my dSLR:
~ Noise in the shadows. Pixels can't decide what color they are.
~ Color noise. Again, pixels can't decide what color they are.
~ Chromatic aberrations (colored fringes along high contrast edges. I can compensate for some of this when I make my adjustments in ACR).
~ Range of f-stops is limited (f-8 is the highest value).
~ Macro setting works only at the widest focal length, producing "big nose" distortion.
~ The tiny pop-up strobe is only good for fill flash, and even then only at close range.

The camera has a big hunk of chrome bling on the grip, giving it the look of a '58 Roadmaster. On my camera, I covered it up with a piece of gaffer tape.

I am surprised and delighted by the resolution of this 9-MP compact camera when compared to my 8-MP dSLR, considering the glass used in each. I appreciate that I can get immediate exposure feed-back on the image I just shot, including a histogram and flashing pixels to show saturation. (I have uploaded an image illustrating this to the gallery for this camera.)

I am happy with this camera for the purposes I intend.

Sony is not a good camera maker
I have owned 7 cameras so far although the first four were film cameras that were no longer used. I bought this Sony Cybershot DSC W80 a year and half ago after reading all the good reviews. To my disappointment, it suddenly stopped working a month ago. For unknown reasons, after it was turned on, it would not allow any bottons to function. I checked for repair - will cost over 0 by Sony! I could not believe a camera should stop working in such a short time!!! All my other 6 cameras are working fine, the oldest is a Nikon I bought in 1981. I will never buy a Sony camera again. Sony afterall is not known for cameras!

Worst Sony Camera Thus Far
This is the 3rd Sony camera I've purchased (P93, H5, W80), but IT WILL BE THE LAST.

I bought this Camera approximately 1 week before my wedding to carry with us on our honeymoon. We were gone for 2 weeks and a week after we got back I started to notice Dust behind the glass over the rear LCD panel. I carried the camera in my pocket every day for approximately one month and I was seeing dust.

I called Sony who instructed me to take it back to BestBuy (where I made the purchase). I did so and they sent it out to get repaired. When I got it back it looked great, for about 2 months...

I then called again and explained that there must obviously be a defect as this is the second time within the first few months of owning the camera. They said they'd gladly take a look at it but they couldn't do anything such as exchange it for another one, or give me credit to buy a different model without looking at it first. This made perfect sense to me so I sent it off.

A few weeks later I get a phone call from the repair facility explaining that they can't do anything because they are a "complete repair facility" and there is a minor dent in the top of the camera. I'm aware of the dent but it's microscopic. I have no clue how it even got there and I even get them to admit it has no affect on the camera whatsoever. Still no luck and they wanted 5 to repair it. NO THANKS!

When I got the camera back I cleaned it myself using a microfiber cloth and an eye glass repair kit since they wouldn't even do that. I have pictures of the process and intend on writing up a how-to guide on my blog. This all happened about 6 months ago. Since then it's been relatively fine until about 2 weeks ago when the memory card/battery door broke off.

This camera has easily been THE WORST I've owned. I wish I had pictures available of the amount of dust I found inside once I decided to operate myself.

I would like to say, when there was no dust inside the camera took phenomenal quality pictures for a compact, despite the lack of manual controls.

I would NEVER RECOMMEND this camera to anyone. The build quality is absolutely HORRIBLE.

Very pleased ..........
I have owned this camera one year this christmas and have had very good luck with it I would recommend it to anyone who wants a excellent pocket camera to catch all of lifes little moments.
_ Robert

Great outdoor camera, terrible indoors!
I bought this camera May 2008 after my previous Sony W1 was stolen. I needed a replacement quickly so I didn't do any research or read online reviews. (I had owned 2 previous Sony cameras, so I was confident I would get a good product.) I was a little skeptical about the smaller compact size, but on the first day I owned it I walked outside and took a few shots of my landscape (very colorful, as I have lots of flowers) and I was pleased. Kept it the rest of the summer, taking mostly outdoor (poolside & landscape shots). I also fell in love with it's small size, making it a dream to carry in a pocket or purse. I found a small zipper cover at Staples that fits it's perfectly (for only , compared to Sony's soft-case). It wasn't until we had a family gathering in the fall that I realized the down-side of this camera. Most of the indoor pictures are grainy & just not very crisp. The camera struggles in lower light conditions, even in a moderately lit room. If a flash is used, faces look white & washed out and eyes are always red. Of course, editing eyes is always an option, but this gets old when you have to edit every single indoor photo you take. However, I'm still a fan of Sony cameras, so I'm trading this one for a more expensive model. I'm hoping the DSC-H10 or H50 will make he a happier camper! Again, if you just need to take outdoor shots, like on your job or something, this is a fantastic camera. If you need good clear pics of people indoors (like weddings, dinners, parties, etc) DON'T count on this one.

Do not buy this Camera
I got this camera last year to replace my Canon SD10 which i loved and i still love becasue it works better than this new DSC-W80. It takes blurry pictures, shutter is too slow and its just a piece of junk. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone! and trust me there is no operator error, i owned many cameras and i know how to take a picture.

This is simply a great camera.
I've been interested in photography for a couple of years now and have been trying to learn as I go. I bought this camera because I was looking for one with a good amount of optical zoom and I found it at a great price. I wish such lucky things happened to me every day! Starting out with this camera after using simpler point and shoots was a bit challenging, but after playing around with it for just a few days, I was taking great pictures before I knew anything about all the advanced settings. The really great part about this camera though is that, as I'm learning more about photography and how to get the shots I want, I'm realizing that this camera can do a lot of the things I'm reading about in books about DSLRs. So, in summary, this is a great camera for someone who doesn't know much about photography, but wants to advance to higher levels.

(A note: I think mine is an FZ8-K, but I couldn't find it in the list of Panasonic products. Not sure what the difference is...)

want a perfect picture?
This camera is worth buying for one feature alone: the OIS (optical image stabilization). It has a 12x optical (not "digital") zoom. That means you can stand far away and still snap a very clear photo. If you can hold your hands still enough, that is. With this camera I am able to snap the "stealth" photos I like, not just the ones from four feet away when people pose. You can get really good photos of people just being themselves, unaware they are being photographed. All of the other features are what you would expect for a camera like this, all high quality. The feature that makes this camera worth the money, though, is the OIS.

Simple to use
I am not a photographer by any means. I was looking for a simple and easy to use digital camera with a telescopic lens at an inexpensive price. I looked and compared cameras all over the internet and in stores. This camera is simply a dream. While it has many different camera settings for absolutely great pictures I just typically leave it in the automatic mode, focus my shot, and let the camera do the rest. Superb pictures but the only thing I do not like is the lens is frozen when you take video. It doesn't zoom in or out. If you purchase a 4 GB card you'll be able to take up to 1000 still photos and an 8GB over 2000 stills before you need to download.

Loaded With Features, But....
What happened to the price? I bought mine about two years ago for a little more than two hundred dollars! Maybe it's the "K" designation following the FZ8. Still, if one's going to buy this camera, it's loaded with great features. The stablization feature works very well and the camera's zoom is breathtaking.

The CONS of this camera include a very inaccurate white setting that makes using it on "auto" risky. Also, despite its zoom capability, I find that wide angle capability is far more useful than telescopic! Most digital cameras have distortion in both wide angle and telephoto, but the Panasonic comes with software that can help correct it.

For 5, this camera would be just about right. For over five hundred, take a hike and find something else!

a wonderful camera
I have Panasonic DMC-FZ8 for 2 years now. I LOVE it!! It comes with a great battery that could lasted a whole trip. I bought it with me with on two of my trips to China. During each trip, I took around 400 pictures, and afterward it still had a bar of juice in it. Moreover, it has an awesome zoom feature that could be equivalent or better than some of the SLR camera. The image quality during daytime is great. A little grainy at night, other than that it is truly an amazing beast.

This is simply a great camera.
I've been interested in photography for a couple of years now and have been trying to learn as I go. I bought this camera because I was looking for one with a good amount of optical zoom and I found it at a great price. I wish such lucky things happened to me every day! Starting out with this camera after using simpler point and shoots was a bit challenging, but after playing around with it for just a few days, I was taking great pictures before I knew anything about all the advanced settings. The really great part about this camera though is that, as I'm learning more about photography and how to get the shots I want, I'm realizing that this camera can do a lot of the things I'm reading about in books about DSLRs. So, in summary, this is a great camera for someone who doesn't know much about photography, but wants to advance to higher levels.

(A note: I think mine is an FZ8-K, but I couldn't find it in the list of Panasonic products. Not sure what the difference is...)

want a perfect picture?
This camera is worth buying for one feature alone: the OIS (optical image stabilization). It has a 12x optical (not "digital") zoom. That means you can stand far away and still snap a very clear photo. If you can hold your hands still enough, that is. With this camera I am able to snap the "stealth" photos I like, not just the ones from four feet away when people pose. You can get really good photos of people just being themselves, unaware they are being photographed. All of the other features are what you would expect for a camera like this, all high quality. The feature that makes this camera worth the money, though, is the OIS.

Simple to use
I am not a photographer by any means. I was looking for a simple and easy to use digital camera with a telescopic lens at an inexpensive price. I looked and compared cameras all over the internet and in stores. This camera is simply a dream. While it has many different camera settings for absolutely great pictures I just typically leave it in the automatic mode, focus my shot, and let the camera do the rest. Superb pictures but the only thing I do not like is the lens is frozen when you take video. It doesn't zoom in or out. If you purchase a 4 GB card you'll be able to take up to 1000 still photos and an 8GB over 2000 stills before you need to download.

Loaded With Features, But....
What happened to the price? I bought mine about two years ago for a little more than two hundred dollars! Maybe it's the "K" designation following the FZ8. Still, if one's going to buy this camera, it's loaded with great features. The stablization feature works very well and the camera's zoom is breathtaking.

The CONS of this camera include a very inaccurate white setting that makes using it on "auto" risky. Also, despite its zoom capability, I find that wide angle capability is far more useful than telescopic! Most digital cameras have distortion in both wide angle and telephoto, but the Panasonic comes with software that can help correct it.

For 5, this camera would be just about right. For over five hundred, take a hike and find something else!

a wonderful camera
I have Panasonic DMC-FZ8 for 2 years now. I LOVE it!! It comes with a great battery that could lasted a whole trip. I bought it with me with on two of my trips to China. During each trip, I took around 400 pictures, and afterward it still had a bar of juice in it. Moreover, it has an awesome zoom feature that could be equivalent or better than some of the SLR camera. The image quality during daytime is great. A little grainy at night, other than that it is truly an amazing beast.

Poor Picture Quality
The more I use my TZ3, the less I like it. I cannot take a picture on a nice sunny day without having vertical lines across the horizon. This renders the image useless. Pictures taken using the flash are either totally washed out or they are underexposed. Quality of images taken with low light levels are also poor. This leaves a limited range of lighting conditions where a decent image can be taken.

Based on my experiences I would not recommend this camera. There are many positive reviews on Amazon so perhaps my camera is simply defective. I have contacted Panasonic and they will not help me because my camera is out of warranty.

We have several older digital cameras including a Kodak and a Canon and they do not exhibit the problems that I have encountered with the TZ3 so I know that what I am experiencing is not normal for digital cameras.

I'm at the point where I will soon pitch this camera into the garbage and buy a new camera. However, I doubt that it will be a Panasonic Lumix.

Zoom in on Poor Picture Quality
I was, am and will always be a die hard fan of Canon cameras. The photo quality on this Panansonic did not live up to my expectations based on previous Canon film and digital cameras I have owned. The 10x zoom in such a small camera body is attractive, but I wound up selling this camera to a friend who thought it was a good deal. Stay true to Canon!

My favorite camera!
This is SUCH a good camera. I bought it but someone dropped it in water and it broke, so the guy bought me a Canon camera. I just sold it and bought this one again, because it is sooo incomparable. This camera is so user-friendly and takes such great quality photos! I had no problem at all with the seller - the camera came really quickly and in great condition. I'm so happy with this purchase!

Not good for action or low light - otherwise very nice
Starting off with the bad - unless you use the flash indoors, the pictures are rather dark, or blurry, if anyone, including you, move too much. Taking pictures of my kid's soccer and basketball games were really blurry unless they were basically standing still. The good about it is a great wide-angle and telephoto lens in a small package. Great battery life, nice LCD screen. Good menu's and the buttons on the camera get to common fuctions fast. Overall, a nice point and shoot with a great lens.

I love this camera!
This camera's 10x zoom is totally amazing! This camera cannot be beat and it's easy to use!