Review on Panasonic DMC ZS8 Digital Stabilized 3 0 Inch Camera & Photo by Phillip Hoover

I bought this camera in January 2012 for a planned trip to Ireland in April. The camera exceeded my expectations in every respect. I consider myself an above average camera user with many, many years of experience: Brownie Hawkeye, others Kodak (forgot model, 35mm Petrie 7S, 35mm Minolta SRT 101, switched to Pentax zoom (can't remember model), Olympus Digital to Canon PS now Panasonic ZS8 I was a bit skeptical because my introduction to the Panasonic brand was related to TVs and other consumer products, not cameras, I chose this camera for the powerful zoom and the price, the best of both worlds in my opinion .I introduce myself, more or less, I'll start by stating that I'm not a true technical afficiando. The end result is something that interests me. You can read well-written technical reviews from other Revain staff and other photography publications. I made it ad nauseam only to end up confusing it even more bottom line I seriously doubt there ss you will find a better camera for the price. The Leica lens was definitely a selling point, I'll admit, as was the 20x zoom, wide-angle Leica 24mm lens. Well, as far as using this little tech gem is concerned, the camera has so many "scene" modes that it will dazzle (and distract) you if you try it. It even has a "pet" mode, a "baby" mode, and a "through and through the plane window" mode that was actually on the journey to and from the Emerald Isle, and an "underwater" mode, when you're so inclined. (Be sure to use a waterproof case). There are so many combinations you can try with each scene mode with Auto, Shutter Priority, Aperture Priority, etc. I mostly used auto with and without flash. Be sure to purchase an extra battery (charger and battery included with the camera) and at least 8 GB of memory, class 10, and a screen protector for the 3-inch LCD screen. I used video mode for short cutscenes of birthdays etc, but that wasn't my primary use of the camera. I was so impressed with this camera that I bought a Panasonic Lumix ZS19 from Costco during their Black Friday sale last month. I used it for a few days and thanks to a generous refund from Costco. guidelines, it's back in stock. The ZS19 just didn't match the ZS8, despite the longer zoom and LCD touchscreen. The ZS19 had fewer "scene" modes and didn't come with an external charger. I'm completely satisfied with this camera and I'm sure you will be too if you decide to buy it.