Comments about Panasonic Lumix DMC-FP8 Digital Camera (Black):

I bought this camera to replace my wife's older Lumix FX series camera as a compact point-and-shoot. The specs are very nice and the price was right, but I was decidedly underwhelmed by the physical design of this camera. The build quality is significantly poorer than any other Lumix I've handled, and sturdy build is generally a strength of the Lumix line. I'd hoped the internally-focusing lens would make for a more rugged camera, but the back of the casing is all plastic, negating whatever durability benefit you might get from not having a telescoping lens. The control buttons are plastic and feel flimsy, and light up garishly bright. The glass is very nice indeed, but won't be that way for long, as there is no lens covering of any kind, not so much as a manually-removable cap. Compounding this problem, the lens sits barely 2mm recessed into the body, very high up on the left side of the camera. This makes it very natural to put your finger right on the lens, especially for lefties. While an owner would no doubt train themselves out of this, you'd still get a finger on your lens every time you handed the camera to someone new. The flash is positioned right in front of the shutter release, so your natural inclination when gripping the camera with one hand is to put a finger over the it, diminishing the power of an already under-powered flash. The image quality is very good, but not great-- lots of noise once you get much above ISO 200, and some dynamic range issues.

It seems Panasonic created this camera by simply taking the guts of the shockproof/waterproof Lumix TS1 and simply replacing the ruggedized casing with a slim plastic and alloy one. The result is a camera that is neither here nor there, it retains all the design sacrifices made for the sake of creating a nice ruggedized camera, but sheds the ruggedness. I returned it, even for the price I expect much a more thoughtful design from Panasonic.

Comments about Panasonic Lumix DMC-FP8 Digital Camera (Black):

This camera is an absolute gem and the best overall of all the point and shoot camera I've ever had. All test images to date (indoor, outdoor, flash macro etc.) are very good. Button layout/functionality (I personally don't like touch screens), speed of operation, movie capability (HD) and image stabilization are excellent. Research on this product prior to purchase proved correct. There is only 1 neg - the small thin rectangular shape makes it essential to wear the wrist strap at all times as it is easy to drop. My version of the perfect shape is my 5 year old Casio exp505 which is also an exceptional camera with a micro SLR form and which I would buy again if it was updated to current technology levels and the rotatable LCD screen increased slightly in size.