This compact (4.1 x 2.2 x 1.3"/10.4 x 5.7 x 3.3 cm) and lightweight (6.6 oz/188 g) camera also has Power O.I.S. image stabilization that keeps everything sharp and clear, and Intelligent ISO control/motion detection, and AF tracking for moving subjects, making this one of the easiest cameras ever to use.

There's also Sonic Speed AF and Short Release Time Lag for stunningly fast operation, advanced Face Recognition mode for great pictures of your friends and family, Intelligent Resolution for superb image quality every time, and a panorama assist that puts together photos in-camera for an impressive, ultra wide panoramic photo--even without a tripod! The large, bright 3" 230K-dot LCD makes composing and viewing your images a treat. The ZS8 is ready to serve.

24mm Ultra Wide-angle 16x Optical Zoom LEICA DC Lens

The compact, versatile lens system is the hallmark of LUMIX ZS series and now this lens system is totally redeveloped for the DMC-ZS8 in both optical and mechanical design. The new high-quality LEICA DC VARIO-ELMAR lens system is even more versatile with 24mm ultra wide-angle to powerful 16x optical zoom (35mm camera equivalent: 24-384mm).Comprising 12 elements in 10 groups, including an ED lens and 3 aspherical lenses with 6 aspherical surfaces, this advanced lens unit suppresses chromatic aberration which tends to occur in telephoto shooting effectively. It also boasts a short total length of lens unit despite its higher versatility with longer zoom range, which is made possible by a development of new mechanism for a structure of lens barrel. The lens system is also compatible with high shutter speed of min.1/4,000 sec.

Nano Surface Coating Technology

The newly applied Nano Surface Coating boasts an extremely low reflectance ratio compared with the conventional multi coating to suppress ghosting. With this Panasonic's black box technology, the image delivered through the lens of the DMC-ZS8 has exceptional optical performance with stunning clarity that passes Leica's stringent standards.

Powerful 16x Optical Zoom

The DMC-ZS8 features a powerful 16x optical zoom lens (35mm camera equivalent: 24-384mm). This gives you highly natural expressions from people and animals that you can't get close to. It can also be used for shooting movies, and is designed to suppress noise while zooming. This slim, compact, pocket-sized camera can easily go wherever you do ? for both everyday snapshots and traveling.

24mm Ultra Wide-angle Lens

The 24mm ultra wide-angle lens - rare on a compact camera - gives you a wider range of composition possibilities with approx. 213% larger viewing space compared to that of 35mm camera. The super-high-quality LEICA DC lens minimizes distortion at the wide end.

20x Intelligent Zoom / 33.8x Extra Optical Zoom

Thanks to the Intelligent Resolution technology, the Intelligent Zoom is available with the DMC-ZS8 which extends the zoom ratio by approx. 1.3x maintaining the picture quality even combining a digital zoom. This means the 16x optical can virtually extend to 20x equivalent. Furthermore, the Extra Optical Zoom function that extends zoom power to 33.8x by using the center part of the large CCD to bring subjects even closer.

14.1-Megapixel High-Resolution CCD

The DMC-ZS8 features a 1/2.33-inch CCD with effective 14.1-megapixel high-resolution.

MEGA Burst Consecutive Shooting in Full Resolution

The DMC-ZS8 lets you snap off consecutive shots at approx. 1.9 frames per second in full resolution. You can take a series of shots, then choose the one you like the best and delete the rest. You can also select High-speed Burst Mode or Flash Burst Mode from Scene Mode.

Sonic Speed AF

The Sonic Speed AF system includes numerous re-engineering enhancements, including a higher-speed actuator, optimized algorithms and parallel software processing. The result is fast and accurate AF performance. In addition, the DMC-ZS8 features dramatically speedier focusing that is approx. 49% faster than our previous model. You can quickly focus on moving subjects, such as when you're shooting sports scenes.

Short Release Time Lag

The shutter release time lag is as short as approx. 0.006 second, making it easy to capture sudden, spur-of-the-moment photo opportunities.

Venus Engine FHD

The high-speed, high-performance Venus Engine VI is incorporated in the DMC-ZS8 to enable the recording of beautiful images with higher quality signal processing including the Intelligent Resolution technology.An advanced noise reduction system in the Venus Engine VI applies noise reduction (NR) to luminance noise and chromatic noise separately. As a result, beautiful images with minimal noise can be reproduced all the way up to ISO1600 high sensitivity at full resolution for beautiful night shots or dimly lit indoor shots.

Intelligent Resolution Technology

The image processing technology "Intelligent Resolution*" is incorporated in the Venus Engine VI for the DMC-ZS8.With the Intelligent Resolution technology, 3 areas - outlines, detailed texture areas and soft gradation areas - are automatically detected and optimum signal processes are performed to each area. Apart from the uniform enhancement of sharpness, the innovative technology Intelligent Resolution precisely performs signal processing pixel by pixel in the most effective way for it.As a result, images are naturally clear and crisp.

Battery Life - Approx. 340 Shots on a Single Battery Charge

The energy-saving Venus Engine VI image processing engine and the efficient, rechargeable lithium-ion battery work together to extend the shooting time of the DMC-ZS8. This lets users take approx. 340 shots on a single battery charge.

HD Movie Recording/Zoom in Motion Picture

he DMC-ZS8 can record motion images in high-definition (1,280 x 720 pixels at 30 fps in Motion JPEG format). The pixel mixed readout method enables bright motion-image recording even in low-light settings.The powerful 16x optical zoom is available in movie recording, and is designed to suppress noise while zooming. It is ideal for capturing dynamic video clips of sports action or animals in nature.

POWER O.I.S. (Optical Image Stabilizer) - Shake Detection

Everyone has had an experience of taking a photo at night and hoping to capture all the memories and beauty, only to be disappointed at the poor result. Panasonic has worked on the low-frequency vibration hand-shake component, which is physically generated when pressing the shutter button or when shooting at night with a slow shutter speed. The POWER O.I.S. (Optical Image Stabilizer) nearly doubles the hand-shake correction power of conventional MEGA O.I.S. You get bright photos without blurring even from handheld shooting at slow shutter speeds. The quality of night shots is heavily influenced by the shutter speed. When the shutter speed is raised to prevent blurring, insufficient lighting can make the shot too dark. And when the shutter speed is slowed down to allow more light, hand-shake could occur.In addition to the powerful hand-shake correction of POWER O.I.S., the DMC-ZS8 features the iA Mode, which intelligently determines the best shutter speed. Together, they produce dramatically beautiful night scenes.

iA (Intelligent Auto) Mode

When you don't know which mode will give you the best shooting results, or when a sudden photo opportunity pops up and you don't have time to make any settings, simply choose the iA (Intelligent Auto) Mode and let the camera do it all for you. You just choose the iA Mode, aim at your subject, and shoot. 7 detection and correction functions are simultaneously activated to optimize the settings, so you get stunning photos every time.In addition, the Intelligent Resolution technology is always activated in the iA Mode which results in the clearer and higher image quality in every photo with extended zoom range equivalent to 20x by the Intelligent Zoom.

Face Detection AF/AE with Face Recognition

The DMC-ZS8 features the Face Recognition, a function that "remembers" faces. The conventional face detection system captures a face with focus and appropriate exposure but sometimes it falls not on the face you want to capture most beautifully when there are several faces in a frame. The Face Recognition prioritizes focus and exposure right on the face of your special person. In playback, you can choose to display only photos that contain a specific registered face using the Category Playback.The Face Detection also features the Digital Red-eye Correction (Red-eye Removal). The camera takes care of the red-eye effect that often happens when shooting with a flash, to ensure attractive facial expression.

Scene Mode for Movie

You are naturally supposed to take the same subject in the same situation when you start recording movie while recording photos. So you do not have to set the Scene Mode again for movie recording once you are in the Scene Mode of photo recording. The result is a beautiful movie best optimized for the scene.

Happy Mode/Color Mode

Motion images can also be recorded in the Color Mode. It offers a total of 7 preset effects - Standard, Natural, Vivid, Black & White, Sepia, Cool and Warm. You get unique expressions by matching the colors to your subject and surroundings. In the iA Mode, you can use the Happy Mode to record even brighter colors.

Seamless Slideshows with Photos and Movies

The DMC-ZS8 has many slideshow options for both photos and movies. They help you to recollect memorable moments in seamless, chronological order. You can also select and play only photos, only movies, or only AVCHD movies. Choose whichever slideshow you want.

Lumix Image Uploader

The DMC-ZS8 gives you a new form of communication by letting you share your photos and movies. All you have to do is checkmark the photos and movies you want to share and connect the camera or SD/SDHC/SDXC Memory Card to a computer. Uploading automatically starts by simply following the guidance. Facebook can be used for photos and YouTube for movies. You can join these social networking services without having to install any special software. It's easy to share photos and movies on the spot, which means that your friends don't have to wait for you to come back home to see them.

Included Software

The PHOTOfunSTUDIO 6.0 makes it possible to sort and organize photos not only of those newly taken but also of those stored in your computer with quick start-up and fast read-in of images. The Face Recognition function that recognizes the faces in the picture automatically sorts the photos by the registered faces without picking out each photo one by one when you only want pictures of a specific person.A Panorama Stitch lets you make a panoramic composite in MOV file by synthesizing photos taken in Panorama Assist Mode of the camera. It is also possible to make a slideshow with the selected photos adding music file on.In addition to the LUMIX Image Uploader (a direct uploading function of the camera), you can upload photos to Facebook and movies to YouTube via this software, too.

Intelligent Scene Selector - Scene Detection

When the camera's in the iA Mode, the Intelligent Scene Selector automatically sets the Scene Mode to one of Scenery, Portrait, Macro, Night Portrait, Night Scenery or Sunset. The camera judges it from the various detection results such as focusing and brightness level of the circumstance. You are free from annoying settings every time scene changes when taking images with these most frequently used Scene Modes to get beautiful results even before you know it.

AF Tracking - Subject Detection

Once you focus on your subject, the AF Tracking automatically tracks it until you press the shutter. When you're taking images of an active subject, like children or pets, this function eliminates the need to press the shutter button halfway down repeatedly to readjust the focus. The AF Tracking makes sure you don't miss those once-in-a-lifetime shooting opportunities. he DMC-ZS8 features the Quick AF. Ordinary AF is activated when the shutter button is pressed half-way, while the Quick AF starts operating as soon as the camera is pointed toward a subject. This dramatically reduces the shutter delay time and lets you take images quickly. Its super-fast focus is ideal for capturing quick images of active children and pets. By setting the camera to the Quick AF, images of sudden shooting opportunities won't be out of focus or blurry.

Easy Manual Operation - A/S/M Mode

The DMC-ZS8 provides easy-to-use manual controls. Using the Aperture-priority, which creates a soft-focused background effect or the Shutter-priority that, for example, produces a dynamic rendering of streaming water, you can explore your own creative expression at will. You can set both the aperture and shutter speed, to take beautiful, artistic photos. In this mode, the Manual Exposure Assist function shows how much your setting differs from the setting the camera considers optimal. This serves as a convenient guide for anyone using the Manual Exposure.

View Photos on a Large-Screen HDTV

The DMC-ZS8 can take 16:9 HD (high-definition) quality photos that perfectly fit a wide-screen HDTV for full-screen viewing. You can enjoy slideshows of photos taken with the LUMIX in stunning HD quality by inserting an SD/SDHC/SDXC Memory Card in to the SD/SDHC/SDXC card slot with the VIERA HDTV (VIERA Image Viewer).

Custom Mode

Your frequent setting patterns can be memorized up to three and it can be instantly applied by simply selecting this function with the camera.

Large, 3" 230,000-dot High-resolution LCD

The DMC-ZS8 is equipped with a 3.0-inch LCD with 230,000-dot high-resolution. The big screen reflects fine details, making it easy to check the focus before shooting. It also serves as a small photo and video viewer, allowing you and friends to enjoy viewing the still and motion images together.

Intelligent LCD

LUMIX's acclaimed Intelligent LCD function automatically adjusts the brightness in 11 steps according to the shooting conditions. At the highest of these 11 steps, the LCD backlight becomes approx. 1.4 times brighter than normal. In addition, the AR (anti-reflective) coating LCD minimizes glare and provides clear images, for high visibility even in outdoor brightness.

Scene Mode

The Scene Mode lets the camera make the optimal settings for you automatically, so anybody can take superb photos with ease. The versatile Scene Mode range, which handles just about any situation and subject type, is a major LUMIX feature. And to make it even simpler to use, the icons and display are designed for easy visibility.The DMCZS8 lets you store a frequently used Scene Mode setting in 2 My Scene Modes.

High-speed Burst Mode

The DMC-ZS8 lets you choose the Speed Priority or Image Priority. In the Speed Priority Mode, it can fire off up to approximately 10 frames per second with 3-megapixel resolution, which is highly sufficient for photo prints. This is great for capturing fast-moving sports or racing scenes. You can take a series of shots, then choose the ones you like the best and delete the rest.(Note that the focus and exposure are fixed at the first frame.)

Panorama Assist Mode (Photo)

This is a handy function for aligning panorama photos using the included software PHOTOfunSTUDIO 6.1 HD Lite Edition. The afterimage of each previous shot is displayed, so you can use it to precisely line up the second and third shots.

Select from 4 Aspect Ratios - Newly Added 1:1 Aspect Mode

In addition to 4:3, 3:2, and 16:9, you can now shoot with a 1:1 aspect ratio. This unique square frame adds to your image expression possibilities. The 16:9 ratio produces images that match the aspect ratio of an HDTV screen. Being able to match the aspect ratio to your subject and shooting intent gives you even greater control.

Macro Zoom

The DMC-ZS8 lets you get as close as 3cm to your subject. In addition, when using the Macro Zoom function, you can pull subjects even closer than the closest point possible by using 3x digital zoom, and capture dramatic close-ups.

23-Area AF

When using Multi-area AF, the camera automatically determines the most appropriate AF area from the 23 points. This ensures accurate focusing even for difficult compositions. You can also select the AF setting from five patterns - Face AF, 1-area AF, Spot AF and AF Tracking - according to your shooting situation.

Slideshow with Music

The DMC-ZS8 can play a slideshow with music. Choose from 4 types of music: Natural, Slow, Swing and Urban. Then, select the transition effect to match your music. For musical slideshows created with the included PHOTOfunSTUDIO 6.1 HD Lite Edition, you can choose your favorite iTunes music file as background music and burn it onto a DVD disc as an MPEG2 file. It is also possible to upload the slideshow to YouTube.

Title Edit/Text Stamp

The Title Edit function in the playback mode lets you edit the titles of any photos you want. You can also record information of the place when taking photos in the GPS Mode or enter the birth date and name of your subject in the Baby Mode or Pet Mode. The title, date of GPS information, name, age based on the birth date, and date of shooting are displayed during playback, and can be printed on photos.

Built-in Memory 70MB

Take photos even when you don't have an SD/SDHC/SDXC Memory Card on hand. The built-in memory holds up to approx. 70MB of image data, which you can later copy to an SD/SDHC/SDXC Memory Card or computer. You can also copy images from a memory card or computer to the built-in memory, and view them on the LCD anytime you like. In addition to providing extra memory when your memory card fills up, this is a great place to store your favorite photos so you can view them anytime you want.

Intelligent ISO Control - Motion Detection

The Intelligent ISO Control function in the DMC-ZS8 made possible by the Venus Engine VI, detects subject movement and automatically adjusts the ISO setting and shutter speed to best suit the movement and light conditions. When it detects subject motion, it automatically raises the ISO setting and increases the shutter speed to prevent motion blur. On the other hand, when the subject is still and no movement is detected, it takes beautifully natural photos with a low ISO setting. The Intelligent ISO Control gives you stunning images with ease because there is no need for complicated settings.

Intelligent Exposure - Light Detection

The Intelligent Exposure function increases the exposure only in under-exposed areas by detecting the brightness level part-by-part in the image. If the background includes the sky, which tends to be easily washed out, the camera automatically adjusts the aperture and shutter speed to keep the setting slightly under-exposed to prevent wash-out while brightening the darkened area by increasing the ISO only in that area. If the background of an indoor portrait receives insufficient lighting from a flash and becomes dark, the ISO sensitivity is raised in only the low-lit area to make it brighter without causing graininess in the subject's face. When there is strong backlighting, the background appears nice and bright, but the subject is dark. This function detects backlight condition and compensates it automatically.