Panasonic SZ8

Panasonic SZ8 is Panasonic's Small Sensor Superzoom camera originally released on January of 2014. The camera houses a 16MP, CCD 1/2.3" size sensor with a full resolution of 4608 x 3456.

The SZ8 places at #197 out of 244 in Small Sensor Superzoom cameras & overall #876 out of 1465 for digital cameras in our list. Please check our Smart camera finder to get camera listings based on your customized factors.

Below is a diagram of various factors used in the rating system.

The Panasonic SZ8 is part of a family of digital cameras. You can read the complete list below.

You can view the SZ8 from various angles in the gallery underneath.

Here is a collection of benefits and drawbacks of the Panasonic SZ8 based on features that are usually regarded as necessary in a camera.

The Panasonic SZ8 houses the Venus Engine processor. The sensor spec on the Panasonic SZ8 is 6.08mm x 4.56mm (1/2.3"). The 28 mm² sensor can capture 4608 x 3456 pixels with aspect ratios of 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9. The camera features Image Stabilization (Optical). In body stabilization is preferable than digital stabilization since the latter might produce cropping.

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The CCD sensor has 16MP and delivers a native ISO range of 100 to 1600. The ISO can be extended digitally to a maximum of 6400. Sadly, RAW photos are not supported so you have less room to maneuver in post.

The image below illustrates the SZ8's sensor size when compared to other common sizes. The SZ8 sensor has a crop factor of 5.9 and is displayed in green.

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To get a sense of various aspect ratios, you can refer to the visual below.

Panasonic SZ8 weighs about 0.35 lbs (159 grams or 5.61 oz) & the size of the camera is 100mm x 60mm x 27mm (3.9" x 2.4" x 1.1"). The weight of average Small Sensor Superzoom camera is 387 grams and the Panasonic SZ8 is less heavy compared to other competitors.

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Below is a photo of the Panasonic SZ8 next to a soda to help you to get a feel for its size.

The top view directly below will show the button layout on the SZ8.

The SZ8 features an inbuilt lens giving a focal range of 24-288mm making it a 12.0 x zoom which is not significant nevertheless it would certainly be invaluable in certain cases.

At it's widest 24mm, it features an aperture of f3.1 making it quite sluggish and not the best for low light occasions and you will find it difficult to get a shallow depth of field. You will likely also need to up your ISO producing noisy photographs. Towards the long end, 288mm is outstanding zoom and comes at f6.3 making it quite sluggish and you would have to utilize slow shutter speeds.

The SZ8 has the following connectivity:

• USB Yes
• Wireless Yes

Digital cameras that contain NFC and / or Bluetooth compatibility can easily be controlled wirelessly with smartphones. You are able to copy pictures and in some cases alter camera settings without the hassle of connecting directly with the camera.

A few apps also provide a Liveview and release the shutter if you are not close to the camera. If the camera contains a HDMI port, it could be hooked up to an external screen. A lot of cameras will allow you to charge the battery pack through the USB socket.

The highest possible video quality on the Panasonic SZ8 is 1280 x 720 and you can save in Motion JPEG format. 720p is terrible for today's standards. You really should shoot for a minimum FUll HD quality for good video. The body does not offer a microphone and / or headphone jack so you get zero control over the sound. It is probably a better idea to shop for an alternative camera should you want better sound for your video clips.

There is no environment proofing for the Panasonic SZ8 so you have to be careful in rainy and dusty conditions.

The Panasonic SZ8 is equipped with a 3" fixed screen with a resolution of 460k dots.

Please be aware that the screen has no touch support.

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The ViewFinder specifications for Panasonic SZ8 are the following:

• ViewFinder None

Viewfinders are really handy in bright outdoor conditions which can easily make the camera display washed out and hard to see.

Panasonic SZ8 can shoot continuously at 1.0 fps. The maximum shutter speed is 1/2000 sec.

Panasonic SZ8 features just built in flash lacking external flash support.

Panasonic SZ8 features only Contrast Based Auto Focus & doesn't have Phase Detect Auto Focus. Phase Detection autofocusing is a lot more faster and exact compared to Contrast Based autofocusing. The camera supports Face detect which can be handy for portrait photography.

The Sensor supports 9 focus points to select from. Panasonic SZ8 has not got manual focusing. Manual focusing mode can be good in low light or you want to have more accurate control on focusing.

The battery life for the Panasonic SZ8 is fashioned to last for 200 clicks with respect to the CIPA benchmarks making it less as compared to it's rivals. The average Small Sensor Superzoom camera battery life is 316. Fujifilm HS35EXR offers the best (600) battery life in this class of cameras.

Following is a collection of Small Sensor Superzoom cameras having the strongest battery life:

ModelVisualizeBattery LifeRAWNFCBluetooth

Fujifilm HS35EXR
SZ8 vs Fujifilm HS35EXR600 yesnono

Nikon B500
SZ8 vs B500600 nonoyes

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Nikon L840
SZ8 vs L840590 noyesno

Panasonic FZ200
SZ8 vs FZ200540 yesnono

Leica V-Lux 4
SZ8 vs V-Lux 4540 yesnono

The following graph indicates a summary of the Panasonic SZ8 for various styles of photography. To find out more, scroll to the specific paragraph below.

The Panasonic SZ8 has a rating of 35 which is lousy, meaning that it is simply not suitable for portrait photos. Photographing portrait photos leans heavily to sensor size, RAW support plus the flexibility to work with off-camera lighting.

Coming in at a nice score of 63, the Panasonic SZ8 is a good fit to buy for street photography. A decent street photography camera gives a perfect balance of image quality plus portability.

A lousy sports photography rating of 34 suggests the Panasonic SZ8 is simply not suitable for taking pictures of sports. A camera needs excellent tracking plus continuous shooting for sports photography.

Portability is super crucial in buying a camera for travel. All round, the Panasonic SZ8 gets a above average 67 for a travel camera which makes it a fine choice to buy for your trips.

If you find yourself looking to purchase a camera for landscape photographs, the biggest aspect will be image quality. The Panasonic SZ8 and it's lousy grade of 42 as a landscape camera is simply not suitable among it's competitors.

A vlogging camera preferably should come with a articulating display screen, microphone port and if possible IBIS. Taking all things into account, the Panasonic SZ8 is simply not suitable for vlogging as it comes to a lousy score of 32.

If you are in the market for alternatives to the SZ8, here is a collection of the highest rated cameras which fall under the category of Small Sensor Superzoom.

The line graph just below offers you an overview of the SZ8 versus it's top ranked competitors listed above.

Here are a few more cameras you might have a look at as alternate options. To see a detailed comparison, simply click on the "compare" link.