Got a new camera DMC-LZ8, anyone have any tips?

[olds97_lss]

Well, I finally broke down and bought a new camera. A panasonic DMC-LZ8.

Seemed to not be too bad of a camera for $150. Got a nice deal on a 4G high speed card as well to take full advantage of the 30fps the camera offers for RC vids.

Just asking to see if any one has any general setup tips that seem to work for RC's and other general photo's.

Most of what I take is close up stills of RC's and RC vids. With a few group family shots and stupid pics of the cats... yes... cats.

This one has a not too bad quick shot mode that will snap off pics until you release the button. Decent 8MP resolution and 5X zoom with optical image stabilization for both vids and photo's.

 

[Rolex]

Sounds like a really good deal for that price. The best I can suggest is just take lots and lots of pics, just to get used to the features. If they don't come out you can delete them. It's more a matter of feeling at home with it, rather than make multiple settings the way it was with 35mm SLRs.
You just need to know when to use auto, or when to set the flash or the red eye feature. The beauty of these digital cameras is knowing instantly if you have a good pic by seeing the result on the screen.

 

[olds97_lss]

Yeah, that's what I was thinking as well. Lots of useless pics just to figure out what works ok for what I do.

 

[BZBOARDCO]

My wife and I recently bought a canon Xti rebel and have no freakin clue how to work the features on it...lol We ordered one of those "Books for Dummies" on the camera so hopefully we can figure it out.

 

[olds97_lss]

I felt the same when I cracked open the manual for mine... then I found the "quick setup guide" and all was well. Although, I have a feeling I'll never see the half of what my camera can do. But hopefully the half I do figure out is better than what I've had so far.

At least it does DVD quality vids at 30fps. That was the primary reason I got this one. That I did figure out! Now I just need time and effort applied to take some bashing vids. Supposed to rain all weekend. Maybe next weekend... (sigh)

 

[CharliesTheMan]

I'm getting ready to buy a Canon 40 D. A guy that I work with is kind of a semi pro photographer, and it's amazing what he can do with that camera. He we to Books-A-Million and bought a text book for a photography class that explains how to set up photos, lighting, different effects, exposure, all that stuff. Once you understand that, it's a lot easier to read the manual for the camera and learn what to do. I will be getting the book next week. I'm so tired of not being able to take a decent photo of a rig that I've worked so hard on. If it takes $10,000, years of education, and being my single focus in life other than RC's, I WILL take a good picture of one of my RC's when the build is completed.