Lumix DMC-FZ8 lots of noise - is it me or the camera?

[pricephoto]

Hey. I want super clear shots...I would give anything to know of an affordable camera that would give me the kind of clarity I desperately want, but right now all I have to work with is a Lumix DMC-FZ8. It sucks. Or maybe I suck. I don't know. All I know is that I get soft, grainy, noisy pictures probably 95% of the time when photographing people. They're not out of focus because of the detail I get like on a childs waist band but it's just not a sharp photo and it drives me nuts. I'll then try to mask it with a soft focus photoshop feature to make it look like I "planned it that way" but then it looks over processed. Am I doing something wrong with the camera or is it just the camera incapability to produce a sharp photo? I do a majority of my portraits outdoors or occassionally a room well lit with natural light...some will be great, but then most are dull works of shit. Still life photos are good, but moving children and people? it's just not happening!! What can I do to improve using what I have? Can somebody please help me? What kind of camera do I need to make this work for me? What features do I need to look for?

Lumix DMC-FZ8:
Resolution: 7.20 Megapixels
Lens: 12.00x zoom (36-432mm eq.)
Viewfinder: EVF / LCD
LCD Size: 2.5 inch
ISO: 100-3200
Shutter: 60-1/2000
Max Aperture: 2.8

[dlambert]

Can you show us an example image w/ EXIF info (especially the ISO)? I found with my FZ-28 that I really needed to keep the ISO no greater than 200 to avoid getting really noisy photos. This is due in part to the sensor size, which is smaller than your average DSLR sensor, and the tightly-packed pixels are more prone to noise. If you can shoot with ISO limited to 100 or 200, I think you'll have cleaner results.

[taschrief]

Hi,

I used to shoot exclusively with the FZ8. I thought is was a fantastic little camera and actually wish I had kept it. What a great little travel snap-shooter! It was (is) capable of producing very good, even award winning, images. The glass on that camera is actually quite good. I got pictures taken with that camera published. I do agree heartily with the previous poster - you have to stay at ISO 200 or lower.

[dlambert]

We'd love to see some images - can you post one or two?

[3bayjunkie]

The only thing i can think of is the sensor is so small. one of the smallest it's only a 1/2.5" (4.290 x 5.760 mm) compared to a 35mm which is 24 x 36 mm

[oceanswimmer]

I had an FZ35 for sometime and it took some great pictures. However, its nighttime or lowlight pictures were not that great. I think there is just a trade off using a superzoom P&S camera over a DSLR class camera.