Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ18 Digital Camera - Black (8.1MP, 18x Optical Zoom) 28mm Wide-Angle Lens

Amazon Customer Reviews

(5 out of 5)

Best Camera I have Ever Owned...

I was attracted to the camera for its powerful zoom,its high resolution and other features that make the shot more successful (the Leica lens, face recognition software, burst function, stabilizer.
Well, I was overwhelmed, many other features were available to improve the quality of my work/play (recording guide lines, large LCD screen or viewfinder, built-in flash, intelligent automode).
What else can I say, it is a great camera, either as point-and-shoot or great composition with manual settings for the more adventurous with a myriad of gadgets. Did I say the size is just right? Light, compact, yet handles firmly for more steady shots.
I would recommend strongly...

(5 out of 5)

Awsome camera.

I specialise in taking photos of birds and wildlife, and I have been overwhelmed with the results from this camera. SLR cameras may just prove to have better picture quality, but you would be hard pushed to notice.
Lots of manual options available. Why bother with bulky SLR lenses when you can have this camera. In auto mode it is simple and idiot proof. Yes....I`m very happy with it.

(5 out of 5)

Brilliant

I spent months looking through reviews and checking out the Fujifilm S8000, Olympus SP-560 and finally settled on the Panasonic. Fantastic - zoom is amazing, and image stabilisation really works. I was told to buy a tripod but there is really no need, even at max zoom. Fully auto mode is very intuitive and there are virtually zero lag times, as with others. You can do as much as you want too - making it fully manual is a flick of a switch. Batteries are their own, not AA, but don't let this put you off - they last a long time (way over an hour of CONSTANT use so days and days) and are fairly inexpensive when you need to replace them (each should last 4 or 5 years though).

Quality of image is fantastic - much better than what I saw from the above two cameras. Hope this helps your choice.

(5 out of 5)

Absolutely stunning results.

I sold my recently purchased Olympus 550UZ which was only a few weeks old in favour of the Panasonic FZ-18 after reading the reviews and I have no regrets. The FZ-18 is a very versatile camera catering for both beginners and advanced amateurs producing excellent results every time. If I have any criticism I would say that the Olympus has the superior build quality and the FZ-18 is a little "plasticy" and on the light side, but there it ends. The auto focus is precise and accurate in mainly all lighting conditions and the ability for manual control is simple and straight forward if you read the manual. Added to this the excellent OIS anti-shake system is superb even at full zoom in low light. Of course, the Leica lens is as usual, exceptional and in a way makes the camera close to perfection for the price. The other plus for me is the ability to be able to attach filters which you cannot do on the 550UZ.

(5 out of 5)

Fantastic super zoom camera

The FZ18 sits in the increasingly popular "super zoom" category of compact cameras.
Whilst this is not an SLR (and doesn't pretend to be), it offers great picture quality, fantastic zoom and superb image stabilisation.
As a "point and shoot" camera, it's great. Just select "intelligent auto" mode and away you go, everything is done for you.
If you are more advanced, then you can really start to see the advantages of this camera. It has all of the manual tweaks for focus, aperture priority, ISO settings, etc.
There have been some reviews that seem to be concerned with the quality of the pictures in high ISO settings. Well, it is a cause for concern if you are regularly using the higher ISO settings, but for most of us, who tend to shoot in reasonably light conditions, or use the flash, it is not an issue.
Also, software like noise ninja can be used to fix this in post processing.
The fact that the image can be saved in RAW format, rather than just JPEG means that post processing holds a lot more options than most cameras in this price range.
Overall, an excellent camera that lets you get close to SLR quality without getting anywhere near SLR prices!