Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ18 - Expert Reviews

Review summary: This is an 8 megapixel all-in-one camera with a Leica-branded zoom lens with a range of 28-504mm. The lens is image stabilised and is fast, f2.8-4.5. It works as a point and shoot, with face detection, but there is also a full range of user controls, incl

Pros: : The lens is superb. It has true wide angle and a phenomenal telephoto reach of 504mm (film equivalent). The image stabilisation is effective and hand held photos at full extension are possible. Sharpness and contrast are exemplary and focus, even at ful

Cons: The Achilles' heel of Panasonic cameras has been image noise and it still is. However, by reducing sharpness and contrast by one notch and dialling in one step of noise reduction we got clean images at ISO200. The company's claim of usable ISO6400 is absu

Verdict: This is a good camera and shutter lag is almost a thing of the past. If the standard pre-focus procedure of half-depressing the shutter button is adhered to shutter lag is negligible. It is not as responsive as a DSLR, but fast enough to track moving subj

Review summary: This Panasonic digital camera nicely bridges the space between a compact point-and-shoot and an SLR. But, does it include the best features of both?

Verdict: The contents of the Panasonic DMC-FZ18 box are fairly complete. There�€™s the usual battery charger, USB cable and user manual. There�€™s also a wrist strap, an A/V cable and a sunshade for the lens. Panasonic also provides a set of

Pros: Huge zoom, sharp pictures, good noise performance, intelligent auto mode is great for beginners

Cons: Over-sharpening issues, barrel distortion

Verdict: Panasonic's FZ18 is a solid ultra-zoom camera. While the price tag is high, many users would be better served spending that money on an SLR, whereas those after a huge zoom lens and a mass of features along with several beginner-friendly shooting modes ma

Verdict: Stay tuned for more