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

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Product Features:

• Extras: Power sources - Lithium battery pack (7.2V, 710mAh) - battery life for 400 photos AC adapter (input: 110-240 V AC) / Other features - PictBridge Venus Engine III MEGA O.I.S optical stabiliser Automatic intelligent mode Scene modes: soft skin, food, reception, candlelight, fireworks, starry sky, aerial photo, snow, high sensitivity, baby1, baby2, underwater, sunset, pets / Size - 112.5 x 72.2 x 79 mm / Weight (in grams) - 310
• Video: Video mode - Yes, with sound / Video Sequence - 640 x 480 at 30 images/sec. / TV Output - NTSC or PAL video output / Webcam - No / Computer InterFace: Port - USB 2.0 / Wireless function - No / Compatibility - PC and Mac / Included software - LUMIX Simple Viewer, PhotofunStudio, Studio developper SILKYPIX 2.1SE, ArcSoft PhotoImpression, ArcSoft PhotoBase, ArcSoft Panorama Maker
• ISO range - ISO Auto, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1250, 1600 High sensitivity mode: auto (1600-6400) / Aperture and Shutter Speed - f/2.8-8 (wide-angle); f/3.1-8 (telephoto) - from 1/2000 to 60 s 2 or 10 s self-timer / Flash (built-in) - Built-in flash Flash modes: auto, red eye reduction, forced, slow synchro Flash adjustment: from -2 to +2 EV, in 1/3 increments / Storage: Image formats - JPEG / Memory Card Type - SD, SDHC card, MMC / Included Memory Card - No / Internal Memory - 27 MB
• Optical: Optical Viewfinder - 0.44" EVF electronic viewfinder - 188,000 pixels 100% coverage / LCD display - 2.5" polycrystalline LCD screen - 207,000 100% coverage / Macro Distance - 1 cm / Normal Distance - From 30 cm upwards / Optical Zoom - 18x Optical construction: 11 elements (including 3 aspherical lenses and 4 aspherical surfaces) in 8 groups With additional optical zoom: up to 28.7x (2 megapixel resolution, 4:3 format) / Digital Zoom - 4x
• Type: Type - Bridge / Pixels: CCD - 1/2.5" CCD sensor - 8.32 megapixels (including 8.1 effective) / Resolution (in pixels) - 3264 x 2448

Customer Reviews:

• 
  2008-08-04
  By surfer pete, Suffolk, UK.
  I bought the Panasonic FZ18 camera from Amazon about 6 months ago, in preference over the: Sony H9, Canon S5 and equivalent Olympus models and I've been very impressed with the camera. I felt the Panasonic had the best overall specification; lens and range of controls, including Raw file format support.
  
  The Panasonic is a fairly light camera, but feels well made (in Japan) and is mainly textured plastic with some metal fixtures. The screen and menus are bright, clear and it has easy to use controls and battery life is good too.
  
  Some critics might say the camera doesn't perform as well as an SLR and suffers from noise/grain in the images at higher ISO settings. Ok, they have a fair point, but like most cameras the FZ18 performs better in brighter light and at lower ISOs. The super-zoom FZ18 also saves you from having to carry a `bottle-bank,' full of SLR lenses around and that makes it a lot easier on the wallet too.
  
  The stabilised Leica 28-504mm equivalent lens is excellent and produces crisp, vivid and generally well-exposed pictures and I haven't noticed any major purple-fringing around high contrast subjects. The standard auto-focus options are fine and the camera has manual focus options for trickier subjects too. The 18x optical zoom allows you to get great shots from quite a distance and you can always use digital zoom too.
  
  The scene modes help out if you're in a rush, as do the Intelligent Auto mode, macro and face detection options, and there are always the full manual, aperture, shutter and program modes available if you need more control.
  
  You can shoot JPEGs, Raw or both formats simultaneously with the camera, unlike some of the competitor's models. The Raw mode is good and although the supplied SilkyPix software takes a little while to get used to, you can get some nice results.
  
  Of course, it's worth getting a spare battery etc, but I found Panasonic and major retailer's accessories to be a bit pricey (£40 for a battery), but Hama do some good filters and a replacement battery for around a tenner on Amazon and they work just fine.
  
  Overall, I'd say I've been happy with the camera, especially that Leica lens, and it's allowed me to get great shots I would've otherwise missed with other cameras, so it's a model well worth considering...
  
  
  
• 
  2008-08-06
  By panasonic lover, Scotland
  Fantastic camera, the colour in your photos brilliant, I've just returned from holiday a few weeks ago and took my camera with me on a helicopter tour. Wow!! when i printed my photos out they were really clear and the colours were true and outstanding. I would say this camera can take as good and as clear a picture as any DSLR.
  
  
• 
  2008-08-14
  By M. Phillips,
  Have had this camera for a couple of weeks now. It is the first bridge camera I have owned, but I have to admit it takes stunning pictures even on the IA mode. I have experimented with some manuel settings which seem to be complex, but menu system is logical and with a camera book have been able to produce some interesting results that wern`t half bad (half bad due to my curent skill level, not the camera!). I spent a long time looking at several bridge cameras and in the end it came down to the FZ18 or the Sony H50. Opted for the FZ18 in the end due to the very positive reviews on almost every camera review site on the internet. I`ve been told that `Steve`s digicams` is an excellent site for reviews and Steve really rated it: "The Lumix DMC-FZ18 continues their tradition of offering outstanding shooting performance, excellent image quality, loads of useful exposure settings, and a Very powerful zoom range (with O.I.S.), all packed in a stylish shell. This camera will make a great choice for anyone in the market for a versatile 8-megapixel digicam."
  
  Although obviously not in the same photographic league as Steve, I would echo his review and highly recommend this camera to anyone looking to step up from point and click and get into more advanced photography techniques. Top camera with a low price (as usual) from Amazon.
  
  
• 
  2008-08-15
  By Saffron, Buckinghamshire, UK
  I finally took the plunge and bought this after months of reading reviews on various cameras. I wanted something that could be used as a point and shoot, but that also had the potential to allow my budding photographer husband to be more arty. this seemed to fit the bill nicely.
  
  I am not disappointed, it takes excellent pictures. I am probably not the best person to give you technical details, being a bit of a technophobe, but it really is excellent. very good battery life, and the battery doesn't take long to charge. The burst feature is great fun to use, especially when taking photos of our kids on Sports Day, and the high resolution makes the images pin-sharp. The face recognition makes you feel a bit like you are looking at the world through Terminator's eyes, but it is useful to know that you have got everyone in the frame.
  
  We took it on holiday, and it was great - light enough to carry around without feeling dragged down by it, and it fitted into my handbag as well. Most of the time we kept it on the Auto Intelligent mode for the sake of spontaneity. We did have to buy a 2GB memory card, as our old one would only carry about 30 photos, but you can reduce the resolution if this is an issue.
  
  On the whole I am really impressed - it is relatively simple to use, looks like a serious bit of kit, and is the great half-way point between a point and shoot and an SLR. Exactly what I wanted.
  
  
• 
  2008-08-17
  By Image Creater, Manchester, UK
  I debated for ages about whether to buy a digital SLR (such as the EOS 400d) or a 'bridge' camera such as this one. After reading many reviews and asking myself what I really wanted a camera for - I opted for the FZ18. I've had the camera for about 2 months and so far I am delighted with it! The menu system is straightforward to navigate (I've never used a Lumix before) and the range of manual settings is vast if you like to 'tinker.' The instruction book is clear and provides hints and tips for getting the best shots from each creative mode. The camera feels solid, looks stylish and is pretty responsive. Of course, the highlight is the lens (28 - 504 mm equiv.) which opens up so many new photographic possibilities compared to the 4x optical zoom I had previously! In summary, if you are looking for one package (rather than an SLR with several lenses) that provides a wealth of features to explore, you will probably be happy with the Lumix FZ18!