Performance
The FZ18 gives images that are crisp and vibrant. Exposures are well-handled and colours are rich and natural, although dynamic range is not as wide as we'd like, leading to some blown-out highlights. The huge lens shows almost no sign of distortion, even at the wide end.
Normal burst mode explodes out of the block with 2 frames per second -- for four shots. Switching to unlimited burst mode is more satisfying, filling a 2GB SanDisk Ultra II memory card in one go by snapping for 6 minutes and 32 seconds and showing no signs of stopping. That's an overall 1.5fps, although a faster card and a shorter time spent leaning on the shutter would probably yield 2fps.
We expected noise to be a problem in low light situations, as the enormous zoom is saddled with an average-sized sensor. When noise threatens, you can cap the ISO speed by setting a maximum that still allows the camera to alter ISO level according to circumstances. A maximum of ISO 800 combined with Panasonic's excellent mega OIS system and unobtrusive noise reduction can rescue images in so-so light.
The option to shoot raw footage does allow some control over noise and noise reduction in post-processing with the bundled raw software. However, we found that the FZ18 produced crisp, well-controlled JPEGs and raw files were more useful for aesthetic adjustments than rescuing tainted images.
Conclusion
The Panasonic DMC-FZ18 is one of the two more expensive 8-megapixel 18x superzooms along with the Olympus SP-560UZ. The Fujifilm S8000fd weighs in at £200 but doesn't shoot raw. The FZ18 certainly justifies the expense with its dSLR-style controls, excellent image quality and myriad of features.
Edited by Jason Jenkins
Additional editing by Shannon Doubleday
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TAYLORMILLS 24 December 2011
Good: all
Bad: nothing
Comment: all very good
alan furness 14 September 2008
Good: 18x zoom
Bad: Nothing
Comment: Just purchased my Panasonic fz18 in june this year and took it on my family holiday to Florida. The 18 x zoom was perfect for the animal parks when you wanted a picture of an animal that was just a bit too far away. Have got all my holiday photos on my pc now to enjoy my mamories, thanks Panasonic
NervousEnergy 5 June 2008
Good: RAW shooting, excellent anti-shake, fantastic long range optical zoom, wealth of features.
Bad: Noise readily apparent at mid-ISO levels, hard to get the hang of for beginners.
Comment: After I smashed my old Canon pointNshoot, I was in desperate need of a camera that had a good zoom range, and a variety of options. There was no way that I could afford a dSLR camera, and I felt that I had gone beyond a simple pointNshoot.
So, I looked into what has now become known as 'bridge' cameras; which combine the quality of picture and control over features in a dSLR, and the affordability and portability of a smaller pointNshoot camera, without all that mucking about with extra lenses, which can often add a few hundred pounds to your expenditure (though of course, optional lenses are available for most bridge cameras).
The Panasonic DMC-FZ18 had some raving reviews on the web, so I finally decided it would be a worthwhile purchase. Thankfully, I was so so right.
Of course, one of the most touted features of this camera is the extraordinary large optical zoom lens, which can reach up to 28x optical on lower resolutions, and 18x optical on the normal resolutions. You would think that with such a huge zoom that shake would be a massive problem; but amazingly it is not. The Panasonic's anti-shake feature is definitely the best I have ever come across on a camera of this caliber - I was able to take a clear picture on the maximum zoom, using no tripod, on a windy day.
Image quality is also very very good, the camera sporting a nice megapixel range, with colours that come off as quite accurate. As with most cameras, the Panasonic comes with very many scene modes, plus the Intelligent Auto mode general mode; which detects the scene type and adjusts the settings accordingly. The iA mode does well 80% of the time, and yet for that final 20% I often find that the images can become too overexposed, or have colours that are slightly off. iA mode is also limited to JPEG, without having access to the RAW mode, which I must say was a key feature that I wanted in a new camera. Therefore, I would recommend that you stick with the huge variety of different scene modes which should cover most environments that you find yourself in.
Another great feature is that this camera comes with pretty much full control over aperture, exposure, and shutter; including the general Aperture and Shutter Priority modes, and Manual and Program modes. Disappointingly, this camera has a limited open shutter time of just 60 seconds, and not a bulb mode.
The video mode was also quite a disappointment, as although it recorded video in very good quality, you are unable to zoom in or out, without first stopping the recording, zooming in, and starting it again.
The camera has a good design, quite like that of many dSLRs. The screen is large and clear, and there is too an electronic viewfinder. Buttons are placed sensibly, and feel high quality. You may notice a little joystick to the right of the display; which gives an added dimension to navigating through menus; which can be a great help. The mode selector wheel is prominent and sturdy, making a satisfying 'click' when it is turned to the next mode. The battery/card plus the external port covers are again strong, and probably won't snap off without some considerable effort. The camera is also surprisingly light, and fits comfortably in your hand when taking pictures.
Some of the only drawbacks I can see with this camera is that the medium-sized sensor can produce visible noise results, even at lower ISO ranges. To help combat this, I recommend downloading Imagenomic's Noiseware free Community Edition, which can tackle noise very effectively. Also the manual is huge; just a tad smaller than a novel, and it is not exactly user friendly. Therefore I recommend a thorough read of it before you begin to start using some of the more advanced features, especially if you are a newbie to these types of cameras.
But in all, this camera is excellent. It provides great pictures, and enough features to rival the lower-end dSLRs, an outstanding zoom range, and a good long battery life (though I
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