Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ18 Digital Camera Review

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ18

Digital Camera Review

Oct 25, 2007 - By Emily Raymond
2.4 The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ18 aims to be the camera that has it all: a wide 28mm angle for photographing group portraits and architecture as well as the power of a long 18x optical zoom lens. With a lens like that, this 8.1-megapixel Lumix stands at the top of the ultra-zoom market alongside the 18x Olympus SP-560UZ and Fujifilm FinePix S8000fd. The Panasonic FZ18 boasts full manual control and a host of automated modes, RAW and JPEG image capture, and a $399 price tag.
Advertisement
Latest Camera Reviews
DSLR Point & Shoot
Olympus
E-P1		Sony
Cyber-shot DSC-TX5
Nikon
D300S		Samsung
TL500
Pentax
K-X		Casio
EX-FH100
Nikon
D3000		Canon
PowerShot A3100 IS
Canon
EOS 7D		Fuji
FinePix HS10
Recently Viewed Products
Pentax
Optio W30		 $170
Top Point & Shoot Cameras
Max Price: $1050
$0 $262.5 $525 $787.5 $1050
Filters
All
Canon
Casio
Fuji
Kodak
Nikon
Olympus
Panasonic
Pentax
Samsung
Sony
All
Compact
High-End
Pocket
Ultra-Zoom
1.Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX1
Ultra-Zoom		$420
2.Canon SX1 IS
Ultra-Zoom		$500
3.Panasonic DMC-ZS3
Compact		$229
4.Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ35
Ultra-Zoom		$400
5.Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX7
Compact		$350
Lumix DMC-FZ18 Prices
External Reviews
Popular Photography
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ1

Likes
- Manual controls
- Great videos
- Wide, long 18x lens
- Accurate colors
- Great resolution
- Effective face detection
Dislikes
- 207k LCD resolution
- Optical zoom nonfunctional in movie mode
- Poor audio
- Ugly noise apparent above ISO 200
- Inconsistent AF in low light

Conclusion
The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ18 is much improved from the FZ8. It has more resolution, a longer and wider 18x optical zoom lens, and adds features like face detection. The Panasonic FZ18 outperforms its predecessor in almost every way. Its pictures have much more accurate colors and greater dynamic range. The FZ18 retains some of the best aspects of the FZ8, such as the optical image stabilization. These improvements, particularly in image quality and performance, make the $399 price well worth it.

Overall Impressions Page 10 of 13 Sample Photos Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ18 Digital Camera Review Navigation    
Advertisement