Panasonic DMC-FZ18 Review

Overall Rating

Versatility. Wide angle lens (28mm equiv). 18x optical zoom. Good ergonomics. 2.5" LCD screen. Huge range of settings. Manual setting. Anti-shake circuitry. Flexible for the serious amateur, yet simple point-and-shoot for the beginner.

Some people will not like the size of the camera, but if they want a pocket camera they shouldn't be considering "bridge" cameras anyway. Some noise in pictures taken in low light situations. Screen does not rotate or pull away from camera body, which would have been very useful for overhead shots (but do you take a lot of those?)

The Panasonic DMC-FZ18 camera provides the serious amateur with a near-perfect bridge between a pocket-sized compact camera and a full-size single lens reflex camera - still beyond the budget of most amateurs.

Easy to use, intuitive when it comes to learning, and with instructions on screen if you're unsure of anything, this is a great camera to learn about photography. You can set the camera to "Intelligent Auto" and it will do everything itself, providing you with more than adequate pictures. All you have to do is zoom in or out and compose your shot. But there are lots of other possibilities, including settings for babies, fireworks, sunsets ... Plus aperture priority and shutter priority.

Featured recently on QVC, where it was demonstrated very well, the camera can now be bought on the net for around £260 or even less. At that price, it is a bargain.

I actually tried combining the 18x optical zoom with the 4x digital zoom, using the "P" setting, and from approx three metres took a full-frame shot of one lily stamen, with astonishing quality.

The problem of noise in low-light shots has been a minor problem for Panasonic, including their top FZ50 camera. They have gone some way to improving this for the FZ18. In fact, I recently took some evening shots of a misty landscape, and the noise actually helped to create some atmosphere in the shots.

Burst mode, self timer with various delays, auto or manual focus, anti-red-eye flash, lens hood, lithium-ion battery, electronic viewfinder and large LCD screen, clear on-screen menus ... all help to make this a comprehensive camera suitable for all but the professional - and even s/he might find this camera very suitable as a back-up.

Members' Comments ondroopsnout's Review

• Bernard M on 12th Apr 2008

  I found this review helpful because I am seriously considering this purchase and am worried about the noise at higher ISO settings.

• droopsnout on 27th Apr 2008

  The camera was recently available for £149 from QVC's outlet at Warrington. Had I lived anywhere near, I would have gone to buy a second one as a gift.