Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ18 - Expert Reviews

Review summary: Digital SLRs may be making all the headlines but rumours of the death of the compact camera have been greatly exaggerated. Panasonic's latest super-zoom revitalises the category with a mighty 18x optical zoom

Pros: Excellent telephoto lens, Good all-round image quality

Cons: Not the fastest

Verdict: This Panasonic is as much about quality as it is raw power. Images from the 8MP chip are simply superb, making this a safe choice for anyone looking for a competent, all-in-one back-up

Review summary: Panasonic takes the optical arms race to another level with the massive 18x zoom lens on board the DMC-FZ18

Pros: Excellent telephoto lens, Good all-round image quality

Cons: Not the fastest

Verdict: It can use face detection, adjust the ISO and even activate the image stabiliser for you - although we'd recommend simply leaving this turned on all the time

Review summary: If you're shopping for a new digital camera you basically have two options: pick up a toy shooter that can't grow with you; or plunk down a grand for a fancy digital SLR and face its huge learning curve. But there's a third way that's better: The Panasoni

Pros: Takes awesome pictures. Very easy to use. The 18x zoom doesn't sacrifice detail. Great software package with flawless panoramic stitching.

Cons: You can't use the zoom option when playing back video with audio on the LCD screen, which caused us to miss the loud 18X version of a seal chomping on a companion's nose. And the audio coming out of the speaker was a bit tinny.

Award: Recommended!

Review summary: With a huge 28-504mm 18x zoom and optical image stabilisation, Panasonic's new flagship is hard to fault

Verdict: The Lumix FZ18 is a very nearly the ultimate super-zoom camera, with good performance and handling, an excellent range of features and a simply astonishing lens, made usable by an equally superb image stabilisation system. However it falls just short of g

Review summary: Shoot from far, like from a real long way away, with the latest megazoom from Panasonic.