Customer Reviews

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ18S 8.1MP Digital Camera with 18x Wide Angle MEGA Optical Image Stabilized Zoom (Silver)

5 star:		(40)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

PLUSES:
Price; Size; 18X Optical Zoom (Up to 28.7X available); Leica Lens; Numerous "Auto", "Manual", "Mode" settings; 2 Image Stabilization modes; "Joy Stick" control; RAW mode; Good battery life.

MINUSES:
Fixed LCD Display (see comment); Universal Lens attachments not compatible (see comment); ISO noise (see comment).
Summary: (Edited December 18th by mighty18) When traveling on those exotic places where the Point and Shoot (P/S) cameras fail to capture the shots but you don't want to lug a full sized SLR with all the lens attachments, this is the PERFECT camera.

I learned this lesson last year while touring Ha Long Bay in Vietnam. From the cruise boat, I was not able to shoot the amazing scenery with the 3x zoom of my P/S camera. It was limited to mostly up close shots.

This year I debated over getting the SLR (Nikon D40x; Pentax K100D Super) or the Canon S5is (comparable to the Panasonic DMC-FZ18 but with a 12x zoom)).

I settled for the Panasonic for its price, features, and the Leica lens.

FEATURES:
At first glance, this camera seems to be void of functions due to its 'lack' of buttons when compared to the Canon S5is. This is because it uses a very user-intuitive JOY STICK control that allows you to navigate to all the various settings of a menu in a particular shooting MODE. (Each mode has a different available menu settings).

While in China visiting historical sites, with its built-in WIDE LENS, I was able to take shots of entire buildings/structures within a confined space. The 18X OPTICAL ZOOM with the LEICA LENS and IMAGE STABILZER with fast auto-focusing proved to be the main star of this camera. Images were sharp.

NOTE: At 4.5 MP (mega pixel) settings the zoom can be extended to 23X (see photo) and at 2.5 MP to 28.7X. I am not a fan of 'Digital Zoom' but it enables it from 72X to 115X.

The BACKLIGHT feature came in handy when shooting against the sun was the only option.

It has a HIGH ANGLE LCD display feature for those "over-the-crowd" shots, although it's not as effective as the swivel-tilt type found on the Canon S5is, it was helpful.

Expert reviews stress its weakness of high ISO noise but I found it to be adequate for my 4x6 prints. Unless you plan to print large images you should not find this to be a major issue.

Besides JPEG, it also shoots in RAW mode that allows you to edit your images on a professional level. (The included software is easy to use). You can customize your settings to shoot in JPEG or RAW and in different resolutions.

Moving pics were also of high quality but I use a 'stand-alone' camcorder for that purpose.

Overall, I'm more than satisfied with this little compact that packs a big punch.

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NOTE ON UNIVERSAL LENS ADAPTER RINGS/ATTACHMENTS:
You may find many merchants selling Adapter Rings that "fit" the DMC-FZ18. I called one to get the assurance that they really fit and was given a positive 'Yes'. So I ordered the adapter ring, 3 filters, a telephoto lens, and a wide lens.

The items arrived and I promptly screwed in the Ring and mounted the telephoto lens then the wide lens. The merchant wasn't lying. They all fitted nicely.

Only when I powered off the camera I realized the problem. If you notice the design of this camera, the lens retracts deep into the sheath when in the 'off' mode. Any lens attachments like the telephoto and the wide lenses would cause the unit to 'jam' as they are obstructed by the sheath. (Luckily, I was able to return all for a refund).

The ONLY adapter ring that prorperly fits this camera is the Panasonic DMW-LA3. (The included adapter is only for the hood and should not be used for other attachments).

Despite not using any additional Zoom or Wide attachments the camera's native 18x zoom and 28mm wide angle provided all I need.

This is my 4th Lumix Camera. Each year a few more goodies are added. I Photograph mainly nature, birds and animals etc. This new model has not only wide angle and macro capabilities but grabs a wopping 18X with image stabilization. The Leica Lens is excellent.My previous models have been passed onto my two Daughters.Within 2 weeks my oldest Daughter had her first picture, a beautiful sunset printed in a newspaper.The wide selection of Scene choices give plenty of opportunities for experimentation.yet the camera can be used as point and shoot by a beginner.The Movie mode has been improved from previous models but still zoom is set at moment of movie start Don,t be wary of this camera because the price is lower than the highly advertised models.It is a good beginner and moderate experience camera. The reason I use this smaller size camera instead of the larger models. I Don,t like to have to carry a big bag of accessories. Amazon and its partners are an excellent site to work with.Vann,s were promt with delivery

I can hold for DSLR price drop for another 2 years with this camera. The Silver looks better than Black. The lens is already worth the most money. If you are not a professional, don't waste your money on DSLR. This camera will do every thing for you! I've reseached consumer cameras for months so you can trust me! (go to popphoto review if you don't)

Vanns is the best place to purchase cameras over the Internet.

This is a great camera. It takes: great day time shots, very good shots with the flash, very nice videos, and even does well in dark situations with accent lighting (got some great shots at Mammoth Cave). It has plenty of options to let you pick what you want to be a priority during a shot. All of that, a great macro feature (man can you get in close and get wide too!), an excellent zoom with stabilization, and it's light weight too! Even my non-technical wife really likes this camera.

I've had the camera for some time now. This is my 5th digital p&s camera after Sony, Kodak, Nikon and Canon. The camera results have been pretty good. The lens is the best one can get within this price range. Its aggressively priced, light weight, easy to operate & fully loaded with a bunch of useful features. The menu navigation is thoughtfully implemented. This is the closest one can get to a DSLR paying peanuts compared to the DSLR rates. I personally liked the silver compared to the black, the physical features & body contours are more prominent in silver :)
I still need to try out a lot of scene modes but so far the intelligent auto, face recognition, exposure compensation and image stabilization have been very effective. I used the Sandisk extreme III SD card and the image saving time or the interval between 2 consecutive shots is negligible.

A staff photographer with 24 years on one newspaper should know something about cameras, and I swear by the Lumix FZ and TZ line cameras. I now own the FZ18, after having worked with the FZ20, FZ30, TZ1 and TZ3. The FZ20 had too poor a video image, and I ruined the FZ30 while covering a deluge one morning, and they wanted video. Since my large HVX200 (valued at $6,000) didn't have a protective cover, I had to sacrifice the FZ30, but the dead body will be added to my collection of my cameras (Minolta SRT101, Sears 500MX, and Nikon/Kodak NC2000e digital) I have had pride working with to develop my career.

This TZ18 has two negatives: one is the lack of zooming when shooting video. I rather would have a choice to zoom and then shoot than zooming after the recording starts, which makes my video more stable and professional. Yesterday, I recently came up with a way to capture footage and not concern myself over the audio, a big problem for me since the microphone is worse than most, and the cameras have never had mic inputs. But thinking whether I should delete a star, realize that this camera isn't designed to do everything superbly, but it does everything so well that the audio and zoom issues for my needs are easy work-arounds.

As for being a saviour? Covering Pope Benedict's arrival in Maryland, President GW Bush walked with the Pope inside the building beyond the press riser. Yanking my SD cards from my Nikon D2HS and D2XS cameras, I prepared to knock all the gear down to transmit all the images and work on video when the pair surprisingly returned. The window to shoot was very brief between the building and where the other risers blocked the view so I turned on the FZ18 and fired off several frames. Remember: working in a press pool, there are hundreds of eyes and hundreds of collective years of talent, all trying to get everything we can to tell a complete story. I want to get everything in my position so I don't feel like I've wasted my spot. Well, let's say that the FZ18 worked well, and I will provide the shot here, as well as one of the plane, since the Lumix was the only wide camera I had. That way you can see the range this baby works.

Just make sure to respect its limits. The FZ18 isn't a very good available light camera with moving objects. I like keeping it on ISO 100, its lowest setting. So, images taken in window light may require shutter speeds as low as 1/4 second or even lower!

I spent a lot of time looking for a new digital camera. Somehow I decided on this camera and it's the best decision I could have made. I have no complaints about the camera. It's easy to use, has a good solid feel, but light enough to carry around all day. The zoom is amazing. The pictures I've taken are framable. The stabalization feature makes all the difference when I'm taking pictures of the grandkids as I only have seconds to capture a shot. If you decide to buy this camera, you won't be disappointed. I had also considered a digital SLR, but didn't want to go that complicated, or that cumbersome. Great camera, good value!!

All I can say is WOW. This camera is everything I expected and more. Takes pictures every bit as nice as my old SLR (maybe even better). The zoom is incredible. Would recommend to anyone who is an amateur photographer and doesn't want to drop at least a grand to get a great camera. The only con so far is that Panasonic has been very slow with making the accessories available in the US.

The quality and design of the hardware are just OK but the quality of the photos is very good. Great for sports and wildlife. Fast recycle time. Good battery life. If you can take to so-so quality and feel of the hardware (ie - compared to Canon) the quality of the lens and processor make for great pictures. Reasonably intuitive menus as well. Also very light weight for its size. No regrets from me.

I was just about to get an Olympus Evolt 510 DSLR when I kept coming across such great reviews on this camera. I know nothing about digital cameras and decided against a DSLR and went with this camera in black. The camera is beyond easy to use, which was the real selling point. It takes really good pictures and I could not be happier with my purchase. Beware of cheaper prices, make sure you are not getting a "grey market camera". Deal with Amazon and you will not be disappointed.