The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ18 remains the ultra zoom digital camera that sets the standard for the others to follow. It has pretty much everything a beginner to serious amateur photographer could wish for: very good to excellent image quality, superb 18x optical wide-angle zoom with an effective optical image stabilization, fast and precise AF even at the long end of the zoom and in low light.

The Panasonic FZ18 has a superb Leica DC Vario-Elmarit lens and it shows in the quality of the images. The effective optical image stabilization allows hand holding shots at the long focal lengths and slower shutter speeds. The wide-angle makes this a great camera for landscape and group shots. Read the rest of this entry »