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Panasonic Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ18K

82

Very Good

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Pros
Excellent 18x optical zoom Leica lens
Burst mode returns clear photos
Cons
Zoom disabled in video mode
Battery life is disappointing

Performance: Very Good: 85
Features: Good: 78
Design: Good: 79

Find out how these scores, and their relative weights, combine to produce the PC World Rating.

Performance
Battery Life (minutes)	229.5
Battery Life Score	Superior
Image Quality Score	Very Good
Image Quality, Color	65.3
Image Quality, Color--Adjusted	74.1
Image Quality, Color--Auto	56.6
Image Quality, Distortion	53.9
Image Quality, Distortion--Noise	46.7
Image Quality, Distortion--Noise Reduction	50.7
Image Quality, Distortion--Sharp Interpolation	60
Image Quality, Exposure	53.4
Image Quality, Exposure--Flash	50.6
Image Quality, Exposure--Normal	54.6
Image Quality, Overall	60.3
Image Quality, Sharpness	45.4
Number of Batteries	1
Number of Shots	420

What You Should Know about the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ18K

Larger-Than-Average Optical Zoom Range

The optical zoom range on this camera is sufficiently broad to give you considerable creative control. Your options extend from individual portraits to group shots to wide-angle landscapes. Most point-and-shoots offer a focal length range that’s roughly equivalent to 35mm to 105mm on a 35mm film camera. At the wide end (the 35mm, in this case), they shoot a bit wider than what you see with your eye. At the telephoto end (the 105mm, in this case), they can zoom in a good deal closer than you’d be able to with the naked eye.

Reviewed by: Dwightdevitt

Duration of ownership: 6 Months

Strengths: Can't tell ya, it's failed, and Panasonic won't fix it on warranty. Very poor warranty support. Actually, there is NO WARRANTY SUPPORT. I've dealt with their "Concierge", and the PCB board is fried, and was faulty. But they still won't warranty it!

Weaknesses: Not even their local sales representative will return my calls or emails!

Overall Evaluation: Good luck if it fails... they will use every excuse to avoid looking after their customers. In the world of repeat customers, Panasonic just doesn't get it... I'll NEVER BUY PANASONIC AGAIN!
Reviewed by: msgmnw

Duration of ownership:

Strengths: High quality Leica lens, 18x zoom, 28mm wide angle, good quality optical image stabilization, good lens cap, calendar playback mode

Weaknesses: Zooming into pictures during playback, low light pictures

Overall Evaluation: The camera does a remarkable job for the market it was designed for. Not high level DSLR or low level point and shoot only, and pictures not movies. I like the calendar mode during playback which shows a monthly calendar and highlights the days with a tiny picture thumbnail that pictures were taken. Very cool. Also has dual timezones for when your traveling to keep date/time stamps accurate. Nice finshing details like this round out the camera very nicely. For a small camera bag I'm trying M-Rocks Niagara bag. Just barely fits in sidewise (verticle oriented bag) with the grip up. Plenty of room above the camera in the bag for a strap or equivalent that won't scratch the camera. Has plenty of small pockets for extras like spare batteries, memory cards, filters. A touch big to carry around all day but hey, this isn't a compact camera. That's the price for 18x zoom.