Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ18K 8.1MP Digital Camera with 18x Wide Angle MEGA Optical Image Stabilized Zoom (Black)

This camera is well worth the price and is super versatile. The fact that it allows manual control and shoots RAW images is a big plus. Its also fairly lightweight and not too big in size. The hood accessory included in the box is a nice addition.

It would have been nice to be able to zoom in and out when using the video. But one just has to predetermine the best focal length before pressing record. It would also be nice to have some indicator of focal length in mm when using the zoom. It gives an indication in 2X or 10X and so on. That means you just have to do a quick mental calculation to get an equivalent 35mm focal length. I noticed it has no macro mode on the dial. Most cameras do so I would say its not a good thing.

The toggle or joystick can be very useful once you get used to it. The shutter lag time is almost unnoticable. The 8.1 MP is for the 4:3 ratio mode. When you shoot at 16:9 ratio or the 3:2 (SLR) ration, the MP count drops to 6 and 7 MP. Not really a big deal but something you should note.

The best thing is that this camera does so many things well and will make a great travel camera.

I've had this camera now for 1 wk and taken close to 1000 shots and very pleased with the results. Depending on the user you can let it fully take charge and do all the work, you can get partially or fully involved too. Either way the buttons/knobs are placed just right so you can tweak settings easily and quickly with your eye still on the subject. So why did I chose the Lumix?...well initially I thought about the Sony H50, it had a few nice gimmicks like Nightshot and flip out screen but frankly I couldn't see much practical use of those. The zoom of 15x put it in a league below(afterall that's what we want a big zoom for), though in precision mode you can increase zoom to 30x...thats 15x optical and 2x digital also in smart mode you could go up 81x but only in vga. My girlfriend has a W120 with 4x zoom, in smart mode it can go up to 19x in vga, just a look at that quality tells me 81x vga pix will be totally unusable. Compared to the Lumix's 72x at 8mp, 92x at 5mp and 115x at 3mp and the Sony was eliminated...FYI I've taken hundreds of shots now with full optical and digital zoom at all resolutions, they are very good, sure at the limits they aren't razor sharp but that's to be expected.
Nikon's P80 was also in the running, but I heard that the threads on it's lens were just cosmetic, also that there were no filters available or intended. This for me put the P80 behind the Lumix.
My other choices were the Olympus SP570 and SP560, both felt very good ergonomically in my hand, and quality grip too. They did feel more chunky in the hand then the lumix(note: the lumix feels light too).
I wasn't keen on the zoom ring around lens barrel and it felt un-responsive when I tried it, so SP560 was bettered placed because it's zoom ring was like the Lumix. However both olympus models don't have threads on the len barrel so like the p80 can't use filters to even protect then lens. I'd seen a few custom adapters on the net and unfortunately they appear like a hat rim sitting on the end of the extended lens barrel, not a pretty sight.
Ok so I could live with no lens protection if the reviews gave it higher marks in picture,noise quality than the Lumix. Well after reading scores of reviews, the Lumix was superior across the whole focal range and ISO range. Sure ther's noise at high end ISO and low light but it's not as bad as the competion.
The reviews along with my earlier observations made the Lumix an easy choice. The fact that the manufacturers didn't even consider threads on the lens barrels tells me that their models are really just fancy advance point and shoots and not bridge cameras like the Lumix...but that's just me.....enjoy!!!!

Everyone that sees me with this camera is completely impressed when I tell them how much it cost. The pictures it takes are amazing. The 18x optical zoom gives you narrow depth of field for striking images, and the manual settings lets you take really cool long exposure shots.

Definitely a step up from a regular point and shoot. I'd recommend this to anyone getting serious about photography that doesn't have six or seven hundred dollars to spend on an SLR kit.

I asked a super knowledgable friend for a good camera for not a lot of money I am an interior designer and a Soccer mom. I needed versatility and quality for work and family life and this camera has it all. Of course my sons tell me how this works because it is more complicated than the regular click only cameras, but they are now also learning about the subtleties of going a step above, and the wonderful things you can do with a good camera It was a well worth buy.

I wanted a nonSlR camera that would take fast shot to shots. This camera is awesome. There is virtually zero wait time between shots. The burst mode is awesome.