Lumix DMC-FZ18 bridge camera

[CSBC]

latest AP news

[BigMark]

Very interesting, be interested to se how the image goes against the Canon S5 and the H9
Thanks

[Lounge Lizard]

It sounds like a compromised design to me. Looks great on paper and I expect it to sell well on paper. In reality, an 18x zoom is a great specification but probably far too much for the average user that this is aimed at. As for a high sensitivity mode up to ISO 6400, again this sounds like pure marketing hype. These small sensors have trouble coping with anything approaching ISO 400 and Panasonic have had a poor reputation for noise performance in the past. Then we have the Mega Optical Image Stabiliser and Face Detection - great marketing guys! Especially the Face Detection:

Face Detection AF/AE aims to allow up to 15 human faces to be detected in a frame, to help when capturing portraits.

Wow! Can it pose the subject? Can it make them smile? Can it create competition winners?

The bit that rounds it off as mareketing hype is

The camera uses the central part of the CCD imaging sensor to extend zoom magnification up to 28.7x, at a resolution of 3MP

Isn't this just the same as optical zoom or cropping the image on a computer?

To me, it is spin, spin, spin. Let's hope the tests prove me wrong.

[Zou]

Isn't this just the same as optical zoom or cropping the image on a computer?

Digital zoom, surely?

It sounds like it could be useful for people who don't want the bulk/expense of a SLR system. Totally agree with the reservations regarding high ISO performance, my mum's FZ-30 had terrible noise even at ISO 200.

My main bug with these cameras is the EVF, which I find completely unusable - otherwise I'd really consider them as an everyday camera.

[Lounge Lizard]

Yes Zou - you are quite correct - it's what I meant to say.