# New Camera - Panasonic Lumix Fz18



## LuvWatch (May 14, 2004)

Having decided I wanted a new digital camera I started to do the usual Internet searches of most of the camera review sites - well there are loads







(as well as the watch forums)

I must have changed my mind at least a dozen times and narrowed it down to four:

Canon Ixus 950is

Fuji Finepix F31fd

Sony Cybershot H3

Panasonic FZ18

The Canon nearly got my vote, but I wanted to be able to take sports shots at a distance (my children swim competivtily), and be able to experiment with something

slightly more complex and for my future camera to have RAW mode - so out went the Canon

The Fuji F31fd won camera of the year 2006, and has great reviews all over the net, particularly its ability to handle low light shots - but this model has been

discontinued, and on Ebay they are selling for a premium.

The Sony cybershot has mixed reviews though some folks felt it a good piece of kit on some other fora - the mixed reviews put me off as did the lack of RAW mode

So after about 4 weeks of reading - my choice was the Panansonic FZ18 - good to great reviews, RAW mode, a whooping 28mm to 504mm Leica lens, 1cm Macro,

Face recognition and image stabilizer. I will be able to take indoor swimming sport photo's from a distance the stabilizer will stop camera shake, well we have a competition this weekend so I will try it out









Here's a link to the panasonic website Lumix FZ18










Here's a quick shot of my H558 taken in RAW mode, definitely more depth to this photo then with my previous efforts.










Cheers

Derek


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## pg tips (May 16, 2003)

Bugger, one of the best just got better!

What with you and the Hipmeister most of the rest of us just look like happy snapper!

Nice work Dirk.


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## PhilM (Nov 5, 2004)

That Arnie looks lovely Derek, raw is not the word


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## Robert (Jul 26, 2006)

One of my colleagues mentioned yesterday that he was thinking of this one. From what I've read I am seriously tempted to sell my DSLR outfit and get this to replace it.

I would be interested to see side by side shots at each end of the focal range


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## chris l (Aug 5, 2005)

Good choice!

I'm a great fan of the Panasonic digitals, and the stabilisation really is amazingly effective.


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## jasonm (Nov 22, 2003)

Bloody nice photo Derek!


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## LuvWatch (May 14, 2004)

Thanks for the comments, much appreciated.

Here are some shots I took inside the pool which has terrible lighting. I was concerned that the low level of light and the need for a

faster shutter speed to get anything decent would be a disaster but the camera came good.

The first pic taken is with the 28mm










My daughter is in lane 1, which was fortunate from my position in stands, this shot was taken just before her race at 504mm










My son was in Lane 7 and thought I would have a go from the same position as above while he was racing - the stabilisation worked really well,

the picture is not bad, particularly as the light was bad and no flash was used - again at 504mm, no tripod.










I need to get down by poolside to get closer to the action, but knowing me I'll go ass over tit in the water.









I hope the above answers your query Robert about the full focal length, if not try here and scroll down, there is a good example of the focal length with an outdoor shot of a church steeple and clock

More swimming tomorrow









Thanks for looking Derek


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## pg tips (May 16, 2003)

bloody hell that's a FO lens!


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## PhilM (Nov 5, 2004)

Impressive shots Derek











LuvWatch said:


> I need to get down by poolside to get closer to the action, but knowing me I'll go ass over tit in the water.


BTW Make sure you've got a diver on


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## Absolute (Jan 20, 2008)

Nice, try getting a cheap reflector, or even better pick a lovely bright shoot.


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## Robert (Jul 26, 2006)

LuvWatch said:


> I hope the above answers your query Robert about the full focal length, if not try here and scroll down, there is a good example of the focal length with an outdoor shot of a church steeple and clock


Thanks Derek. That review even shows a watch to illustrate the macro


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## LuvWatch (May 14, 2004)

Simon M said:


> Nice, try getting a cheap reflector, or even better pick a lovely bright shoot.


Not sure what your on about









Derek


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## Silver Hawk (Dec 2, 2003)

Thanks for this Derek....it seems just what I need; my daughter is also a swimmer and gymnast and we're always sitting miles away during exhibitions and shows. I can't tell you how many photos Philippa has taken with her as a blurred object in the distance.









I love the 1cm macro...a "must have" for me. If I buy one of these, it will be the first non-Canon camera for more years than I care to mention. But the price of the FZ18 makes it very attractive....


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## Absolute (Jan 20, 2008)

Simon M said:


> Nice, try getting a cheap reflector, or even better pick a lovely bright shoot.


Sorry, a bright day to shoot. By a window with a reflector


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## LuvWatch (May 14, 2004)

Silver Hawk said:


> Thanks for this Derek....it seems just what I need; my daughter is also a swimmer and gymnast and we're always sitting miles away during exhibitions and shows. I can't tell you how many photos Philippa has taken with her as a blurred object in the distance.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Hi Paul

My wife Janette consistently takes blurry shots and always blames the camera or subjects, so the stabilization will be a great bonus









It also has a good movie mode, 30fps at 640 by 480, it also does 16-9 wide screen - looking to go out for long dog walk tomorrow, it will nice to see how it performs in daylight









Regards

Derek


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