Panasonic FZ18 Review

A while back I promised to review the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ18 8.1MP Digital Camera.

Here you go.

As in my Canon SD 870IS review, I am not going into a detailed technical analysis or laundry list the features. This is simply my subjective impressions.

I am not an expert!

Also, I am going to be comparing it to the Canon SD 870IS, for no other reason except it is the only other camera I own to compare it to. Ideally, I would be comparing it to other cameras in its class, but this review is really for people who are used to point-and-shoots, wondering what the FZ18 holds in store – in this regard, the 870IS is a good comparison.

Just to recap on where I am coming from ‘photographically’…

Back in high school, I worked a lot with a fully manual Minolta film SLR and did some B&W darkroom work. But today, many (ahem) years later, I much prefer pocket digital cameras, especially the Canon line, of which I have owned 4 – most recently the Canon SD 870IS which I reviewed here .

The Need To Get In Close – The Ultrazoom

About a month ago, I decided I needed a long telephoto zoom camera for some photo stories on the blog, which I have been trying to take up a notch.

Don’t get me wrong – I didn’t want to replace the Canon SD 870IS for any reason – that goes with me everywhere and consistently cranks out amazing pictures – its just that sometimes I need to get closer to the action.

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ18K has an extraordinarily long lens for any camera, ranging from good wideangle to long telephoto (28-504mm equiv). In addition, it has an ‘extended zoom’ (not ‘digital zoom’) mode which can go to 604mm. This extraordinary lens is made by famed lens manufacturer Leica, and has exceptional quality for this price range.

A Day At The Races

The first big test was at the Belmont Stakes – I could not have shot a horserace from the grandstand with the Canon SD 870IS . This was the day I really got to take the FZ18 through its paces. Although I had fairly good seats, there is a big field to cover at a horserace.

Note: I crop and edit all of my photographs for my posts. One of the advantages of the web vs printing is that you can be pretty extreme with cropping and editing. Click on the images to the originals on flickr to see ‘what came out of the camera’ (albeit resized to 1024x as I forgot to tell Flickr uploader not to do that .

In a nutshell, the FZ18 came through like a champ.

Although I never bother using the scene modes on my Canon pocket cameras, I did use them on the FZ18.

On the Canon, full auto mode rarely lets me down. Plus, scene selection takes a little too much menu navigation. I also fear I will forget to reset the scene when the conditions change.

However, the FZ18 has the scene selector on the top mode dial, so switching back and forth is easy. I also knew I would be in the same location throughout the race (my seat) and my scene wouldn’t be changing. Finally, I realized that using the extended zoom was going to create an additional light challenge that the 870IS never has to deal with, and I wanted the FZ18 to know what I was doing so it could compensate as best it could, especially in terms of shutter speed.

So, I set it to Sports-Outdoor mode, which (I assumed) would attempt to freeze action best it could, even at the longer end of the zoom (which, when in extended zoom mode, is like 644mm 35mm equivalent). I figured this wouldn’t be a big deal though, as it was a sunny (albeit hazy) day.

In this mode, the FZ18 was outstanding, bringing me closer to the action than anyone else in the stands (save other FZ18 owners, SLR pros with $6000 lenses, and people with better seats!). There was no blurring due to hand movement (assuming I held my hand reasonably still) or subject movement (we’re talking a pack of top racehorses), and exposure and detail were excellent.

The biggest problem I had with the long shots were that it was a very hazy, hot, and humid day, and the atmospheric haze was very prevalent in the long shots. Not much the camera can do about this – I should have had a UV filter on hand. Getting rid of haze in Photoshop accurately is tough unless you are good with Curves or have an expensive add-on haze filter.

Extended Zoom Mode

I then switched the camera to 5 megapixel mode from 8.
Why would I want to do that?

Because in 5 megapixel mode, the 18x zoom extends its range to 23x – and no, this is not a useless ‘digital zoom’. There is a lot of argument of this feature, but there is no question in my mind that it works better than digital zoom – its more like using a teleconverter attachment. The way I understand it, the FZ18 will project a smaller portion of the lens light over the entire sensor.

Here is a rough idea of the focals lengths you have to work with on this camera. (Note: The 35mm focal lengths are as reported by EXIF, although I don’t think they are very accurate Also, the first picture is a reverse shot of the LEFT side of the field, which does not match the others, but provides a good reference. Sorry about the lens shade on the first picture – my bad.)

When we went to the after-party at a friend house, I switched the scene to ‘party’ mode, which similarly worked very well. The flash is much more powerful and wide than my Canon, allowing me to take pictures of people on the other side of the yard with much better results.

High Sensitivity Mode

Finally, I tried the ‘high sensitivity’ mode. This mode was very interesting to me, as I like taking pictures without flash in low light, which is usually risky business blurring-wise.

Just like the extended zoom mode, the high-sensitivity mode switches to 5 megapixels for the picture – this time, to use more of the surface area of the sensor to capture more light. it also will boost the ISO all the way to 6400 as needed. Yes, the pictures are much less detailed and far more noisy than a flash photo – but the results are outstanding compared to any other digital camera I have used. Color, exposure, and lack of blurring are exceptional. Of course, low light is low light, and YMMV as conditions vary – its not magic – but its usable.

Bird shot at about 500mm with Panasonic FZ18 with both Program mode and High Sensitivity Mode on heavily overcast day in dense forest. Note the high-sensitivity version is grainier and limited to 5 MP. Now that I know more about the camera, I probably could have gotten this picture with Sports-Indoor mode and gotten much better results at full 8MP.

Sports-Indoor Scene Mode

Recently I discovered that the Sports-Indoor scene mode does a much better job at stopping action in lower light than P mode, and has much better image results then resorting to High Sensitivity mode. I actually wish they would make this a primary mode on the dial because of this.

Getting Used to a Non-Pocket Camera

What are some of the things I don’t like about the FZ18? Well, obviously, for people like me who are used to a pocket camera, toting any non-pocket camera is a drag. Although the FZ18 is surprisingly light and small compared to a DSLR, it still doesn’t go in your pocket and you will want a small camera bag to tote it around.

Getting the Perfect Bag

After a lot of careful consideration and comparison, I chose the Lowepro SlingShot 100 All-Weather Digital Camera Backpack which I ordered from Amazon.

As this bag is designed for digital SLR’s and accessories, it is more than adequate for the FZ18. In fact, Not only does the FZ18 fit with room to spare, but I also keep my Canon HG10 HD Camcorder,Canon SD 870IS, lens cleaning kit, and chargers and extra batteries for all with no problem whatsoever.

The two things I like most about this bag is that it just looks like a small backpack, and that you can swivel it around your hip for fast access to the camera without removing the pack, which is VERY useful.

Don’t Leave Home Without A UV Filter

A UV Filter is extremely important, especially when you have a nice lens like this one. A filter is much easier to clean than a lens, and is cheap and replaceable if it scratches – it is your first line of defense against lens damage. It also, as mentioned previously, helps deal with unwanted atmospheric haze.

Note: The filter at right, the HOYA 46mm UV Filter, is the model I have, and is the correct size for the FZ18

Before my filter arrived, I was at the park shooting pictures of my dog swimming. He came out of the water and shook off in front of me, sending big, wet clumps of sand onto my beautiful Leica lens. It was so serious I capped the lens immediately and put away the camera, so I could sit down and clean that sand out carefully at home.

Now that I have my UV filter, I worry a hell of a lot less, and when it gets dirty, its big FLAT surface is 10x easier to clean than the delicate, curved lens surface.

Use a Strap

The FZ18 comes with a strap, but its typically nothing to write home about. A strap is essential, even if you have a bag. It lets you carry the camera hands-free without the bag, and it helps keep the camera from falling when you are shooting. You *do not* want to use this camera without a strap. I also use the strap to create tension between my body and the camera, which helps to hold the camera still some situations.

The Lowepro Speedster is a great strap – very cheap, but with a non-slip pad, quick release buckles, and no-scratch hardware. it isnt excessively padded, but you don’t need any padding with this camera, as it is super-light. If you are taller please note that some have complained about this strap not being long enough for them.

Extra Battery and Card

The battery on the FZ18 is rated for 250 pictures, and I would say that’s pretty accurate in my usage. I have taken this camera out on several adventures now and have never run out of battery – 250 shots is a lot for a casual photographer.

However, you should always keep an extra battery on hand. Things happen. The OEM battery for the Panasonic is ridiculously expensive, so I got the third-party Lenmar DLP006, which charges in the OEM charger and works just fine – a great value.

The FZ18 will not accept 4GB SD cards – it will, however, accept 4GB SDHC cards, and all other SD or SDHC cards. The problem with 4GB SD cards is that they are non-standard – 4GB is defined as an SDHC format, not SD, but some manufacturers made them anyway, and they work in just about anything else. I own 3 4GB SD cards, so this was VERY annoying. I didn’t expect needing to buy a new memory card for this camera.

I bought an 8GB SDHC, which is probably overkill, since you can fit about 2000 pictures on it and the 2 batteries combined will only get me about 500! However, its nice not to worry about space or offloading photos (especially on a trip), and hopefully it will work in my next camera.

The recommended card at left – the Transcend 8GB SDHC – is a class 6 card, I recommend you get a class 6 card for good read and write speeds.

The Tripod Is Your Friend

If there is anything more annoying than carrying a camera bag around, its carrying a tripod. However, if you are going to use this camera for nature photography, or any other photography where you can use a tripod, I highly recommend using one for when you are using extreme telephoto.

Tripods are of even greater use when shooting video at ANY focal length – I try to never use my Canon HG10 HD Camcorder without a tripod – the results are nauseating.

Note: I do not own the tripod pictured, although it is a bestseller on Amazon and highly rated.

4X comparison between Panasonic FZ18 and 870IS at same focal length. Although the Panasonic clearly has less noise and better color, you have to be zoomed in at least this much to notice the difference.

As for the images out of the camera – they appear sharper than my 870IS at the same focal lengths, have less noise and better color accuracy and auto white balance overall. Some of this is due to the superior Leica lens. However, none of this is really noticeable when viewing on a computer without zooming in deep.

The character of the images, however, can vary. Canons put out a consistently pleasing images that are not over-processed and edit well (although they tend to have a (pleasing) warm tone). I am used to manually boosting sharpness, contrast, and saturation on my Canon photos to get the most out of them.

The images out of the FZ18, as other reviewers have written, are more ready-to-go out of the camera, and don’t have a lot of latitude for adjustment. The colors are strong, the sharpness is excellent, and the contrast is very contrast-y.

The last point goes a little too far sometimes, as highlights can get a little blown out.

As a result, I will usually turn to Adobe Photoshop to edit my images, rather then my favorite, ancient copy of Paint Shop Pro 7. Working in PSP7 is extremely fast and easy, although the adjustment tools are not as high-quality as Photoshop’s. As the FZ18 is a bit finicky about post-processing, Photoshopgives me a more accuracy and better results.

Of course, Photoshop is ridiculously expensive, so you may wish to opt for the affordable and still very much capable Photoshop Elements.

The camera does have a RAW mode, which I am not familiar working with but tinkered with. In general I don’t think its worth the effort. Some reviewers have also noted that there isn’t much more you can get out of the FZ18’s RAWs than out of the camera’s jpeg results. Working with RAW is not like working with JPEG, you need to use a special and non-intuitive software program included with the camera to manipulate them.

One point I would like to give to new owners of a camera with full manual capability is not to try to learn manual photography while you are taking important pictures. It has been years since I shot manually, and the results of my first manual and shutter/aperture priority shots reflect this.

Left: This is not a macro shot – its a telephoto shot from about 6 feet away with flash.

That said, when the camera is in Program mode and you are in full wideangle or as little as 5X, you can expect this camera to be as easy to use and provide just as great, if not better pictures, than the Canon. However, once you start playing in the longer zoom ranges and aren’t working in full daylight, you will need to learn to use the scene modes in order to get great, blur-free pictures with good exposures.

This is true when you are working with any long lens – when you are wide open, you have more light and more latitude – as you zoom in, the wiggle room gets a hell of a lot smaller. So, if you want to shoot manually or semi-manually, sit down, take your time, and shoot a bunch of shots under different conditions and get used to the results – especially view them on your computer, as with the 2.5″ LCD, it is often difficult to detect marginal but unacceptable blur.

One thing I haven’t mentioned is the stabilization features of the FZ18, which are renowned for being some of the best in the industry. As this works entirely ‘behind the scenes’, I can’t properly quantify it, although I will note that I was very surprised at the ability of the camera to stop motion at long focal lengths, and in high-sensitivity mode.

The video on the FZ18 is very good and on par with Canon, although some experts prefer the Canon. I found it very usable. Again, you have to be careful at long focal lengths without a tripod – as this is the worst situation for shaky video.

Conclusion

The Panasonic FZ18 is a landmark in digital cameras in terms of extreme telephoto capability, features, quality, and ease-of-use – and especially price (under $299!). I love having the opportunity to use this camera and capturing images I could never get with other cameras – it is exactly what I wanted as a step-up from my point and shoot.

This photo I took of a fan far away in the stands behind me at Shea Stadium getting hit with a foul ball is the perfect example of a photo which would have been impossible to get with a point-and-shoot.

The body is very easy to handle and considering all of the controls, its extremely easy to understand and manipulate, and all functions work very quickly.

As mentioned, although the camera has an excellent auto program mode, the user will want to become familiar with all the scene modes to make sure they get the best picture when using the long end of the lens. The sooner you do this, the fewer bad pictures you will suffer with this camera – and it will be so worth it.

I heartily recommend the FZ18 to anyone who is looking to take a step up from a point and shoot, and would encourage anyone looking into a DSLR to try this camera first – it’s pictures aren’t as good as a good DSLR, but you will save a lot of money and unnecessary complexity which is added in a DSLR, but you will also be able to learn most everything you need to know to use one – and you will spend a FORTUNE trying to buy a lens this long for a DSLR (if one even exists!).