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Panasonic has created a really nice ultra zoom camera in the FZ18, though once again, image quality needs improvement. It’s clear from shooting in RAW mode that the camera is capable of capturing a lot of detail, but unfortunately the Venus III engine removes a lot of it in the name of noise reduction. If you’re a typical point-and-shoot user who will be sticking to smaller-sized prints, then this really isn’t an issue, and you’ll be very satisfied with the FZ18. If you’re making large prints, viewing them at 100% on your computer screen, or shooting at high ISOs, then you can still love the camera, but be prepared to post-process to get the best results. While it’s not the ultra zoom image quality champion, the FZ18 has so much to offer that it easily earns my recommendation.

Overall I liked the DMC-L1 but it was never my immediate choice when I just needed to ‘grab a camera’ for a snapshot, it requires a little more consideration and can deliver great results once you work your way around it and tune the image parameters to your personal tastes. Unfortunately due to its price position it does have to go up against stiff competition such as Canon’s EOS 30D and now the cheaper Olympus E-510.

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It’s well priced and easy to use, and - as long as you accept that there are always going to be compromises with a camera like this - capable of producing excellent results for normal print sizes or viewing at normal magnifications on-screen. Bearing all this in mind, take a look at the sample gallery to see for yourself if the output quality is acceptable. For us, the performance and feature enhancements are enough to make sure the question marks over the image quality don’t deny the TZ3 a Recommended rating.

Panasonic today announced the 10x Optical Zoom Lumix DMC-TZ3 digital camera, the compact zoom model for its 2007 digital camera line. The new 7.2 Megapixel entry to the popular TZ family packages a 28mm wide-angle LEICA DC VARIO-ELMAR lens, Intelligent Image Stabilization, with the industry’s most advanced countermeasures against blurring, a 3.0-inch LCD, and a compact, stylish, Stainless Steel body. 

The Lumix DMC-L1 is an intriguing product, and a good first digital SLR for Panasonic. It offers a lot of features, some of which are quite unique, though some of its frustrations (namely noise at high ISOs, so-so image processing, and poor ergonomics) really stick with you. The biggest problem I have with the L1 is its price: no matter how nice the lens is (and it IS nice), $1700 is a steep price to pay for a 7.5 Megapixel camera that’s far from perfect.