Labs

The Panasonic DMC-FZ18 is another 'bridge' camera, like the Canon PowerShot G9. Neither compact nor DSLR, it's not as bulky as a fully-fledged DSLR but neither is it as restricted as a compact.

The first benefit of bridge cameras is usually found in the lens. The Panasonic has a gargantuan 18x zoom with a 35mm equivalent of 28-504mm. That's some hefty coverage in a camera that retains a lightweight body. As with other Panasonic models it also benefits from a Leica optic.

The FZ-18 is a bit strange to handle, as the grip seems a touch too small for extended use. The viewfinder is good for an LCD and tracks well, but it's still no match for a true through-the-lens setup. The focusing

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could do with being a bit speedier but overall it locked on without problem. A built-in image stabiliser also helps with that neighbour-bothering zoom lens, too. The plastic body is well put together and adds a feeling of quality to the camera.

It did fairly well with our tests but as with others here the mixed lighting caused a few problems. The colour was affected by the yellowish tint given to our image. We were very impressed by the level of detail captured and even though there were some noisy areas they weren't too bad. Skin tones were accurate and again had plenty of detail.

This Panasonic is a good camera with plenty of features and a zoom lens that will ensure you're never too far from the action. The viewfinder is just about acceptable but it's not ideal. The FZ-18 benefits from an image stabiliser and host of other features that make it an interesting proposition. Colours were okay, but overall it's the level of detail captured that adds to the camera's arsenal.

Slightly better performance in our colour test would have seen it score more highly. Its worth noting that the Panasonic Raw file format isn't yet supported by iPhoto so you'll have to use the supplied converter or the latest Adobe Photoshop Raw converter to get to your images on to your Mac.