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 Panasonic Lumiz DMC-FZ18. But, 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.

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I must say that I enjoyed using the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ3 in practice. The improvements compared with its predecessor are obvious. The most striking feature being the 28mm wide angle of course. The compact size, the MEGA O.I.S. image stabilizer and the large optical range together form an ideal combination for this camera carrying the title of Traveler Zoom.

The Panasonic TZ3 offers a lot of ease and adds to effortless picture taking which is just what you expect and want from a handy compact camera. The camera is not perfect; the high ISO is still an obstacle for many manufactures and Panasonic is one of them. But in general there are so many plusses that the high ISO may be considered a minor detail.

The Panasonic Lumix TZ3 is a winner among the Megazoom cameras and obviously entitled to carry the name of Traveler Zoom!

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Though with a rating of 6.6 out of 10, the FX55 fares well in some aspects of image quality- its exposure, white balance, and color are impressive.

The camera’s image quality falls apart when it comes to noise. I saw noise even at the lowest sensitivity setting of ISO 100. At ISO 200, Panasonic was already engaging a noticeable blur filter to keep noise from getting out of control, though at the expense of sharpness, which means a loss of fine detail. At ISO 400 noise increases more and more detail is lost, though there is still a decent amount of shadow detail present and you should be able to get acceptable prints. Noise increases precipitously at ISO 800, with even more loss of fine and shadow detail and finally plummets off the deep end at ISO 1,600. I recommend staying below ISO 800 when shooting with the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX55.

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While the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX100 is a really nice ultra-compact camera, I think it’s more than most people need. Why? Simply put, the 12 Megapixel CCD on the FX100 is overkill for the point-and-shoot crowd.

If you’re willing to give up a few million pixels, you can get the DMC-FX33 or DMC-FX55, which offer the same features, faster performance (due to smaller file sizes), and better image quality.

Do I recommend the FX100? Absolutely. But unless you’re making absolutely gigantic prints (and will be keep the ISO really, really low), check out the FX33 or FX55 instead.

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The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX55 is a stylish ultra-compact camera that you can carry with you wherever you go.

It’s quite responsive with quick focusing, even in low-light conditions, and an adequate Continuous mode of 3fps. Panasonic have focused on making the DMC-FX55 the ultimate point and shoot camera, with a new Intellligent Auto mode that achieves great results in most situations with very little input required from the user. The large, high resolution 3 inch LCD screen is also very welcome, although I missed having a true optical viewfinder in very bright sunlight.

The DMC-FX55 is also one of a handful of compact digital cameras to offer a 28mm wide-angle lens, which provides an entirely new angle of view when compared with conventional zoom lenses that typically start at around 35mm. A mere 7mm may not sound like much, but it actually makes a big difference to image composition.

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