Advantages: Large zoom, small size, extensive ISO rating and Leica lens
Disadvantages: No remote shutter release, facility, no auxiliary flash shoe, a little fragile.

...Having owned the FZ20 for some time I had no hesitation in buying the FZ18 when I saw it in the QVC shop in Birchwood. The price attracted me at £149.99 and then the 15% discount for my pensionable age on Mondays made it an absolute bargain. The only fly in the ointment? They only had the Silver models available but for that money money hey I can live with it. On first handling it is quite obviously somewhat smaller than the FZ20 and whilst the lighter weight is in some circumstances a bonus it doesn't feel as solid or sturdy as the FZ20. That aside it takes all my Olympus auxiliary lenses with the optional adapter. One good point over the FZ20 is that a 46mm Skylight filter can be left permanently screwed to the front of the lens; something of an oversight on the FZ20. The 18x (even higher if the megapixel raing is reduced) zoom... Read review

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Advantages: High Quality images;wide range of features
Disadvantages: pricey;slow performance

...All in one, D-SLR-style compacts bridge the gap between budget D-SLRs and system cameras, and their main appeal is the large built in zoom housed in the body. The FZ-50 fits nicely into the hand with a distinct handgrip. Both the zoom ring and focusing ring are manual and operate smoothly, and they are weighted well for precise control. The majority of the camera is made from plastic, but it does have a reasonably solid feel and is well made. One thing is for sure, Panasonic hasn’t skimped on the spec for the FZ-50. It packs in a 10.1Mp CCD sensor, moving up from the 8Mp sported by the FZ-30, there is a 12x optical zoom with a 35-420mm range in 35mm terms, and at the wide end lens has a maximum aperture of F/2.8. What’s impressive is that the maximum aperture is fast F/3.7 at the full extension of 420mm. With a 420mm lens you risk camera... Read review

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Advantages: very good long range photos
Disadvantages: bit less megapixels

...Panasonic's Lumix FZ18 is a compact 'super zoom' camera having a host of excellent desirable features. The best feature is the optically stabilized lens, coupled to a whopping 18x (28-504mm equiv.) zoom Hence the long range shots are not blurred and comes out sharp and vibrant. It has newly developed 28mm wide-angle LEICA DC VARIO-ELMARIT lens and Panasonic's new and unique Intelligent Auto Mode. It has very easy controls and the wide range of its lens does away with the need of lens change. This camera is best suited for all those who want hassle free, good long range shots. The FZ18 has 1/2.5-inch sensor, with 8.3 megapixels. Other features include a dedicated AF/AE button, Face Detection and a new Intelligent Auto mode which integrates Image Stabilization, Intelligent ISO, Face Detection and Scene Detection into a 'Super' Auto Mode.... Read review

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Advantages: All
Disadvantages: None

...I would endorse 'noselot's' review entirely. As probably one of the worst photographers in the world I bought my FZ8 in an attempt to, at least, get the objects that I wanted to take in focus. The results are amazing, certainly for me. On our recent trip to Lanzarote I took over 300 pictures, half of which I discarded because I wasn't happy with the layout/angle/light but the remainder were exactly what I wanted. The zoom is quite phenomenal. I notice a small boat, which was only just visible well beyond the sea wall at Cucharas beach and which was rising and falling in a heavy swell. Bearing in mind that I was not wearning my glasses, using the viewfinder I pointed the camera on full zoom and took the snap. To my delight the picture came out very well and, considering the distance amazingly sharp. I bought my model on ebay for £162 inc... Read review

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Advantages: Stunning zoom for those long range shots
Disadvantages: You need a tripod for steadying picture when using the Macro Zoom

...The camera is so easy to use that you only need to read the book to learn about the special features in depth. I read the book to discover how to put the battery in and then I was away. When I needed to use a feature I looked it up in the instruction book. The FZ50 has a wonderful zoom range and have been taking some stunning photographs. The lens is outstanding. The image stabilisation is v. good and start-up and multiple picture mode is quick. True, it is not the most user-friendly camera nor are the options easy to set-up sometimes. I did buy a spare battery, I dont know why because the supplied battery lasts for two or three days of heavy use. I might buy the macro lens but most other things are supplied. Buy it, its good value.... Read review

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Advantages: THAT filter, very easy to use, graphical editing, warm sound
Disadvantages: monophonic outputs, not much memory, takes a while to load up disks

...It comes as no surprise that most of the artists on Warp records own an FZ-1 sampler. This sampler only has a passing aquaintance with clean sounds preferring to grind everything up into a mass of Aphex Twin-esque crunching. The FZ-1 has a maximum sample rate of 32Khz and although casio claim 16 bit sampling, rumours have it that it is more like 12 bit sampling with 16 bit processing. This is what gives it the unique sound that is loved by artists such as u-ziq, Global Communications and Underworld. Once you recognise the sound you can hear it all over the Dubnobasswithmyheadman album. It is capable of producing fairly clean samples but this is not the point, if i wanted clean samples i would use my e-mu E6400. The standard FZ-1 comes with 1MB memory although this can be expanded to 4MB if you can find a dealer. 1MB is just enough... Read review

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Advantages: fantastic 12x optical zoom and superb image quality
Disadvantages: no case and standard memory card is too small

...We decided to buy a new digital camera just after the birth of our new son back in July. We went to a local camera store and had a look at the promotional publication they had instore. We wanted something with a great optical zoom and digital zoom and were looking for something that would be fairly simple to use- my hubby is a bit of a technophobe and so we had to find something with enough gadgets to do the job and keep me happy, but simple enough so as not to annoy my husband! We decided to buy a panasonic as they have a great reputation, but couldn't pick between three similar models. I spoke to the shop assistant and logged onto kelkoo and eventually decided to buy the Lumix FZ50. The list price was £420, but we bought one from camera4u.com for £366.00 The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ50 Black is a fantastic camera and is very sturdily... Read review

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Advantages: A different kind of distortion
Disadvantages: Can sound messy with a cheap guitar

...sound a bit messy and sometimes tinny, especially with the tone turned down. This can be overcome with a bit a twiddling with volume and tone controls however. Overall, the FZ-3 is a very good pedal for people who don’t want or like the standard distortions available and can help to give you a very distinctive, personal sound. It is generally priced between £70 and £90 in the shops.... Read review

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Advantages: Lens, Video Function
Disadvantages: LCD Screen a bit dim

...... Read review

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Advantages: 12 x zoom, Mega OIS
Disadvantages: No custom bag, Uses own battery (non AA)

...I was looking for a 12 x camera with OIS, and I was considering a FZ5 when I come across the Panasonic DMCFZ7BS. For just £30 more, I thought it would be better to get a newer camera. This camera was great; a big improvement over my LZ1. The best thing (and selling point) about this camera is its 12 x zoom. What it did not say on the box is that it becomes 16.5 x zoom if the picture is taken below 6MP, which is over 450mm! The OIS works to cancel out hand shake at such huge zoom numbers. There are bags of controls for you to fool around with. You can even set/fine tune your own white balance, the weakest point of most digital cameras. Although having said that, the flash is not neutral, and if you are using the flash, you must set it to flash wb, unlike Canon cameras. But that has not been a problem yet. Some digicams can have... Read review

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