Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ18 Digital Camera incorporates 8.1-megapixel resolution with a wide-angle 18x optical zoom (28 - 504mm equivalent) LEICA DC lens with MEGA O.I.S., and an Optical Image Stabilizer system that compensates tfor hand-shake. The camera incorporates a joystick which allows easy manual control of focusing in addition to exposure settings, making the camera more compact and easy to carry while preserving all of the powerful zoom capability and manual controllability of more expensive Digital SLRs.

The camera also has a large, 2.5-inch LCD which uses a pixel-mixed readout method, improving brightness over typical LCD displays, and allows you to enjoy comfortable shooting even in low-light situations. The DMC-FZ18 is powered by a high capacity Lithium-ion battery. Combined with the efficient power usage of the Venus Engine III processor, you'll get an impressive 380 shots on a full charge.

• Leica DC Vario-Elmarit Lens with a 18x Optical Zoom

The DMC-FZ18 features a Leica DC Vario-Elmarit Lens with a remarkable 18x optical zoom, equivalent to a 28 - 504mm lens on a 35mm film camera. A film camera with an optical zoom this powerful would be so big and heavy, you couldn't handle it with one hand. The DMC-FZ18, on the other hand, is small, lightweight and easy to handle. It also has Panasonic's Extended Optical Zoom. While causing minimal deterioration by using the center part of the high-resolution CCD, this function magnifies the image to give you total zoom power of up to 28.7x.

• Reduce Blur with MEGA OIS and Intelligent ISO

Image blur is commonly caused by either movement of the camera or movement of the subject. Camera movement is corrected with the MEGA O.I.S. (Optical Image Stabilization) feature which uses built-in gyro-sensors to detect the smallest camera movement and instantaneously shifts a lens element in the opposite direction to compensate, giving you sharp, clear images without deterioration. Motion blur - caused when a subject moves as the shot is being taken - is minimized with Intelligent ISO Control. This system actually detects whether the subject is moving and automatically adjusts the ISO setting and shutter speed to minimize the motion blur effect while maintaining good exposure.

• Face Detection for Superb Portraits

The Face Detection function automatically chooses the optimal settings to make sure faces appear well-lit and in focus. This advanced technology can detect up to 15 faces in a scene, and will even automatically readjust the settings if their positions change.

• High-Sensitivity Mode

This mode helps suppress motion blur by automatically setting the ISO sensitivity in the range of 1600-6400, which increases the shutter speed. It also lets you take clearer, sharper shots in dim lighting without using a flash.

• Super-Fast Shutter Response and Consecutive Shooting

The DMC-FZ18 is fast and responsive - thanks to the Venus Engine III processor. The camera has an extremely fast shutter lag, so you won't miss that "perfect" moment, and it enables high ISO to minimize motion blur and take pictures under low lighting without the need for a mood-killing flash. Furthermore, the advanced processor enables fast and unlimited continuous shooting at a rate of 3 frames per second - a superbly useful feature when shooting sports or other fast paced events.

• Wide VGA Motion Image Recording

The pixel-mixed readout method performed at the CCD makes it possible to record beautiful full-size movies in Wide VGA (848 x 480) size at 30 fps especially good for viewing on wide-screen TV in addition to the normal VGA (640 x 480). Much higher luminous signals are provided by the pixel-mixed readout method, so the video quality is enhanced not only in size but also in the brightness level as well.

• Fast Consecutive Shooting

Snap off up to 7 consecutive shots at a swift 3 frames per second in Standard mode. The DMC-FZ18 also has Unlimited Consecutive Shooting, so you can keep on shooting until the SD Memory Card is full.

• Joystick-operated Intuitive Manual Control

The DMC-FZ18 offers manual focus and manual exposure; and both are adjustable with an independent omni directional joystick. Users can quickly shortcut to frequently used variables containing white balance adjustment, ISO setting, image size setting and compression format just by pressing and holding down the joystick, even while monitoring a subject on the LCD. There's no need to switch to the menu screen. When you focus in the Manual Focus mode, not only the focus distance but also the depth of field (according to the zoom range and aperture) is displayed. There is also a MF assist function that enlarges the center of the image to make focusing easier.

• 19 Easy-to-use Scene Modes

The DMC-FZ18 contains a total of nineteen scene modes to assist your shooting according to the wide-ranging situations. The unique "Baby" mode allows easy growth recording in which the baby's age according to the preset birthday would be automatically recorded onto the image. "Starry sky" mode helps you capture the beautiful star-filled night sky by securing shutter speeds as slow as 60 seconds. Plus, the Tele-Macro function allows shooting the subject in the Macro mode as close as 100cm at the tele end, giving a soft-focused background to make the subject stands out.

• Intelligent Scene Detection

With the camera in Intelligent Auto Mode, the Intelligent Scene Selector will sense the ambient conditions and automatically select either the Scenery, Portrait, Macro, Night Portrait or Night Scenery mode accordingly. With the camera choosing the settings for you, you'll get beautiful results every time you shoot, no matter what the scene or subject.

• Mode Dial with Mode Position Display

The Mode Dial is combined with a unique Mode Position Display, and as you operate the dial, large animated icons are displayed on the LCD Screen, making it easy to find the mode you want and switch between shooting, viewing, and printing.

• Auto Angle Detection

Auto angle detection records whether an image was taken horizontally or vertically. This ensures that when playing back on the LCD monitor and displaying images on your TV by connecting your Lumix Digital Camera with an A/V cable, vertical images are automatically displayed vertically and horizontal images are automatically displayed horizontally.

• Built-in and Expandable Memory

The camera includes 27MB of built-in memory, and the memory capacity can be expanded dramatically with Secure digital (SD) or Secure Digital High Capacity (SDHC) memory cards. You can also copy images from a memory card or PC to the built-in memory, and view them on the LCD anytime you like.

• 2.5" High-Angle LCD

The DMC-FZ18 features a large, 2.5" diagonal LCD and the Power LCD function. Simply touch the Power LCD button and the display becomes about 40% brighter for easier viewing on sunny days. The DMC-FZ18 also has a High-Angle LCD feature, which makes it easier to check the LCD when you're holding the camera high to shoot over a crowd. The large LCD lets you check the focus, frame the shot, and use functions like 25-thumbnail display and Calendar View in comfort, with no eye strain.

• Print Directly From Your Camera

You can send images directly to print, right from the DMC-FZ18 camera without the need of a PC. Simply connect the camera to a PictBridge compatible printer by using the included USB cable, and then simply select the pictures you want to print.