Panasonic's 2007 18x superzoom bridge — 8.1MP CCD, 28-504mm equiv Leica lens, RAW and full manual control.
The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ18 was a superzoom bridge camera released in July 2007, slotting between the compact FZ8 and the larger FZ30/FZ50 in Panasonic's Lumix range. It replaced the FZ8's 12x lens with an 18x zoom and was itself succeeded by the FZ28 a year later.
It combines an 8.1-megapixel 1/2.5in CCD with a Leica-branded 18x zoom equivalent to 28-504mm at f/2.8-4.2, stabilised by Mega O.I.S. Framing is via a 188k-dot electronic viewfinder or 2.5in 230k-dot LCD. It offers full PASM manual control, optional RAW capture, ISO 100-1600, VGA 30fps video, and stores to SD/SDHC or MultiMediaCard with a 7.2V lithium-ion battery.
It suits travel and wildlife shooters who want one lightweight body covering wide-angle to long telephoto with proper manual controls. At 360g it is compact for the reach on offer; the small CCD means image noise climbs quickly above base ISO, so it is happiest in good light.
Second-hand, check the proprietary Panasonic lithium-ion battery holds charge and a charger is present, that the zoom runs the full 18x range without hesitation, and that the EVF and LCD are clear. Small-sensor CCDs of this era can develop hot pixels; test at long shutter speeds. SD/SDHC cards keep storage simple and cheap.