Good to average speed for a consumer camera.

The Lumix DMC-FZ18's performance ranges from quite fast to about average, depending on what you're trying to do. It starts up fairly quickly considering its large 18x optical zoom lens, which extends forward on power-up. Shutter response is good at both wide angle and telephoto, at 0.40s and 0.50s respectively. "Prefocusing" the camera by half-pressing and holding down the shutter button before the final exposure results in a blistering lag time of only 0.019 second. The Panasonic FZ18's shot-to-shot cycle times are slightly better than average for a long zoom, at about 1.87 seconds for large/fine JPEGs, and the camera appears to capture shots continuously in single-shot mode without having to stop and clear the buffer. Continuous unlimited mode is average, at 2 frames-per-second for large/fine JPEG frames, and captures frames at that rate without any limitation on the number of files (apart from card capacity). Continuous burst mode is on the faster side of average at 3 large/fine JPEG frames per second, though limited to 4 frames at that rate. (Continuous modes are not supported when shooting RAW.) The flash takes 4.25 seconds to recharge after a full-power shot, which is better than average. Connected to a computer or printer with USB 2.0, download speeds are slower than most cameras in 2007. Bottom line, the DMC-FZ18 is responsive enough to handle most family photo opportunities, and even some sporting events with its continuous mode, though you'll want a card reader for quicker file downloading.

Battery
Above average battery life for a lithium-ion design.

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ18 uses a custom rechargeable lithium-ion battery for power, and ships with a charger. Although battery life is well above average, we recommend you pick up a spare battery and keep it freshly charged and on-hand for extended outings.

The table above shows the number of shots the camera is capable of (on either a fresh set of disposable batteries or a fully-charged rechargeable battery as appropriate), based on CIPA battery-life and/or manufacturer standard test conditions.

(Interested readers can find an English translation of the CIPA DC-002 standards document here. (180K PDF document))

Storage
The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ18 accepts SD/MMC memory cards, and includes about 27MB of internal memory.

We strongly recommend buying a large capacity SDHC or SD memory card with the Panasonic FZ18, at least a 1GB card, and preferably a 4GB one, to give yourself extra space for extended outings and video. (Check the shopping link above, cards are really cheap these days, so no reason to skimp.)