Panasonic DMC-FZ18 Performance

Camera Reviews / Panasonic Cameras i Review

Navigate Review Jump to review page...

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ18 Performance

Timing and Performance

Good to average speed for a consumer camera.

Mode switching
Startup/Shutdown
Power on to first shot	3.1 seconds	Time it takes for LCD to turn on and lens to deploy.
Shutdown	1.3 seconds	How long it takes to retract lens.
Buffer clearing time	2.5 seconds after each RAW frame (2 seconds after 20 LF JPEG frames)	Worst case buffer clearing time. -- This is the delay after a set of shots before you can remove the card. Some cameras won't retract their lenses and shut down until the buffer is cleared.
Play to Record, first shot	1.8 seconds	Time until first shot is captured.
Record to play	0.9 second	Time to display a large/fine file immediately after capture.
Display recorded image	1.3 seconds	Time to display a large/fine file already on the memory card.
Shutter response (Lag Time)
Full Autofocus Wide	0.40 second	Time from fully pressing shutter button to image capture, zoom lens at wide angle position.
Full Autofocus Tele	0.50 second	Time from fully pressing shutter button to image capture, zoom lens at telephoto position.
Full Autofocus, flash enabled	0.55 second	Time from fully pressing shutter button to image capture, zoom lens at wide angle position, flash enabled.
Prefocused	0.019 second	Time to capture, after half-pressing and holding shutter button.
Continuous AF	0.42 second	This mode usually shows no speed increase with our static subject; we have no way to measure performance with moving subjects.
Manual focus	0.26 second	For most cameras, shutter lag is less in manual focus than autofocus, but usually not as fast as when the camera is "prefocused"
Cycle time (shot to shot)
Single Shot mode Large Fine JPEG	1.87 seconds	Time per shot, averaged over 20 shots.
Single Shot mode 640x480 JPEG	1.42 seconds	Time per shot, averaged over 20 shots.
Single Shot mode RAW	2.77 seconds	Time per shot, averaged over 20 shots.
Early shutter penalty?	Yes	Some cameras refuse to snap another shot if you release and press the shutter too quickly in Single Shot mode, making "No" the preferred answer.
Continuous unlimited mode Large Fine JPEG	0.50 second (2.01 frames per second); >20 frames 2 seconds to clear	Time per shot, averaged over buffer length or 20 shots, whichever came first. Slows to 0.80s or 1.25 fps at ISO 400.
Continuous unlimited mode 640x480 JPEG	0.57 second (1.76 frames per second); >20 frames 1 second to clear	Time per shot, averaged over buffer length or 20 shots, whichever came first. Slows to 0.70s or 1.43 fps at ISO 400.
Continuous burst mode Large Fine JPEG	0.33 second (3.00 frames per second); 4 frames total; 1 second to clear	Time per shot, averaged over buffer length or 20 shots, whichever came first. Slows to 0.80s or 1.25 fps for 4 frames at ISO 400.
Continuous burst mode 640x480 JPEG	0.33 second (3.00 frames per second); 7 frames total; 1 second to clear	Time per shot, averaged over buffer length or 20 shots, whichever came first. Slows to 0.47s or 2.14 fps for 7 frames at ISO 400.
Flash recycling	4.25 seconds	Flash at maximum output.
Download speed
Windows Computer, USB 2.0	666 KBytes/sec	Typical Values: Less than 600=USB 1.1; 600-769=USB 2.0 Low; Above 770=USB 2.0 High
*Note: Buffer clearing times measured with a Kingston Ultimate 133x SD memory card. Slower cards will produce correspondingly slower clearing times. Slow cards may also limit length of bursts in continuous mode. ISO sensitivity also affects cycle times and burst mode performance, with higher ISOs generally increasing cycle times and reducing burst performance.

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 and Storage Capacity

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

Operating Mode	Number of Shots
Lithium-ion Rechargeable Battery, LCD (CIPA standard)	400
Lithium-ion Rechargeable Battery, EVF (CIPA standard)	400

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.

Image Capacity with 27MB Internal Memory		Fine	Normal	RAW
3,264 x 2,448	Images	6	12	1
3,264 x 2,448	File Size	4.2 MB	2.1 MB	18.3 MB
2,560 x 1,920	Images	10	20	-
2,560 x 1,920	File Size	2.6 MB	1.3 MB	-
2,048 x 1,536	Images	16	31	-
2,048 x 1,536	File Size	1.6 MB	865 KB	-
1,600 x 1,200	Images	25	49	-
1,600 x 1,200	File Size	1.0 MB	542 KB	-
640 x 480	Images	122	199	-
640 x 480	File Size	220 KB	136 KB	-

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.)