Camera Comparison questions??

[Zirkel]

The more I read the more confused I get.

I am about ready to purchase a new digital camera. I've been looking at the Panasonic DMC FZ18. I am wanting a large optical zoom camera but not wanting to spend the bucks for a DSLR and multiple lenses.
The question is how do the FZ18 and the Olympus 560 UZ compare? Reviews give the Panasonic a little edge in lens quality. The olympus is just a touch more expensive and I am already set up to recharge AA batteries by 110 and 12 volt since we are on the road and away from power sometimes. The Panasonic has a proprietary battery set up that is a bit more expensive for spares.
Thanks for any comments,

Zirkel

[Leo]

Any camera with a better than 10x optical zoom IMHO needs Image Stabilization.

Sticking with Cameras that can use AA size batteries in a pinch will serve you far better on the road than the proprietary battery packs will. That's even if you have spares. Nimh rechargeables wear out and have two very nasty habits that have driven me to avoid them whenever possible. The first nasty thing Nimh's do is their charge life gets progressively shorter after each recharge. And the main thing about them that drives me nuts is they are notorious for loosing their charge even when they aren't in use. What that means is you fully charge a couple of spares and by the time you need the last spare it's almost dead and you haven't even used it!

With the AA size option you can also choose the long life Lithiums. These things crush both Alkalines and rechargeables for long life. They also perform in very cold and very hot weather that can shut down other batteries.

For an on the road camera the battery issue is one you're smart not to ignore.

[Zirkel]

Leo,

Thanks for your response. I'm still sitting on the fence and you have made some very valid points about the batteries. Both camera's have two kinds of image stabilization so I'm covered there. I had a Olympus 2100uz for a few years. I broke the selection dial off duck hunting and was shocked to find Olympus didn't support that camera anymore and I was out of luck. I guess that is how the digital world works. Everything is changing so fast.

Thanks again, I'll let you know what I decide.

Zirkel

[smallmunster]

www.dpreview.com has pretty good reviews of most popular cameras out there.

[Zirkel]

SmallM,

Thanks for the link.

Zirkel

[DSGB]

I vote for the Olympus. I have an SP500UZ and love it. I also have an older C740.

[wtnhunt]

Know nothing about either of those cams, but Leo make a good point about the image stabilization.

Far as the batteries, the digital slr I have, a minolta really is not too bad on the batteries. I did buy one extra battery when I bought the camera and it was not too terribly expensive, they will last pretty well depending on flash shots. Would not let the battery be the single determining factor if it were me, there are fairly good aftermarket batteries out there for most if not all cameras and there are car chargers available for some too.