Pentax Optio RZ18

The Pentax build quality is excellent and feels good to use. Excellent zoom function and photo quality. The menu system could be a little less fussy, and needs time to get used to. I was a little disappointed with the video quality, and my wife's cheaper Kodak compact does better, but it is fine for most situations, and I did buy it as a point and shoot still camera anyway. Overall a good quality camera and feels a bit better and more solid than most compacts.

the rz 18 is perfect for my next holiday i can take distant shots and close up shots and know that it will handle all aspects of my holiday snaps . plus its the right size to carry around for all my full day trips.

I bought this as a 'carry-around' to compliment my DSLR and wanted something with plenty of zoom. Conveneiently, it was on sale at Ted's at the time of purchase. Even at full price I probably couldn't have gone past the Pentax Optio RZ18. With 18x zoom, any other comparable camera costs considerably more. Of course the image quality does not match a DSLR, but that is only to be expected. The scene modes are easy to choose and mostly work effectively. I used the firework setting at the New Years Eve fireworks on Sydney Harbour and got some good results, although there was a tendency to over-expose. Face detection is a bit hit-and-miss, but is not somthing I generally use anyway.

If you want a point-and-shoot with plenty of zoom, this is great value for money