Panasonic has a great 18x zoom DSLR with FZ18 but unfortunately still not available in the market (at least not in Malaysia). But if you going for a trip soon and want something close to it, then why not consider Olympus SP-550UZ. I only realize it today but this baby has been around since beginning of 2007 and is selling about RM1899. But there are people selling it at 1500 in lelong.com.my however I believe it would be gray market stock. SP-550 has got a similar lens to Panasonic’s but at 500mm it is slightly darker at a aperture of 4.5 (maybe half stop?)
Pros? You can have the highest zoom for amateur SLR today with a decent lens quality from Olympus. The only complaint I will give is the usage of propriety xD card instead of the widely used SD or CF card. xD cards are mostly used among Olympus and Fujifilm cameras.
Patrick Bites 