I used both cameras in the past year. Last year, I took my G7 for a Dragon boat race held locally. It took great photos. This year, I used the FZ18 instead. I have to admit that the FZ18 is a better camera than the G7. This is my personal opinion based on the quality of pictures that came up, as well as the power of the zoom lens. I must admit that the Leica lens perhaps is the one that made the difference. I also did took photos of the full moon using both cameras last fall. Again, photos which were taken using the FZ18 were superior to the ones taken from my G7. For consolation, I do like the color swap and color accents features of the G7. In addition, the G7 is built more like a tank than the FZ18. Finally, G7 is also smaller and snug better in my pocket than the FZ18. This is my just a personal opinion after taking approx. 2000 photos from each cameras in the past year. I could not believe it myself, but that's the number of photos that were fired in the past year. I recall a week trip in the wilderness took almost 1000 photos alone. Both cameras are doing well, in terms of the wear and tear (on and off all the time).