photographers guide lx7

8/10/2019 Photographers Guide Lx7

1/74

P H O T O G R A P H E R S

G U I D E

T O

T H E

P A N A S O N I C

L U M I X LX 7

GETTING THE MOST FROM PANASONICS

ADVANCED COMPACT CAMERA

A L E P L R H

D E F - L

S . WHITE


2/74

Cepyright

ti }

E 1 1 1 3 by Ale: -Lander

5 . W

hite. All

rights

reserved

Nd part of this puhliesticm

m a y

he reprddueed,

5 - t ' I I | - l [ d in

: 1

re t rieyal system e r r transmitted

in

a n y t ie rm

- E l l

hy a n y

ineai is,

eleetmnie, mechanical, phdtneepying, reedrding nr

ether-

wise,

withdut th e

priur written

permissiun df the

copyright

hulder, except [er briefquutatiuns used

in

: 1

review.

Published hy

White

Knight

Press

H T U 4

Clld Club Trace

Henrieu,

Virginie 23233

wwwnwhiteknightpressm:-m

cu11 t:.=1etEg T:*white1~;nightpress.eum

I S B N :

9? 'S - I - ' : ? T ~ ? ' : ? 3 E i - I 'D-El {paperback}

9 T 5 - l 9 3 F 9 B 5 - 1

1-T

{E-bflfik}

Printed

in

the United Sla tes L it i-'tnieri~:n


3/74

Conten ts

Author 's Hpl e

and Acl tnewleclgments

In t reduct ien

Chapter

1 :

Prel iminary S e t up

Charging a n - t i Inserting

th e

Battery

Chuersing an d Inserting a Piernery Card

intret luctlen te M a i n

Eentrels

T e p ef C a m e r a

B a c l c

er

C a m e r a

Frent

ef Camera

Flight Side ef Camera

Bettem

ef

C a m e r a

Setting

the

Language, Date,

ant i T ime

Chapter 2 : B asie Dperatiens

T a l - t i n g

Pictures

Fully

Autemafie:

Intel l igent

P t u t e I i - ' 1 c : = | : l e

B a s i c

tiariatiens

frem F u l l y

Aute matit

Fetus

Manual

Fecus

Ertpesure

Eitpesure Cempens-atiun

F l a s h

Pietien Picture F t e c e r t l i n g

Viewing Pictures

Basic

P l a y h a c l - t

P l a y in g M e y ie s

Chapter 3:

The

Fteecrrding Hucles

Preliminary S t e p s

E l e f e r e

Sheeting

Pictures

Intell igent Aute l ' - l e t l e

Intell igent eute P l u s

Pregiam Merle

A perture P rierity

l l - t e d e

Shutter

Prienty i s l e - t i e

M a n u a l

Eitpesure

M e r l e

S c e n e

Pletle

Pertrai t

Eei t

E l - t i n

Scenery

P a n e - r a m a

Shet

Sperts

Night Pertra it

M i g h t Scenery

Handheld M i g h t

Shet

H D R

F e e d

B a b y 1 anti

E l - a l : | y

2

P et

E 1

l | I I i l


4/74

F H C | T D G H i P i P H E l = t ' 5 GUIDE

TD T H E

P P - H - H S U N I C L l . l l ' - ' l [ I = ' I

LI?

Sunset 1 E I S

G l a s s Threugn ttie

3 D

1 1 - E l

Creative Centrel Mede 1 1 3

Expressive 1 1 S

R e t i r e

1 1 S

H i g h

Iiiey 1 1 1 3

L ew l iey 12[ l

S e p i a 1 2 - D

Dynamic M enechreme

1 2 - D

Impressive A rt 1 2 1

H i g h

Dynamic 1 2 1

Cress

Precess

1 22

T e y

C a m e r a 1 2 3

Miniature

124

Sef t Fucus 1 25

Star Filter 1 2 E i

C i n e

Peint Euler

1 22

Smeeth

Defecus 1 2 3

F t a d l a i Defecus

1 2 S

Eustem

I - i u d e s : E 1 an d C 2 1 2 1 3

Chapter

4:

T he

Recording

M e n u 1 31 ]

Phete S tyle 134

Standard

1 3 3

vivid

1 3 S

Natural 1 -iii

l'-ienuchreme

1 4 1

S - c e n e r y

1 4 2

Pertrait 1 4 3

Custem

144

Picture S iz e 1 4 5

E 1 - t t e n d e d E l | : | i : i c a l Eecim 1 4 - E

Digital

2eem 1 4 9

Quality 1 5 - i i

IS U | [ S e n s i t i v i t y ] | 1 5 2

I S E J

Limit S e t

1 5

S

I S E I

Increments 1 5 5

E i I L l I I E i ' l I I l E I E | IS D 1 5 2

Preg iam Diag ram 1 5 9

F a c e

F i e c e g n i t i e n

1 5 1

P F

[P-uteiecus} Mede

1 5 3

F a c e Detectien 1 5 4

A F Traclting 1 5 6

23-Area

1 5 2

1 - A r e a

1 5 S

Quicli

A F

1 2 1

. 4 F , i i i E

L e c i - t 1 22

Metering

M e d e

1 2 3

Intelligent Dynamic 1 2 2

Multiple

Eiipesure 1 2 B

M inimum S hutter S p e e d 1 5 2

E l


5/74

P H O T O G R A P H E R S

G U I D E

T O

T H E

P A N A S O N I C

L U M I X LX 7

CIETTING

THE MOST FROM PAl\lASONlC'S

ADVANCED COMPACT

C A l * v l E R A

A L E } { A i * ~ l D E F - L

S . WHITE


6/74

Cepyright 1 ? } 21313 by Aleicander

S . W

hite. All

rights

reserved

hie part ef this

publicatien m a y

be repreducecl , stered

in

a

retrieval

system er transmitted

in

a n y tb rm er by a n y

means,

electrenic, mechanical,

phetecepying,

recerding er

ether-

v . ' i i - s e ,

vritheut th e

priur written

permissiun ef the

cepyright

helder, eitcept [er briefguetatiens used

in

a

review.

Published by

Wliite Knight

Press

S 2 1 1 4

(lid

Club Trace

Henrice, Virginia 23233

1ivivvv.virhiteltnightpressmem

ceiitacttivvhiteltnightpressmem

I S B N :

9 23- I - ': ? T ~ 2 5 i 3 E i- l i ll-El - [ p i aperbaclt]

9 T 5 - l 9 3 l T 9 B 5 - 1

l-T {E-DUDE}

Printed

in

the United

States

et America


7/74

Conten ts

Anther 's

Hi:-te and Acluie i i i i ledgments

Intreiluctien

Chapter

1 :

Prel iminary S e t up

Charging an d Inserting

th e

Battery

C h ee si ng a nd Inserting a

Memery

Card

tntreductlen

te M a i n

Eentrels

T e p ef C a m e r a

B a d :

er

C a m e r a

Frent

ef Camera

Ft ight S ide ef Camera

Bettem er

C a m e r a

Setting

the

Language, Date,

and Time

Chapter 2: Basic Dperatiens

T a l - t i n g

Pictures

Fully

Autemalic:

Intel l igent

Aute

M e d e

B a s i c variatiens frem F u l l y

Aute

matic

Fetus

Manual

Fucus

Ertpesure

Eapesure

Cempensatieri

F l a s h

Met ien Picture F t e c e r d i n g

Viewing Pictures

Basic

P l a y l a a c t - t

P l a y in g M e v ie s

Chapter 3:

The

Fteeerding H a d e s

Preliminary S t e p s

E l e f e r e

Sheeting

Pictures

Intell igent Aute Mede

Intell igent

Aute

P i u s

Piegiam

Mede

Aperture P r ienty

Mede

Shutter P i - i e n t y

M e - t i e

M a n u a l

Eiipesure

M e d e

S c e n e

Mede

Perhait

Sert

S i - t i n

Scenery

P a n e - r a m a

Shet

Sperts

Might

Pertra it

M i g h t Scenery

Handheld M i g h t

Shet

H D R

F e e d

E a h y 1

a n c l E l - a h y

2

P et

E 1

l | I I i l


8/74

P H U T D G H A P H E I T E GUIDE

TD T H E

PANASONIC Ll.ll'-'l[2t

LI?

Sunset 1 3 3

G l a s s Threugh 1 3 3

3 D

1 1 - E l

Creative Control Mede 1 1 3

Expressive 1 1 3

Retro 1 1 3

H i g h

I i t e y 1 1 3

L ow lte y 12[ l

S e p i a 1 2 - 3

Dynamic M onochrome 1 2 - 3

Impressive A rt 1 2 1

H i g h

Dynamic 1 2 1

Cress

Precess

1 22

T e y

C a m e r a 1 2 3

Miniature

124

Sof t Focus 1 25

Star Filter 1 25

C i n e

Point Color

1 22

Smeeth

Defecus 1 2 3

F t a d l a i Defecus 1 2 3

Custom

I - l e d e s : C 1 an d C 2 1 23

Chapter

4:

T he

Recording

M e n u

1 3D

Phete S tyle 134

Standard

1 3 3

vivid

1 3 3

Natural 1 -iii

M onochrome

1 4 1

S - c e n e r y

1 4 2

Pertrait 1 4 3

Custem

144

Picture S iz e 1 4 5

E 1 - t t e n d e d C l | : | i : i c a l

2oom

1 4 - E

Digital

2eem 1 4 3

Quality 1 5 - l l

I S C I | [ S e n s i t i v i t y ] | 1 5 2

I S E J

Limit S e t

1 5 5

I S C I Increments 1 5 5

E i I t l I I E i ' l I I l E C | 1 S C i 1 5 2

Preg iam Diag ram 1 5 3

F a c e

F i e c e g n i t i e n

1 5 1

A F [ P - u t e i e c u s j i

Mede

1 5 3

F a c e Detection 1 5 4

A F Traclting 1 5 5

23-Area

1 5 2

1 - A r e a 1 5 3

Quicli

A F

1 2 1

A F J A E

L e c i - t 1 22

Metering

M e d e

1 2 3

Intelligent Dynamic 1 2 2

Multiple

Eiipesure

1 2 3

Minimum S h

utter

S p e e d 1 3 2

E l


9/74

Intelligent

Resolution

Intel l igent

2oom

Digital

2oem

S t e p 2eom

S ta l 3 l l l 2 E . ' l '

Autofecus Assist Lamp

F l a s h

F l a s h Synchre

F l a s h

Adjustment

R ed-eye Removal

Clptional viewfinder

Aspect

Eracltet

Time L a p s e Shot

Date Stamp

C l o c i t

S et

Chapter

5 :

Dtlier

Controls

Aspect

R a t i o Switch

Aperture

R i n g

F o c u s Switch

F l a s h C l p e n Switch

Mode D i a l

Shutter

E l u t t o n

E o e m

Lever

Power Switch

Movie

Eutton

P l a y

Button

i t C i ; 'F o c u s

Lever

R e a r

D i a l

Eiiposure

Compensation with R e a r D i a l

Program

Shift

with R e a r

D i a l

Quicli M e n u . i l ' ra s h

3utton

Cluiclt

Menu

Function

C a n c e | , i ' T r a s h

Function

A F , i ' A E Loclt

3utton

Five-Button Array

U p

3utton:

I S C I

R igh t

Button: White Balance

Left Button: Function {Fn}

Down E - u t t o n : Continuous S heetingi 'S elf-Timer

E u

rst Shooting

Auto Eracliet

Sell-timer

Center

E - i u t t o n :

M en

u , i ' 5 e l t

Display Button

Status

Indicator

Chapter

5 :

Playback

The Playbacl t l '-'lenus

T he Playbaclt

t-lode

Menu

iiiermal P l a y

Slide

Show

[Play]

A ll

C C

l - lTEl -JTE

1 - 3 3

1 34

1 35

1 35

1 32

1 33

1 33

1 33

1 33

1 34

1'35

1'33

1 33

232

234

235

235

233

233

21 3

21 3

21 1

211

21 2

21 2

21 3

214

212

212

21 3

223

223

222

224

225

225

225

233

24 1

24 2

24 3

25 3

25 3

25 3

25 2

25-B

253

25 3

25 3

2'52

25 3

3


10/74

P H U T D G F - ' L A P H E l = t ' 5 GUIDE

TD T H E PA - l -lA5U l ~ l IC L l . ll '- 'l II l' I

L 3 4 2

[Play]

Picture Dnlyfvideo Dnly

3D P l a y

Category

Selection

Favorite

Cither P l a y t ia c i t M o d e s

filtering P l a y

Calendar

T he Playbaclt l ' - ' l e n u

Upload

S et

|'|tle

Edit

T e l - i t

Stamp

' v ' i d e o

Divide

R e s i : - : e

Cropping

L e v e H n g

Favorite

Print

S e t

Protect

Face

Rec ogn it io n E d i t

C e n t

Auto

Retouch

and

Creative R e t o u c h

Playbaclt of

Videos

an d

Dther

Types of Files

25 5

25 5

25 5

25 5

25 2

25 2

25 3

223

221

222

223

224

225

223

223

233

23 1

232

233

233

235

233

Chapter 2 ': T he

S e t u p I-llenu 233

233l o c l - t S et

World Time

T r a v e l Date

Beep

v'olume

Custom

S et

l ' ~ ' l e m o r y

F n Button Set

L C D Display

L C D

M o - d e

L i i F Display Style

L C D Display

Style

G u id e L in e

Histogram

v i d e o

Recording Area

R emain ing Display

Highl ight

E i r p e s u r e

Meter

L e n s

R e s u m e

Manual F o c u s { M F ] Assist

Economy

P l a y on

L C D

Auto

Review

Start

Mode

h lu moor R e s e t

R e s e t

U S E

M e d e

Clutput

' v ' I E R A Llnlt

1 3

2'33

232

232

233

234

233

33 1

332

333

334

334

335

335

333

31 3

31 3

31 1

31 2

31 3

31 5

31 5

31 5

31 2

31 5

31 3

31 3

323


11/74

3 D Playbaclt

Rotate Display

Scene

M e n u

Menu R e s u m e

U s e r ' s

t i - l a m e

R e c o r d i n g

' v ' e r s i o n Display

Format

Language

D emo M o de

Chapter

3:

Hut ton

Pictures

E l a s i c s of L22 'v'ideography

Choosing

the

Shooting M ode and

Dther

Settings

Creative 'v'ideo Mode

H i g h S p e e d indeo Recording

M a t t in g C l th e r

Settings

' v ' r . ihen R e c o r d i n g M o v ie s

T he

Motion P icture Me nu

Photo Style

R e c ord in g M o d e

Recording Quali ty

I53 Limit

5 - e t

I S C I

Increments

A F Mode

Continuous A F

A F , l ' A E Locit

Metenng

M o d e

Intelligent Dynamic

E r - r p o s u r e Mode

Intel l igent

R fio lu ljon

Intel l igent

2oom

Digital

2oom

S t a

trllizer

A F Assist L E l | ' n D

Wind C ut

Recording Time

Shooting

Stil l

Images

While Recording a

' v ' i d e e

R ecommendations for Recording ' v ' l d e o

Chapter

3:

Ot her T e

pics

Macro

[Closeup] Shooting

U s i n g R A W Quality

U s i n g

F l a s h

Infrared

Photography

Digiscoping

and

Astrophotography

Street

Photography

H i g h

Dynamic

R a n g e

[ H D R ]

Photography

Connecting to a Television S et

Append ix

A :

A C C E S S D R I E S

C a s e s

Batteries

A C

Adapter

viewfinder-s

Add-on Filters and L e n s e s

C C 1 ' i - l T E l - l T . 5

323

32 1

322

323

324

325

325

325

322

3.23

323

333

332

335

335

333

333

333

34-3

34 1

34 2

34 2

342

34 2

34 2

34 3

34 3

343

34 3

34 4

34 4

34 4

34 4

34 5

34 5

34 2

34 3 '

34 3

35 2

35 5

35 3

35 1

35 5

35-3

323

325

325

323

323

331

335

1 1


12/74

P H l 3 T C H I 3 R A P H E R ' 5 GUIDE T D T H E PA-l - lA5Ci l~lIC LUl'- ' l IK

L K 2

Evrternal Flash Units

C a b le R e le a s e Adapter

Automatic

L e n s

C a p

333

333

335

APPEHDIIII Bi: QUICK

TIP- .5

332'

Appehtlilt

C : R E S C I U R C E S

FDR

F U R T H E R IH

FDRMATIDH

432

4 C 2hotography Boolis

We b S i tes

L33 Photography

Digi tal P hotography

Review

Tire C l f t ic l a l P a n a s o n i c

S i t e

Leica Rumors

Cambridge in Colour

Infrared

Photography

Digiscoping

Reviews of

th e

L a T

4 C 2

4 C

Index

4 D

1 2

5


13/74

Aut l ' ior s

Note oncl Acknowledgments

n C tc tob e r

2333.

I published my first

camera guide boolc.

IPlioiogrupher s G u i d e to

th e Le ica

D-Lax 4 , which I

fol-

lowed in Inly 231 3 with

a

similar bool-t about Panasonic 's

I _ . l . I t 1 1 I _ i - ' .

IJ l 'v]C.-L313,

a

camera

that

is

in

Inost

respects

identical

in features

and

operation

to

the

[I-Lu:-t

4 .

When

t he P a na so nic

Lumiic Dlv IC-LK5 began shipping in the Uni ted S t a t e s

a t

the

e n d of August

21113,

I turned

my attention

to that

camera for

another boolt- blow, with the advent of

the

Lumillt IZllvIC-LK2,

I

am continuing

this

series-

F_

All

of

the photographs illustrating the

features of

the

I _ . I ' I 2

are

ones that I

toolt

with my LK2: the photographs showing the

I.K2

itself

were

talten

with

my

S o n y

Alpha

l ' JS I .R-A l - l5 t l

a n d

5LT-A33.

In writing this boolt, I have

been

fortunate e n o u g h to have

assistance

f r e 1 1 1

a

number

of

dedicated

users of

Pa n a son ic

cameras

who

read a draft a n d

provided

tremendously useful

comments. I am erttremely grateth l to them

for their

insights

a n d

sugge s t ion s For improving the te:-tt. I a in particularly in-

debted

to

Helinar Eendig

l[privatemaii], David

Butler; T ed

C ha n g , R o g er Circle, Ern e s t

Dalryniple-Alford,

Adam Kielca,

]o|1| i

Laiiinga,

S t e ve n

L .

Pr ice

l[5I:ippy

Steve) ,

W e o g o

R e e d ,

a 1 1 d P e t e r Tnriibiill. Any remaining errors are.

of

course,

my

own

responsibility.

Finally, as always.

my most

supportive a n d

encouraging

part-

ner in this endeavor ha s

been

my wife. Clen ise . who not only

edited

the filial

terct, but

who provides

inspiration, both pho-

tographic

a n d personal, every sing le

day.

1 3


14/74

bilities of the

Pa n a son ic

I .umi:-: IJlvIC-I.K2, on e of the

most

capable a n d versatile

point-and-shoot

digital

compact

cameras avai lable

today.

l

cl1ose this camera to

write

about partly because of

my

er-tperience

with

its

predecessors.

th e

D I 'v I C -L2 1 3 a n d L215 , but a ls o b ec au se

this camera stands

out from the broad

run

of compact cameras for s eve ra l r ea -

sons.

Introduction

is

boolt

i s

a

guide

to

the

operation.

features.

and

capa-

Consider the

list of features

you don't

find every

d a y in a

com-

pa ct camera tha t

is

not

a

I J S L I I .

[digital

single-lens

refle:-t):

I I IA W ima g e format; complete manual control

of

er-tposure

and focus; burst capab ilit y for con tin uous

shooting;

= 1 large.

3-inch (2.5 cm} diagonal and very sharp {323,333

pi:-tels}

LCD

screen:

a high-qual ity Leica-branded

lens

with a wide

24mm

equivalent

focal

length

a n d a

much

brighter

than

ordinary

fr

1 .4

- f i '2.3 maximum aperture;

HD

{high-definition] motion

picture re cording

with

a d va n ce d fe a tu re

s ;

eiccellent overall

im-

ag e

quality. owing

in

part to th e high quality of the C t ' t 1 ' I ' i C t ' t ' f S

intelligent

ezcposure

and

focus

controls

a n d

iiuage

process-

ing; and

C K C C I I C H I

perforiuance

in low light.

owing in

part

to

its fin e performance at high I S C I

{light

sensitivity] levels.

l 'v1oreover, the

LK2

ha s

an

advanced l 'vICtS {metal-or-t ide semi-

conductor]

light

sensor

considerably

larger than those ofmany

other compact

cameras.

resulting in

greater

ima ge

quality.

T he I312 also ha s a solid feel, partly because ofits

metal body

14


15/74

INTRODUCTION

a n d cla ssic a ppe ara nce . I vla ny

photographers

will

welcome

th e inclusion of physical switches

to

contnol many functions.

so they

don't have

to naviga te

through

memis

to cha ng e the

aspect ratio,

focus

mode, ISCI , white balance, and other set-

t ings.

A nd

in addit ion to

its

useful pop-up flash,

the

camera

is

equipped

with

a

hot

shoe. T he

hot shoe ca n accept either

an

eitternal fla sh unit or a high resolution electronic

viewfinder.

An C . K I C I ' t 1 E t l

flash installed in this

sho e ca n

communicate with

the ca me ra for

automatic

flash

control.

T he

electronic

view-

finder

allows you to

compose

imag es through a

shaded

win-

dow rather

than peering

at an LCDdisplay that can be washed

out in sunlight.

Also, the LK2

includes

basic fiinctions

a n d

features

similar

to

those of other cameras in its class: self-timer. macro {closeup

shooting}

iuode, a wide r a n g e

of

shutter

speeds ( 124 333 sec-

ond

to

25 3 seconds], many different

scene mod e s {such as

portrait, night s ce n e ry , s un s et , s ce n e ry , food, pet . and baby},

and a

full

shooting

mode with creative settings

fo r

produc-

ing imag es with eitotically altered appearances.

Is

anything laclcing in the L212? S o m e people would prefer a

lens

that

goe s beyond the 33mm equivalent of its mazc imum

optical zoom; others would like a built-in optical

viewfinder.

Ctf course,

the

camera does

not accept

interchangeable lenses,

a n d

is

equipped

with a cligital sensor which, although larger

than

average for a

camera

of

this type, cannot

provide the irri-

ag e quality

of

the larger

sensors

found on [t5 L P .s. T he camera

could use

better

audio recording

fea t u res , su ch as a jaclt

for

an

eitternal microphone, to

support

it s

C } i I C t 3 I l C ' t 1 [ video capability.

Iiut

given that n o ca me ra ca n meet every possible

need,

the

I J C 2 is an

outstanding

eitample of a n advanced

compact

cam-

era. It

received

an

enthusiastic welcome

by

many photogra-

phers

upon

its release, sometimes to

supplement a I J S L R for

occasions

when

it's

inconvenient

to carry a

heavy

load

of g e ar ,

a n d sometimes

a s

the

photographer's only

equipment

to re-

cord vacation and family scenes. Ifyou carry this camera

with

1 5


16/74

P H D T ' D i 3 R A P H E P . ' 5 GUIDE T D T H E

PANASDHIC

LUl'- ' l IK

L K 2

you, you will be ready

to

record a breal-t ing n e w s

event

(with

still

photos or movies}.

to

capture a

scenic

view that

catches

your eye, to

grab spontaneous

s t ree t

photography

shots.

or to

eaperiment with

the

cameras

many features to try n e w

combinations of

color effects, shutter

speeds,

and

other set-

tings from

the

I .K2 's

wide

array ofpossibilities.

Th is camerals

quality

a n d

features

have

ma d e

it

a winner by

many measures. However,

the

documentation

that

comes with

it does not

a lw a ys d o

justice to its capabilities. In addition, the

documentation

i s

split between a

brief

printed pamphlet and

a

much

longer,

but

less

convenient

document

that

is

provided

on the

C D - R C t l v I

that ships

with

the camera. I find it

a

lot eas-

ier to learn about a

camerals

features

from

a s ing le gu id e , with

illustrations,

that tal-tes the time to l E } t I P I 3 I 1 1 t he fe a tu re s fully

a n d

clearly. That is the purpose

of

this boolt.

lvly goal is

to

provide a solid introduction to the

LK2s

controls

a n d operation along with tips a nd a dvic e as to

when

a n d how

to

use

the various

features. Th is

boolt

does not

provide ad-

vanced technical information. Ifyou already understand how

to use every feature

of

t he c am er a

a n d when

to use it and are

loolcing for n ew insights,

I

have included

some

references in

th e Appendices that

can

provide more detailed information.

This boolt is geared

to

the beginning

to intermediate

user who

is not sat isfied with the

documentation provided

with the

camera,

a n d

who

is loolting

for

a reference

guide

that

provides

some

additional help in mastering the camera's

features.

Cine

final

note: Asl write

this in

early

231 3 . L e ica ha s

released

th e

D-Lutt

5 ,

it s

version

ofthe

Lumijlt

L212.

I

ma y

later publish

a lioolt that is

similar

to

this

one, covering the

D-Lu:- t 5 . IIow-

ever, because that camera

is

practically identical

in features

a n d

operation to the LK2, the

information in

this boolt about

th e LK2

should

be useful to

L2-Lmt

5 owners as well.

1 5


17/74

Cheipter I: Prel iminciry

S e t u p

will assume

your P a n a so n ic L u m ia t D l v I C - L 3 1 2 ha s just ar-

Irived

at

your home or

olfice.

perhaps

purchased fiom an

inte

rn

et si te.

T he boa

should

contain the camera itself, lens

cap, lens cap

string, battery, battery

charger , neclttshoulder

strap,

U S E cable ,

Si l l-tyPiJt a n d

P I - I C t TC l f |_ i n S TL I D I C t

software

on

one C1 3 , the userh manual on another C D , an abbreviated

users

guide printed on paper, a n d on e or two other

pieces

of

p ap er. s uch as a

warranty

ca rd . T h e software CD also includes

a linlt to a

free

trial of

Lo i_LoScope

software for editing

videos.

Cine

of the first things you should do with your n ew c aiu era

is

attach

the le ns

ca p

string, a

small

Ioop supplied in

a

plastic

envelope that is

easy

to overloolt. Loop it through the small

opening on

the

lens

ca p a n d

the11

through the neclt-strap

bracltet c lo se st t o the lens, as

shown

in E i g u re

I-1.

New your

lens

cap will

b e attached

to

the camera

and cant

be

misplaced.

L--it ll - ' . . e . - i s

cat,

A z t e c ? - a c

t o C c - 1 : - e r e

1 2


18/74

PHDTDGRAPHEPI5 GUIDE T D T H E

PANASDHIC

LUl'- ' l IK

L K 2

S e in e p eo ple donlt

lilte

the removable lens ca p provided with

the L K 2, because

th e

cap ha s to be removed

when

you talte a

picture,

m a y bother you as it dang les while you

aim

a 1 1 d

fo-

cus, and ha s to

be

put baclt on the

lens

when youlre d on e . I

haven't found the

cap to

be a

problem,

because Fm used

to

cameras with removable

lens

caps.

I see

the point, though,

he -

cause many other small cameras have

built-in

lens covers that

automaticallyopen up when you turn on t he c am er a

a n d

close

baclt

down

when the

camera

is turned off.

S o m e users of

this camera

dea l

with

the len s ca p situation by

attaching

the

lens cap

string

to

the

r ight-side

neclt

strap

brack-

et rather than the le ft, so

it s

easy

to hold the cap in the right

hand while shooting, to

l teep

it from

flapping around.

If the

lens

cap

situation really

bothers you , the re are auto-

matic lens

caps avai lable for the L K 2, as there we re

for earlier

models , the L K 3

and

L K S . T h is so rt ofeap has leaves that

open

up as

the

lens er-ttends, so the cap can stay on the

camera

a n d

open

a n d

close a s needed . I have tried one model, made by

a

company

cal led IIC, that worlts quite well; you ca n find

this

item by searching on el3ay or Ama:con.com for L212

automat-

ic

lens cap. S ee

Appendiic

A

for

fiirther detai ls.

A s

for

the necl: strap, it is quite

useful

when youre carrying

th e c am e ra outside

of it s case, but I have

found

the

strap to

be

a nuisance when placing th e L212 into a case. because of the

straps

bullt.

You

might

w a n t to

loolt

for a

wrist strap

instead .

which g ives you a way to l teep a tight grip on t he c am era but

doesnt malte

it

dilficult to sto w the ca me ra

safely

in a case.

Charging ond I ns er tin g t he Buttery

T he L K2 ships with

a

single

rechargeable

Lithium-ion battery,

model number lT t l vI 'W-I iC] l 3Pl ' t

the

same battery as that used

in

the L T - I 5 .

This

battery h a s to be

charged

in

an e:-tternal

char-

g er ; you c a n't c ha rg e

it in the

camera, even Ifyou

connect

the

camera to the

optional

AC adapter . S o its a very good id ea to

g et

a 1 1

eictra battery.

I'll discuss batter ies and

other accessories

1 3


19/74

C H A P T E R 1 : PFtELIl ' - ' l IhtAR ' i S E T U P

in Appendiv: A . For n ow .

let 's

g e t the

battery

charged.

i ou

ca n

only

insert

the

battery into

the

charger

one

way;

find

the

four goldish-colored

metal

contact strips on the bauery,

then loolc

for

the corresponding

se t

of contacts

(three,

not

four} inside

the c.harger,

a n d

insert the battery

so

the

two

sets

ofcontacts

will

connect up, as shown

in Figures

I-2 a n d I-3.

P g .

--2:

3 c = i .: e ' - . ' _ i ' - i c e

do

fo r

-e:rc t'i g

- to

C - ' 1

ergo

Ill I

D

Ill

With

the battery inser ted, plug the

charger

into

a n y

stan-

dard AC outlet or surge protector. T he g r e e n light comes on

to indicate that the battery is

charging. When

the

g reen light

1 3


20/74

PHDTDGRAPHERE GUIDE

T D T H E

PANASDNIC

LUl ' - ID:

L K 2

turns otf, after about

two

and

a

halfhours, the battery is fiilly

charged and ready to

use.

You shouldnt

leave

the battery in

th e charger indefinitely once it's cha rge d .

but

I have often

left

it in

th e

charger

for

24

hours

with

no

ill

ell'c-cts.

Ctnce

you

have a

c ha r g e d b a tt e ry .

loolt

for

the s in al l,

light-gray.

ridged latch on the memory cardilbattery door on the

bottom

of

th e

camera .

shown

in

Figure I-4.

itiiier

F ' g . . = e --'i.'_c:c t o D o e-' 3c:'..er'-

C-ei ',oe. : e -t

P u sh the

latch

towards

th e

center

of th e

camera to

release

the

I-

door, and let

it

open up. llo insert the

battery, loolt

for the sets

of metal contacts on th e battery

a n d inside

the battery com-

partment, an d

guide

the

battery

accordingly, a s shown in Fig-

ures

1 -5

and I-5.

-:3,-re

- 3 . ' 3 - c t : - s o

, ' . - i i e c so F o r

w- Joe

'23 C c - r : - e * c

23


21/74

C H A P T E R 1 : P F i ' . E L I l ' - ' l I l' - i t 'l l - , R i ' S E T U P

I

- : ' t I - - * e i -o:3c:e -- S e c w e - s ' - - 1 C c - ' - e r e

. : i -

3c::er-

r . e t c - ' 1

Y ou may need to use the right

side

of the battery to n ud g e the

gray

latching mechanism inside th e

battery compartment to

th e

side,

to allow the

battery

to slide in.

5Iide

the battery

all the

way in until

the

gray

internal latch

catches

above

the

battery

a n d

locl-ts

it

in

piace.

'lhen

close

the

battery compartment do

or,

s lid e t he e:-tternal latch baclt to the

right,

and

you're d on e .

Choosing end Inserting c l

Memory Cord

T he I312 does

not

ship with

a memory card.

With

this

camera,

unlilte some others, this is not a fatal omission, because the

L 1 5 2 ha s built-in memory

that will let you

talte a fe w photo-

graphs even with no memory card inserted.

T he

amount

ot

built-in

storage

capacity

is only

about

23

megabytes [Alli],

which is pretty

minuscule

compared to storage cards

of

today

that

can

hold

up

to 25 5 g igaby tes

{C3}.

or about

35 33 times

more. But if you're faced with a situation where you need

to talte a picture and don't have

an

a v a ila b le c a rd ,

23

lvlI3 is

a lot

better than

nothing. {If you do re cord

some

imag es to

the built- in memory, you can

later

copy them to a

removable

memory

card;

see

the discussion

of

the

Copy command at the

21

Ii


22/74

P H C I T D G F - ' t A P H E R ' 5 GUIDE

TD T H E

PANASDNIC LUl ' - ' lD t L K 2

end of Chapter 5 . ]

i ou

shouldn't

rely

on

the

built-in

memory

if

you don't

have

to, s o

you need

to

insert

a

separate

memory card. T he I 3 4 2

uses three varieties ofcard: Secure Digital { S D } , Secure Digital

I-Iigh-Capacity

i[5DHC'l,

a n d Secure Digital

Eic tended C a p a c -

ity I S D K C J , as shown in Figure I-2. T here also

is

a

special

type

of

S D

c ard , t he

Eye-Fl

card. which

I ll

discuss a little

later .

L . . -

All three

types

of S D

card are small , about the siite

ofa large

postage stamp. T he standard card, S D , comes

in

capacit ies

from 3

lvili

to

2

C 3.

T he high-capacity card, S D I I C , comes

in

sires

from

4 C 13

to

32

C3.

T he

newest

type,

SDIIC,

at

this

writing is avai lable

only

in a

4 3

C3, 5 4 C3, or 1 23 G3 sire.

I- lowever.

a

25 5 C 1 3 version

ha s been announced

by Leitar

as I

write this, a nd the matrimum capacity for S D K C

theoretically

i s

2 terabytes, or

about 2,333 C - 3 .

Wliat type a n d size of memory

card you should use

depends

on your

needs a n d

intentions.

If

you're

planning

to record a

good

d e a l of high-definition

(H D} video or many

R A l r v ' pho-

tos,

you need a card with a fairly

la rg e c a pa c it y.

T here are

sev-

eral

variables to

taite

into a ccount in computing

how

many

imag es

or

videos

you ca n store on a particular siae

of

card,

such a s

the

aspect ratio you're

using {1 : l ,

3 : 2 ,

4:3, or

15:3},

picture site,

and quality.

I- lere are a fe w

samples

of what

can be

stored in the built-in

memory or on a given card.

If

you're using

the

4 :3 aspect ratio

a n d talting the

highest-quality R A - A r and IFEC imag es togeth-

22


23/74

C H A P T E R 1 : PFtELI l ' - ' l INAR'r S E T U P

er {recording

two

files for each imag e, as

discussed

in Chapter

4 }, you

can

store just 3 imag es in the brrilt-in

memory. If

you

record just

I P E G

imag es

of

the

highest quality,

you

ca n

store

I5

pic tures in the built- in memory. If you go to the other es-

treme a n d select t he s m alle s t

sire

and lowest quality. you can

store

5 5 5 images in the internal memory.

Ifyou

install

an

3

Crl i SDHC card

in the c am era , y ou

can

store

4 5 3 of the highest-qrrality

ltA'l- v'

plus

I P E G

images. I333

of

th e highest-quality IFEC

without It-ov images,

or more than

r i i r , u o i r

of

t h e

s m a l l e s t s i a e

a n d

lowest-quality

still i m a g e s .

If

you're interested in video, here are some

guidelines.

With

an

3 G B card, you

can

store

a

total

of

about 32

minutes of

th e

highest-quality

(PSH)

avcuo

video footage .

or

about 5 5

minutes of

th e

somewhat lower-quality FS H or

S H

formats.

wit h the

I v l

P 4 video format, you can store about 4 3 minutes of

th e highest-quality

IFIID}

format or about

33

minutes

of

the

lower-quality

IID

format-

If you

u s e

the

lowest-quality vca

format, you ca n

store

a total

ofabout 23 3

minutes ofvideo.

If

you

are

using

th e

LI=l2 's

built-in

memory,

you

can

r ec or d a nd

store only

about

in n

seconds

of video

in

the lowest

quality;

you

can't record in

a ny

other quality of

video

to

the

built-in

memory.

Hole,

though.

that there is an important caveat for

video

re-

cording lengths

with

the

L 21 2, as

there is

with most

compact

cameras

that are

designed primari ly to r still photography.

T here are

built-in

limitations

on

the

leirgth

of

continuous

vid-

eo

recording

in

most

formats.

In

nrost (but not

all}

cases, you

ca n record only

about

33

minutes

of

video ir1 a n y

on e

scene;

you

then have to stop a n d re-start your recording. Also, as

you

may

ezcpect,

some

video

formats consume ruemory very

rap-

idly, and

so some

of the smaller

S D cards

cannot record

for

th e full amount

oftime

that t he c am er a

would

permit.

T here

a r e some other

considerations

to b e discussed with

regard

to

recording limits; I

will

discuss

video

recording

in

more

detail

in C ha pte r

3 -

23


24/74

P H D T D G R A P H E R ' S

GUIDE

T D T H E

PANASDHIC

LUl '- ' lD' t

L K 2

Cine other consideration is th e

speed

of the card. I often use a

I5

CE SanDislt Er-i treme S D I - I C

card, Class

I3. rated at a trans-

fer

level of 33 l 'vtl:I i 'second, well beyond

the

minirrrum trans-

fer

speed

for

that

class, which is I3 lvl l i l i lsecond. That

speed

i s

more than enough

to

g et

good results

for record ing images

a n d video

with this

camera.

Ton should try to find

a

card

of

Class

5 or

higher

ifyou're

going

to record I-ID video.

Also,

you need to reali2e that, if you have an older computer

with a built-in

ca rd re a de c

or just an older e:-t ternal card read-

e r ,

it

may

not

read

the newer

S D H C

cards. In that

c a s e ,

you

would

have

to

either

g et

a

new reader

that

will

accept

SDIIC

cards, or transfer imag es a n d videos from the

camera

to your

computer using the camera's

U S E cable.

L ls lng

the

newest

variety of card, S D K C , a lso ca n be problem-

atic with

older

computers. In

mid-2313 I

tried a 5 4 G B S D KC

card, and

my lvlacltoolt

Fm

co uld n ot

read it at

all

at

first,

even

when

I left it in the c an re ra a n d connected the

carrrera

to the

computer

by U S E cable .

Since

my

earlier

ertperience

with

S D K C

cards,

though,

the

situatioir ha s improved. If you are using a

computer

with a

relat ively

new

version of the operat ing system, it will be

able

to read S D K C cards,

provided

you are using a compatible card

reader. Specifica l ly,

the

cards

can be

read

by

Windows

2

or 3;

by

Windows

v'ista with

Serv ice

Paclc I or 2; and by I.- 'v'indows

H P

with

a

software

patch for reading the e:-tFAT file system.

T h a t

patch is avai lable

at

http:r'l'www.microsolI.comr'down-

loads. For lvlacintosh computers, you

need

to have

bias

D S

It

version

13.5.5

or later:

otherwise.

you

need

a

patch such

a s

one

I

found at

www.sonnettech.com, a company that maltes

S D I I C

card

readers.

A s I

write

this, 5 4 CE S D K C

cards

cost

about

$5 3 .33 a nd up,

and prices

are

dropping.

r ' o u

can

g et

a 1 2 3 Cit

S D K C

card fo r

about

$133.33.

S o,

ifyou don't mind the rislt

oflosing

a g r e a t

many images

or videos

ifyou

lose the

card,

yo u might w a n t to

g o ahead a n d c ho os e an S D K C card with an enorineus capac-

24


25/74

C H A P T E R 1 :

P FtEL I l' -' lIb tA R r

S E T U P

ity of54

G 1 3 ,

or even I23 C i l z l .

Finally,

if

you

will

have

access

to a

wireless

{WI-Fl]

networlc

where you u s e

your camera,

you may

want

to consider

gett ing

an E y e- Fi c ar d, two varieties ofwhich are shown

in

Figure

t-3.

E

I

This specia l

type of storage device loolts very

much

lilce an

or-

dinary SDHC card, but it

includes

a tiny transmitter

that

lets

it connect

to a wireless network an d sen d your images to your

computer on that

networlt

as

soon as

the

imag es

have

be en re -

corded by t he c am er a. T he card a lso ca n se nd im ag e s directly

to

your

mobile

device with

the appropriate

E y e - P i app

such a s

those

for

the

iP l rorre,

i P a d ,

a n d o th er s.

I have

tested

both

the

3 G it

and

t5

C 3

versions

of the E y e-Fi

card's P ro

2 - I 2 model

with the

LK2 ,

and

the y b oth

worlt

well.

Witlr either card,

soon

after I snap a

picture,

a little thumb-

nail ir ir ag e a p pe a rs in the upper

right

corner of my coruputer's

screen showing the p ro g re ss of the

upload. When

all imag es

are uploaded, they are avai lable in the Picturesi'Eye-Fi folder

on my

computer. 'lhe Pro . ' . - C 2

model can handle l tA vv

files

and

video files as well as the smaller IPEC

files.

[At this

writing,

the

I'm K2 i s

the only variety

of

Eye-Pi card tha t can

handle

I t A . v v '

files.

T he 1 5 C3 version

of

this card not

only

ha s greater stor-

a g e capacity

bu t

also h a s higher

wri t ing

speed, s o you

should

loolt

for the

I5 C3

card.) An Eye- F i card is not a

necessity, but

I enjoy the convenience of having

my

im ag e s se nt

straight

to

my

computer

without having toput the card into a

card reader

or to connect t he c a me ra to the computer

with a

U S I 3

cable. A s

I

write

this. other manufacturers have b e g u n introducing

S D

25


26/74

P H C I T D G F - ' t A P H E R ' S GUIDE

TD T H E


cards

with

WIFI

capability, including the

FlashAir

card from

Toshiba . Also, Transcend ha s

announced

a 32 CB card

with

WIFI abilities.

I have tested

only

the Eye-Fl

cards in

the L IC2.

Wlratever type

of

S D card you g et, on ce you have the

card,

open the

same

little

door

on the bottom

of

the ca me ra that

covers the

battery compartment

a n d slide the

card in

until

it

catches. T he

card goe s

in with its

labe l facing th e

battery.

as

shown in Figure I-3.

- E , - - re

- - ' 2 . '- ' .- t e = r 1 i . ' = _ - -

C e c e

3 - s - ' - E

= ' l l , T - t I ' tl E C '

i h : e

C e m e r c

Ctnce the card ha s

been

pushed dowir until it catches, close

th e compartment

door and

push the latch

bac.lc to the

loclt-

ing position. T o

remove

the c ard , y oir push

down

on it until it

releases

and springs up so

you ca n

grab it.

When the LK2 is

recording

imag es

or

videos to an

S D card,

a

re d icon appears on the left

side

of the screen showing an ar-

row

pointing to

the

right inside a little boa: representing the

S D

card,

as show11

in

Figure

I-I3.

If no

S D card is in

the camera, the re d

card

icon flashes

with

the word II -I added, showing

that

the

camera is recording

to

the built-in memory instead of to a memory card. as

shown

in

Figure t-l I

.

25


27/74

C H A P T E R 1 : P R E L I l ' - I I N A R T S E T U P

:'g..-. e - 3:

co '.:i,=.'cc:i-E

:rc:

Cc-nerc i s - - 2 ' - i . - . ' : = - ' - j : _ r

to

'.le-o'

Crsrc '

- ' g . . - - r e --

- :' co-1 . 'e- 'cc; ' -'

:- .1 -e re s - . - ' - . . ' t = ' - E :o

- - 1 : c r . : r . ' - i

'-le'. o- -

When either

ofthose

indicators is visible

on

the car11era's dis-

play

it's important

not

to turn

otf

th e

camera or otherwise

in-

terrupt

its

functioning,

such

as

by

talting

i . iut

th e

battery

or

disconnecting

an

A C power adapter. foo need to le t the

card

conrplete

its

recording

process in peace.

22


28/74

P H C I T D G R A P H E P I S

GUIDE

T D T H E

PANASDNIC

LUl '- ' lD' t

L K 2

Introduction to

Merin

Controls

Before

I

discuss

some

of

the

basic

options

for

setting

up the

camera

using

the

menu system

and

controls,

it may be helpful

to

iirtroduce

the main controls, so

you'll

have a better idea of

which button or dial is

which. I

won't discuss

all of the

con-

trols here;

they

will be covered

in

some

detail

in Chapter 5 .

For now,

I'm

including

below

a

series

of

imag es

that sho w the

major controls.

Asl

come

to each

item for

the first

time

i1 1 the

test, I will describe its position and function: you ma y w a n t

to

refer b a c l - L to these imag es

for

a reminder about each

control.

Top of

Camera

Du top ofthe camera are

some ofthe

more

important

con-

trols

and dials, as well as the accessory shoe, which ca n

ac-

commodate either an

C . ' l ' t ' , I 'l i , I ] ' l E - l l

l lash or

an

optical or electronic

viewfinder,

and

the tw o o pe nin g s

for

t he ste re o microphone

that records sound for videos, as shown in

Figure I-I2.

Con-

trols such as the orriotf switch and shutter

button

have func-

tions that are

self-ercplanatory.

T he mode dial is used to

se t

th e

camera's

shooting

mode (Program,

Aperture Priority.

etc.}.

T he zoom lever is used to

change

th e focal

length

b e tw e e n

wide-angle and telephoto:

the aspect

ratio switch

determines

th e

shape

of your im ag e s, by

setting

th e ratio of their width to

their h e i g h t

it

:I , 4 1 3 ,

3 : 2 ,

or lean. T h e

m o v i e

l ' r t _ t t I t t r t ' t

is u s e d t o

start

a n d

stop the recording of a

video.

Aspec t

Rat io

Switch

Ape-rtu i R ing Emir LEW, Mime

F l a s h Switch

_

Mode

D i a l

| t I t n . i ' D l ' f S w i t c h

' S h utter

Button

F . ' _ g _ . - r e

- ,2:Co-':- o-::

o-' ' . o : r e- Ce-rrerc

23


29/74

C H A P T E R 1 :

P F ' . E L I l ' - ' l I l ' - t , i ' l ' - , R ' r '

S E T U P

Haclt of Camera

Figure

I-l3

shows

the

major

controls

on

the

camera's

baclt .

T he rear dial is

used

to n avig a te m en u s. control i tems such

as

shutter

speed

a n d ertposure conrpensation. and for other

purposes.

T he

b l D . ' Focus lever is used to

adjust

manual focus

and to

a c ti va t e t he l ' ~ l

D Filter. which

reduces th e light reaching

th e le ns. T h e arrangement of five buttons on th e right of the

camera's baclt

includes the four

cursor buttons

fo r

navigating

me n us, which

also

control things such as white balance aird

I S C I [light sensitivity}. T he

Fn

[Function] button can be

as-

signed

a

sing le

operation, to

serve

as

a

shortcut for carryiirg

out that

function. T he

drive

mode

button

controls continuous

or burst

shooting a s well as the self-timer. a n d the Display

button

selects

the

display screen

used

by

the camera.

.:g_-re

= ' - - 3: Co.1:-roe or E i i s c i or'-Corners

23


30/74

P H C I T D G R A P H E F C S GUIDE T D T H E


Frorrt

of

Csrrrrcra

There

are

only

a

fe w

i tems

to

point

out on

the

camera's

front,

shown in Figure l

- 14 -

T he A F assist

lairrp lights

up to help with

focusing in

darl: areas a n d as an indicator

for

the self-tinrer.

A F Assist L a

mp

Lens

'3 ' _ -r e - - -4 :5- to- ' : S e 'e- 'co' C

Bight

Side of

Camera

Inside

the

door

on

the

right

side

ofthe

camera

are

the U S BiA ' v'

port

and

th e

HDIvIl port. as seen

in

Figure

I-I5.

lrtflititl

Fort-

U S B M V

F t r t i r t

- : g ; . . e --

5:25.53

c-rc ' C . l . l Soc: o - 1 S - ' c ' e o Cc- '-ere

33


31/74

C H A P T E R 1 : P R E L I l ' - I I N A R T S E T U P

'Ihe upper port is w he re yo u insert an optional H D i v I 1 cable

to connect the ca me ra to an

I-lDT r'

to view your imag es anti

videos.

T he

lower

one

is

where

you

connect

the

LJSB

cable

to connect the L212 to a computer

to

manag e

images,

or

to

a

printer to print

images direct ly from

the

camera. 'r'ou

also c a n

co n i rect an optional

audio-video

cable here

to view

im ag e s o n

a standard TV set.

Bottom of

Camera

Finally, as shown

in

Figure 1 - 1 5 , on

the bottom ofthe camera

are th e tripod socket, the door tbr the battery and memory

card coirrpartinerrt, and the srr ra ll t Iap that is used to accom-

modate

the

cable

for

th e AC adapter when it is connected to

th e c am e ra . as discussed in

Appendi:-r:

A .

nrpaa

lrtiiiiiiiiiiyrtaiiitmytriiiiir

Coupler Cover

: ' 5 g ' _ - ' e - --

e r: :e '-.t o -'

3 - o : : o . r .

o Cc-ere

Set t ing

the

L o n g u o g e ,

Dote , and Time

It 's important to ma tte

srire

the d ate a n d time are se t correctly

be fo re yo u

start

tait ing

pictures, because

the camera records

that

information

{sometimes

ltnown as

metadata,

rneairiirg

data

beyond the

data

in the picture} lrrvlsiblywith

each imag e .

and displays it later if

you

want.

S o me da y you may be very

g la d

to

have

the date [and

even

the time of

day}

correctly

re -

corded

with

your archives ofdigital images.

T o

g et

these

basic

items set

correctly, r em ov e t he

le ir s ca p

a n d

slide

the camera's

power

switch, on

the top

right of the

carn-

era,

to the

Du

position. Then p re ss the lvIenu.i 'Set button {in

31


32/74

PHDTDGRAPHERE GUIDE

T D T H E PANASDNIC LUP' l I ' i ' t L K2

the ce nte r of th e array

of

fi ve buttons on the camera's l iaclc}.

Pu sh the

left cursor button

to

m ove the selection into

the

col-

umn for

select ing

th e

riienu

t yp e [ Ii e co r'd i i1 g ,

3,-lotion

Picture.

Scene, Play. or

Setr ip,

depending on th e riiode th e

cariieia

is

in)- 'lhe re d line

at

th e left side

ofthe

tlisplay will turn yellow

Iii iridicale

that the

ciilurrirr

of

iiieriu

icons is riiitv

active,

as

sliown

in Figure

3'g_

re -

__'.-ft-'re'c' co

'g r

' g ' :e-c IE I S-o.-. ' S e ec:o'

o 'Se:..'i

.le'_

P u s h the

down button to

highlight the

wrench

icon that rep-

resents th e

Setr rp

me n u.

then

push

th e

right

button

to

place

th e yellow select ion

rectangle

in the list - I l I I ' 2 ' l ' l i . 3 l t [ F I

riienii i tems.

llighlight Cloclc Set . their

press

the right button

to

g et access

to the

cloclt

and

d a te s e tt in g s . a s shown in

I -lgu re l-13.

g . . -c

-

- 3 . ' C o - c Sci1 '_g . rSc 'cc

32


33/74

C H A P T E R 1 : PFtELIl '- ' l I l ' i lAR'r ' S E T U P

blavigate

by

pressing the

left a n d right

cursor buttons

or by

turning the rear dial {a t the upper right

of

the camera's baclt } ,

a n d select

values

with

the u p a n d

down cursor buttons.

Wlierr

you're done,

press

l 'vIenu,i 'Set to

save

the

set t ings .

T h e n , using

a similar procedure, n a v iga te to the

L a n g u a g e

option on

the

final screen of the S e t up menu, if

necessary,

a n d

change

the

l a n g u a g e that the

camera rises for

menus

a n d messages.

33


34/74

Chopter 2: Bosic Ctpero t ions

Tel-ting

Pictures

ow

the L 1 4 2 camera ha s

the

correct time

a n d

date

se t

and has

a

fully

charged

battery inserted,

along

with

an S D , SDIIC,

or

S D K C

memory card.

I .et 's

loolt

at

some

scenar ios

for basic picture-talting. For now. I won't g et

into

discussions of

what

the

various

options

are

a n d why yoir

might choo se on e over another. I'll just describe a reasonable

se t

of

steps

that

will g et yoir a nd

your camera into action

a n d

will deposit a d ece nt imag e on your memory card.

Fully

Automot ic:

I n te llig e n t A u to M o d e

I-lere's a se t of steps to Iiillow if you want to se t

the ca me ra

to

its most automatic mode and let it nialte

most

of

th e

decisions

Ibr you.

This

is a

good

way to

proceed

ifyou're

in

a hurry a n d

need to

g r a b a

quiclt shot without fiddling with

set t ings, or it

y ou 're n ew at this a n d would lilte

to

g et started talting

pictures

without having to

provide much input.

1 .

Loo l t

on

the

top

of

the

lens

barrel

for

the slid e

switch

that

selects

among the four possible aspect

ratios:

1 :1 , 4:3, 3:2,

and 15:3, shown

in

Figure 2-1. Unless

yo u

l tnow

you want

one of the other three aspect ratios, slide

the

switch over to

th e third

position

from

the

left to

select

the 3:2 aspect ratio

for n ow . 'lhat aspect ratio is similar to that of

standard

35mm

film,

a n d produces

an

ima ge

the sa me shape

as

th e

camera's

LCD screen. It also is the best choice ifyou're

going to tal-te

34

-I


35/74

C H A P T E R 2: E I A S I C D P E F I A T I D N S

your

memory

card

to

a photo

la b

for standard-sized prints of

5 inches

by 4

inches -[I5 by

I3

cm] in the l . l .S .

- 1 - g . - r e 2- : :i:o-en - tc:'o S ---':c Se: s o 3:2

2. R e mo ve the

lens

ca p a n d le t it d a n g le by it s string for

cup

it

in your

hand

to heep it from flapping

around].

3. lvlove

th e

power switch at the right

side of

the camera's

top to the C tn position. T he cai irera

rnaltes

a whirring sound,

the le ns eictends

outward

to its open position, a n d

the

LCD

screen lights up.

4 .

Turn

the

blaclt,

ridged dial on the camera's top [the

rrrode dial]

so

the IA inside an icon ofa carnera body

is

neit t

to

the

white dot

to

the lefiofthe

dial, as shown in Figure 2-2-

Th is

sets

the camera

to

the

Intelligent Auto

nrode

of

shooting.

. . :| | .

*'-g.- i: I

-_

..:o ore

5 . Find the

slide

switch on

the

left side

of the

[ens

bar-

re l

aird

notice

it ha s

th re e s et tin g s ,

reading

from

bottom

to

top:

A F, AF

lviacro {with

imag e

of flower], a n d

lv t

F .

S l id e the

switch to its uppermost

position,

select ing A F.

for

arrtofocus,

as

shown

in

Figure 2-3. With this

setting, the

camera

will do

its

best

to

focus

the lens t o la tte

a

sharp

pictu

re

within

the

nor-

mal {non-macro}

focus

rang e, which is from 1 .5

feet {S 3

cen-

timetersl to infinity.

35


36/74

P H C I T D G R A P H E F C S GUIDE T D T H E

PANASDNIC LUI ' - ' IDt L K 2

F l a s h

- S w i t c h

:_EF -E

23

5 ;-:c_; -l3_1_:- E::;

D5?

5 .

If

you're talting a picture indoors,

or

it's darlt enough

that

you thiult you

might

need th e cari iera's brrilt-in flash,

find

th e little slide switch

nor-It

to th e word Dpen a n d the little

lightning

bolt on the fa r left side ofthe

top

of

the camera, a s

shown

in

Figure 2-4- Pu sh

that switch to the right,

and

the

I lash

will

pop

open-

T he

camera

will

decide

later

whether

the

flash

needs

to be fired

or

not .

2. Aim th e camera ttiward th e subject and

loolt.

at the

screen

to compose

th e picture

a s yo u

w a n t it -

L o ca te t he

room

lever

on the

ring

that surrounds the shutter button

on

the top

right of the camera, shown

in

Figure 2-5 -

I

Eoom

Lever

P g - . - - r e 2-5.':oo- _e-'e-'

35


37/74

C H A P T E R 2: E I A S I C D P E F I A T I D N S

P u s h that

lever to

the left.

toward

the W, to

g et

a wider-angle

shot [including more of

th e scene

in the picture),

or to

the

right.

toward the ' 1 ' . to g et a

telephoto,

r:oonied-in shot.

3. Clnce the picture

Ioolts

good on the I-C D screen,

push

th e shutter button halfway down.

r'ou

should hear

a beep a n d

see

a steady lnot

blinlt-lug)

g r e e n dot in the upper right corner

of the

screen, indicating that

the pictri re will be

in

focirs.

as

shown in Figure

2 - 5 .

[The g reen bortes

in

this im ag e show the

locus points chose n b y th e camera in this focus mode.)

EST ..

U. 'C 'C - - E DE.-u C C'.C I'.

If yoir

hear a

series

of

4 quiclt

beeps

a n d

see

a

blinl-ting

g reen

dot , that means the

picture

is not

in

focus.

Try

moving to a

slightly different

angle

and then test the

focus a ga i n

by push-

ing the shr-itter

button

halfway

down.

3-

P u s h

the shutter button

all

th e way dowir to talce the

pictiire-

Bcrsic

'v'oricrtions

from Fully Automcrtic

At this

point

I won't

sa y

nrucli about

the various

still-picti.ire

shooting modes, e:-tcept

to

n a me them. Besides

Intelligent

Auto,

which

I

just

described.

there are Program, Aperture

Pri-

ority, Shutter

l= riori ty,

I vla n ua l. a nd Scene. T here are also

two

Custom modes,

Cl and C 2, which you

can

set

up

yourself,

a nd the Creative

Control

mod e , which g ives you s om e s pe cia l

32


38/74


39/74

C H A P T E R 2:

BASIC ClPE FtAT lC ll . lS

Fricus

I ~ I i ' i ' vv

that

yirrr rc

rriil

using

Intelligent

Ar . r t i i

nitrclc,

you

have

irrore control

over focus than

you did in

that

mod e .

four first

cliolce ls between manual

focus

and

autofocii .s. In otherwords,

you

I iave the option of

setting the autofocus switch

on

the left

side of the

lens

barrel

to

the lvIF setting.

for

I I I ; - 1 1 1 1 1 , - l l

focus.

{It

you try that in liitelligent Auto mod e .

you'll

g et an error

iiies-

sage

on th e LCD screen.} r'ou also ca n select which of several

types irf:riili.ifocris operation

yoir

want

th e

caiiieia to use.

I'll discuss th e

various

autofocus

mod e s

later;

in Chapter 4 .

in

some detail. Ilere we'll rise the camera's menu system

to

nialte

sure

a

standard airtofociis mode is

selected.

T o

e n te r th e i rreiru system.

lo ca te t he

circular group of five

but-

tons

to

th e right ofthe I - C D

screen.

The

center l: ir.rtt i,rn is marlced . vIer| rr,- Set,

Press

in or]

that

hrrlttrrr

a n d

you

will

see

the

menus-

r'ou n a vi g a te t hr or -i g h the irienus

with

the five buttons, as well

a s

one ofthe buttons at

the

lower

right

of

the

ca me ra 's b a ck-

T he

button

above

the trash

can

icoir_,

ii r this

cont e ic t, a c ts

a s a cancel button-

i-v'lieii

th e

menu system first appears

on

the I - C D , you should

se e

the PIrt ' i t i ' i Style

setting

on the trip

liric

oI' the Ii'.cct'ri1lIirg

irreiiu. as

shown in Figure

2-3.

5g- . rc 3--S.'; cco'c'

g

lc'-

33


40/74

F ' H | 3 T t 3 G F t A P H E F t ' 5

GUIDE T D T H E

F t . - i t - N - I - ' t 5 C t l ' - J I C

L L J l - l I 1 ' I LI?

l-re ss tl1 e dnwn curs-ar

huttnn

(the n 1 1 e directly laelnw the

. - - l e n n f t -i e t

lantleiil

several

tiines tn n a v iga te dnwn

tn

th e

line

en

the seccnicl

lnenu

screen that says

:11 I t- Ic ic le.

l-tress

the

right

cu1'sn1' lanttnii {the nne directly tn the right nl t l1e . rleni|r '5el

l n|ttn|1_]I tn |na'u'ig_ale

ln

a suh menu that shnws a n

array

nllthe

varinus autnfn

cu s nindes,

as shnwn

in Figure

2

- . 4 -

fnu naviga te

ainnng thnse

inndes hf; using the up a n d den-'rn cursnr

but tnns-

: -E- | = - I- it:

S_.a--re

- 5 - ' - a - - s

E

- E 3 ' a : ' n '. s

a s

-

'- ' .tc-ca

G n ahea d and select the hnttnin icnn in the e e rtical array ci t

aiitnthctis inndes. This

icnn

is

a

rectang le

with

a

snialler

rect-

ang le

inside

it .

I'll

prcn-ride

nicrre details alanut

the.se icnns and

th e

nindes they

stand l iar

i1 1

Llhapter 4 ;

t l1is nne

n1eans

1-

Itrea_

With

that setting, the camera will anlnlhcus laaset l nn

w h a t t - 1 r e . 1 is

shnwn

in th e

t ine

area in the center

ntithe

screen.

ll

} - ' t ' : L | w a n t tn g et

a

hit liincier, nnce

} ' n I . 1

ha're highlighted

this

icnit, y'n|.t can

press

the rigltt

cursnr hnttnn, which

will

talte

j rnu

tn

a

screen

where

} ' t 2 | t . I

ca n

l ' l t t ' t - . - ' t I '

the

thcusing

h e n - :

arnund

a n d place it

where jrciu want

it cwer

t he iin a g e , a s

S l 1 t I l W 1 1

in llig-

ure It-ltl lfyeti dran't w a n t t c r d - a

that. then g c :

ahead and press

the It-lenii.-Set l ' r L l I l I t l ' t I ' t tn

select

th e I-nrea autnfc icns innde

and e s - t i t the m en u s * _ - r s t e i n .

While

th e

fncus

t 'ran1e is acti ire,

1 , - c m

ca n a lsn

c hang e

its

siae by tnrniiig the r ea r d ia l. at the l t _ t 1 J right

nllthe c'ame1'a'sl1acl~t, tn n n e

nf'Iliii1'

pnsitinns, prriciticjng a I l n

cus

hlnclc

F rn in r er f;

sinall

tn

extra

large.

4 ]


41/74

C H A P T E R

. 1 : BASIC t _ I F E F L I ' l ' - . T l E J l ' ~ l 5

' g . ' - -L l : .' -s .| .-- P c-

'sc 'e.

: '-?'g--

_-

-- EC Elf. EIFF '- _ El _ ll] EC t ' J '

hln w ye n have

selected

the

autnlhcus

mncle, which, in

this

case, will display

a thcusiii g

hracltet in the center nt' the screen,

unless ynu haye ninyed it tn a

different

pnsitinn- {in

snnie

either fcrcus inndes, nc:

hrael-tet

is

displayed

until after fcicus

is acl1ieyed.]When ynu

aim

th e camera at a sul :- jec t, he sure

that

the

[ucus hraclcet, nullined hy [nur white

curners, is uyer

th e part cr f the

picture

that

needs

ta he in t he s ha rp e st fcicus.

Wheli yeu

press

halfway dewn

en

the shutter

lauttem,

if th e

camera is

ahle

tn thcus successfu l ly , ye u will hear a laeep. th e

white

hracltets

will turn g reen, a n d

a

large g reen

dnt

will ap-

pear, unhlinlcing,

at

the upper right nf the screen, as

shnwn

in

Figure

2-1

l.

: 1 ? - . - re

I~

--arc :e-c..r ilece - t i - * e e '

ire

e c c I ts:

4 1


42/74

P H U T C I G R A P H E F F 5

GUIDE T D T H E

P.fil '- l- I 'l 'i5Ul~ l IC LUl ' - '1[ I t t

LI?

Ifye n see a

blinlting

g reen det ,

that n ieans

the carnera was

net

able tn teens. either

because

the subject was eutside ef the fe -

cu s

range,

e r , p e rh ap s ,

the subject w as

tee

difficult

te fecus e n ,

as can happen with a subject that is te e bright

er

tee fast, la c l - t s

ce 1 1 tra st . is behind

glass,

er is tee

darlc.

lf everything leelcs

eltay tn ye n , g e a he ad a nd press the

shutter butten

all th e w ay

dewn

te

t alt e th e picture.

S uppe se yeu

want tn

talte a

picture in which

yeur

main

sub-

ject

is n e t in the center ef the screen.

lvlaybe

yeur shet is

se t

up

se

that a persen is standing eff te the right ef

center, a n d

there

is

seme

attractive

scenery

te

the

left

in

the

scene.

{Jae

wa y

te fecus

en the p ers en

e n

the right

is

te

use

th e

technique

descr ibed abeve: that is, te g e inte the menu system, select

this autefucus rnede, a n d then

press

the right cnrser butten

te

meve the fecus frame

ever

the subject-

t ltnce

ye n have the

fecus

area

lecated where ye u want it

a n d

at yeur chesen sine,

g e ahead a n d snap

the picture.

There's

ene ether way tn feces en a different a r e a efthe screen.

a n d

this ene is prebably

the

easier

ef

the tw e.

De

net nieve the

feces frame

areund the screen. bu t

meve

the carnera

s e

that

the

fecus

frame is ever the area that

needs

te

be

in fe cu s. T h e n

press

the

shutter

butten

halfway

dewn

until t he c am e ra

fecus-

es a 1 1 d

beeps.

bleep the butten pressed halfwaywhile

yeu

meve

the

camera

bacl-t te create yeur desi red

cempesitien. with

the

persen elf

te

th e right. T h e n talte the picture, a n d th e area

ye n

eriginally fecusecl

e n

will be

in fecus.

With

this methed,

theugh, yuu need

te

rea liz e tha t the half-press ef the shutter

butten

leclcs

the eicpesure as well as the

fecus.

If the eicpesure

is different

at

the

peint

where yeu

leclted

fecus frem what it is

at the lecatien

where

ye u will

talce

the

picture. yeu may

need

te use ezcpe su re cempensatien te

adjust

yeur filial imag e .

' 4 2


43/74

C H . ~ ' 1 t F T E F - t E :

E t t 1 ' t 5 1 C t 3 F ' E F t J ' 3 - . T l ' t t l \ t 5

Manual

Fecus

There are several ether autefncus

medes

available threugh

the

F te ce rd in g m en u,

but

l w en t d iscu ss the se at this peint: llll

discuss them in Chapter 4 . Fe r new, l will

tal l t

instead abeut

m a nu a l fn cu s, t he ether majer eptien fer fecusing.

Why

weuld

yeu want

te use

manual fecus when the camera

will

fecus fer

yeti autematically? Marty phetegraphers lilte the ameunt

ef

centrel that cemes frem

being

able te

se t

the

fe c us e x ac tly

hew they

want

it . . - t n d, in

seme

sitnatiens, such as when ye ure

sheeting in

d ar l- t a re as er areas behind

glass.

where there are

ebjects

at

varieus

distances

frem the camera, er when yeulre

sheeting

a

srnal l

nhject

at a

very

clese

distance,

and

nnly

a

narrew range ef the

subject

ca n be in s ha rp fe cu s, it ma y be

useful

fer yeu

te be able te

centrel e:-tactly where the

peint ef

sharpest

fecus

l ies.

T e

talte

a d va n ta ge

ef

this

capability, g e

te

the

fecus

slide switch

en the side nfthe lens and push it all th e way

dewn

tn

the MF

pnsitien, as

shewn

in Figure 2-12, which p uts the ca me ra inte

manual fecus

mede.

_

_

-J | .|.

lnsteacl ef

relying

en the

camera

te

fecus autematically, yeu

new need

te use the ND Fecus lever te

adjust

the fecus

n 1a n u-

a lly. 't'e u ca n alse use the

left

a 1 1 d right cnrser

buttens

te

fine-

4 3


44/74

F'|' | t I tT\ t I t t3R A F'HE Ft. '5 GUIDE T D T H E F'.4b|4-.5t Itbl IC

LUl-'l IItt

LI?

tune th e

fecus

te it s eptimal sharpness.

.~tfter

yeu

have

se t

the

fecus

switch

te

the

tvtF

pnsitien,

the

letters

MF

will appear in the upper right cerner efthe screen-

In erder tn a d ju st t he fecu s , use the t * ~ l t ' J u F e c u . s

lever,

lecated at

th e tep

ef the

camera's baclc just

belew

the mede

dial,

a s

shewn

in Figure

2-13 .

fleece 2 - 3. sIJ

: e c . . a L . e - - - e r

Press

that

little switch tn th e

left

tn

lincusnn

cluser

nbjects

nrtn

th e

right

te

fe cu s e n ebjects

farther frem

the carnera-

fJepend-

tug en yeur

nienu

set t ings, when

yeu

nieve the

fecus

lever

yeu

will immediately see either

an

enlarged in iage

nf

the

screen

er just

a

nermal-sited

imag e .

(fen

can

centrel

this

hanct ien

using

the iviF ftssist eptien

en

the

feurth

screen

efthe Set-up

menu, as

discussed in Chapter T .)

fen alse will

see

a

fecus

scale

near th e bettem efthe display, as

shewn

in Fig u re 2 -1 4 .

= 5 . - e 2 - 4 : Z te : 5 - { I

=ec. :

S e c e e .:

Scree-

4 4


45/74

CHAFT EF- t . - I :

BASIC

C I P E F L A T I C I N S

Whether er net the im ag e is

en la rg ed, press

the

l~lfItlFecus

l e -

ve r

lcft er

right until th e

ima ge is in

fecus,

then

step-

At

this

peint, yeu dent

have

te de

anything

else. ieu

can

just

press

the

shutter

butten

all

the w a y dewn

te

talte

the

picture. If

ye u weuld

lilce

te

tweal t

the

fecus a

bit further, theugh, just

te

nialte sure ye u

have it as

sharp

as

yeu

can

at yeur

selected

fecus

peint, ye n ca n

use

th e

left

and right cnrser

buttens

fer

seme

final adjustments. t'eu

need

tn

press

them t |uicl i . ly,

be-

fnre the fecus scale disappears frem the

screen. r'eu

ca n held

either

ef tlinse

liuttens dewn fer centinueus

adjustnieiits-

lf

yen

are

using

the

enlarged

screen

efthe lvll-'

Assist

eptien.

yn u ca n cheese w ha t part ef the ima g e is e n la rge d . T e de sn .

while the en la r ged area is e n the

s cr ee n , p re ss

the l 'vtlenui'Set

butinii. and a

yellew b n : - ;

will appear en the screen with teur

triangles peintiiig

in feur directinns, as shewn in Figure

1-I 5 .

5g- . - 'e 3- 5 : '.lc|.'c:--e

'ic

' _ - c - S e c - - 1 Frc-ee

U se

the ciirse|' buttens

te meve

that beic areund the screen,

then

press l t | - l - t 1 ' I I t - 1 , f F | - t 3 ' l I

a ga in te

se t

a n e w lecatien fer

the en-

l a rge d fecusing

area.

T e

reset the

enlarged

area baclt te the

center ef the

screen. press

the Display butten while the yellew

b e : ~ ' . . is en the

screen.

While the enlarged

display

is act ive,

yeti

ca n press in e n the l -lf-t. Fncus

lever tn

c hang e th e rnagriilica-

tien, including

nr ie

display that

magnifies

eiily the center ef

the screen. . ~ ' t l s e , as llll

discuss

in Chapters 5 a n d T , yeu can

4 5


46/74

P H D T D G F ' . A P H E R ' S GUIDE T D T H E PANASDNIC L U l - ' l I T = ' t LI?

se t th e

Fnnctien

{tin}

butten

tn an

eptinii called

I

S h e t

. ~ ' | . l ' . in

which case

p re ss in g t he I-'unctien

biiltnn

will cause th e

caliiera

te use

it s autefecus when

the

can iera

is

in

naanual fecus niede.

Ei- tpnsi- i re

I - l t i - I t - t - I . Illl discuss

seine

pessibilities fer centrelliiig

eicpesure.

beyend just letting the caniera n i a l ~ ' . e th e decisiens.

In

the

In-

telligent itutn

iiinde,

the LX I - ' is very g t _ i t . i r _ l at

chnnsiiig

the right

e irpnsure , a n d the s an ie is true nftlie Prngrani innde. flut there

are geing tn

he seme

situatiens

in which ynii

want

te

everride

th e caniera s

autnriiatin|i-

E s. prisu re [I

nrripe

i1s:atinn

First.

lets

lnnlt at

th e

centrel

lnr adjusting e s ipn sure t n accniint

fer an unusual ,

nr nnii-nptiiiial,

lighting

situatinn-

I-iuppnse

yn u have the I-It? se t

tn

Prngrani iiinde and

ynii

are phete-

grapliing

a

darlc

ebject,

such

as

a

figurine ef a firefighter,

in

freiit ef

a

white

baclcgreund.

as

shewn

in F ig u r e 2 - lti.

an

If

T . -F _ -I-I D -D

T he camera

will

d e a geed jeb

ef

averaging the

aiiieunt

ef

light

cnniing

iiite the lens,

photographers guide lx7

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