Guide to setting up the Panasonic Lumix G5 Camera

[axlotl]

This guide, using ergonomic principles is now up at http://cameraergonomics.blogspot.com.au My apologies for the length and complexity of the guide however modern electronic cameras present the user with a multitude of options which can be difficult to navigate. Anyway I hope it is of some help to Lumix G5 owners trying to find the optimal set up for efficient use.

 

[Shotted]

Thanks very much for this. I'm sure it will explain some of the mysteries of the extended user manual.

Cheers,

Don

 

[australopithecus]

Thanks Andrew,

I've been following your blogspot for a week or two (just found the link). I have a three-year old G1 (14~45 {brilliant kit} and the 20/1.7) and hope to get a G5 when next in the UK. Out here in South Africa (where I live) the local importers skin you.

The G5's ergonomics (very very important to me too) look far better than the earlier G's.

 

[Alexandrite]

As a new G5 user, this is excellent! Thank you for writing this article, I will have a thorough read when not tired after a work day Have bookmarked it. I still need to set up my custom function buttons and other things on my new G5.

 

[Pelagic]

I moved from G3 to G5 for just the new grip. It has changed how I feel when using the camera.

Thanx for the guide. You spoke to several options that I had wondered about.

This forum needs to have a way to hi-light posts like yours. It would be helpful to any new owner. If we had 2-3, from users with different shooting styles, that would be wonderful.

 

[ADSinger]

Excellent. My brain started to fade so I'll need to go back again but I did do some fine tunig thanks to your explanations.




Thanks.




Alan

 

[rambler35]

Very useful Andrew. Thanks. I'll go through your suggested settings with a view to refining my own.

One aspect I'm not clear on is to do with the fact that it appears that certain functions when set in the Motion Picture Menu can conflict with (?) or alter (?) the settings for similar functions when shooting stills. Have I understood this correctly? In such cases, I wonder which menu has priority and over-rides the other?

As you've obviously spent a lot of time delving into the mysteries of the user manual, I'd be interested to hear if you have a list of such functions so we know what settings might need checking or changing before, e.g, we start shooting video after a spell of stills capture.

Thanks again for your hard work in assembling so much detail, ....... much appreciated.

-- Richard --

 

[axlotl]

Photo Style, Focus Mode, Metering Mode, iDynamic, iResolution and Digital Zoom are common to both the Rec Menu and Motion Picture Menu. Changing these settings in one of these menus is reflected in the other menu. By the way if you set the camera up so you can alter a setting in a Menu, Q Menu and a Fn button, the chnge in any of these locations is reflected in the others. I think you will find this applies across the Lumix range.

 

[rambler35]

Sorry Andrew, I now see in your notes that you have listed 6 functions which are common to both the Rec and Motion Picture menus, but am still unclear as to what happens if, say, a different Focus mode or Metering mode is set in each of these menus.

But I suppose I can just make the conflicting settings on the camera and see what happens in practice, then when swapping between stills and video, I would just change the settings if needed, using the Q-Menu (but presumably I would have to remember to check this every time I do this swap).

Edit. Thanks for your reply Andrew

-- Richard --

 

[TX Photo Doc]

Andrew, just found this and read/browsed through the whole article. First of all Phew! Lots of stuff/work. Thank you!. But this computer/camera is overwhelming me way too much for my old dominant right brain to work. Much too many distracting choices.

My background. Also started with Pentax (H3) and worked my way up to Spotmatics. Took super photos with them (lots of competition winners and exhibitions). Over the years I tried Nikons, etc, but finally settled on Minolta X-700s. They were light weight and used them on P or Aperture priority. And my one custom setting was being able to lock the exposure only and then move the camera.

I'm a strong believer in letting the camera do all the work while I strongly concentrate on the picture. I started a senior photo club 10 years ago which now has almost 200 members. Many are very good. In our recent annual club competition (of up to 4 entries in any of the 6 categories) I got 2 Firsts and a Second). I mention this to let you know that I take good photos - because I don't have to think about the camera.

For the last 4 years I've done my shooting with a Canon G12, (mostly on P) and a few Lumix G1s set on P, or IA. (I like to have lenses on two or three bodies and not have to change them while shooting.) I also like to be able to keep the shutter button down and have the camera shoot a few extra photos. Especially useful with people pictures.

Most of my shooting is done with the Canon because I carry it with me on my belt all the time and it fits my shooting style so well. Simply, when P doesn't give me the exposure I want, I change the exposure compensation with the + or - dial on the top left hand side. And I turn the dial on the top right to increase or decrease the ISO. Bingo! Easy and beautiful. And it works for me.

A few weeks ago, I bought the G5. Love the sharper viewfinder and the better image quality with higher ISOs, and even enjoyed the silent shutter in a museum, but am having my troubles because they've changed some buttons I was accustomed to, such as wanting to see a photo I've taken and get the QMenu instead. Or press ISO and get "Direct Focus Area on"?? I've tried understanding the manual to no avail.

I know these and some other problems I'm having are my fault, but as Sancho Panza said to Don Quixote, "whether the stone hits the pitcher, or the pitcher hits the stone, the pitcher breaks." And in this case, due to my frustration, i may eventually have to get rid of the G5 if I can't simply just set and then forget about the basic functions, and be able to make minor changes easily when I need to.

So I guess what I think I need is a few simple setting suggestions to make me happy again. Can you help?

Thank you in advance.

Burton

PS So far I'm not into movies.

 

[axlotl]

I also had a G12 and liked it a lot but gave it to my daughter who is very happy with it. Anyway, back to the G5. You could try

1. In the Setup Menu, reset the Rec , Setup and Custom settings to default, Page 76 in the Instructions.

2. Use P on the Mode dial which gives you plenty of control or

3. Press the iA button and let the camera do most of the thinking.

Good luck

 

[TX Photo Doc]

Oh, and I left out I sometimes use manual.

 

[mpgxsvcd]

That is a good and well written article. Thanks for that.

 

[Lawrence Becker]

Thanks so much for doing this - The pdf manual isn't all that helpful, and reading it on an iPad, while convenient, isn't alway easy to bounce around in to find different options and see how they're interconnected.

I bought the G5 as a travel camera, and am finding that it is that in spades and a whole lot more. I spent some time with it before vacation, as well as on a 3 week trip, but sorting it out while travelling isn't the best. Your post is making me get back into it. I'm having a lot of "Oh, THAT'S how that works!" moments...

Thanks again! Yours is the first post I've ever "liked."

 

[Trevor Carpenter]

One small point re the following

"However there is just one little thing. If you want to use the Extra Tele Conversion [Ex.Tele Conv.] function for still photography, go into the Motion Picture Menu and set [Ex.Tele Conv ON] [Page 161]. "



You don't need to set this for still pictures, it makes no difference on or off. To use Ex Tele Conv for stills just set picture setting to any of the bottom row of options

 

[axlotl]

"Set picture setting to any of the bottom row of options"........I am not sure what you are referring to there. Could you clarify please. If I have got something wrong or not quite right I will incorporate your input into the Guide.

 

[Trevor Carpenter]

if you choose picture setting (i have it in my Qmenu because i use it so often), you see a grid of 9 boxes on the screen. If you choose any of the bottom two rows it automatically switches on the Ex Tel Conv. I then have my toggle button set to zoom so that having selected a picture setting usually in my case, EX 4.3 S, I can quickly use the toggle button to zoom to max. Switching on the Extra Zoom in the menu has no effect, it is only needed for video.



I hope I have been clear , if not come back to me and I’ll try again.

 

[AlexF1]

Hi Trevor, I am unable to get my G5 to work as you described - I can only get Ex Tele to work if it is enabled in Movie menu and the lever is assigned to zoom. Can you describe how you got your to work via picture mode?




Thanks, Alex

 

[grumpyolderman]

Hi Alex, these magnifications will not work (like most picture settings) when you shoot Raw, or at full resolution fine JPG, maybe this stops you from getting them?

JL

 

[Hen3ry]

And they are compared with the E-PL3 (the reviewer is very polite in not actually naming Oly as the purveyor of nasty ergonomics).

So with the G5 being better, that sounds very, very good.

Now, what about JPEG color compared with Oly's?


Cheers, geoff