G80 customisation

rsser wrote:

Neat idea recording the settings in a table.

I wish we could save the settings to the card to make a backup and be able to reinstate them if necessary.

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Cheers, Ern

gardenersassistant wrote:

...

I wish we could save the settings to the card to make a backup and be able to reinstate them if necessary.

...

Actually you can, albeit only in the service menu. Don't have the info here, but it should be easy to find which magic button press combination you need to get the camera in service mode.
This mode adds an item to the Setup menu called ROM BACKUP. The first option, DSC>SD, seems obvious (back up), the other options (restore) not quite: SDALL>DSC(ID CHECK), SDALL>DSC(FORCE), SDUSER>DSC(FORCE). I haven't tried to find out yet which one you should use for a normal back up - without bricking your camera, that is...

JoostL wrote:

gardenersassistant wrote:

...

I wish we could save the settings to the card to make a backup and be able to reinstate them if necessary.

...

Actually you can, albeit only in the service menu. Don't have the info here, but it should be easy to find which magic button press combination you need to get the camera in service mode.

Thanks. That sounds good ....

This mode adds an item to the Setup menu called ROM BACKUP. The first option, DSC>SD, seems obvious (back up), the other options (restore) not quite: SDALL>DSC(ID CHECK), SDALL>DSC(FORCE), SDUSER>DSC(FORCE). I haven't tried to find out yet which one you should use for a normal back up -

except ...

without bricking your camera, that is...

I think I'll let someone else go first.

Viking9 wrote:

Great work, Nick. I'm just getting into macro with the G80 and Lumix G 30mm 2.8 macro lens and will be using your settings.

Would that be for flowers etc? I imagine the working distance must be very small for insects etc.

I expect you'll want to adjust the settings as you find what (doesn't) work for you.

I think there is one Fn button setting in that list which doesn't really work for me. That is Fn Button 3 (bottom arrow of four-way). I have it set to Zoom Control. This lets you control the zoom of a power zoom lens using the left/right buttons on the four-way for a slow zoom and up/down for a faster zoom. It's obviously no use for the 60mm macro, but even with the 45-175 PZ I don't think I've used that function yet. Still, I can't think of anything else I want for it at the moment. I'll leave it for now and change it if something more useful turns out to be desirable.

Tom

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gardenersassistant wrote:

JoostL wrote:

gardenersassistant wrote:

...

I wish we could save the settings to the card to make a backup and be able to reinstate them if necessary.

...

Actually you can, albeit only in the service menu. Don't have the info here, but it should be easy to find which magic button press combination you need to get the camera in service mode.

Thanks. That sounds good ....

This mode adds an item to the Setup menu called ROM BACKUP. The first option, DSC>SD, seems obvious (back up), the other options (restore) not quite: SDALL>DSC(ID CHECK), SDALL>DSC(FORCE), SDUSER>DSC(FORCE). I haven't tried to find out yet which one you should use for a normal back up -

except ...

without bricking your camera, that is...

I think I'll let someone else go first.

In my last sentence I meant of course "... for a normal restore", but I too am waiting for someone else to confirm first before I risk it.
BTW the Panasonic Image app has an option called "copy camera settings" but unfortunately it's only available for the high-end models (indeed, why on earth would a G80 owner want to back-up his camera settings??).

gardenersassistant wrote:

I have made LCD hoods for them (I use LCD almost all the time) and have put Sugru on most of the buttons so I can quickly locate the right button by touch, including when wearing light gloves.

I'm interested in putting the Sugru bumps on my G85 as well but I'll want to remove them when it comes time to sell the camera.  Would it be difficult to remove and would it leave the original labelling on the buttons?

larsbc wrote:

gardenersassistant wrote:

I have made LCD hoods for them (I use LCD almost all the time) and have put Sugru on most of the buttons so I can quickly locate the right button by touch, including when wearing light gloves.

I'm interested in putting the Sugru bumps on my G85 as well but I'll want to remove them when it comes time to sell the camera. Would it be difficult to remove and would it leave the original labelling on the buttons?

I have only removed two of the blobs I have put on (in use it turned out that I had put them in the wrong place - not on the buttons but beside them). They were easy enough to get off. At the time I didn't look closely at what was left.

Having looked closer now I see that one of them was over the NU of MENU and while the NU was still there it was not as bright as the ME. I could also see a circle which was a bit darker than the surrounding surface.

I just looked at the Sugru FAQs. It says it may leave a stain on porous surfaces. However, the outside of the camera isn't porous. It says to remove any residue by rubbing it with dry tissue paper. So I tried that.

Small amounts came off a little at a time. Eventually this is what I ended up with.

I can't make out any residue. However, I wonder whether in some cases all that rubbing might damage some of the lettering. Also, I was rubbing on a solid surface. The buttons move a little laterally - would rubbing that much cause any harm to the button mechanism? I don't know.

If you want to be sure the camera will be in pristine condition when you sell it I would hesitate to use Sugru.

I don't suppose this is particularly helpful given your main concern here. I have to say though that having blobs on the buttons has made a big difference to me. I was continually struggling to find the right button previously, wasting time both in finding the right button and also correcting it when I pressed the wrong one. Now it seems very easy, and quick to find the right one. Given how much I use the buttons and how I need to be quick with some of my subjects I am well pleased with the effect. YMMV of course.

gardenersassistant wrote:

I don't suppose this is particularly helpful given your main concern here. I have to say though that having blobs on the buttons has made a big difference to me. I was continually struggling to find the right button previously, wasting time both in finding the right button and also correcting it when I pressed the wrong one. Now it seems very easy, and quick to find the right one. Given how much I use the buttons and how I need to be quick with some of my subjects I am well pleased with the effect. YMMV of course.

Thank you VERY MUCH for your considered response.  I might give it a try anyway.  Like you, agree that the buttons are a bit too flush on the G85.

larsbc wrote:

gardenersassistant wrote:

I don't suppose this is particularly helpful given your main concern here. I have to say though that having blobs on the buttons has made a big difference to me. I was continually struggling to find the right button previously, wasting time both in finding the right button and also correcting it when I pressed the wrong one. Now it seems very easy, and quick to find the right one. Given how much I use the buttons and how I need to be quick with some of my subjects I am well pleased with the effect. YMMV of course.

Thank you VERY MUCH for your considered response. I might give it a try anyway. Like you, agree that the buttons are a bit too flush on the G85.

Glad it helped. One possibility comes to mind. You might try it on just one button to start with, use it for a while to see if you like the effect and then take it off to see how that goes. If it is problematic at least you will have minimised the damage.

Sugru somes in small, sealed packets, in various combinations of colours. For example I got 8 in the pack I bought - 2 yellow, 2 blue, 2 red, 1 black, 1 white. You can get all black, or all black/white. Had I realised this at the time I would probably have got black so as to make the blobs less conspicuous. The downside is that once you have opened a packet you pretty much have to throw away what you don't use, so you would need a complete packet for a single tiny blob to use for a test.

(With one packet I did try opening up the packet very slightly, pulling out a small amount and then quickly squeezing out the air and sealing the packet tightly in clingfilm. A bit later I did the same  again, and it worked, although I had a lot of difficulty getting the blobs to adhere to the buttons rather than to my finger. I then tried a third time and what was still in the packet - most of it - had stiffened up too much to be usable. It apparently helps btw to keep unused Sugru cool to prolong its usable life. I keep mine in the fridge.)

Having realised that it didn't keep very well once opened I waited until I had my second G80 and then used a fresh packet of Sugru to do a whole lot of kit at the same time. With the fresh Sugru it was quite easy and quick to do, finishing off the first G80 (I had only put blobs on some of the buttons), doing the second G80, my FZ330 (removed wrongly placed blobs and put blobs on most of the buttons), a couple of extra blobs on my G5, lots of blobs on my 70D and four each on my TZ60 and two macro flash units. All told a few over 40 blobs, and this is what was still left unused.

So far so good.

You have to leave the blobs alone for 24 hours to cure. Once they have cured they seem to be pretty well stuck on (but removable if you slide a fingernail under the edge). However, two hadn't adhered properly and popped off when I touched them. So I am left wondering if I really want to use another whole packet just for two tiny blobs. Hardly the end of the world, but just be aware that you might have to have a couple of goes at it. And of course it remains to be seen whether any of them will come off in use.