FZ200+Users+manual Updated PDF

UPDATED VERSION
Panasonic Lumix
DMC-FZ200
Users Manual
by Graham Houghton
All illustrations for this book were photographed using the

Panasonic Lumix GH3 with 12-35mm F2.8 X series lens.
All other examples of image effects etc., were photographed
using the Panasonic Lumix FZ200.
The reference to any manufacturers product is done purely to illustrate an example

and does not imply that I endorse, or have been sponsored by them to promote the
product!
The opinions expressed within this booklet are my own and derived through extensive
use with this camera. There may be some areas that may contain references which
may generate some discussion however I hope that these dont detract from the
overall aim of the book which is to offer sensible reference material for this camera.
All images are from my own FZ200 library (except where stated otherwise) and used to
illustrate particular functions or settings etc.
Copyright Graham Houghton 2014

All Rights Reserved.
All Feedback Welcomed on [email protected]
Acknowledgements
This eBook is dedicated to all my friends and subscribers on YouTube
who have given me great feedback on the video tutorials that I have
produced for this camera, and many others. Your encouragement and
constructive comments have helped to develop the idea to create this
book and other tutorial material. A special thanks to those who helped to
preview, submitted typos and gave guidance in the format of the book.
About The Author

With more than 40 years experience in the
photographic industry, teaching photography at a
local adult education college and as a product
specialist and European trainer with Kodak Limited I
have been fortunate to learn many aspects of
photography and photographic science.
I have been passionate about my own photography
for many years striving always to achieve the highest
standards at photographic club level and with my
own private images.
I have evolved with this as a hobby, developing my own black and white
and transparency material and then migrating to digital photography as
the first of the digital cameras were commercially available. I was
fortunate to see the first hybrid camera with the Eastman Kodak sensor in
a Nikon F3 body, the Kodak DCS100 digital professional camera with a
massive 1.3 mega-pixel KAF1300 sensor. This camera had a CCD back
where the traditional film plane would be and a tethering cable to a
display and digital storage unit. How technology has developed since
1991.
By way of my YouTube channel www.youtube.com/user/ghough12 and
this book I hope to be to pass on some of this information and hopefully
encourage others to take more rewarding images with their FZ200
camera.
Graham Houghton , Manchester,

December 2013
2
Preface
You don't really want excellent pictures from your Panasonic Lumix
FZ200 you demand outstanding pictures, after all your Panasonic
Lumix FZ200 is one of the most advanced digital bridge cameras that
Panasonic have produced.
The Panasonic Lumix FZ200 boasts many features like the 12.1 megapixel MOS high sensitivity sensor, the constant f2.8 aperture 25mm
600mm (35mm equivalent) lens and 12 frames per second shooting
mode. The Panasonic Lumix FZ200 has enough customisable features to
satisfy the most avid of amateur photographers. This fantastic piece of
optomechatronics is only let down by the abysmal documentation that
comes with the camera in the form of the basic users manual or the
advanced guide found on the accompanying CD-ROM.
You know what you want to find out is in there, however it is so hard to
find and you don't know where to start. Furthermore the official manual
doesn't offer very much information regarding the basics of digital
photography or photography in general.
This is where this guide book about the Panasonic Lumix FZ200 will help.
It explains the purpose of each of the Panasonic Lumix FZ200 functions
and controls, how you should use them and, more importantly, why.
From the start there should be some information regarding the file
formats, aspect ratios, image size, the priority shooting and autofocus
modes. Many like to dash out with their new camera and shoot off a few
hundred pictures and then come back at a later date to review these
things. So why isn't there a section in the official manual which
summarises this important, foundational, knowledge in its opening
chapters and presenting lots of illustrations showing what your results will
look like when you alter each of these settings?
So if you can't understand what basic settings to set up your camera with,
because you don't understand, for example, how changing ISO or focus
default method will affect your images, then you need this guide.
I don't assume any superior knowledge and won't talk down to you,
either. This guide isn't packed with pages and pages of check lists on
how to take travel picture, wedding pictures, sports pictures etc., but will
endeavour to give you the information that you will need to take great
images on your own!
Table of Contents
Acknowledgements ..................................................................................................2
About The Author .....................................................................................................2
Preface .....................................................................................................................3
Table of Contents .........................................................................................................4
Chapter 1 ......................................................................................................................7
Introduction .............................................................................................................7
About You the Reader ..............................................................................................9
Getting Started with the Panasonic Lumix FZ200 ...................................................11
Memory Cards ........................................................................................................14
Lithium-ion Battery Care ........................................................................................16
Fitting the Lens Hood .............................................................................................19
Memory Card Capacity ...........................................................................................20
For Stills Photography ........................................................................................20
For Videography .................................................................................................20
AVCHD Format Specifications .................................................................................21
Camera Tour ...........................................................................................................23
Description of Controls and Switches .....................................................................25
Top of camera .....................................................................................................25
Front/sides of camera ........................................................................................26
Back of camera ...................................................................................................27
Mode Control Dial ..................................................................................................29
Some Things You Should Understand .....................................................................29
Camera Sensor, ISO and Light Sensitivity ...............................................................35
Does Size Matter? ..................................................................................................36
The Exposure Triangle ............................................................................................44
Chapter 2 ....................................................................................................................46
Intelligent Auto Mode Shooting (iA) .......................................................................46
Menu Systems ........................................................................................................47
Using the Scene Modes ......................................................................................58
Using the Creative Control Mode ...........................................................................64
Examples of Creative Control Effects .....................................................................66
Choosing Image Format and Quality ......................................................................70
Exposure Metering Modes .....................................................................................72
Autofocus Modes and Styles ..................................................................................75
Number, Position and Type of Autofocus Points ....................................................77
Autofocus Styles .....................................................................................................81
Manual Focus .........................................................................................................84
Continuous shooting modes ..................................................................................89
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Auto Exposure and Auto Focus Lock ......................................................................91

Semi-automatic Exposure Modes ..........................................................................92
Aperture Priority Mode ..........................................................................................94
Shutter Priority Mode ............................................................................................95
Manual Exposure Mode .........................................................................................95
Other REC Mode Functions ..................................................................................102
Quick AF. ..........................................................................................................102
i.Resolution. .....................................................................................................103
i.Dynamic..........................................................................................................105
Chapter 3 ..................................................................................................................106
How Photo Styles Change Image Quality .............................................................106
About photo styles ...........................................................................................106
Photostyle Setup ..............................................................................................107
In Camera Post Processing of Images ..................................................................111
Auto retouch ....................................................................................................111
Creative retouch ..............................................................................................113
Post Processing JPEG Image Files .........................................................................117
Development of Camera RAW Files .....................................................................123
Comparison of RAW versus JPEG Images ............................................................125
Exposure Bracketing (Auto Bracketing) ...............................................................127
Taking Pictures With On Camera Pop Up Flash ...................................................130
Manual and Pre-Set White Balance .....................................................................135
Setting Manual White Balance.........................................................................136
Face detection and recognition ...........................................................................139
Recording Video ...................................................................................................141
Creative Video Mode recording .......................................................................143
Programming the camera function buttons ........................................................146
Custom Setups .....................................................................................................147
How to photograph anything ...............................................................................148
Low Light Photography ........................................................................................153
Close-Up & Macro Photography ..........................................................................155
Accessories ...........................................................................................................160
Filters:...............................................................................................................160
Tripods and other support systems .................................................................165
External Flash ...................................................................................................168
Tilt and swivel ..................................................................................................169
TTL exposure mode ..........................................................................................169
Auto exposure mode........................................................................................170
Using non-TTL Flash Units ................................................................................171
Wireless Flash Triggers .....................................................................................172
Wide Angle and Telephoto Conversion Lenses ....................................................174
5
Wide Angle conversion ....................................................................................174

Telephoto Conversion ......................................................................................178
Lighting for Video and Stills Photography ............................................................181
Using External A/V monitors for live View in Recording mode .......................185
External Microphones Used For Video Recording ...........................................186
Wi-Fi Cards .......................................................................................................189
Tools Menu Setup Options...................................................................................192
Reading Histograms .........................................................................................194
The End Of The Book But Just The Beginning! .....................................................202
Image Gallery .......................................................................................................203
Chapter 1
Introduction
Congratulations Panasonic you have done it again! You have packaged
some of the most technologically advanced features into a bridge camera
and brought easy image capture which will satisfy all but the most
discerning of serious amateurs in the consumer market place. It provides
a superb entry into digital photography for those who want to transition
from traditional film based cameras and for those users who may
perhaps have a compact digital camera but would wish to get a little bit
more creative in their digital image making. The Panasonic Lumix FZ200
isn't a snapshot camera its a serious point and shoot (if you prefer to
leave the camera in the iA mode) device for the photographer who wants
to do more.
Now you have purchased this wonderful piece of technology and
marvelled at all those switches and buttons and deeply nested menus the
inevitable question will arise in your mind, how do I use this thing? All
these great features can be overwhelming and seem impossible to
remember, especially if you don't use the camera frequently.
Fear not, help is on its way in the form of this guide book. I really believe
that this guide will be your best resource for learning all of the Panasonic
Lumix FZ200 features and how to embrace digital photography to the full.
I know I've produced a whole set of tutorials based upon the Panasonic
Lumix FZ200 which are freely available on my YouTube video channel
www.youtube.com/user/ghough12 and produced a number of hints and
tips cards which are also freely available on my photoblog site at
http://www.grahamhoughton.com/download-section/
However the most successful way to learn about photography with the
Panasonic Lumix FZ200 is to go out and take pictures with your camera
based upon the information you will learn in this guide.
All the technical information is available within the advanced manual
supplied with the camera on the CD-ROM but what it lacks is the what
settings you should be using in different situations.
I've tried to make this book more organised and through large, detailed,
color images show you where all the buttons and dials are and the
accompanying explanations as to what they do. I've purposely avoided
giving detailed information on how to take specific types of images such
as travel pictures, sports pictures. Instead I have tried to concentrate
on giving you the tips and techniques for using the features of the
Panasonic Lumix FZ200 to take any kind of image you want.
If you are looking for specific instructions on how to take a particular type
of picture of say a racing car hurtling down the pit straights then there are
literally tens of books out there which will teach you just that. This guide
will concentrate on teaching you how to select the best ISO, autofocus
mode, shutter speed, aperture to take an image of any sports in any
lighting conditions.
This guide is not just a technical rewrite of the advanced user manual that
came with the camera on the CD-ROM. I know some people will just
spend a few minutes browsing through this guide and see maybe some
similarity of the entries and decry it as such without really understanding
the differences. Yes you will see similar entries as in the advanced user
manual but these will be the generic, or basic, instructions for entering
menus etc. After all there are not many ways of expressing for example
hold down the shutter button half way to lock the focus and exposure.
This guide is truly aimed at Panasonic Bridge camera veterans who have
upgraded their camera and also to complete newcomers to digital
photography. Both of these can be overwhelmed by the sheer complexity
the Panasonic Lumix FZ200 can offer, yet underwhelmed by the total lack
of instructions contained within the user manuals.
About You the Reader

Whilst I was in the process of putting this guidebook together I tried to
consider exactly who would be benefiting from its contents. Indeed I
made repeated visits to the comments section of the featured videos on
my YouTube channel to see the sort of questions being asked. It is by
reviewing those which led me to the style and format of this guide book.
From a skills level you may fall broadly into one of the following
categories:
A professional photographer who already knows all the photographic
science needed to take great pictures and simply wants to use the
Panasonic Lumix FZ200 as a simple out and about camera without the
need to carry a huge bag of lenses needed to fulfil his or her needs.
Individuals who want to get better images than can be afforded from
just basic compact digital cameras.
Those who want to strive to get better, professional looking images for
their business or website and feel the Panasonic Lumix FZ200 will give
them that facility.
Corporate workers who may want to produce higher quality images for
inclusion in some of their company presentations, reports or other
applications.
Considering the very different skills levels was a more difficult decision as
the Panasonic Lumix FZ200 is such a fantastic camera that it covers a
huge spectrum of potential people who will buy and use it, from absolute
beginners who have never owned a digital camera before to the
professional with years of shooting experience who may be using the
Panasonic Lumix FZ200 as a backup camera.
I decided it was a pretty tough assignment to provide something for
everybody, so I will be trying to cover the needs of each of the following
groups and their skill levels:
Complete beginners to digital photography: if you have only used
the basic of compact cameras, or have worked only with film based
cameras in the past then you are to be congratulated on the choice of
camera you have made. This guide to the Panasonic Lumix FZ200 will
help you to understand the controls and features that this camera
provides and help you to progress into digital photography with the
minimum of concerns. If you really get hooked then you may find that
additional research into some of the topics that I will explore will help
speed this journey.
Advanced point and shooter who is upgrading: There are many
technically well specified cameras out there in the market place.
Panasonic has an extensive range of models to suit consumer lifestyles.
Models like the LX series and TZ (ZS) series do have many user
definable options and settings and it is quite possible you have a lot of
technical expertise with these cameras. You may have recognised some
of the inherent problems associated with this class of camera like slow
autofocus or shutter lag and sometimes the restricted aperture or zoom
range available on them. The possibility of using more powerful, external
flash units, external microphones to record better sound for your video
clips and simple things like the facility to employ filters to modify the light
entering the camera or provide creative effects may be another reason
you have decided to purchase the Panasonic Lumix FZ200.
Traditional Silver halide (film emulsion) users new to the digital
era: You probably know all about photography, you understand f-stops,
shutter speed and ISO which make up the components of the exposure
triangle. You may even have had one of the more sophisticated film
cameras which also employ some pretty slick electronics like autofocus
and metering modes. All you really need is the relevant information on
using the digital specific features of the Panasonic Lumix FZ200 and how
to match, or exceed the capabilities of your previous film based camera.
Professional Users: I expect you to be the most discerning readers
who have already extensive working knowledge of digital photography
and the associated digital work flow. I cannot teach you much more about
digital photography but hopefully allow you to experience the joys of
shooting digital images with the Panasonic Lumix FZ200. You might feel
like I do that the Panasonic Lumix FZ200 will provide a tool to capture
great images in a variety of situations without the added hassle of a
DSLR and lens systems providing you with a very quick, lightweight and
feature rich machine to do it with.
10
Getting Started with the Panasonic Lumix FZ200

Panasonic's Lumix FZ200 provides a reward winning entry into the
rapidly growing bridge camera market. This remarkable camera
possesses many of the same attributes of the much bigger and bulkier
DSLR cameras yet maintains some of the advantages of the smaller and
lightweight compact cameras. Go out and try it. Just insert a SDHC
memory card and a charged lithium-ion battery into the respective
compartments in the base of the camera and switch it on by turning the
power switch (located to the bottom right of the top mode dial)
Slide to switch on the
power and in less than
1 second the camera is
ready!
The green power LED illuminates and the lens extends, now turn the
control dial so that the red iA position is opposite the index mark.
The Panasonic Lumix FZ200 is now awaiting you! Point the camera at an
interesting subject and press the shutter release button and hey the
camera returns a pretty good image on the back of the camera LCD.
Wasn't that easy!
The chances are though you're probably not going to be happy with the
pretty good images this camera can deliver. You will want to shoot
fantastic images.
The Panasonic Lumix FZ200 can do that too. All you need is this guide
book and a little practice.
The first step is to familiarise yourself with the camera, the first three
chapters of this guide will ensure you will do that. As you gain more
experience and new skills you'll be eager to know how to improve your
exposures, fine tune the color balance and use some of the essential
tools of photography such as using the pop up electronic flash correctly
and how to use the camera in a wide range of photographic lighting
conditions. The Panasonic Lumix FZ200 is not only very easy to use, it's
also easy to learn to use as long as you have my little guide book to help
you along the way!
11
In this guide book the first section will cover what you absolutely need to
know just to get started using the camera and you will find this
information in the rest of this chapter.
Secondly I will take a more in depth look at what you should know about
the camera and its associated controls to use its features effectively.
Finally you will learn how to make key settings using the menu system,
so you will be able to fine tune the Panasonic Lumix FZ200 to operate
exactly as you want it to do for your style of photography (or make
multiple set ups easily accessible from the mode dial via the C1 and C2
settings).
Whilst you will probably master most things in the first two chapters, you
can take more time to explore the possibilities described in the third
chapter mainly because you won't need to use them straight away. I've
included all the menu structure here in one place so you will find what
you need, when you need it, and all in one place.
Some of you may have had previous FZ cameras, so if you fall into this
category you will be able to skip through these chapters more quickly and
move onto the two which follow.
The following few pages are designed to get you up and running with the
camera as quickly as possible. If you are completely new to digital
photography or digital cameras, you may want to read through this
section more slowly and have the camera by your side in order to follow
along with the instructions given.
After all the Panasonic Lumix FZ200 is not a point and shoot camera,
though you can easily set it up to be one using the fully automatic iA
mode or by using the semi-automatic Program exposure mode (P mode)
and using just a basic autofocus mode and autofocus style.
However if you want more control over your shooting you will need to
understand more. I'm just going to tell you here what you absolutely must
know and understand to get fully proficient with your Panasonic Lumix
FZ200.
I'll go into more depth in later chapters and even repeat some of the
earlier chapter information so you don't have to remember absolutely
everything that you see written down here. So just pick up your camera,
follow a few easy steps and then go out and begin to take your best shots
ever.
12
Let's begin the journey into your quest for more knowledge with a look at
the Panasonic Lumix FZ200 in some detail. I'm not going to replicate
what is already in the basic user guide with a complete breakdown of
what's inside the box and how to attach the camera strap. I'm sure you
just want to know how to use it, right?
The Panasonic Lumix FZ200

The first area of this remarkable camera is to look at the recording media
options and some hints and tips on battery charging to extend the number
of shots you can get from it.
Typical SDHC cards which can be used with the camera

Although the Panasonic Lumix FZ200 has a built in 70MB of memory this
is hardly sufficient for everyday shooting and does not allow you to use
the full potential of the video capabilities of the Panasonic Lumix FZ200.
13
Memory Cards
Let's begin by taking a look at what you will need to consider when
purchasing additional memory cards.
The memory card that the Panasonic Lumix FZ200 utilises is referred to
as the SD standard. This secure digital card format is an industry
standard in terms of size and shape but unfortunately the way in which
the memory write speeds are disclosed, leaves some room for
improvement and causes a great deal of confusion with buyers. Often
cards are purchased on the advice of camera shop sales persons who, in
many cases, do not understand this system either!
Let me break this down as simply as I can to prevent you making
expensive buying mistakes with future purchases.
Basically the SD format card is available in two packages, one is the first
generation card and referred to as SD and is generally available in
capacities of 8MB to 2GB. Although these cards can be used I would
persuade you not to use them as they usually have a slower write time
and with video recording limit, the time you have available considerably.
It is better to start your collection of addition memory with the second
generation of card the SDHC (secure digital high capacity). You can tell
the difference by the logo on the card
The capacity of these new cards extends from 4GB
to 32GB and there are several pros and cons for
selecting either a lower capacity or higher capacity
card. If you are shooting video it makes sense to
utilise the higher capacities as this gives you the
most benefits of having all the days clips on one
storage card. If you are shooting stills, with perhaps
A sdhc
just a few minutes of video clips mixed in, then it
card
may be more cost advantageous to purchase either 8GB or 16GB cards.
Using this approach also limits the loss of images if for some reason a
memory card gets corrupted or fails totally. I generally use 16GB cards
for this reason. If you have real demand for video clip storage or plan on
doing an extensive photo shoot with both RAW and JPEG files then you
do have the option to utilise the latest generation of these cards the
SDXC (secure digital extended capacity).
14
These are available in capacities from 32GB to 2TB (maximum capacity,

up to 128GB available at the moment). However the Panasonic website
recommends cards up to 64GB only for use in the Panasonic Lumix
FZ200.
These new generation cards have a lot more
technological advantages for serious amateur or
professional customers, they have a much longer
data archival life (claimed up to 10 times longer than
SDHC), they incorporate power failure protection
which help to safeguard data loss and they have an
intelligent data write controller which varies the
sections of memory used within the card to prevent
premature failure through constantly writing to the
same blocks of memory. In addition the new cards
A SDXC
use an advanced MLC (multi level cell) technology
card
which increases the data write rate, can withstand
higher and lower operating temperatures and ambient magnetic and
static electricity fields and also things like x-ray machines and are also
more resilient to physical shock. These features come at a premium price
however if your business requires protection against image loss then this
investment is really worthwhile. For general use there is no real reason to
choose SDXC over SDHC, better to have a few higher capacity SDHC
cards in my opinion.
The other consideration apart from capacity is the speed at which the
card will write data to the memory structure. Universal standards use the
CLASS system. The higher the class number the higher the data rate the
card will achieve.
Panasonic specifies a memory card with a minimum class rating of 4 for
use with the Panasonic Lumix FZ200 if you intend to shoot video. If you
are primarily interested in shooting still images with this camera then you
may consider less expensive class 2 cards but the saving is very
minimal.
My recommendation is to use at least class 6 to ensure
you have more data writing speed capacity as some
cards do write slower than claimed on the label!
A class 6
sdhc card
15
A new card is normally pre-formatted with FAT32 but does not have the
file structure the Panasonic Lumix FZ200 uses. When you take your first
shot with the new card the camera creates the necessary file structure for
you. Formatting in the camera is preferable to formatting in a PC as this
erases the whole card and creates the required file structure. We will look
at these directory structures later in the book but for now you have the
basic knowledge about them.
Finally a word about a suggested work flow with your SDHC cards to
prevent you overwriting cards that you have used previously without
copying the data from them to your computer
The write protect switch
When a card is full and you remove it from the

camera slide the write protect switch down
(often labelled lock) as this has the two fold
benefit of write protecting your data should you
inadvertently put the card back into the camera
sdhc write
and secondly signifies that you have still to
protection
transfer the data from this card to your computer. Once you have done
this you can slide the switch back to the unlocked position. There are
various methods of card storage available and I prefer to keep the cards
in a small metal holder which has foam cut outs for the cards, this affords
maximum protection and is large enough that it can be located easily in
the camera bag.
Lithium-ion Battery Care

The lithium-ion battery used with the Panasonic Lumix FZ200 is the
(DMW-BLC12E), 7.2v 1200mAH battery. It comes with a mains (outlet)
charger unit (DE-A80A) and, if needed, the appropriate power cord for the
country of use. Also available are third party chargers with the additional
facility of being able to charge the battery from an automotive power
socket, a feature which I use continuously and wonder why Panasonic do
not implement this feature on their chargers.
16
The battery is equipped with short circuit and overload protection and
integrated circuits which are used to monitor the battery power level and
can communicate this with the camera to give you an accurate battery
remaining percentage indicator.
You may have noticed that Panasonic have gone to great lengths to warn
you about the use of counterfeit or third party batteries because of the
risk of fire or explosion within the camera and have introduced a method
of establishing if the inserted battery has the Panasonic safety check
mechanism warning you that this battery cannot be used if a nonapproved battery is inserted. It didn't take long for the third party
manufacturers to crack this code and offer fully compatible batteries for
the Panasonic Lumix FZ200.
Whether you use them or not is a decision that you will make alone, but
given the attractive price of these substitutes and the level of risk
involved I am sure a lot of you have used these batteries without incident.
I am not advocating use either way, just be aware of the potential
consequences.
The battery itself comes only partially charged and requires a full
charging cycle to prepare it for use. Insert the battery in the charger unit
and plug the charger into the mains (or 12v power outlet in your vehicle if
using a third party charger with this facility). The green charging led will
illuminate and the battery will commence the charging process. It is
recommended to charge the battery at temperature of between 10 and 30
degrees Centigrade (50 to 86 Fahrenheit). Once the battery has
completed the charge cycle the led will go out.
(Tip: if you allow the battery to cool for about 30 minutes and put it
back on charge you will get an extra few minutes of power as the
charge is temperature dependant)
If there is a problem with the battery the led will blink continuously. This
could be due to the fact that the battery temperature may be too high or
too cold to charge. Battery charging from completely exhausted can take
up to 140 minutes.
Although lithium-ion batteries do not suffer any memory effect if
charging is done from partially exhausted batteries, it is recommended to
allow the battery to have a complete discharge/charge cycle to keep the
battery condition optimal. Frequent, top up charges, has been cited as
bad for the battery formulation.
17
Again for safety reasons it is best to keep spare batteries in the protective
case in which they are supplied to prevent short circuit on metal objects in
your pocket, or camera bag with the risk of fire or explosion.
During continuous use the battery (and the camera) might become quite
warm however this is normal and should not be considered as a
malfunction. (Unless the battery is so hot to touch that it causes personal
injury then the battery may be showing signs of failure).
As the battery is used and goes through discharge/charge cycles, the
battery will eventually lose its full capacity and the recording time or
number of shots will begin to diminish.
The official data for the recording time or pictures being able to be shot
is quoted to be 540 pictures or 270 minutes of recording in controlled
conditions and is only meant as a comparison guide between models.
Realistically the number of shots and recording time will be much lower
however this will be influenced by a host of factors like zoom used or flash
enabled etc., so be prepared!
MEMORY CARD
BATTERY
RELEASE CLIP
The Battery and memory card compartment

The battery will only insert correctly one way, with the small notch on the
battery base being aligned to the release clip. The memory card is
inserted contacts first and the logo facing the front of the camera. To
release the memory card from the camera, press down on the card.
18
It is recommended not to release the memory card whilst the camera is

powered on and especially if the camera is still writing data to the card
(as indicated by the red write to card symbol on the LCD screen) as data
will be lost and there is the potential to damage the camera and/or
memory card.
There is a small residual current used by the camera, even with the
power switch in the off position, after an extended period of non use the
battery may become exhausted through the process of self discharge and
this residual current. It is recommended that if you will not be using the
camera for a month or so to remove the battery completely from the
camera. Again good practice would be to store it in its protective plastic
case.
Fitting the Lens Hood

Fitting the lens hood on the Panasonic Lumix FZ200 is essential.
It helps to prevent damage to the front element of the lens but, more
importantly, it helps to reduce flare from light which may otherwise fall
directly onto the front surface of the lens.
This flare is more noticeable with bright light sources like the sun and can
produce quite obvious colored streaks on your images. This flare also
reduces the contrast of your images and, if the lens isnt perfectly clean
you will see much more dust artefacts on your images as well
especially on wide angle shots where the lens can focus right down to a
few centimetres.
The hood is fitted to a circular groove on the front of the lens and is
installed with the index mark on the lens hood rear flange positioned at
around 10 oclock and then turned clockwise until the lens hood clicks
in place a new hood will be quite stiff but it will locate correctly with firm
pressure (a little furniture polish on the hood tracks will help). It is best to
do this with the power off to prevent damage to the zoom motor.
At this point the index mark will be at the 12 oclock position.
When you want to store your camera in a camera bag leave the hood in
place. If you need to remove the hood turn it anticlockwise to disengage
it from the fixing ring.
The hood can then be reversed and fitted to the lens. Position one of the
smaller petal shaped parts of the hood at the 12 oclock position and
rotate the hood clockwise. It will click again this time and the hood will be
attached securely. The lens cap can then be placed over the lens to
protect it.
19
The lens hood

correctly installed
onto the front of the
lens.
Note the index
mark is at the 12
oclock position.
A video showing this procedure: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uozw-_KvDs
Memory Card Capacity

For Stills Photography
using JPEG only, RAW considerably less
Image Size
In Camera
2GB
32GB
64GB
12M
13
380
6260
12670
Table 1: Memory card capacity based on the Maximum File size 4:3 aspect ratio 12M pixel
For Videography
AVCHD
In Camera
2GB
32GB
64GB
~8 mins
~2 Hrs 30 mins ~5 Hrs 7 mins
PS
~14 mins
H
~14 mins
FS
H
SH
Table 2: Recording Time based upon AVCHD Format
PSH is 1920 x 1080 50 (PAL) 60 (NTSC) frames per second progressive
recording at the highest possible variable bit rate @ 28Mbps
FSH is 1920 x 1080 50 (PAL) 60 (NTSC) frames per second interlaced
recording @ 17mbps
SH is 1280 x 720 25 (PAL) 30 (NTSC) frames per second progressive
recording @ 17Mbps
20
AVCHD Format Specifications

AVCHD is an HD video format that uses Advanced Video Coding (AVC)
compression (also known as MPEG-4 part 10 or H.264).
Video Standard
The AVCHD specification was jointly developed by Sony and Panasonic.
AVCHD allows for HD recording (1080i, 1080p, and 720p) and SD
recording (480i and 576i).
Aspect Ratio
AVCHD records HD video with an aspect ratio of 16:9. SD video can be
recorded with either a 4:3 or 16:9 aspect ratios.
Frame Dimensions, Number of Lines, and Resolution
AVCHD supports three HD video resolutions:
1920 x 1080: This format is sometimes called Full HD because it
contains the full 1920 horizontal pixels of the 1080-line HD format.
1440 x 1080: This is a horizontally sub-sampled image with 1080 lines.
1280 x 720: This is a full-resolution 720p format.
SD NTSC and PAL compatible formats are also defined in the AVCHD
specification: 720 x 480 at 60i
720 x 576 at 50i
Frame Rate
The specified AVCHD frame rates are:
NTSC compatible frame rate: 29.97 fps (1080i60, 720p60) PAL
compatible frame rate: 25 fps (1080i50, 720p50) Film compatible frame
rate: 23.98 fps (1080p24, 720p24)
Scanning Method
AVCHD can record either interlaced or progressive scan images: 1080
lines: Interlaced (1080i) or progressive (1080p)
720 lines: Progressive
21
Color Recording Method

The AVCHD color sample ratio is 4:2:0, with 8 bits per sample.
This means basically the camera uses more brightness information than
color. The human eye is far more sensitive to changes in light than color.
To save file size color is encoded at a reduced level and de-coded during
replay or editing to restore the original color hue.
Data Rate
The amount of storage space required by AVCHD footage depends on
the quality setting chosen on the camcorder. Most camcorders support
several quality levels, although these quality levels have different names
and bit rates on different camcorders. When variable bit rate (VBR)
encoding is used, complex and rapidly changing video requires more
data, shortening recording time. Therefore, stated variable bit rates are
an average.
MP4
FHD
HD
VG
A
In Camera
~1 min 30 sec
2GB
~12 mins
~23 mins
~50 mins
32GB
64GB
~3 Hrs 23 mins ~6 Hrs 50 min

Table 3: Recording Time using MP4 Format
FHD is 1920 x 1080 25 (PAL) 30 (NTSC) frames per second

HD is 1280 x 720 25 (PAL) 30 (NTSC) frames per second
VGA is 640 x 480 25 (PAL) 30 (NTSC) frames per second
In addition the camera can shoot, in VGA mode 200 fps without audio and
100 fps in 1280 x 720 mode without audio (240 and 120 fps NTSC)
The above information regarding the two video/audio encoding codecs is
for information only and it is not essential to know at this stage but I
thought it worthwhile including it here for those with an insatiable thirst for
more in depth knowledge!
22
Camera Tour
A guide to the most commonly used controls and features of the
Panasonic Lumix FZ200.
Focus assist/Self
Timer indicator
F2.8 25-600mm (35mm eq.) Lens
The Panasonic Lumix Front Elevation
Mic/Remote Port
AF/AF Macro/Manual Focus switch
Focus button
Speaker
Manual zoom/ (focus) slide sw
Side view
23
Zoom Lever
Stereo Microphones
Auto Video button
Flash Head
Shutter Button
Burst Mode
Mode Control Dial

Flash Release
Flash Hot Shoe
Fn1 Button
EVF dioptre adjust
Power Switch
Top view
Back Control Wheel

EVF
Playback Button
EVF/LCD Switch
AF/AE Lock Button
Display Button
LCD
Fn3 Button
Navigation Buttons
Menu/Set Button
Delete/Qmenu Button
Rear view
24
Description of Controls and Switches

Top of camera
Power switch - turns the camera power on or off.
Mode Dial - by means of this dial you can preselect a shooting mode and
determine the amount of control over the automatic function that you
have, just turn the dial until the shooting mode you require aligns with the
index mark.
EVF Dioptre adjustment - by use of this small ratchet wheel you can
adjust for your own eyesight correction level, adjust this wheel until, as
you look into the EVF, the menu or grid lines appear sharply focused, do
not try to set the focus on the displayed image.
Flash release lever - use this lever to allow the flash head to pop up and
turn on the flash electronics.
Auto Video record button - this button starts video recording in fully
automatic mode. It uses the settings you have set up in the video
recording set up menu (AVCHD or MP4 and recording quality).
Burst Mode button - use this button to select the burst mode rate,
depending upon if you want the autofocus enabled for each shot, or for
the focus to be set on taking the first image only.
Zoom lever - this lever is used to operate the zoom lens, it has two
positions. The first position which operates as you slightly rotate the lever
is for the slowest zoom rate and the full rotation of the lever allows the
lens to travel at its fastest zoom rate. Pushing the lever anti-clockwise
drives the zoom lens to the wide angle setting whilst rotating the lever
clockwise drives the zoom lens to the telephoto settings.
Shutter release button - is used to take the exposure. It has two defined
positions. Half way depressed enables the focus and metering systems
to establish both the focus and exposure and the fully depressed position
initiates the final exposure sequence. During a self timer mode the full
depression of the button begins the timer sequence. In burst mode
shooting pressing and holding down the button initiates this sequence.
Fn1 Button - is a user defined button and it can be set up to access a
range of commonly used functions which will speed up access to the
feature which has been assigned in the menu.
25
Flash Hot Shoe - allows the use of external flash guns, or flash triggers
to be used for creative flash photography or this shoe can be used for
holding accessories such as a microphone or video light.
Stereo Microphones - these two microphone ports allow the camera to
record audio during video recording operation. Wind cut and zoom mic
functions can be defined in the set up menu.
Front/sides of camera
Focus assist/self timer indicator LED - this led functions (if enabled in
the menu) to allow a high intensity orange beam to illuminate the subject
to assist the focus system to determine the increased contrast subject's
focus distance. In the 2 second timer mode this LED blinks at 0.5 second
intervals during the delay time before exposure takes place. During the
10 second self timer mode it blinks at a 1 second rate for the first 8
seconds then blinks at the 0.5 second rate for the remaining 2 seconds.
Zoom side lever performs exactly as the top zoom lever does however it
is possible to program, from the set up menu, this lever to operate as a
manual focus lever instead of providing the
zoom functionality.
AF/AF Macro/MF switch - this switch allows
the minimum focus distance to be set for the
telephoto zoom position. At the AF position the
camera is quicker to acquire focus as it does
not have to cycle through the minimum focus
distance. As a result the closest focus
distance is 2 metres (6ft 6inches). When the
switch is set to the AF macro mode
(mid position) the camera uses the whole
Lens controls
focus range which is down to 1
metre (3ft 3 inches) at the full telephoto setting. In the MF position the
focus of the lens is controlled manually by the navigation buttons, the
back control wheel or the zoom lever - if it has been programmed to
manual focus operation.
Focus button - this button is used to acquire automatic focus whilst in
manual focus mode and to initiate the setting of the focus target size and
position in autofocus modes.
26
Microphone/Remote release port - behind the rubber dust seal is a

2.5mm socket. This port is a dual function device allowing an external
microphone (like the Panasonic MS-1) or any other electret condenser
microphone with a 3.5mm female to 2.5mm male stereo adaptor cable to
be used. It can also be used for connection of a wired remote shutter
release switch or intervalometer to do time lapse photography, for
example. The port can only be used for one function at a time.
HDMI and AV port on the left hand side of the camera (viewed from the
front) behind the large dust seal flap are 2 ports. The largest is a mini
HDMI socket for connection of the camera to an external display or TV
set and the smaller port provides a lower quality, composite video plus
left and right audio signals.
Back of camera
EVF/LCD button - provides the facility to switch the display from the LCD
screen to the EVF (electronic view finder) and vice versa.
Replay button - switches the camera from the recording mode to
playback mode allowing the last image or video clip to be reviewed on the
LCD screen.
AF/AE Lock button - this button is used to provide exposure, focus or
both exposure and focus lock depending upon how this button is
assigned in the set up menu.
Depressing this button with the camera aimed with the focus square
aligned on the subject will cause the camera to evaluate and lock the
focus or exposure or both.
This locked exposure and focus will remain in place until the button is
again depressed or the camera is turned off. The button can also be
assigned as the Fn2 button if the AE/AF lock facility is not needed and
then another function could be accessed by depressing this button.
Fn3 Button - gives access to a user programmed function which will be
explained later.
Disp Button - allows the method by which screen information is
presented to you.
By depressing this button it is possible to cycle through the display
options available to change the level of detail shown.
27
4 Way navigation button - provides access to

navigating up and down through the menus and also
the pre-set functions of ISO control (top) Self-timer
(bottom), White balance (right) and AF mode (left).
Menu/Set button - this button is used as the method
to enter the menu system and also to provide the
setting of a function or parameter in a menu.
4 way control
Qmenu/Return/Trash - this button is used to exit from the menu
system or the access to a method of getting to the commonly used
menu items, or, if the camera is in the playback review mode, the
facility to delete the video clip or still image which is currently being
displayed.
Rear control wheel - this wheel has both rotate and inward press
functionality. Depending upon the current camera mode it can be
used to select aperture or shutter or select menu items. Pressing
inward acts like another control button for certain functions to be
explained later.
LCD Display - this 3 inch, 460,000 pixel display is the main user
interface for viewing the camera
menus, shooting information and
the scene being recorded in a
video recording mode.
It also allows the preview of
images just acquired and
Articulated display screen
those already captured and stored on the memory card. It can hinge
out by 180 degrees and pivot 270 degrees in a vertical plane to allow
very low or high angle shots to be taken as well as viewing the screen
for self portraits etc.
EVF Display - this 0.21 inch display with a resolution of 1,312,000
pixels provides a bright 100% field of view as
an alternative to using the rear LCD.
This is particularly useful in shooting in bright
sunshine.
Electronic view
finder
28
It is also helpful in achieving greater camera stability as the extra point of

contact with the head offers more stability for hand held shots. It has an
adjustment for user eyesight correction to allow fine focus to be achieved
on this high resolution, high refresh rate monitor.
Mode Control Dial

The mode control dial is the key to setting the Panasonic Lumix FZ200 to
giving you the control you desire to create great images.
By selecting iA (intelligent Auto)
mode you can begin shooting
while the camera makes all the
judgments regarding exposure and
focus, based upon a very complex
set of algorithms analysing the
density distribution and color of the
pixels being recorded by the
camera sensor.
Other settings on the mode dial
allow you to take full control or
some control of the picture taking process.
Mode control dial
Some Things You Should Understand

As with any camera system there are some technical aspects that need
to be completely understood in order that you can get the best image
quality from the Panasonic Lumix FZ200. I want to introduce a couple of
them now before we take a closer look at some of the operating modes of
the camera.
Aspect ratio
This is an important one to consider as it will affect the final look of your
captured image.
You should always consider how the image will be used. For example,
will it be displayed on a HD TV, used as a still photo in a HD video, or
used to produce a paper print, or to display in a digital photo frame or just
used in a web or social networking site?
Aspect ratio is the relationship between the width and height of the
recorded image.
29
The Panasonic Lumix FZ200 supports four aspect ratios;

Square format 1:1
HD format 16:9
35mm format 3:2
Rectangular 4:3
Choosing the right format will depend on the primary intended use of the
image. If for example you set an aspect ratio of 3:2 then this is ideally
suited to photographic prints such as the most popular print size of 6 x 4
inch (152 x 102 mm).
However using this aspect ratio will mean that the other popular print
formats of 7 x 5 inch (178 x 127 mm), 8 x 6 inch (203 x 152 mm) and
10 x 8 inch (254 x 203 mm) will require that the image be cropped to fit
into these frame sizes.
30
If you choose to shoot with the 4:3 aspect ratio then you will have an
image which corresponds to the new international print size of 6 x 4.5
inch (150 x 114 mm) or the 8 x 6 inch (203 x 152 mm) print size.
All other sizes will again requiring some image cropping to fit the standard
frames
Here is a chart of popular print sizes and pixels required to print (at 300 dpi)
Size inch
Size mm
pixels
Aspect ratio
5 x 3.5
127 x 89
1500 x 1050
10:7
6x4
152 x 102
1800 x 1200
3:2
6 x 4.5
152 x 114
1800 x 1350
4:3
7x5
178 x 127
2100 x 1500
7:5
8x6
203 x 152
2400 x 1800
4:3
10 x 8
254 x 203
3000 x 2400
5:4
12 x 10
305 x 254
3600 x 3000
6:5
With the rapid growth of HDTV which has the wide screen 16:9 format a
lot more consumer products have adopted this display format such as
laptop and tablet PCs, mobile phones and digital print frames. If you are
shooting images that will be displayed on any of these devices it makes
perfect sense to shoot in the 16:9 HD aspect ratio as what you see on the
rear LCD screen of the camera is what you will see on this viewing
platform. There will be no image cropping.
If you were to display any of the other format images on the HD platform
you will notice that there will be some image border. Most TV systems will
scale the picture to fit the height so you will have grey or black side
borders and if you are making a HD video using these non 16:9 aspect
ratio images you will again have side borders unless you crop into the
image to fill the width of the frame.
31
1:1 aspect
3:2 aspect ratio
16:9 aspect ratio
4:3 aspect ratio
4:3 image in HD video
3:2 image in HD video
16:9 format still in HD video
Sample Images at the 4 Aspect Ratios
32
Note how in the HD movie stills the 4:3 image fills more of the frame, in
some situations this grey (or black) border may be acceptable depending
upon the context of the video. In most cases though it might be better to
crop this image to fill the frame and lose this distraction.
Image Size, is also important to consider when we are setting up the
camera, as with aspect ratio, it will affect how the image is displayed, or
printed. For printing it is generally accepted that a pixel density of at least
300 pixels per inch is required to produce a good print from modern ink
jet printers. For screen presentation this pixel density can be reduced to
70 pixels per inch. In printer language this pixel density is usually termed
DPI (or dots per inch) however it is the same as pixel density.
So when choosing the image size, in the menu of the recording set up
screen, you can elect to always shoot at the highest image quality
knowing that you can always crop into such an image to allow for fitting
to a print size which doesn't correspond to either a 4:3 or 3:2 aspect
ratio. If the images are for just inclusion on social media or web pages,
for example in a personal blog, then you can save upload time if you
choose a smaller image size. Similarly for stills which will be used in HD
video productions the 2M image size has enough pixels to
33
meet the 1920 x 1080 pixel requirement. I normally shoot always at the
highest image size as this allows more options for cropping or doing, for
example a picture zoom within a video clip.
Image Quality - this is the camera setting which allows the image to be
written to a file on the memory card in either a RAW and/or JPEG format.
A RAW file is basically the unprocessed sensor data written to the image
file. This format requires an external program to process this file into
either a JPEG or TIFF format.
(JPEG = Joint Photographic Experts Group and TIFF = Tagged Image File Format)
Silkypix is supplied with the camera on your software CDROM to allow

experienced users to develop the RAW file allowing them to achieve a
higher image quality than that which can be obtained by the camera
processed JPEG images.
With such fine control over the white balance, contrast, saturation, noise
reduction and sharpening it is worth considering this option if you want to
produce images of the highest quality, especially for larger print sizes. It
allows for the production of 16 bit TIFF files which have a lot more tonal
gradation than that which can be achieved using the 8 bit JPEG files.
If you choose only to shoot in the JPEG format you have again a choice
of fine (denoted by the two dotted line symbol) or standard (denoted
by a single dotted line symbol). The standard format gives smaller file
sizes and again should be considered if the output need is largely web
pages or social media sites.
34
Normally I would always suggest using the fine setting as this gives you
the best image quality which after all is the reason you purchased the
Panasonic Lumix FZ200!
You also get the option to record JPEG and RAW simultaneously which
gives you immediate access to the JPEG file and then the RAW file for
processing into a better image at some time later.
Using this method you could have a small file size JPEG file for reference
and the RAW file in your image library. The file size of the RAW file is
quite large (10 -12MB) compared to the 3-4 MB file size of the Fine JPEG
file.
Camera Sensor, ISO and Light Sensitivity

A knowledge of how the camera, or more specifically the camera sensor,
reacts to light falling on it from the lens will help to understand in which
situations the Panasonic Lumix FZ200 will underperform unless you
intervene to correct its automatic behaviour.
As you may be aware the Panasonic Lumix FZ200 has a small sensor,
essentially the same size as that normally found in the small compact
digital camera versions. It is technically classed as a 1/2.3 inch sensor
and its physical size is only 8mm across the diagonal.
35
1/2.3 inch
8mm
The mega pixel myth has treated

camera manufacturers well over the
years, with an ever increasing pixel
count and often meaningless numbers.
It has helped them sell millions of
cameras. Fortunately, consumers like
you and I, have become aware of this
practice where it was far easier to sell
cameras based upon mega pixels than
perceived image quality.
The inch dimension is really a

hangover from the days when
imaging was achieved using
electron tube based television
cameras and referred to the
outside diameter of the glass
imaging tube. Modern solid state
CMOS sensors are now much
smaller than the name suggests.
1/2.3inch left and Micro

Four Thirds sensors
Does Size Matter?

The size of sensor a camera has directly affects the amount of light
needed to create an image with the correct exposure. Simplistically, the
digital sensor (the digital equivalent of film that you may have previously
used) consists of a large array (4000 x 3000 in the case of the Panasonic
Lumix FZ200) of light sensitive calls called photosites - you may
commonly have heard them referred to as pixels.
The 12 mega-pixels are crammed onto the surface of the 1/2.3 inch
sensor measuring just 6.3 x 4.55mm. Consider now a full frame sensor
measuring 36mm x 24mm with the same 4000 x 3000 pixel count.
The size of the photosites are bigger and this increase in size allows
more photons - that's the light particles radiating from the subject and
focused by the lens onto the sensor to enter the photosite to generate
the electrons which are directly proportional to the amount of photons
being captured. In practice the photosites are quite complex structures,
each one having its own micro-lens to help gather the photons and
direct them down to the photosite.
36
There is also a primary color filter above each photosite. These Red,
Green and Blue filters are arranged in a mosaic pattern over the whole
surface of the CMOS sensor.
The most popular arrangement is the Bayer system where there are
twice as many Green filters as there are Red and Blue to simulate the
spectral characteristic of our own eyes.
Bonded to the sensor is also an anti-alias filter which in effect softens
the image to make it less likely to show stair stepping of diagonal lines
in the image.
It is a real compromise between having enough anti-aliasing filter and
effective output resolution.
The more you suppress the stair-stepping the lower the output resolution
and your images look very soft.
Take out the filter altogether and you get problems with moir and
objects like fabrics and brick walls take on a characteristic moir pattern
very undesirable in the final image. So what does this mean in the real
world?
Well, the size of the actual sensor will directly decide on the optical
characteristics of the lens needed to focus the photons (or light) onto the
sensor.
As you probably know a lens projects a circular image (upside down) to
points of focus (called the focal plane). It is at the focal plane that the
imaging sensor is placed. The image circle must be physically large
enough to cover the diagonals of the imaging sensor.
The imaging circle from the lens covers the
camera sensor. The size of this imaging circle will
define the optics of the lens. The smaller the
imaging circle the smaller the exit diameter of the
rear element of the camera lens. Therefore small
sensors like those in mobile phones have very
small lenses; sensors like those in full frame
cameras need larger lenses to create this image
circle. This leads us nicely into how smaller
Imaging circle and sensors have more DOF (depth of field) or
sensor size
conversely why full frame cameras can
produce extremely shallow DOF images.
37
1/2.3 inch sensor
Full frame sensor
The image focused by the lens, shown by the red light paths is what will
be in sharp focus on the sensor surface (red bar). The parts of the
image which are farther away would be focused within the position
shown by the green bars and those parts nearer by the position within
the blue bars. The depth of these two focus zones is much smaller in the
case of the smaller lens element. Therefore for the smaller lens the
distance of this focus plane depth is nearer the sensor and thus appears
to be sharper than the same image focal position with the larger lens.
The physics definition refers to this as the circle of confusion and it is
this which determines the DOF, or apparent depth of sharpness of the
respective images. The quality of this out of focus area is sometimes
called bokeh or the Japanese for confusion
Focus within the green
zone
Focus at Sensor plain
Depth of Field and Focus Zones
38
The parts of the image which are sharply focused at the sensor surface
compared with the appearance of the objects which are either in front or
behind of the principal point of focus give rise to this out of focus look. It
is determined by two elements, the lens focal length and its aperture.
You will find more of this important aspect later in the book.
The actual sensor itself has a fixed sensitivity to the photons which strike
the photosites. The bigger the photosite area the more photons can
release the electrons producing a bigger output voltage from the cell.
This voltage is generated from a very low output when no photons (no
light) strike the sensor to a maximum voltage when the photosite
becomes fully charged, or saturated.
This very small, analogue voltage contains an element of noise due to a
few factors, temperature the higher the ambient temperature the higher
the noise, shot noise from random electrons being generated without
being triggered by a corresponding photon strike and from electrical
connection noise where the interconnections are made to the silicon
wafer.
This analogue voltage needs to be digitised so that the camera processor
can do the maths to calculate exposure.
This small analogue voltage is amplified by an electronic circuit and its
gain is directly related to the ISO value which we have come to
understand to be the measure of sensitivity of the camera.
In numerous publications there is the erroneous statement that the ISO
changes the sensor sensitivity to light. The sensor always has the same
output irrespective of the ISO set.
It is the amplifier which is connected to the output of the sensor
photosites which has the gain changed by the ISO setting. At the lower
ISO setting of 100 there is little, or no, gain applied to the photosite
output so both the signal and noise are amplified to the same amount.
As we increase the camera ISO setting we change the amplifier gain to
make the output voltage change. It is this amplification which amplifies
both the analogue voltage which is being generated as a result of
photons striking and releasing electrons and the noise from all the other
sources.
The signal to noise ratio decreases as we amplify the signal more (due to
additional amplifier noise being added). This results in more noise being
interpreted as image pixels, rather than those directly corresponding to
the real image light derived output.
39
It's like listening to an AM station on your radio. You can hear the
background hiss.
Turn up the volume to hear the radio station more clearly and you notice
the associated increase in background noise.
When processing the image data into a JPEG file mathematical formulae
are used to reduce the appearance of noise by effectively blurring the
pixels. You can control this in the photostyle menu settings to reduce the
effect of this blurring to achieve sharper looking images (noise reduction
set to -2)
Original image and below the crops
ISO 100
ISO 400
ISO 800
ISO 1600
ISO 3200
40
Crop Factor - the crop factor is a multiplier number which is the ratio of
the width of the sensor compared to that of a full frame 35mm sensor.
The 1/2.3 inch sensor has a crop factor of 5.6x based on 35/6.3
This explains the notation on the camera lens.
The 4.5mm to 108 mm markings refer to the
real focal length of this lens which equates to
25mm at the wide angle position and at the
full zoom 600mm. Note the 1:2.8 refers to the
constant aperture over the entire zoom range,
although you can select up to F8. This makes
this one of the most outstanding features of
the camera. No other current bridge camera
can match this lens performance, optically.
The FZ200 Lens
Aperture or f-stop - the aperture of the lens is the component which is
used to control the amount of light reaching the sensor.
The FZ200 has an aperture range of F2.8 to F8. The aperture, or f- stop
number is mathematically the result of lens focal length / the diameter of
the aperture (hole size of the diaphragm blades).
With each increase in the f-stop number (i.e. we go from a smaller
number to a larger one, say F4 to F5.6) we half the amount of light
reaching the sensor.
In the next table I show the f-stops with the whole f-stop values in red
and the 1/3 f-stops in blue. So we have a 4 stop f-stop range or 8 times
exposure difference.
Note the bigger the f-stop number, the smaller the size of the aperture.
So wide open the lens is at f2.8 and fully closed it is at F8.
There is a practical limit to how small the aperture can be before it starts
to degrade the image through a phenomenon called diffraction.
The smaller the lens diameter and the tighter the pixels are together on
the sensor, the sooner this limit is reached. Interestingly the
mathematical calculation results in a value of f4 in the case of the
FZ200, where in something like a Canon FX sensor DSLR it is F22.
F2.8
F3.2
bigger
F3.5
F4
F4.5
F5
F5.6 F6.3 F7.1 F8

smaller
41
Shutter speed - this controls the amount of time that the light passing
through the lens diaphragm (or f-stop) reaches the sensor.
The amount of time multiplied by the light passing through the aperture
setting gives us the exposure.
When the aperture is set to a value which we want for a particular depth
of field then there will be an associated time value (or shutter speed)
required to achieve the correct exposure so that the image looks correct.
So for example if we have an aperture set on the camera at F4 and the
exposure system determines that a shutter speed of 1/60 second is
required to give the correct exposure, then if we adjust the aperture to a
smaller size (larger number) say f5.6, which is 1 f-stop increment smaller,
the camera will adjust the shutter speed to a longer value to allow the
same quantity of light (time x intensity) to reach the sensor.
In this case the shutter speed will go from 1/60 second to 1/30 second
i.e. the time doubles.
Here is the important relationship we must understand, increase the
intensity of light by opening the aperture (going to a smaller f-stop
number) means we need to make a corresponding decrease in shutter
speed to keep the exposure the same. Remember equal and opposite!
Shutter speeds are indicated as a fraction below 1 second, e.g. 1/25.
Speeds longer than 1 second are indicated 1 2 4 8 etc.,
The fastest shutter speed of the FZ200 is 1/4000sec and the longest is
60 seconds in the manual, with manual focus mode.
1/125, 1/100, 1/80, 1/50, 1/40, 1/30, 1/25, 1/20, 1/15, 1/13, 1/10, 1/8, 1/6, 1/5
Faster
slower
The higher the fractional number, the faster the shutter speed is.
42
To crystallise this, think of the correct exposure as being a glass into which we will
poor some water. When the glass is 50% full, that is our perfect exposure. If we pour
in water very slowly (representing a low intensity of light) it will take longer (the
shutter speed analogy) to reach the correct exposure level than if we poured the
water into the glass more quickly. (Over-fill the glass and we lose our highlight detail
with the result in the highlights being blown-out)
Correct exposure level
The time taken to fill the glass is longer with a small flow of water (representing the
amount of light passing through the aperture) than with more water flow (representing
more light or a larger aperture)
This relationship is the key to you understanding how to be able to set

up the camera when you want to use the manual mode (M)
ISO (International Standard Organisation) This is the value which is
attributed to the combined camera sensor and the logarithmic amplifier
and then the analogue to digital converter system. If you leave the
camera set with the default factory set up the ISO values are increased or
decreased by a fixed value equivalent to 1 full aperture increase (or
decrease) or doubling (or halving) the shutter speed. This is referred to as
1 EV (standing for exposure value) You will notice that with this 1EV
increment set the ISO values change as in the table below
100
200
400
800
1600
3200
If you change the increments in the set up menu to be just 1/3 EV you
have finer control of the camera sensitivity and hence noise control full
ISO (1 EV increments shown in red)
100
125
160
200
250
320
400
500
640
800
1000
1250
1600
2000
2500
3200
Increasing the number increases the cameras overall sensitivity to light

allowing the camera to acquire images in low levels of light with the ability
to shoot hand held. As I mentioned previously increasing the ISO
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value also amplifies the noise in the system resulting in images with
lower visual sharpness and image contrast. This noise usually appears in
the darker areas of the image (the shadows) but even if the camera is
used outdoors in bright sunlight, say in order to get a fast shutter speed
for an action photograph the resulting image will be visually un-sharp
compared to one shot with lower ISO numbers.
For general photography, whenever you can, use the camera at ISO
100. The camera optical image stabilisation should always be set to ON
and this will allow you to use some fairly slow hand held shutter speeds
(1/30 second or less depending upon your own hand shakiness) and
provided that there is no subject movement which needs to be arrested
you will find you get some great images from this camera, especially if
you select an aperture of F4.
We have seen how the interaction of aperture and shutter combine to
give us the correct exposure for our image. Up until this point I have
assumed that the camera sensitivity has remained unchanged however
we must take a look at how all three of the components of exposure work
together to produce the final image. The Exposure Triangle
The Exposure Triangle

ISO
NOISE
-2 -1 0 1 2
DOF
Aperture
BLUR
Shutter Speed
Higher ISO leads to more image noise, slower shutter speed gives more
motion blur and a smaller Aperture (larger f-number) provides more DOF.
44
In the exposure triangle, shown on the previous page, the entire

relationship is shown for the inter-relationship of ISO, Aperture and
Shutter speed. In the centre of the triangle is the perfect exposure which
will show as 0 EV on the camera exposure meter.
If we make modification to one element of the exposure we have to make
an opposite compensation to one or both of the other.
For example if we decrease the aperture from f4 to F8 (2 complete Fstops or EV units) - this reduces the light entering the camera.
We then need to increase either the ISO by 2 EV or to decrease the
Shutter speed by 2EV to compensate.
(Or we could change each parameter by the 1EV - increasing the ISO by
1EV and reducing the Shutter speed by 1EV).
In the triangle we can see the effect of changing any element.
Changing ISO results in more noise if you increase it.
Changing Aperture affects the Depth of Field (DOF) - smaller apertures (
larger f-numbers) giving more DOF.
Changing shutter speeds affects both camera shake and subject
motion blur, longer exposures introduces more blur.
You have to evaluate which of these three parameters is the main
element in taking your image:
low ISO for lower noise.
higher shutter speed to reduce motion blur.
aperture size for shallow, or greater, DOF.
45
Chapter 2
Intelligent Auto Mode Shooting (iA)
The iA shooting mode is the fully automatic mode by which the camera
takes control of every function to deliver the best possible image quality.
In this mode, which we usually refer to as, point and shoot employs
automatic scene selection, intelligent sharpening, face detection, subject
tracking, dynamic range improvement digital zoom and more.
Let's take a closer look at the iA mode and see if it offers anything useful
other than just the ease at which a newcomer to the camera can quickly
begin to enjoy beautiful images or should we be more adventurous and
move the control dial to a semi-automatic mode or even take full control
of the image making process and switch to the fully manual mode?
Before we continue it is worthwhile taking a quick look at the menu
system so we can understand how to get the camera set up in these
modes.
46
Menu Systems
To begin to explain the menu systems employed with the Panasonic
Lumix FZ200 I would like to illustrate the convention I will use to access
menu items
for example: Menu/set Picture size 3.5M Menu/set
means press the menu set button, cursor down to Picture size option
(using the 4 way navigation button) and then cursor right and then select
the 3.5M setting and then press the Menu/set button to close and save
this setting.
and: Menu/set motion picture tab Rec Mode MP4 Menu/set
means press the menu set button, cursor left to access the tabbed pages
(using the 4 way navigation button) and then cursor down and select the
motion picture tab setting and then cursor right for Recording mode and
then select MP4 and then press the Menu/set button to close and save
this setting.
In the iA (or the new iA+) mode the camera makes all
the exposure decisions for you. You simply have to
concentrate on framing the image exactly as you want
the image to appear. Inside the camera's processor is
making hundreds of calculation every second as you
half depress the shutter button. It analyses the
brightness and color as well as the distribution of dark
and light pixels in order to build up a picture of what
scene is being recorded by you. It uses this picture to
try and match your image to a set of standard images
which represent the main classification for the
automatic scene detection modes of:
i-Portrait i-Sceneryi-Macroi-Night Portraiti-Night sceneryiHandheld Nite Shoti-Sunseti-Baby
47
If your image type matches one of these pre-set conditions the camera
will apply settings which the Panasonic software developers have
determined are best for these conditions. If a match is made then the
symbol changes at the top left of the screen from iA to one of the pre- set
icons. If a match is not made the icon remains the iA symbol and the
camera uses a standard set of parameters to expose the image correctly
As this is a computer based guess sometimes the choice of pre-set may

be entirely wrong for the scene type you are trying to capture.
It's worth keeping an eye on the indicated symbol and if this does not
match your scene type it will be prudent to switch to a pre-set scene type
by use of the top Mode dial, turning it to SCN and then selecting the
appropriate scene from the menu to take your image.
If the camera detects the scene has a very high back light component the
camera will automatically attempt to correct it by increasing the overall
brightness of the picture. In this situation the back light compensation
icon will be indicated on the display.
Let's have a look at some of the menu specific entries that appear on the
Panasonic Lumix FZ200 LCD.
48
Mode dial set for iA
With the top mode control dial turned to

align the iA position against the moulded
index mark on the top of the camera body
and then when the MENU/SET button is
depressed we are taken into the first of the
menu choices for the intelligent auto mode.
We have a choice of the standard of the
new iA+ mode which adds a little more
user control options.
[ Tip: note the little red jewel that I stuck on the record button gives you a
more tactile feel especially in winter when you are shooting with gloved
hands]
iA mode selection
Standard or iAplus
To select the new iA+ mode you will need to cursor right, twice, using the
navigation key (until the iA+ symbol turns yellow) and then to exit the
routine use the MENU/SET button again to return you to the normal
display screen.
MENU/SET MENU/SET
IA+ mode adds the additional controls of exposure compensation and
color tint to the existing background defocus option
To access the options available for stills picture mode (rec mode) you
need to press MENU/SET then cursor down and then cursor right to enter
the individual page(1) items.
49
Stills (rec mode)
Page 1 selected
You can now select any of the options in this menu list by cursoring down
to the item and to make changes you cursor to the right whilst on that
menu line.
In illustration 30 the menu item
selected is the Picture Size; cursoring
right () brings up the image size
selection as shown left. The choice of
image size is really down to the output
medium you wish to use to display the
image. If you are interested in
producing large prints from the image it
makes most sense to use the highest
Selecting a image size
number of pixels and the aspect ratio
nearest to the aspect ratio of your
chosen print size.
Here is a reminder of the standard print sizes. Choose 16:9 9M for HDTV
images.
Size inch
Size mm
pixels
Aspect ratio
5 x 3.5
127 x 89
1500 x 1050
10:7
6x4
152 x 102
1800 x 1200
3:2
6 x 4.5
152 x 114
1800 x 1350
4:3
7x5
178 x 127
2100 x 1500
7:5
8x6
203 x 152
2400 x 1800
4:3
10 x 8
254 x 203
3000 x 2400
5:4
12 x 10
305 x 254
3600 x 3000
6:5
50
The next item in the menu list on page 1 of the iA menu choices is Color
Mode This is used to modify the way in which colors are recorded with
the Panasonic Lumix FZ200.
Color mode choices
This setting can be made for

Standard, Happy, B/W or Sepia. If
you select Happy, the colors are a
little bit more vibrant with higher
saturation. B/W gives you a
pleasing monochromatic image
and Sepia gives you a rich amber
color to the images. Remember
though all these effects can be
achieved in post processing,
retaining the original standard
color style.
Motion Deblur. When you enable motion de-blur, from the menu, the
camera will analyse any subject
motion and calculate an exposure
time with which the camera will
use to arrest this movement. In
doing so it might reduce the
image size if the ISO has had to
be raised if the camera cannot
achieve a good exposure after
opening the aperture to f2.8
Motion Deblur option
Hand held Nite Shot This option in the set up menu, when it is
enabled and the iNight scene is
detected and it detects that the
camera is hand held (not on
tripod etc) the camera will shoot a
series of exposures and then
composite them into just 1 image.
In doing so it can eliminate a lot of
image noise to produce a more
pleasing image in the low light
conditions
Handheld Nite Shot
51
iHDR intelligent high dynamic range is a method by which the camera

can attempt to embrace a scene
of high contrast and process the
shadows and highlights to
compress the tonal range
recorded. With this method you
will see more detail in the
shadows and the highlights may
be retained but the overall effect is
to give you an image which
does appear flat and may need
iHDR Mode
post processing, depending
upon how you want the image to finally look. In some instances even with
iHDR enabled the camera may be able to produce the contrast reduction
but without the need for multiple images being taken. You also need to be
aware that if there is any subject movement taking place during the
multiple exposures this will be captured and may show as ghost images
on the final image.
An HDR image
Face recognition - Face recognition requires that the camera first of all
registers faces by performing a registration procedure to store the names,
and age of the subjects. During shooting if the camera recognises a face
or faces it will set the focus on
the prime subject. If there is
more than 1 face in the picture,
the order in which it sets
priority is determined by you
during face registration
procedure.
52
Face recognition may fail if the size of the image is too small (or zoom is
used and the face is too large) for the software to analyse, or if the
subject is too light or too dark or is in motion I will cover face registration
later in this guide book.
The iA+ Mode This new mode is similar to the basic iA mode but allows
some user intervention to adjust the way the final image is recorded. You
have the;
background defocus option (as in the basic iA mode)
exposure compensation
color tint
Background defocus expose compensation color tint

iA+ user options
To access any of these user controls you need to push in the back
control dial bring up the choice of control to adjust.
Push In
Back control dial
53
Exposure adjustment
Exposure adjustment
In this illustration the control

selected is the exposure
compensation option which allows
you to brighten images where the
camera is underexposing or darken
those which are being overexposed.
Use the left and right navigation
keys, or turn the back control dial to
make the adjustment and then press
MENU/SET to lock it.
If the metering
mode is set to
average or
centre-weighted
the camera may
under expose as
shown opposite.
This is because
of the brighter
background.
If you use the
exposure
compensation
feature you can
make adjustment
for this as shown
opposite. Move
the slider towards
the + to brighten
the image.
54
Background defocus
Background defocus
This control effectively gives you direct access to the aperture control. As
we know selecting a large aperture (smaller f stop number) gives us
shallower depth of field (DOF) making the background blurred, or
defocused.
The slider control shows the icon of a head and distant mountains, by
default the camera selects the wide open f2.8 aperture to give the most
defocused background as you use the navigation buttons, or turn the
back control dial, you can move the slider to the right. Here the icon
shows the mountains more clearly the result of selecting a smaller
aperture with more DOF. In essence this control allows you to select f2.8
to F8.
Color tint
This adjustment allows you to add
some color bias to the image. Moving
the indicator slider to the left adds
some warmth to the image whilst
moving it to the right will add blue to
the image and make it appear cooler.
55
To illustrate just how good the iA and iA+ modes can be I have included,
by kind permission, some images by Peter Sheppard from New Zealand
who uses the FZ200 extensively on his travels. Please check out his
work: http://flickr.com/peteshep/sets
In the following images you can see the richly saturated colors, yet
retaining good flesh tones, detailed shadows in the very bright sidelighting and little highlight loss on the specula reflections from the metal.
Peter Sheppard Phyang Festival Ladakh. Himalayas
Peter explained his choice of the FZ200:

Travel photography needs a robust, compact, and flexible-in-use camera.
Loose lenses rolling down the mountainside or letting dust onto sensors,
clumsy weak tripods, etc, are out of the question to me. Youll see in the
shots, faces, sunny landscapes, dark monastery interiors. The f2.8
zooming 25mm to 600mm, with an excellent stabilizer, handled them all in
a single compact camera. Using the iA background de-focus mode
allowed me to set DOF, as needed, and it allowed point and shoot for
sophisticated results!
56
Peter Sheppard Phyang Festival Ladakh. Himalayas
Peter Sheppard Tibetan-Buddhist monk at Shanti Stupa Leh, Himalayas
57
Using the Scene Modes

Scene modes are automatic modes with exposure
parameters which have been pre-set to give ideal
images in those matching situations. If you are
using the iA mode an see that it has incorrectly
recognised the scene type (by looking at the icon
at the top left hand side of the display) it is
recommended to switch to the correct scene
mode by using this method otherwise the image
Scene Mode
quality may not be optimal. The Scene Mode is
accessed by turning the top mode selection dial
to align the SCN against the index mark on the camera body and then
pressing MENU/SET button to bring up the menu choices for this
automatic mode. Use to step through them.
Pre-set Scene Modes (left to right top to bottom descriptions)
The Portrait mode. Is a useful mode for taking pictures of people outside
during the day as it helps to improve skin tones. To really make this mode
work for you consider using maximum telephoto setting by zooming all
the way in to maximum, then position yourself as close as you can to
your subject to fill the frame with head and shoulders. Try to keep the
subject as far away from the background as you can and, if possible,
58
try to select a background which is not too obtrusive. This will make the
portrait shot look much better with a nicely blurred background which will
emphasise your subject.
Soft skin. Is similar to the portrait mode scene mode however in this
mode some softening of the image is introduced to mask any slight skin
imperfections. As with portrait mode it is enhanced by using the same
camera to subject and subject to background distances as outlined
previously.
Scenery mode. Allows you to capture wide vista landscapes, it sets the
camera to a small aperture to maximise the depth of field (DOF).
Panorama shot. In this mode it allows you to use the camera to capture
and stitch together a series of images to build up a landscape
Left to right panorama

or portrait oriented panorama shot. After making this scene mode
selection use the navigation buttons to select the direction and
orientation of the proposed panorama shot.
These choices are left to right, right to left, down to up and up to down.
On the lcd display will be a horizontal guideline which denotes where the
scenery should be located in for this effect to work properly.
The camera will lock focus, white balance and exposure for the first
image in the sequence and then use this setting for the remaining shots.
It must be noted that if the scene brightness or focus distance changes
throughout the sweep these will be noticed on the final composite image.
The arc of movement is around 180 degrees so ideally stand facing the
half way point of this sweep. Pivot your upper body from the waist
upwards so your starting point is 90 degrees from your start point.
Press the shutter half way down to focus and lock the expose and then
fully depress the button and then slowly pivot your body to the opposite
end of the arc.
59
Aim to be facing your midway position after 4 seconds and the

completion of the arc in about 8 seconds.
Keep the button fully depressed throughout the entire movement. The
image sequence is terminated when you release the shutter button,
you stop panning the camera or the camera capture window closes.
Noticeable distortion may occur before and after the central point of
the sweep and some joins may be visible if the camera is not held
level during this sweep. There are a number of situations which may
prevent a panorama being recorded. For example if the area contains
a lot of even tone or uniform color and a repetitive pattern, or moving
objects appear in the sequence or the area is illuminated with lights
which result in flickering being reproduced at the selected shutter
speed then these may not be recorded
During a horizontal panoramic capture the image resolution is 8000
pixels by 1080 and during a vertical capture 1440 x 8000.
During playback the image will scroll in the direction of the recorded
motion and looks best when displayed on a TV screen in HD format or
used in a video program where a panoramic sweep can be made from
the 8000 x 1080 pixel image. It gives very superior detail compared to
the equivalent sweep being made with the camera in video mode.
Sports. This mode should be selected if you want to capture a subject
which has large amounts of fast action taking place. The camera will set
a high shutter speed and if necessary raise the ISO to enable this fast
shutter speed to happen, therefore more noise may be noticed in this
mode especially in poorer lighting conditions.
Panning. This mode is particularly effective if you want to capture an
image of say a motor car, cyclist or other vehicle which will have a
predictable motion which is parallel to the camera.
Select the option in the menu and then chose from the Auto or Shutterpriority mode.
If you elect to use shutter priority where you want to control the amount
of blur then the pushing in the back control dial will alternate between
exposure compensation mode and setting shutter speed.
There is a technique which has to be learned to get good panning shots.
There is a fine balance between achieving an image with enough
background motion blur and one which has too much subject blur due to
too slow a shutter speed.
60
The technique basically means you will be framing the subject, pivoting
your body through a 180 degree arc following the subject in the
viewfinder and trying to keep the image at one position in the frame as
you pivot.
Press the shutter release as the subject is opposite you and then keep
the camera moving at the same speed and direction as you do so.
I recommend that you use the EVF for this procedure as it is easier to
track the subject this way and also enable the burst firing mode (5.5 AF)
but use a manually set focus point, set to the position the subject will be
at when it is opposite you.
You can change the shutter speed to increase, or decrease, the amount
of background blur but remember to keep it high enough to prevent
camera shake destroying the crispness of the main subject in the
panning sequence.
Night portrait. This mode needs some care to get the result to look
natural. It basically sets the exposure to try and capture some detail in
the surrounding background, however you have to use flash as the
principal source of light in the picture and the camera reminds you to
raise the flash head.
As the ambient light exposure can be up to 8 seconds it is essential to
use a tripod if you are shooting in such low light.
Additionally there is an equivalent time equal to that of the exposure time
for in camera noise reduction processing.
Night scenery. Again this mode utilises a long time exposure to capture
an image and there will be an associated noise reduction time equal to
that of the main exposure.
Again it is essential to use a tripod or other means of support to get good,
blur free images in this mode.
61
Night scenery mode

Handheld nite shot. In this mode the camera performs multi - exposure,
high speed bursts and then processes them into a single image which
then has increased subject brightness and reduced noise.
In some cases there may be subject ghosting if the subject happens to be
moving for example.
HDR (high dynamic range). Using a series of exposures with varying
intensities from under to overexposure the camera can combine these
images during processing to allow detail to be seen in shadow (dark
areas) and highlights (light areas).
The resulting image may appear to be flatter through using this process
and if there is any subject motion in the sequence it may appear as
ghosting in the composite image.
If the camera determines that the exposure contrast range is within what
the camera can achieve in a single exposure it will not execute the
exposure sequence to capture the image.
62
HDR image
Food. Allows you to capture food dishes with natural looking ambient
light. The camera will choose a wide aperture and ISO of 400 to achieve
this so there will be reduced depth of field and possibly more image noise
using this mode.
Baby1/baby2. Are essentially the same mode which allows you to set
different baby name/age with each of the menu items.
This mode, if used with the on-camera flash, will fire the flash at much
reduced power to allow a lot of the ambient light to be registered.
The babys skin is emphasised. As the camera will be essentially using
the ambient light, if this is low intensity then the camera will raise the ISO
after reducing aperture to f2.8 so there may be visible noise in the image.
Pet. Use this mode to take images of your pets, it essentially just allows
you to attach a name and age to the image just as in the baby mode.
Sunset. This mode emphasises red saturation in the image, ideal for
taking sunset pictures.
High Sens. Uses a high value ISO (1600) and a reduced image size (4: 3
3M largest size) to allow you to capture images in very low light intensity.
There may be severe noise in the image depending upon the areas of
dark in the image.
63
Glass (through). This mode is designed to allow you to shoot images

through glass, such as in cars and trains or aero planes or through
building windows. It may not work if the window is dirty as it will cause the
camera to focus on the dust rather than at the subject.
3D. Allows you to create a three dimensional image by allowing the
camera to select 2 images from a sequence made by moving the camera
horizontally through about 10 cms. (4 inches) for 4 seconds. You of
course need a 3D capable device to see the 3D file MPO file.
In creating this image the camera is fixed to wide angle setting, the
picture size is restricted to 2m at the 16:9 aspect ratio however this is
an ideal size for HDTV viewing. In some situations the image file might
not be created such as if the subject is too dark/bright or if the subject is
moving or if there is insufficient contrast in the scene.
Before moving on from the iA modes it is worth just reviewing the other
automated capture modes which allow a little user intervention to create
more interesting effects, the Creative Control.
Using the Creative Control Mode

This mode allows users to record images with additional creative filter
effects.
These can be previewed in real time before the image is captured. This
control applies the changes to the image and then
writes the image to memory. If you want a quick
effect then this control will deliver this option,
however all the same creative filter results can be
applied to a normal image via the playback,
creative re-touch menu, which creates a new
image from the existing image keeping the original
from any applied changes. With this alternative
method you can create several different effects from the on image,
keeping the integrity of the original image.
To use the creative control features turn the Mode control dial to the
palette icon so that it aligns with the index mark on the camera body.
Press the navigation buttons to scroll through the options .
Select the image effect which suits your preference for the scene you are
capturing. Push in the back control dial to access the options to set
exposure compensation, background defocus and image effect. Rotate
the back control dial to alter the control setting.
64
The effects are maintained even if the camera is turned off and on again,
white balance is locked to auto and ISO sensitivity is AUTO.
Expressive - the image effect control adjusts the saturation of the colors
in the image from pale to highly saturated.
Retro - the image effect control adjusts the color emphasis from yellow
through to red.
High key - the image effect control adjusts the ambiance of the image
from a hint of red through to a pale hint of blue. The image is biased to
record the highlight features and to lighten the shadow or dark areas.
Low key - the image effect control adjusts the ambiance of the image
from a hint of red through to a pale hint of blue. The image is biased to
record the shadow or dark features and to darken highlights to produce a
more sombre image quality.
Sepia - the image effect control adjusts the contrast of the sepia toned
image.
Dynamic monochrome - the image effect control adjusts the contrast of
the image which has been converted to a dramatic black and white one.
Impressive art - the image effect control adjusts the tone of the image
from monochrome to one with highly saturated colors.
High dynamic - the image effect control adjusts the tone of the image
from monochrome to one with highly saturated colors and also adjusts
image contrast for optimum balance between the highlights and shadow
regions of the image.
Cross process - is an interesting effect which mimics the days of film
processing where one type of negative material is processed in the
wrong chemical process e.g. reversal film (transparency) processed in C41 color negative chemicals. The image effect control adjusts the way in
which the effect is applied. You can choose Green, Blue, Yellow or Red
tones to be emphasised.
Toy effect - the image effect control adjusts the color tone from Red to
Blue and the image has a vignette applied to darken the periphery of the
image, such as you get from a cheap plastic camera.
Miniature effect (diorama) - the image effect control adjusts the color tone
from red through to blue.
65
To create the central band of sharpness you need to press the Fn3
(function 3) button adjacent to the navigation buttons. This opens a
display where the vertical (for landscape images), or horizontal (for
portrait images) position of the band can be set using the navigation
buttons for landscape mode and for portrait mode. The back
control dial adjusts the width of the band. If you press the DISP button the
original positions are restored. The image may take a while to process in
the camera after the shutter has closed, especially if the image size is
large.
Soft focus - the image effect control adjusts the amount of soft focus blur
applied to the image.
Star filter - with this filter enabled any highlights are transformed into star
effects. The image effect control adjusts the length of the highlight points
from short to longer.
One point color - with this effect you can select the color that is to be
retained in the black and white image which is generated. Use the Fn3
button to display the setting screen. Align the small central frame on the
color you wish to retain in the image and then press MENU/SET. Some
colors may not be totally removed and areas of similar tone may be
removed. The image effect control adjusts the saturation of the remaining
color.
Examples of Creative Control Effects

Images using the expressive control features
Adjusting the control to the left reduces the effect and to the right
increases it.
Expressive color low
Expressive color high
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Retro less
Retro more
High key
Low key
Sepia
Monochromatic
Impressive art
High dynamic
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Cross process, green channel
Toy camera
Blur, hard
Blur, soft
Star (no highlights to effect)
One point set for hat, low effect
One point, set from face, low
One point, set from face, high
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The miniature effect
One point color (some red remains of the brickwork same hue)
We have now had a brief, introductory tour of the fully automatic (plus a
brief look at user customisation) modes.
Before we look at the semi-automatic modes we need to consider and
understand file formats available for recording our still image files on the
SDHC card.
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Choosing Image Format and Quality

One of the most important set up choices is to make a choice of the
image quality for the intended use of the image file. Until recently users
routinely chose lower image resolution to get smaller image file sizes in
order that they could fit more images on the SD/SDHC card.
As media sizes have now increased, and costs have significantly
reduced this is no longer a valid reason to restrict yourself on image
resolution.
With a 4GB SDHC card in the Panasonic Lumix FZ200 you can fit over
700 full resolution images on that card more than enough for a days
shooting for most users.
With these large resolution images it does give you the scope to print
larger size photographs, or crop into the area to improve composition
etc.
Another choice is the actual format that the image will be stored in. As a
new user to the camera it may not be important at this stage to consider
this option.
However as your skill level increases and you want to improve on the
image quality you may reconsider this at a later stage.
We are talking about the usual file type of JPEG (Joint Photographic
Experts group) and the more advanced RAW format.
JPEG Format
JPEG is the most common file used for storing digital picture images.
This method of saving the image information into a small file on the
SDHC card uses a compression system to reduce the file size.
In the case of the Panasonic Lumix FZ200 it can use one of two levels of
compression, one described as Fine JPEG and the other Standard
JPEG.
Standard JPEG uses a higher compression, discarding more image
information, in order to produce the smaller file sizes.
For this reason JPEG is often referred to as a lossy file format. Whilst
any level of image quality loss isn't ideal data loss at a lower
compression isn't that noticeable in prints.
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As a point in question here, if you edit a jpeg image on your computer

and then save them again as a jpeg file, the data loss is compounded.
The more times you open and save the file (with a new filename) the
more information is discarded. If you intend making several
adjustments to an image it is sensible to have a master copy and
make the adjustments to it saving it as a new file name. If you need to
make more adjustment re-open the master file for editing rather than
the file you created from it.
Another advantage of JPEG files is that they can be universally displayed
on computer screens, mobile phones, tablets and other digital display
devices.
They can also be printed directly from the SDHC in printers equipped with
a suitable card reader.
Because of the smaller file sizes it does allow you to use the Panasonic
Lumix FZ200's burst speeds to advantage as the amount of time the
images remain within the camera buffer are considerably reduced
compared to the same RAW file format.
In the Panasonic Lumix FZ200 the12MB image file is reduced by a factor
of about 4, depending upon the scene type and image detail resulting in a
typical 3-4MB fine JPEG image.
There is a significant down side though of using the JPEG file, however
for most amateur users this may not be such an issue, depending upon,
again the output need of the image file.
The camera sensor, and associated analogue to digital converter chip
produce a 14 bit data output.
Each bit in the data word has a power of 2, so going from the least
significant bit to the most significant bit is 214 or 16384 discrete levels of
color in each of the Red, Green and Blue parts of the image. In contrast
the 8 bit JPEG file has only 28 or 256 discrete levels of color.
It might sound a drastic reduction in color data loss but the process is
done judiciously. Combine the color information loss with JPEG
compression at 4:1 before it is stored on the card you can see it is quite a
lossy system.
For most photographers who only perform minor adjustments to the
camera file in external editing software then JPEG is the most obvious file
format to use, but always choose the FINE option to retain more image
data.
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For those users who want to preserve as much image information as

possible then, for them, RAW is the most appropriate choice. There is the
option to store both the unprocessed RAW file and a JPEG file at the time
of capture.
This can have significant advantages that the JPEF file can be viewed
directly and things like critical focus and composition checked
immediately and should the occasion arise at a later date the RAW file
could be processed to give the absolute best image quality.
There is a significant storage issue though as the RAW files are about
12MB each. I will explore the RAW file and its post processing later in
this guidebook.
The JPEG QUALITY is set here
(showing the fine quality selected)
Jpeg Quality
All of the semi-automatic modes that we use with the camera rely on
using the light reaching the sensor to determine both the focus and the
exposure.
Let's take a look at how it achieves these two functions.
Exposure Metering Modes

The Panasonic Lumix FZ200
offers three ways in which the
cameras optical system can
be used to determine the
correct exposure.
These are used in all the
shooting modes of P, A, S and
M as well as in manual movie
mode and creative control.
Metering Modes
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To access the three modes;

MENU/SET zoom lever twice to T setting to get to page 3
Multiple area. In this method the camera effectively uses what you see
on the LCD display to evaluate the distribution and intensity of the light
falling upon the sensor.
Using this method ensures that anything which appears in the image is
used to determine the ratio of dark to light, upper to lower and side to
centre distribution of light intensity.
By analysing the upper to lower brightness ratio it can determine if you
are shooting a landscape with sky and ground and if there is a central
subject how bright that is compared to the background.
Generally this method achieves the best overall exposure determination.
However as with all systems which are reliant on standard exposure
situations sometimes when we present it with an unusual scene
situation the image is not evaluated correctly, for example shooting on a
bright white sandy beach or a snowy winter scene.
In both situations there is higher than average distribution of bright light in
the scene and the camera will tend to compensate for this by reducing
the exposure.
The result, on screen and in the resulting image, is for the image to look
dark or underexposed.
Multiple area metering is ideal for general scenes
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Here we routinely use the feature called exposure compensation to

counter act the way the camera has reacted to this scene.
() is the symbol for the multiple area method

Centre weighted. When we know that the central area of the image is the
most important area from which to evaluate the exposure without the
result being influenced by brighter, or darker, areas outside this central
area we can use this method to our advantage for example if shooting a
portrait of someone or where there is a predominance of sky in a
landscape scene.
( ) is the symbol for the centre weighted method
Centre weighted metering

Spot Metering. Spot metering uses a very small central area from which
the camera evaluates the exposure.
It is very much dependent upon the placement of the cross hair sighting
as to how the camera evaluates the exposure.
It is extremely useful if the subject is relatively small in relation to its
surroundings which may influence centre weighted readings.
For example if you were to be photographing the moon both multiple area
and centre weighted methods would force the moon to be a white orb,
rather than have rich detail.
74
( + ) is the symbol for the spot metering method
Centre weighted metering

Using the Spot Metering mode
(cropped image)
Later in the guide book I will explain how to lock the exposure whilst
using the spot metering method rather than holding the shutter button
half way down as you re-compose the shot!
Now we have a better understanding of how the camera utilises the
distribution of light falling on the sensor to evaluate what the correct
exposure should be, and how to understand why, and when, it might be
necessary to apply either exposure compensation or use the exposure
locking button (AF/AE Lock) before we press the shutter button to take
the final image.
We can now begin to look at how the camera determines when a subject
is in focus when it utilises one of the autofocus modes and styles.
Autofocus Modes and Styles

In the Panasonic Lumix FZ200
automatic focus system we have a
choice of four modes and three styles.
Selecting, and using, the right one to
use can be quite bewildering for new
users to this camera.
Autofocus Modes
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Again the camera uses light falling on specific areas on the sensor to
utilise the difference in contrast an image has when it is in sharp focus
and when it is out of focus.
By moving the focus lens element within the lens optical system the
camera can quickly find the point at which the image has maximum
contrast which directly relates to being in perfect focus.
The system works as follows. The camera reads the voltage from a
specific area on the sensor; it then moves the focus lens element a very
small amount in a known direction, usually by a small stepper motor, if the
voltage increases the camera again moves the lens in the same direction.
If there is another increase it will continue to move the lens and count
how many steps it has taken in doing so. It will continue to move the lens
until no further increase in voltage is detected. It will move the lens back
to a position which is half the number of steps it took to reach the point
where no further increase was detected.
However if after moving the initial step the voltage decreased it will
immediately reverse the direction of movement until it detects a positive
increase. If there was no change the camera would assume it was at
optimum focus.
This sounds a very slow process however the camera is able to perform
this operation 100 times per second and hence the name light speed
focusing was marketed.
This contrast based detection method relies on the imaging sensor
being able to detect the necessary difference in contrast in the light
reaching the sensor from the subject.
If the light level is low, or the subject doesn't have any contrast
differences the camera may try to hunt for focus or come up with the
focus range error in red on the LCD screen.
It usually indicates what the focus distance should be for the focal length
(amount of zoom) you have set on the lens.
In most instances where the camera cannot achieve focus when the
subject is within the range the camera is warning you that the subject
should be within is due to the lack of contrast in the subject.
It should be noted that lack of light itself doesn't mean the camera will not
be able to focus.
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If the subject has high inherent contrast with good delineation of edges or
patterns then the camera can achieve good focus.
One of the inherent problems of this system of autofocus is where the
sensor is picking up the image detail for determination of the focus point.
If we have a subject with little contrast standing in front of an area which
has higher contrast the camera may assume that the image is in focus by
adjusting to the background contrast area and not the subject!
Number, Position and Type of Autofocus Points
Autofocus Mode Selection

The robustness and flexibility of any autofocus system is primarily due to
the position and type of the autofocus points. The more points there are
the more the chances of the camera determining an accurate focus point
from the image falling on the sensor.
The Panasonic Lumix FZ200 has 23 such points which can be used in
23 area method. This is particularly effective when the subject may not
be in the centre of the screen, for example a flying bird.
Higher end DSLR's may have a lot more autofocus points to assist in
faster and accurate autofocus.
The type of focus point also determines the speed and accuracy at which
autofocus can be achieved.
If the autofocus points are cross shaped they can determine contrast in
both horizontal and vertical directions adding to the reliability of detection.
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Most High end cameras have many cross point areas which may be
combined together to form very elaborate autofocus set ups. The
Panasonic Lumix FZ200 has, as I understand it, just one central cross
point focus area.
23 Area Method. This is the default method as used in the iA mode. It
uses 23 points for autofocus distributed over the imaging sensor.
When this mode is selected and the shutter button is half depressed the
camera will attempt to analyse the image on the sensor to drive the auto
focus element of the lens to the correct position.
It will indicate by green rectangles on the display the areas it believes
have the highest contrast and, therefore, are in focus.
If it is not the area you require then if recomposing the shot doesn't give
the desired focus target you may need to select the 1-area method
described later. The aspect ratio for the autofocus detection is the same
as the aspect ratio for the image.
Indication of the autofocus points

Note in the above illustration the two areas which the camera has
defined as the areas which are in focus and the green confirmation of
focus indicator top right. Nine such areas are made by the camera from
the 23 area points, which ones illuminate will depend upon the relative
distances the various elements of the subject are to the camera.
Where this method may fail is in situations where the subject and
background have similar contrast, the system will not be able to
determine precisely what you are trying to set as the subject with a result
that the wrong area of the image is selected.
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A solution is to select the 1-area method as this gives you total control
over the size and position of the target area for focus.
It is a simple matter then to position the target over the principal point of
interest and the camera will be forced to use this area.
Single Area AF Mode

To select this mode select the
last icon in the AF mode menu
item and then cursor to the right
to set both the size and
position of the focus target area.
Selecting the Single Area Mode
Use the back control wheel to set

the size and the position of the
focus area.
Setting size and position
To reset the size back to default and position back to the centre of the
display, press the DISP button.
If the subject is static then the two above methods are most applicable.
There is, however, another mode which may help to focus on subjects
that may be moving during composition and shooting the Focus
Tracking mode.
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Focus Tracking Mode

This mode allows you to define the
target and the camera will attempt to
follow the movement of the subject
whilst you compose the picture and
take the image.
Focus tracking
Selecting target point
To set up the focus tracking mode

first align the target area onto
part of your subject which has
high contrast, good definition
edges and then press the AF/AE
Lock button. If the area has
sufficient contrast the camera will
be able to lock onto it. Ensure the
subject is within the camera focus
range by half depressing the
shutter button to confirm focus
can be achieved.
The shape of the target becomes
a square with a vertical cross
through it. Now acquired, if the
target moves you will see the
tracking icon follow the area you
defined in the set up procedure.
There are a number of
circumstances in which tracking
focus may not follow the defined
subject. If the subject moves too
quickly (see the section under
Target acquired icon shown
continuous autofocus for an explanation

of this)
or the subject is too bright, or too dark, or if the background has similar
contrast to the subject then lock on may not be successful.
To cancel the autofocus tracking press the AF/AE lock button again. I will
return to the face detection mode later in the guidebook when I explain
the process of registering and deploying face detection.
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Autofocus Styles
Now we have defined the method by
which the autofocus will operate we can
consider the three styles which are
available to us; the AFS, AFF and AFC
Autofocus styles
AFS (autofocus single) This style is most suited to static shots or subjects
which do not change focus distance during composition. This could
include any moving object which is parallel to the focal plane.
This method activates as you half depress the shutter release button. At
this point the camera will focus, using your preferred mode, confirm the
focus by the audible beep and green indicator in the display area and will
lock and stop focusing.
It will remain in this mode as long as you keep the shutter button in this
position. To capture the image, fully depress the shutter release button.
This single shot mode is, however, prone to focus errors when there is
any subject motion which is not parallel to the camera focal plane as the
subject may have moved closer, or farther away, during the time it takes
to depress the button completely and the electronics/mechanics
recording the shot.
This is generally termed shutter lag. It's quite short in the case of the
FZ200 but could still take the edge off the sharpness of your image.
Subject course
change in subject to camera distance

during shutter lag time
Focal plane
As this software algorithm does not take into consideration any subject
motion if you intend to photograph moving objects it is better to consider
the two other styles:
AFF (autofocus flexible) and AFC (autofocus continuous).
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These styles of focus use predictive focus determination.

The camera computes the next focus position based upon the velocity
and direction of the movement in the subject based upon trends from the
previous estimates.
In the Panasonic Lumix FZ200 this calculation is made every 1/100
second. Of the two modes AFF (autofocus flexible) is cited as the one to
use if there might be a change in direction of the subject, i.e. the
predicted course or velocity could change.
Children or pets running might be an example here.
In contrast the AFC (autofocus continuous) style is tuned to react better to
constant velocity and direction such as with auto mobiles, aero planes
and trains!
AFC focus Style

Because of the speed at which the focus lens, in the lens system, can be
physically moved there is a maximum rate at which subject movement
can be accurately corrected.
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The further away from the camera the subject is the smaller amount of
motion is needed by the focus lens/motor.
The nearer the subject is to the camera more movement of the focus
lens/motor is needed. If the rate of distance change exceeds the rate at
which the opto-mechanical system can keep pace with the focus will not
be achieved resulting in the subject being out of focus (not to be
confused with subject motion blur which is due to too low a shutter
speed)
One way to speed up focus performance is to keep the AF/AF Macro/
Manual switch on the lens barrel set to AF when you are shooting at
distances beyond 2 metres.
In this configuration the lens is set to be limited at 2 metres which
prevents it having to cycle all the way from 1 metre position in the AF
Macro mode.
Between 1 metre and 2 metre is a long focus movement for the focus
motor/lens and this takes appreciable time.
Chart Showing Subject Velocity and Lens to Subject Distance Limits
Speed of target Km/Hr towards or receding
100
10
5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 metres
Distance to subject
I do not have access to the actual figures for the FZ200 but the above
chart is taken from a entry level dslr and shows quite clearly that at 2
metres from the subject the camera can only track a moving subject with
a velocity of 0-1 Km/Hr otherwise the mechanism cannot change position
quick enough to stay in focus.
I guess you can appreciate now that tracking flying birds at close range is
probably beyond the rate at which the FZ200 can react.
83
Actual tracking speed will also depend upon how erratically the subject is
moving, the subject contrast, lighting conditions and the focal length of
the lens. It might also be apparent that with this type of focusing style
considerably more battery power is consumed during the period of time
the shutter button is being held half depressed and you are tracking your
subject.
Manual Focus
The implementation of manual focus is somewhat of a mixed blessing.
Its a worthwhile addition to the functionality of the Panasonic Lumix
FZ200 however the mechanics of its control can border on frustration at
times. In video mode it is almost impossible to achieve a manual focus
pull successfully.
It does however retain the excellent visual indicator scale of the
predecessor range of bridge camera which not only shows the actual
focusing distance but also the amount of DOF (depth of field) at the
current focal length (zoom setting) of the lens.
The Manual Focus Scale

The process of engaging manual focus begins with sliding the AF/AF
macro/Manual slide switch on the side of the lens barrel to the Manual
position.
MF Slide Switch
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Once the switch is set to this position the camera will allow you to set the
focus distance by rotating the back control dial, moving it to the left
moves the focus distance closer to the subject and to the right farther
away.
The MF icon on the LCD screen at this point will be highlighted in yellow
to indicate that the back control dial will change the focus.
Rotate to adjust
focus
The Manual Focus Icon

As you begin to adjust the focus position the image on the LCD will show
the focus scale and, if you have MF assist turned on in the set up menu,
you will get a magnified view of the current area indicated by the white
open rectangle.
MF Assist in Setup menu
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The area under the target will be magnified when the back control dial is
rotated (if the MF assist is
enabled). Clicking the switch
inwards will alter the
magnification to x4 to give a
highly magnified view of the
image. A second click gives
x10. Rotate the dial until the
image comes into focus and
then continue to rotate it past
the focus point and then rotate
it back to the point of focus.
Area to be magnified
You can use either the back
control dial or the left and right
navigation keys to move
the focus point. To alter the
area under the target press
the Menu/Set button and then
use the 4 navigation buttons to
move the target over the
image
The Magnified View
Positioning the
area to be
magnified by
using the 4
navigation keys,
the image will
magnify as you
rotate the dial.
Positioning the target area
The actual focal distance will be indicated by the position of the yellow
bar on the focus scale.
86
Depending upon the distance the subject is to the camera, the current
aperture setting and focal length of the lens (zoom setting) the length of
the yellow bar will indicate the actual DOF (depth of field) that the image
will have when the picture is taken.
The wider the zoom is set (shorter focal length) combined with a smaller
aperture (bigger f-number) the more DOF will be captured. That is to say
more of the subject from front to back will be in focus.
Conversely if you want very shallow DOF you will need to use a higher
zoom setting (longer focal length) and a wider aperture (smaller fnumber).
By positioning your camera as close as you can to your subject and at
the same time keeping the distance from the subject to the background
as far as you it is possible to achieve some very nice portraits or still life
studies with a beautifully blurred background.
< --DOF-- >
Here in this illustration the focal

distance is 1.3 metres and the
DOF extends from this distance
to infinity. By setting the end of
the yellow bar against the infinity
mark and using a wide angle
setting you can shoot without
need to focus - allowing you to
concentrate on the composition
of the image.
Focus position and DOF displayed

(Tip)
To prevent these settings from being lost when the camera sleeps you
can enable two settings in the tools menu.
Zoom resume and Focus resume.
So if the camera enters sleep mode you can press the shutter button to
bring it out of this mode. The camera will resume exactly to the same
zoom and focus positions as previous to when it entered the sleep mode.
87
Background blur or Bokeh from shallow DOF
The normal operation of the Zoom slide switch on the side of the lens
barrel can be programmed to act as a manual focus lever. This can be
set up in the tools menu.
A more satisfactory way to achieve this is to program the functionality of
the Fn3 button to select the operation of this switch to be either Zoom or
Focus operation. I will discuss the programming of the function buttons
later in the guidebook see page. (page 146)
During the manual focus mode, the focus button on the side of the lens
will force the camera to do an automatic focus
using your defined focus point. This is useful for
quickly setting the camera to the approximate
focus position.
You can then use the control wheel/navigation
buttons to fine tune this position.
So we can see that the manual focus facility is
very useful when any one of the automatic focus
methods fails to identify the subject from the background. This can either
be through lack of subject contrast, the subject being too small or from
very poor light on the subject.
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Continuous shooting modes

With the continuous shooting modes you can effectively shoot with
reduced image size up to 60 frames per second. Full resolution images
are recorded at either 12, 5.5 or 2 frames per second.
At the full 12 fps burst rate you can capture up to 12 images in one burst
whilst at the slower speeds you are limited only by memory buffer.
To achieve the 12fps stated performance with full resolution fine quality
JPEG images you need to use the class 6 SDHC memory card specified
for video. Ideally this mode is used for very short bursts of image
capture.
When you shoot at the 5.5fps single AF mode you will find that you can
shoot around 12-15 images before the actual speed drops dramatically
as the camera buffer fills and empties to the SDHC card.
The speed drops to about 2 fps after the initial 2-3 seconds of 5.5 fps
burst.
In the single AF mode exposure and focus are fixed for the first exposure
of the burst sequence. This means that if your subject is moving towards,
or away from, the camera focus may not be maintained.
This will depend upon the lens aperture and focal length as this will
determine the depth of field available during the burst sequence.
If you select the continuous autofocus mode the camera is forced to
focus for each image.
You can also use manual focus and this speeds up the first image
capture as the camera does not have to autofocus!
Burst mode is enabled by

depressing the Burst
Mode Button on the top
plate of the camera
89
Burst 2 fps with or without AF.
Burst 5.5 fps with or without AF.
Burst 12 fps Single AF only.
Burst 40fps, lower image size, electronic

shutter and single AF only.
Burst 60fps, lower image size, electronic

shutter and single AF only.
Burst mode with flash enabled, 2M image and

single AF only.
For the higher burst rates of 40 and 60 fps the mechanical shutter is
replaced with an electronic shutter. The camera is in effect recording in
a video mode with the exposures being recorded during a progressive
sensor scan. This can lead to distorted images if the subject is moving,
or the camera is panning with the subject movement. The electronic
shutter can be used to reduce camera/tripod shake during exposure.
The image size is reduced in order that the camera can fill and empty the
camera buffer to the SDHC card efficiently.
90
Auto Exposure and Auto Focus Lock

This is useful when you want to take a picture of a subject outside the AF
area or the contrast is too strong and you cannot achieve appropriate
exposure.
To use as the AF/AE LOCK button, set AF/AE LOCK /Fn2 in the Setup
menu to AF/AE LOCK. This should however be the camera default
setting.
The options are:
AF Only the focus is locked. AFL and focus indication are displayed.
AE Only the exposure is locked. AEL, aperture value, and shutter speed
are displayed when the exposure is adjusted.
AF/AE Both the focus and exposure are locked. AFL, AEL, the focus
indication, aperture value and shutter speed are displayed when the
focus and the exposure are optimised.
To use this feature:

Aim the AF area at the subject.
Press AF/AE LOCK button to fix the focus and exposure.
Move the camera to compose the picture and then press the
shutter button fully.
The setting is cancelled by pressing the AF/AE LOCK button again.
When AE only is set, after pressing the shutter button halfway to focus,
press the shutter button fully to make the exposure.
91
Semi-automatic Exposure Modes

We have seen how useful the iA mode is to new users to the Panasonic
Lumix FZ200, however as we have seen as this relies on the camera
processor deciding which one of the 8 automatic scene modes to
categorise your image in order to produce a correctly exposed image.
If it fails to assign a category it defaults to what effectively is the P or
program auto mode.
In the P mode the camera will decide how to make the exposure, not by
analysing the scene type but, by analysing the information coming from
the metering facility of the camera sensor.
It will set an Aperture and Shutter speed according to the amount of light
being detected by the sensor and the value of the ISO, if you have set it
manually or if you have the ISO set to the Auto ISO setting. The P mode
will give you an exposure even if you are in the i-ISO (intelligent ISO
mode) however you will not be able to access the most important feature
that the P mode has and that is Program Shift.
Program Shift allows you to change the combination of aperture and
shutter speed set by the camera.
P mode is activated by turning the top mode control dial so
that the P is aligned with the index mark on the top plate.
The LCD screen showing
the camera set to the P
mode, and after the shutter
button has been half
depressed and then
released. (note the aperture
and shutter speed
combination in yellow
highlight)
The Program auto mode

When you select the P mode and then when you point the camera at the
subject and half press the shutter release button and release it the
camera will display the aperture and shutter speed, highlighted in yellow.
92
This will now allow you, through rotating the back control dial, to select
new combinations of aperture and shutter speed. By default the camera
will set the widest aperture (lowest f-number) to allow a reasonably fast
shutter speed depending upon the ISO being either set manually or by
the camera itself.
It is really your choice of how to adjust this combination, if indeed you
feel that the choice of aperture, or shutter speed is inappropriate for the
scene you are photographing.
For example you may want maximum depth of field in your image. To
achieve this you need a small aperture (larger f-number). Or you may
want to be photographing a sports scene which requires a faster shutter
speed to stop any subject motion blur.
To set the aperture (or shutter speed) to your requirement you simply
turn the back control dial until you see your desired setting.
In this illustration, on turning
the dial to the left the icon of
a P with a double headed
arrow is displayed
indicating we have a shift in
operation. If we turned the
dial to the right we would see
the aperture which was the
next increment from the initial
display depending upon your
aperture increments.
The program shift screen
program shift
Turning the control to the

right alters the initial value of
F2.8 and, as shown, the
value is F4.5.
You can see the shutter
speed has decreased
(longer) as a result of less
light reaching the sensor due
to the decrease in aperture
size.
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The effect of program shift, through allowing you to preset the aperture
that the camera will use in this mode, is remembered by the camera until
you either turn off the camera or, turn the back control dial back to the
original setting. This will be at the point where the double header arrow
symbol disappears. Even if you temporarily change exposure modes and
then at some point return to the P mode, the previous shift aperture
value is retained.
For some users the P mode becomes the next logical choice of exposure
mode after migrating away from the fully auto mode (iA).
In using this mode, simply letting the camera determine exposure solely
based upon your choice of metering style and method, can bring a
significant yield in better quality images.
Again if the metering circuitry doesnt identify the subject brightness
correctly then it is a case of just pressing in the back control dial to
change the adjustment to the exposure compensation scale which will
also turn a yellow color as you gain control of it. Typically these are
going to be backlit shots or those where the ratio of subject to
background contrast is very high.
If you find yourself constantly adjusting the combination determined by
the camera it may be worth using the Aperture priority mode in place of
this method.
Aperture Priority Mode

Aperture priority mode again calls upon the metering of the scene by the
camera however you will set the aperture that you want to use for the
images.
You may choose this aperture because of a need for a particular DOF
(depth of field). For example you may select a small aperture for
capturing the most foreground to background sharpness in a landscape
scene or to a wide open aperture to shoot a portrait with the background
out of focus thus emphasising your subject in the image.
To use aperture priority mode, again rotate the top mode
control dial to align the A against the index mark on the top
plate of the camera. You will see confirmation that you are in
this mode by A symbol displayed in red at the top left hand
side of the image shown on the LCD display.
94
the Aperture priority screen
The confirmation of the

Aperture priority mode
indicated by the red A
icon.
Control of the aperture
value is accomplished by
clicking in, repeatedly, the
back control dial until the
aperture value becomes
yellow. At this point the
aperture value will be
controlled by rotation of
the wheel.
Aperture priority mode uses, as with the P mode, the metering style and
mode choices you have previously established. If the recorded image is
too light, or too dark, exposure compensation can be used to correct it.
Shutter Priority Mode

Shutter priority mode is most useful when you require to set a specific
shutter speed in order to arrest motion, particularly motion in the subject.
An example would be at a sports event or in nature photography
capturing flying birds (assuming you can lock focus!)
Shutter mode is engaged as before by rotating the top mode
control dial until the S symbol aligns with the index mark on
the camera top plate.
Again exposure compensation can be used to correct for any images
which are light or dark due to metering errors.
Manual Exposure Mode

Manual mode unleashes all the creative control of the Panasonic Lumix
FZ200. It allows you, the user, to take full control of all the picture taking
decisions.
You will still use the camera metering system to determine exposure
however you could also use an external meter to evaluate the exposure
and set the camera controls accordingly.
From the exposure triangle you saw the relationship of Aperture, Shutter
speed and ISO to interact to give the correct exposure. In manual mode
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you have full and independent control over each of the three parameters.
As with setting any exposure mode manual exposure (M)
mode is achieved by turning the top mode control dial until
the M is aligned with the index mark on the top of the camera.
The key elements are aperture, shutter speed and ISO. Lets
take a look at them in closer detail.
f2.8
f4
f5.6
The Full F-Stop Range

For the FZ200 lens
f8
Aperture, or the size of the lens diaphragm, is one of the controlling

elements in our Manual exposure. F8 is the smallest aperture that is
available with the FZ200 camera. The widest aperture is F2.8.
Remember the primary purpose of the lens aperture is to reduce the light
reaching the sensor from the lens. Each full aperture step reduces the
light by a factor of 2. The diagram above shows the full F stop range of
the FZ200. In the camera we also have intermediate 1/3 f-stop
increments to allow more precise control of exposure, e.g. f6.3, f7.1
In traditional bridge cameras, or telephoto zoom lenses, as you change
the focal length of the lens by using the zoom lever, or rotating the
barrel, you normally have a decrease in light reaching the sensor due to
the optical design of the lens. Usually the lens may be f2.8 at the wide
angle zoom setting however as you approach full telephoto focal lengths
this aperture could have changed to f5.6 or even f6.3.
This equates to at least a 2 stops or 4 times reduction in the light
available at the sensor.
In practical terms when you are shooting at these extended focal lengths
you will either have to increase your ISO setting or reduce the shutter
speed by the same amount in order to keep the same exposure as you
had with the focal length set at the wide angle position.
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In the Panasonic Lumix FZ200 the lens has a constant aperture of f2.8
throughout the entire zoom range. So no light loss and no increase in
ISO or a reduction in shutter speed is needed! This can be a major
advantage for use with wildlife photography where light levels are usually
quite low.
Lets look at Shutter speeds. The shutter controls the amount of time the
light is allowed to project onto the sensor surface from the lens.
From a practical point of view we need a value for this time which allows
us to capture images hand held without camera shake.
Before days of lenses with optical stabilisation built in there used to be a
golden rule that shutter speed should always be 1/focal length. So for
example if you were using a 600mm lens the minimum shutter speed
you would have been using would have been the nearest shutter speed
to 1/600 sec. (i.e. 1/640 sec.)
The agreed international standards for shutter speeds are:
1/1000 s, 1/500 s, 1/250 s, 1/125 s, 1/60 s, 1/30 s, 1/15 s, 1/8 s, 1/4 s,
1/2 s, 1 s. 2 s. 4 s. etc.,
Consider the 1/1000 value; this means that the shutter speed is open for
one thousandth of a second. Just like f-stops, there is a relationship
between successive values.
For each shutter speed in the table above, the shutter remains open half
as long as the one above it. For example 1/125 sec. is half as long as
1/60 sec. In The FZ200 the shutter speeds selectable also include
intermediate values which equate to 1/3 EV of f-stop increment.
Now with optical image stabilisation offering between 3 and 4 stops
advantage we can very easily shoot with our 600mm lens at 1/60
second.
However as the OIS (optical image stabilisation) compensates for any
camera movement (hand shake) it does not arrest any subject motion.
So whilst the camera can be used at 1/60 second it is likely that our
subject will have motion blur if there is any movement at all, because of
the magnification of the lens at this focal length.
The final element in the parameters controlling exposure is ISO.
As we saw previously in my discussion on image sensors (page 35) ISO
is the overall measure of the cameras sensitivity, not just the sensor.
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Again, like shutter and aperture scales, there is a relationship between

successive numbers in the ISO table. Higher values relate to higher
camera sensitivity.
Higher sensitivity allows us to capture low light level images with hand
held shutter speeds of 1/15 second or so!
100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200: are the full f-stop equivalent values.
Once again the relationship is half, or double, when you go from one
step in the table to the next.
With the FZ200 it is possible to set the increments that will appear as
you adjust ISO value to match the shutter speed and aperture 1/3 f-stop
increments. This is done in the tools set up menu.
If you set this incremental 1/3 step value it, does give you finer control of
ISO setting.
Now we know the relationship of the values in the ISO, Aperture and
Shutter speed tables we can apply this knowledge to our manual
exposure mode.
When we looked at the exposure triangle we saw the need to identify the
one component in the equation which had the most impact on our
photographic image.
If we wanted the lowest image noise level then we would set the ISO to
the lowest value as we know this reduces image noise.
If we wanted a very shallow DOF for a portrait we would choose a large
aperture (small f-stop number like F2.8).
If we wanted to capture silky waterfalls we would set a very long shutter
speed in the order of 1-2 seconds or more.
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So lets take the example of the capturing a silky waterfall. We

understand the need for a long shutter speed of perhaps 1 second.
We also want the lowest noise in our image so we must select as low an
ISO value as we can.
So, with the camera in hand, we adjust the ISO to 100, set the shutter
speed to 1 second but what about the aperture? What value do we set
here as we dont have the automatically adjusted settings as with the P,
A or S semi-automatic modes.
Come to the rescue the cameras inbuilt exposure meter, the same one
which is used by the camera in the auto, or semi-automatic modes.
When we are in the manual mode, the same metering modes are used,
full area, centre weighted or spot metering. We decide which one
depending upon the subject.
For our waterfall we might select full area metering or centre weighted as
both will give the same overall exposure reading.
If we take a look at the display on the LCD screen, at this time, we will
see the exposure meter and the current exposure displayed.
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The meter is displayed, lower

centre of the screen.
The scale represents the
amount of under to over
exposure with a range of plus
or minus 3 EV (f-stop).
You can see the aperture
value of f3.2 and a shutter
speed of 1/500sec, ISO 100.
Exposure meter scale
To adjust the camera to give the correct exposure with our shutter speed
set to 1 second (as illustrated below) we need to push the back control
dial inwards until the aperture numbers change to yellow, indication we
have control of the aperture setting
Here the aperture has been
adjusted to f8 and the
exposure meter is now
indicating that we are just 2/3
f-stop under exposed.
To get the 0 EV value the
aperture needs to open up to
f7.1 as shown next.
Adjusting f-stop
Here the meter is showing
perfect exposure i.e. it is at
0EV value. Unlike the semi
and automatic modes there is
no exposure compensation
control wheel. It is done by
setting the exposure meter to
the value of under or
overexposure needed by
using the aperture or shutter
control.
100
aperture
With ISO set, the exposure is balanced using a

combination of aperture and shutter speed
giving the 0EV reading on the meter scale
shutter speed
Using the manual exposure mode allows you to take full control over
your image exposure.
We have now taken a look at the full and semi-automatic modes, and
concluded this section with a look at full manual control. I want to
consider next the effects of photostyles on image quality.
101
We have seen all the shooting modes available on the Panasonic Lumix
FZ200 camera; lets take a look at some of the other REC Mode menu
options which can be adjusted in these modes.
Other REC Mode Functions

In the set up mode for stills photography there are a number of additional
parameters which can be enabled, or disabled, depending upon the type
of photography employed.
Quick AF mode
Quick AF.
In an attempt to speed up the
autofocus of the camera
Panasonic employ the Quick
AF function. If this is enabled
as soon as the camera
detects that it is no longer
moving, for example if you
bring the camera up to your
eye, then as soon as you
stop, the camera starts to
focus even before you have
half depressed the shutter
button.
This may help in some situations, however it also very hungry on battery
power. It will constantly be attempting to focus every time the camera
detects that there is no camera movement.
Even more power depleting if you have focus mode set to continuous
autofocus it could end up continuously focusing whilst you set your
camera down whilst you have a coffee!
Unless you are seriously concerned about the few seconds it might takes
the camera to fix and lock exposure and focus I would turn this feature
off to reserve battery power.
102
i.Resolution setting
i.Resolution.
Is a further attempt by
Panasonic to increase the
apparent sharpness in the
JPEG camera image. It has
the two options i.Zoom and
ON. In the i.Zoom mode it
can be used to gain
increased digital zoom at
what Panasonic refer to as
minimal loss of image quality.
Confusingly, Panasonic call this Extended Optical Zoom. They claim

this to be equivalent of an increase in optical zoom for the reason that
the cropped image on the sensor provides a final image quality that
shows no deterioration in print quality. The reason this occurs is for the
fact that if you reduce the image size you require, effectively less pixels.
So from a 4000 x 3000 pixel sensor if we require an output that is say
8M (3264x2448 pixels) rather than a software down-sampling they chose
to create this image from the central area of the 4000x3000 pixels.
The effect is as though you had increased optical zoom.
i.Zoom or Extended Optical Zoom
103
The Digital cropped image

From the area in red outline in the illustration the resulting image is
produced. It has the same pixel density as a full sized image size
therefore the resulting maximum print size is much smaller. (divide image
width x 300 to get actual print size for normal photo prints!)
If you look closely at the set up menu it gives you a clue!
At 12M 4000 x 3000 pixel, A2 print 16 x 20 inch
At 8M 3624 x 2448 pixel, A3 print 11 x 14 inch
At 5M 2560 x1920 pixel, A4 print 10 x 8 inch
So what you are getting is a smaller file size only, with the applied digital
crop. You would get the same result if you physically printed the full size
16 x 20 inch print from the 4000 x 3000 image and the guillotined it to the
11 x 14 size. The results would be identical!
It is however not the same as digital zoom. Digital zoom works by pixel
interpolation method by which when a digital image is enlarged the
scaling software guesses mathematically what the pixel colors would
be for the area between the original image and the enlarged one.
Effectively the image is made up and hence always looks slightly
pixelated where these extra pixels have been created.
If you limit the amount of digital zoom to 1.5 and if you are only using the
output for small prints, HDTV or web images they will be of sufficient
quality as seen above. It is a convenience factor only though as this
could always be done in post production editing.
104
The other feature of i.Resolution, if not set to i.zoom, is to apply

sharpening to only those areas of the image where there is large
amounts of contrast changes i.e where there are plenty image details.
In large areas of equal tone such as in some skies and open landscapes
the software does not sharpen these areas. It applies local edge
sharpening to the image which gives the appearance of extra resolution
or sharpness. Basically the image resolution hasnt changed as that is a
physical combination of pixel density and lens resolving power. What you
are seeing is an apparent increase in resolving power due to increased
image contrast.
From my own experience, and from other comments on camera forums,
it would appear that this can either;
Go un-noticed.
Make the image worse by showing pixelation in skies.
Over sharpen causing white halos on fine detail such as branches in
trees and fabric on upholstery.
As local contrast can be applied in post processing, where you can
control the degree and location of this applied effect, it might be wiser to
leave this turned off rather than risk image degradation.
i.Dynamic
The i.Dynamic feature is a
software process which
attempts to increase the
range of brightness
captured by the camera.
There are 4 settings of Low,
Standard, High and Off. It is
similar to HDR as it raises
shadow brightness and
lowers highlight intensity.
If you use i.Dynamic and
have ISO set at 100 the
camera will raise the ISO to
The i.Dynamic menu option
160 to achieve the result!
105
Chapter 3
How Photo Styles Change Image Quality
About photo styles
The photo styles appear as the very first menu item when you enter the
REC Setup menu in any of the semi-automatic or manual exposure
modes.
These offer the user a way of fine tuning the way in which the camera
processes the image from the sensor and saves it as the JPEG image
file on your memory card.
There are 6 photo styles available, plus the option to save a custom
profile made from any of the other 6 profiles:
Standard
Vivid
Natural
Monochrome
Scenery
Portrait
With each of the photo styles there are 4 parameters which are user
definable:
Contrast
Sharpness
Saturation
Noise reduction
Each of these parameters can be set to one of 5 values from -2 to +2
This gives the user some 6x4x5x5x5x5 = 15000 options!
Do we need them all?
The use of photo styles really comes down to the question of what the
purpose of the final image recorded on your memory card is going to be
used for.
106
If you are going to use the image directly on a website, social media site
or for regular sized photographic (or home photo printer) prints then it
makes sense to have the camera do all the processing for you so that
you end up with a file which will require no further work, or postprocessing as it is normally known.
If this is the case then, using the photo styles can help you achieve this
step very easily.
If however you want to post process your images and be able to see the
effect of increasing contrast or saturation for example, then there is also
a case of using the photo styles setup specifically to give you images
which will post process more easily.
If however you want the highest quality image possible from this camera
then you need to consider switching to a workflow which uses the
camera RAW file, and then do all the post processing yourself.
Unless you do need this it is extremely time consuming to process each
individual file unless the images are of a similar nature in which case
thay can be batch processed using a common setting.
For the majority of users, setting up the Standard photo style with some
slight customisation will provide JPEG images which are almost identical
to the same RAW image processed.
Photostyle Setup
Photo Style Setup
107
Photo style options
By selecting the photo style

option in the menu and
pressing the navigation key
to the right you will see
the first of the photo style
choices Standard. Keep
pressing the navigation key
and you will cycle through
the other 6 options.
In the illustration above you can see the 4 parameters to which you may
make the adjustment. From the top: Contrast, Sharpness, Saturation and
Noise reduction.
If you use the navigation down key you will enter the adjustment for
the selected parameter as shown below.
The back control dial or the
left and right navigation
buttons can be used to
adjust the value.
The centre value is the
default setting. Go to the left
to reduce the controls effect
or to the right to increase it.
Parameter adjustment
These 4 parameters affect the image the same way in all of the 6 photo
styles except in the case of the Monochrome style where the Saturation
slider can be used to give a sepia effect if you set it below 0 or a blue tint
if you set it above 0. A very useful feature if you like to capture these
toned images.
After many, many, tests of using these photo styles I have adopted the
Standard photo style as my shoot anything photo style with the
following adjustment to the parameters.
Sharpness +1 and Noise reduction -2.
108
For ready to use JPEG files the very slight increase in sharpness and the
removal of the noise reduction setting (which usually adds blur to mask
the image noise) produces very acceptable images. In a high contrast
scene it is useful to reduce contrast to -2.
In a scene with flat or low contrast lighting push the slider up to +2.
A very useful addition to setting up the parameters of the photo styles is
the ability to register a set of parameters into the Custom photo style.
So in my example of a low contrast scene you could set the contrast to
+2, use the cursor to move down to the Custom Setting option and
save this new setting there.
Reset the contrast back to 0.
Now if you encounter a scene where you want to have increase contrast
just select the Custom photo style from the menu and you are ready to
shoot.
Return to the Standard photo style when you have done.
Standard photo style
109
The information regarding the image

properties can be viewed; if you are
using a Windows OS based pc, via
the file properties dialog box under
the Details Tab.
Here in the illustration is the exif
(exchangeable information file) for
one image taken using Standard
photo style with -2 contrast, )
Saturation and +2 Sharpness.
It also gives you information about
ISO, zoom, shutter speed and
aperture used.
The differences in the effect of -2 to +2 Contrast change
Contrast -2
Contrast +2
110
In Camera Post Processing of Images

With the Panasonic Lumix FZ200 it is possible to alter and create a copy
of an original image in the camera without destroying the original image
in the process.
This is done by using in camera editing.
You can have the camera automatically retouch the image or you can
select from a range of creative retouch options to create totally different
results.
Auto retouch
To edit the images already in the camera on the SDHC card put the
camera in the PLAY mode and navigate to the image you wish to edit
In PLAY
mode select
the image to
edit. Press
the UP
navigation
key
For
Automatic
correction
select Auto
retouch and
press
Menu/Set
button
111
Select ON from
the menu
choice
And press
Menu/Set
A new copy of
the image is
created and
saved on the
SDHC memory
card.
The auto retouch option will correct slight exposure and white balance
errors and tries to bring out any detail in shadows.
When you save the new image it is automatically displayed.
Now you can then move to the next image that you wish to edit or
perform some creative retouch on the displayed image.
Creative retouch offers the following choices;
One color Star burst Soft focus Miniature effect Toy camera
Cross process High Dynamic Impressionist art Black and
white Sepia Low key High key Retro and Expressive color
To open an image for creative editing, as before use the Up navigation
key to select Retouch and then select Creative Retouch from the
menu and then complete the action by pressing the Menu/set button.
112
Creative retouch
Select the
required image
and use the UP
button to
open the
retouch option.
Select Creative
Retouch and
then Menu/Set.
Use the Up
navigation key
to scroll through
the options until
you reach the
effect that you
wish to create.
113
The screen will

show a preview
of the finished
image after the
effect has been
applied and any
effect based
options are
shown
For example in
the Toy camera
effect you can
apply a color tint
to the final
image.
Any effect can

be undone by
using the
Cancel button
before an image
is saved.
114
Samples of In Camera Creative Editing
Original
image
Toy camera
Mono
115
Sepia
Expressive
So with very little effort you can shoot and edit an image in camera and
produce some very pleasing results often by combining two or more
effects on top of each other.
The advantage is that the original file is never changed so it is always
available for re-editing if you so desire at a later date.
You can only edit camera files and not files loaded onto the SDHC card.
116
Post Processing JPEG Image Files

All digital image files benefit from some degree of post processing to
achieve a better final image quality. Camera designers tend to err on the
cautious side when applying things like sharpening filters in processing
the camera JPEG file.
Because the process of producing the JPEG image is a cast in stone
process if the files were to be over-sharpened, in camera, resulting in
what are referred to as JPEG Artefacts and sharpening halos were have
degraded the image and this cannot be undone (unlike RAW which can).
In post processing then, we have a degree of control over how we
sharpen (using different techniques depending upon subject).
Sharpened JPEG Image
117
Most people associate photo editing with Adobe Photoshop or similar

program but there is an alternative and its free and it came on the green
colored disc that you probably ignored when you unpacked the camera.
Its Silkypix and is a really easy program to use and has both Windows
and MAC OS versions included on the disk.
You may have thought it only a RAW editing program, however as I will
show you now it is a very powerful JPEG editor as well, feature rich and
superb results.
The only negative about this program though is that there is nothing in
the way of a written manual ( just a link to an online help page-) to show
you how to use it.
With a few guided steps you can have results in no time!
The Silkypix Photo editing program with JPEG file opened for editing
118
Open the Silkypix program and then choose open file: you can browse
with a neat preview of the file you select, click OK. (This will only work for
images created with the Panasonic range of cameras!)
Silkypix File open dialog
The program will open the file and apply some automatic adjustments
to your image.
In a lot of cases you probably do not have to manipulate the image any
further, you can go ahead and save the processed file.
If however you want to make any changes then you can use the menu
dialogs to make the desired changes.
The additional processing

options available to you.
119
The file opened for editing
Adjust Exposure (circled) hover mouse over the values to see screen preview
The controls all give real time preview on screen of the final result. Just
hover the mouse cursor over the values to see how it will look. In the
above illustration I have the mouse hovered on -1/2 adjustment value
and you can see it has adjusted the exposure compared to the original
file (above).
120
If you are familiar with using tone curves you can

adjust highlight, shadow and mid-tone with the curves
dialog screen.
Or you can use the presets available under the
contrast setting.
If you think the white balance needs adjusting, again either use the auto
or manual control to do this.
Manual White Balance adjustment
White balance has already been set by you (or auto by the camera) so
you can only make relative adjustments here. However it is good for fine
tuning or adding a color tint to the image.
The final adjustment you may want to make is
sharpening.
Again the results are previewed on screen.
All that remains is to click Development to
save the file either over-writing or re-naming
it.
121
Here is the original JPEG and the image after I made adjustment with
Silkypix
The Original JPEG Image
After adjustment of contrast, color temperature and sharpness
122
Development of Camera RAW Files

A RAW file is not an image file per se, it requires a de-mosaic process to
turn it into an RGB image.
Camera RAW files provide the highest image quality that you can get
using the Panasonic Lumix FZ200 camera.
There are a number of reasons for this.
They provide much more color information - 16K color steps per channel
compared to just 256 in JPEG files
Have no camera based white balance applied. You can set the white
balance to a more precise level if required.
Have no sharpening or noise reduction applied so there is no lack of
image information you control it in post processing.
They can be re-edited using different processing set ups to produce a
new image without any further loss of image quality.
They can generate 16 bit files for exporting to other photo editing
programs from within the RAW processing software.
The only disadvantages for some people may be the file size, It can be
over 12MB in size as it is uncompressed data, and they can only be
developed in programs designed to open this file structure.
Adobe Lightroom is perhaps the most commonly used program for this,
either as a standalone application or as a plug in for Photoshop or
Photoshop Elements - the ACR plug in.
However, Panasonic have given you SilkyPix in both the MAC and
Windows OSs to develop the Panasonic CR2 file. It is a very
convenient way for you to experiment using the RAW files and witness
just how much more information can be extracted from the camera
image. Once you develop your image it can be saved as a regular
JPEG file or saved as a 16 bit TIFF file so that it can be used in your
regular photo editing software to further enhance it with things like local
adjustment layers, cloning out detail etc.
123
We have seen how existing JPEG images can be edited using this
program, the only difference when you develop the CR2 RAW file is the
addition control of de-mosaic and noise reduction.
De-mosaic is required to decode the pattern of the Red, Green and Blue
filter distribution pattern used on the sensor.
Traditionally in a Bayer filter system there are twice as many green
filters to make the response of the sensor more in tune with the
luminance (brightness) characteristic of our eyes.
Once the image data has been re-constructed it can be reduced in
noise, you controlling the amount of blur applied to mask either noise in
the color (chrominance) or brightness (luminance) channels.
This is where you make the most significant improvement over in camera
JPEG processed files.
A camera RAW file showing the sharpness adjustment control
There are a lot of adjustments which you can apply to develop the
camera RAW data however, if you just open the file and leave the default
auto parameters you will find that you may not need to adjust anything
as the results are pretty good.
If you want to try and improve image detail with noise reduction and
sharpening then you have this option, something you didnt get when the
camera processed the JPEG file.
124
Unfortunately Silkpix isnt very well received by users. It isnt as easy to

use as Lightroom. I guess you could say that it is more of a scientific tool
a software laboratory tool!
In my personal experience, using this program also to process my JPEG
images for noise reduction and sharpening is a real bonus; after all I
didnt have to spend an additional amount of money in order to process
the RAW files. I can do other post processing in my existing Photoshop
Elements package which doesnt support this CR2 file.
Comparison of RAW versus JPEG Images

The case for, or against, the use of RAW files is probably best illustrated
by use of two example images. The one being a in camera JPEG file in
standard photo style and the other a Silkypix processed image. Images
were shot at ISO 800. (100% crop next page)
JPEG
Processed RAW
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100% crops of the same images
Jpeg file
Processed RAW
As I think you can see from the 100% crop images above there is a little
more shadow detail and a very slight increase in sharpness.
Had the JPEG image been processed for sharpness the result would
have been comparable to the RAW file, if not better in this case!
The camera does perform an exceedingly good job of rendering the out
of camera JPEGs given the changes suggested to the Standard Photo
Style of +1 sharpening and -2 noise reduction.
For most of your images the RAW file will offer only slight advantages,
and given that the subsequent processed jpeg can be adjusted for
sharpness and noise reduction it would be my recommended workflow
for this camera.
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Exposure Bracketing (Auto Bracketing)

The use of exposure bracketing allows us to make a series of exposures
with a pre-set level of over and under exposure. It is useful in situations
where we havent the time to keep dialling in, or out, exposure
compensation. It gives us a little insurance against metering errors. In
some instances we can use the 3
images produced to create a single
exposure with increased dynamic
range, often referred to as a HDR
image. The amount of over and
under exposure is set in the Auto
bracket menu.
Once the auto bracket screen is displayed, by using the back control
dial,or the navigation buttons , the amount can be pre-set (up to +/3 EV or F-stops).
Use Select to save and exit from the setting option.
Now when you press the shutter the camera will automatically make 3
exposures in the sequence of 0EV EV +EV.
You can evaluate the images and keep the best exposure, if you are not
combing them into a HDR image.
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Here is an example of the auto bracket exposure sequence.

Normal exposure
- 1/3EV exposure bracket
+1/3EV exposure bracket
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If you want to combine the three exposures to make one HDR image the
subject must have no movement otherwise this would appear in the final
composite image, ideally the camera should be mounted on a tripod or
other solid platform.
Here is a HDR from auto bracketed exposures:
Normal exposure
-1/3EV
+1/3EV
The 3 images combined using the Photo Merge option in Photoshop Elements
Using the 3 exposures with small exposure latitude allows you to create
a composite image with more highlight and shadows (dynamic range).
Using wider auto bracketing values allows a lot more picture information
from each image to be composited, however going extreme can produce
surrealistic looking images.
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Taking Pictures With On Camera Pop Up Flash
In-built flash head
Taking flash pictures with the in-built flash unit of the Panasonic Lumix
FZ200 is essentially an automatic operation.
There is an option to adjust the output flash power in the semi-automatic
and full manual mode but not in the iA or iA+ modes.
Flash is only activated when you slide the release lever to the front of the
camera which allows the cobra style flash head to rise.
As the flash head is released the flash charging circuit is energised and
in the EVF, or on the image on the LCD, will be a Red Flashing lightning
symbol indicating that the unit is charging. The camera will not
release the shutter during this time. In the iA mode the flash will be set
according to the scene detection mode the camera identifies.
If it detects a face it will change to Auto Red-Eye reduction mode which
has an associated pre-flash in an attempt to close the pupils of the
subjects eyes to prevent the main flash burst picking up the red reflection
from the blood vessels at the back of the eye.
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Otherwise it will output enough flash power to illuminate the scene

correctly if the subject is within the cameras flash range of 30cm to
13.5metres (with auto ISO set).
When in any other camera mode (PASM) it is possible to control some of
the parameters used for flash photography.
A Auto, flash will fire if the subject brightness dictates it.

A Auto red eye reduction, fires pre-flash to reduce red eyes.
Forces flash on, flash will fire irrespective of subject brightness.
S Slow sync speed red eye reduction. This allows darker
backgrounds to have a brighter exposure by extending the shutter speed
prior to the flash firing. It employs red eye reduction as well.
Forced Flash Off. Flash will not fire it is not a menu option, you simply
close the flash head.
A cautionary word about using the in-built flash of the FZ200. The lens
hood will cause a dark shadow to appear on the lower part of your image
if you are shooting at a wide angle setting. You should remove the lens
hood when using flash to prevent this from happening.
Flash power can be increased or decreased by 2EV to compensate for
any under or over exposure. This adjustment is found in the set up menu
on page 5 of the REC Setup menu under Flash Power.
The flash is synchronised from 1/60 to 1/4000 second.
By using the hot shoe of the camera external flash units can be used
when greater control of the lighting effects is required.
As with all on-camera flashes they produce a very distinct shadow
behind the subject and very unflattering lighting, diffuser material such as
paper tissue can be used to softening effect for the flash.
Wrap around the flash head and secure with an elastic band or adhesive
tape.
If you can shape the diffuser into a curve, thus allowing a little separation
between the flash and the diffuser the results are even better as the
point light source is spread out via the diffuser material.
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Pop up flash light modifier
The pop up flash modification of a small piece of kitchen tissue held in

place with a small piece of adhesive tape.
Direct on-camera pop up flash result
Using the tissue light modifier
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Flash can have a variety of uses from providing the only source of
illumination for a scene or providing fill in light to counteract strong
backlighting.
It can also be used to cancel the effect of ambient light which has an
undesirable color balance such as with fluorescent light, which tends to
be slightly green in color.
In this situation you will need to turn forced flash on, and you may have
to adjust the output flash power or change the distance of the camera to
the subject to get the ratio of ambient to flash light correct.
Using Flash Adjust to change power
-2 to +2 EV or f-stops of light control
There is an adjustment in the REC Setup mode for Red-Eye removal,

this is a software based process which will attempt to fix any red eyes
which were not reduced by the pre-flash red eye correction method.
You will notice that if you have it set to on the icons change in the flash
setting menu to show a small paint brush alongside the eye symbol. It
works with face detection to prevent unwanted image areas being
converted to black inadvertently.
Digital (software based) red eye reduction and the paint brush
symbol denoting that you have it enabled.
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In the flash setup mode is the option to set a front or rear curtain shutter.
Front Curtain Sync - is the normal flash mode, with the flash being fired
near the start of the shutter opening. The flash finishes quick, and
freezes the motion, and then the slow shutter remains open longer, and
can blur due to the continuous ambient light, So the ambient blur
appears later (out in front of where the flash fired), appearing to lead the
motion. Not a natural look (when there is blurring from the ambient).
Rear Curtain Sync - waits to fire the flash until almost the end of the
shutter duration, so that the ambient shutter blur occurs first, which then
appears to follow the subject (appears back where it previously used to
be, before the flash), which looks more natural to the motion.
Motion
Ambient part
Flash Part
Front Sync curtain
Ambient part
Flash Part
Rear Sync curtain
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Manual and Pre-Set White Balance

Automatic white balance, in most cases, generally does an excellent job
of setting a neutral color balance in the camera produced JPEG image. It
does this by looking for any pixels which are considered as highlights, or
have values close to mid grey tone.
The camera processor then corrects any offsets in one color, or more, to
produce a white of equal red, green and blue value.
Where it may fail is if there are no predominant highlights to be assessed
or if there is a predominance of a primary or secondary color.
In this situation a more pleasing image will be obtained using either a
camera pre-set white balance or performing a manual white balance set
operation and fine-tuning it, if needed.
Using a pre-set control has advantages if you want to keep consistency
of color in a series of images shot at the same time where auto white
balance might create small shifts in color.
The Auto white
balance, is the camera
default. It can be
changed using the WB
button.
The Daylight white

balance pre-set gives
a color temperature
similar to that found in
a sunny day at around
5600 Kelvin.
Cloudy and Shade pre-sets have a progressively warmer tone and can
be used to provide a subtle hint to an otherwise cold looking scene.
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The Flash preset again adds a more yellow hint to counteract any
blueness that may occur using flash as an illuminating source.
The Incandescent preset corrects the strong re-yellow cast that is often
predominant in scenes illuminated solely by tungsten lamps.
As there is a marked difference between tungsten halogen and plain
tungsten filament lamps the color correction may not be ideal.
Setting Manual White Balance
Manual white balance set procedure allows the camera to set the correct
white operating point given a white (or neutral grey) target as the
reference.
The Manual white balance

pre-sets; White Set 1 and
White Set 2 give two
independent controls with
which to register two
lighting conditions.
Cursor to the right () to
present the target area.
Ensure the target area is
completely covered by the
white, or neutral grey card,
and then press the SET
button.
The camera will make an
exposure and set the
white point for you.
If you require to fine tune
the operating point set by
the camera you can use
the WB Adjust screen
accessed by using the
right navigation key from
the White Set Screen.
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Fine tuning the operating point of the white balance point which was set
by the camera allows you to match subject and image colors more
closely.
The image control has two axes; Blue-Amber and Magenta-Green.
Moving the yellow dot with the navigation keys allows you to add a color
bias to the image in any of the axis directions, or by positioning the dot
within a quadrant between the two axes allows both colors to be added.
In the example below the image has been given a warming bias by
shifting the yellow dot between the magenta and amber axis. These two
colors produce a red hue.
The control point
positioned between the
magenta and the amber
axis using both the down
and left navigation buttons
Auto white balance
Manual white balance
In the above example the reds of the deer appear muted in the AWB
mode, ( slightly cyan) after doing a manual white balance set using the
white background the warmth of the colors returned.
If you are in bright sunlight, sometimes the camera will find the intensity
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of the target too high and will not allow a set point to be created. In this
situation you will need to use 18% reflective neutral grey card. These are
available from many on-line photo accessory retailers.
A set of three white
balance point
calibration cards.
Small and convenient
to carry in your
camera bag.
The final way to set the white balance is by manually adjusting the color
temperature.
The color temperature scale is in Kelvin and the camera has a range of
2500K to 10000K.
When you adjust the scale using the up/down navigation buttons
you can see the actual K indicated. If you select a temperature that is
below the current white point as seen by the camera, the resulting
image will be colder.
Conversely if you wanted to add more warmth to a sunset dial a K much
higher such as 10000K.
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Face detection and recognition

These are the two distinct operations needed by the camera to allow
faces to be seen and used for setting primarily focus but also exposure.
Face recognition will attempt to identify faces in an image and set the
principal focus based upon a priority list assigned by you at the point of
registering a face with the camera database. Face Detection can detect
up to 15 faces in an image by eyes/nose/mouth profile.
Begin registering a face by selecting Memory from the option list in Face
Recognition in the REC set up mode page 2
Select Memory from option list.
Cursor to a NEW Face position, press SET.
Position the subject face with the guide and

then press the shutter button.
If the camera determines that the face can be

recognised select Yes to add to file.
Add your subjects name.
Enter the name and press select Set.
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Repeat this for any new face

you want to add to the camera
database. You can store 6
faces.
With Face recognition ON whenever the camera recognises a face it will display the
name of the subject, will track the subject if it moves
The camera is capable of detecting 15 faces in a scene by looking for a

eyes/nose/mouth configuration. If the detected faces match any of those
stored in the database it will identify them on the screen as illustrated
above. Focus priority can be assigned in the priority setting of the menu.
Setting focus Priority
Use cursor to change the focus priority
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Recording Video
The Panasonic Lumix FZ200 delivers outstanding video quality.
If you shoot in the highest quality mode of AVCHD with 28Mbps data
rate at 1080p the image quality is really comparable to pro-sumer
camcorders costing much more.
With version 10 of iMovie and version 10 of Final Cut Pro for the Apple
Mac the native editing of Panasonic AVCHD files is now supported
without the need for intermediate conversion to an Apple friendly file
such as Quicktime. This means that FZ200 users can now edit 1080p
AVCHD files.
There is still the option is to use the MP4 format, which has a slightly
lower bit rate of 20Mbps and this is more suited to less powerful
computers.
Panasonic refer to their recording qualities by the names of:
Quality Size, Bit Rate and Frame Rate
PSH
1080 AVCHD progressive 28Mbps 50/60 fps
FSH
1080 AVCHD interlaced 17Mbps 50/60 fps
SH
720 AVCHD progressive 17Mbps 25/30 fps
FHD
HD
VGA
1080 MP4 20Mbps 25/30 fps

720 MP4 10Mbps 25/30 fps
640x480 4Mbps 25/30 fps
These all relate to the normal video modes and not the 100/120 or
200/240 fps high speed manual movie modes.
Video Rec Mode and Rec Quality are both adjusted in the Motion
Picture tab of the Rec Setup menu page.
Motion Picture Record Mode
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AVCHD OPTIONS
MP4 OPTIONS
Whichever mode you set the camera to record in this mode is common
to both recording video in the fully automatic iA and iA+ modes and all
the semi-automatic and fully manual modes.
To start recording a video clip in any mode, apart from the creative video
mode (the movie camera icon), it is a simple matter of just pressing the
red record button on the top plate of the camera.
The video record button is used to start and stop
video recording in all modes except in Creative
Video Mode where the shutter button is used to
start and stop recording.
If you program the size lever to Focus mode and
switch to manual focus you can perform some
rudimentary focus pulls using the side lever.
During recording the screen of the LCD display will indicate the
remaining time left for the clip being taken, the video mode and quality
and the exposure compensation value. Recording time will be limited to
29 minutes and 59 seconds for European sold cameras (to comply with
EU tax laws on camcorders) and to file sizes of 4GB for all other regions
(FAT32 file segment size limitation).
This equates to around 80 minutes in PSH mode or 90 minutes in FSH
mode. In MP4 video mode it is around 100 minutes of FHD recording
quality
If you are shooting the video in the iA or iA+ mode, as with the stills
photography mode, the camera will attempt to classify the scene type
and set appropriate recording parameters to enable the best video
quality to be recorded. The screen will display the current scene type
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being used by the camera in recording the current clip.

In the iA and [iA+] modes any parameters which have been set, for
example, background defocus, [brightness adjustment or color tint] will
be recorded in the video clip.
In semi-automatic modes; P, A or S the White Balance only is used, all
other parameters are ignored. The camera will not identify very low light
levels in these modes and not switch to the iA candlelight mode.
In SCN (scene modes Night Scenery and Night Portrait modes will
allow the higher sensitivity candlelight mode to be identified and operate.
Other Scene modes such as sunset use that condition whilst others
such as baby1, baby2 and pet use the default recording conditions.
If you select the creative stills modes most of those will transfer to
recording in video mode. Sepia, Expressive, Retro and Monochrome
work exactly as they would in the stills mode.
The Miniature mode records in exactly the same way as setting up for
the stills mode with Fn3 button allowing you to set the position and width
of the sharp area of the video clip. Zoom may be used.
The Fn3 button brings up the
adjustment screen so that
you can adjust the size of
the central zone of
sharpness.
The clip is recorded at about 4 times speed so a 30 second clip will take
2 minutes of recording time. There is no audio recorded with this mode.
Creative Video Mode recording
In creative video recording we have a lot more control over the way in
which the camera records the clips. Manual video mode is engaged by
turning the top control dial to the icon of the movie camera so that it
aligns with the index mark on the top plate of the camera.
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The Creative Video Mode

Selected with the mode control
dial.
Recording is started and stopped
using the Shutter release button
Options are:
Program auto
Aperture priority
Shutter priority
Manual exposure
High speed video
These options are all selected from

the creative video mode menu.
These modes use the metering mode currently selected to establish the
correct exposure. As the aperture cannot go below f2.8 and the shutter
speed cannot drop below 1/30 sec if the display looks dark you will have
to increase the ISO to brighten it!
In Aperture priority mode the aperture range is f2.8 to F11 (f8 is the stills
limit). Again if the exposure cannot be achieved with 1/30th second ISO
has to be increased.
In Shutter priority mode the range is 1/30th to 1/20,000th second.
Obviously at this very short shutter speed a very intense light source is
required to capture a correct exposure level. This mode may be useful
for analysing high speed motion, with audio.
In the Manual mode the shutter range is extended down to 1/8th sec (if
you also use manual focus). This allows you to get some really low level
light clips, providing there is no subject motion as this would appear as
ghostly movements. To get the most cinematic look to your video clips
it is recommended to follow the 180 rule. This is the same shutter angle
as used with film based motion picture cameras. To achieve this same
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shutter angle the shutter speed should be set to twice the frame rate. In
the example of 25fps the shutter speed should be 1/50th second.
Maintain the exposure in M mode with aperture and ISO adjustment.
The exposure meter gives a good indication of exposure, balance the
exposure by correcting under or over exposure indication on the meter
scale by using the aperture, shutter, ISO or all three parameters.
Whilst recording a video clip a still image may be acquired by pressing
the shutter release button if you are recording in any of the semiautomatic modes. The image will be limited to 16:9 aspect ratio with a
3.5M pixel count which is more than adequate for inclusion in a HD video
or display on a HDTV screen.
You cannot capture a still image in creative video mode as the Shutter
release is used to start and stop the recording.
During video recording, audio is captured via the stereo microphones on
the top of the camera.
If better audio quality is required, or if you wish to record the audio
without the zoom motor being heard during any zoom operation, you
need to use an external microphone plugged into the 2.5mm microphone
port on the top of the camera.
Panasonic produced a dedicated microphone the MS-1 for this camera.
It is a battery powered electret condenser microphone. However any
microphone of a similar style, such as the Rode Videomic will work if
you use a 3.5mm to 2.5mm adaptor.
For more details on video recording codecs see my Youtube tutorial
here;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nDekc-yeWHQ
and for more details on creating videos
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4mXsKWyOuI
and for more information regarding recording audio
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LCWLIfT4q0o
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Programming the camera function buttons

By assigning commonly used menu functions to the programmable
function buttons Fn1 Fn3 you can quickly recall menu items or set
camera conditions very quickly.
Fn1 and FN3 can de directly assigned whilst Fn2 is a shared option of
either AF/AE lock or the Fn2 button.
To begin assignment you need to select the Fn Button set menu on page
2 of the tools menu.
From Fn Button Set option.
Select the required button.
The button function can be from any
Of the options listed over 3 pages.
The choice made will be deleted from the

list available t the other buttons.
If Fn2 is set to AE/AF lock it cannot be

used for any other purpose unless set as
Fn2.
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Custom Setups
One of the most useful additions to the camera setup options is the
ability to create, and use, custom setups.
The custom setups allows you to define and recall specific setups you
might want to make for your style of photography.
There are 4 setups you can make:
C1- this is directly accessible just by turning the mode control dial to the
C1 position.
C2-1, C2-2 and C2-3 are accessed by turning the mode control dial to
the C2 position and then selecting the C1, C2 or C3 setup.
To use your presets, you first make all the changes you want in the
menus, and then these can be saved as the settings for your selected
mode.
The C1 and C2 preset custom modes
give you the rapid ability to select a set of
known setup conditions so you can
quickly shoot a scene without having to
scroll though all the menu items to make
sure everything is set the way you want
it.
Setup all the parameters you want to
store and then select Cust Set Mem,
then navigate right to select which
preset setting to use. To use the settings
just select C1 or C2 from the mode
control dial.
Most of the main settings for the camera can be stored in the Custom
profiles. Photostyle, aspect ratio, image quality, metering mode, focus
mode, focus style, ISO, exposure value compensation, i.Dynamic,
i.Resolution, digital zoom and auto bracket exposure.
Values for Aperture and Shutter speed cannot be pre-set as they are
used in other setups. If you want a specific variation for a photostyle
save this first as the custom photo style and then set this as the
photostyle in your defined Cust Set Mem profile.
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How to photograph anything

In my opening preface about this guidebook I stated I've purposely
avoided giving detailed information on how to take specific types of
images such as travel pictures, sports pictures.
Instead I have tried to concentrate on giving you the tips and techniques
for using the features of the Panasonic Lumix FZ200 to take any kind of
image you want.
Well that statement is true. To photography anything just requires you
to analyse the subject and ask yourself the following questions:
Is the principal, or most important, factor one in which I will require the
most, or the least, depth of field? If so then this will determine that the
Aperture priority mode will be required to allow you to set an aperture
that will give you this amount of depth of field at the lens focal length you
have chosen.
Or is it that you require to capture some kind of image motion, being that
deliberate blurring or capturing absolute freezing of the action? Then this
will require you to select a Shutter priority mode to enable you to set the
required shutter speed to capture this effect.
Or is a combination of depth of field and a requirement to capture some
sense of motion either blurred or frozen action shot?
Then this will dictate that you will have to use the manual exposure
mode so that you can set aperture and shutter to the required values and
then use the ISO control to provide the correct exposure.
Lets look at the principal elements of the exposure again.
DOF or depth of field is determined by three components;
The focal length of the lens
The aperture of the lens
The distance of the subject to the lens
In the case of the focal length of the lens, if the focal length is small, e.g.
wide angle or 25mm (equivalent) then inherently the DOF is quite large
at all subject to lens distances.
If we were to take a picture of a subject that is very close to the lens,
then we would see that the subject and a large amount of the
background would also appear to be in sharp focus. This is true even if
the aperture was wide open, or a value of f2.8 in the case of the FZ200.
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Large depth of field at wide angle setting

If we move the subject extremely close to the camera then we can get a
similar DOF effect that we get if we were to use a longer telephoto
setting, as in the example below where the subject is just centimetres
away from the lens.
Shallow DOF with wide angle lens, achieved by the subject being extremely
close to the lens.
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By understanding how lens focal length and subject to lens distance

affects the DOF you can determine what method to use. In some
situations it may not be possible to get the camera so close to the
subject. Photographing insects may be an example of this. To achieve
the result of a shallow depth of field, that is one with a very blurred
background, at a reasonable distance from the subject we will need to
resort to using telephoto settings, i.e. 600mm(equivalent).
Shallow DOF achieved by using the telephoto setting of the lens at 1 metre
from the subject
The aperture plays a lesser role in determining the background blur.
However by using a small aperture, like f6.3, it helps to increase to zone
of focus (DOF) to include the insect or plant being photographed.
When considering subject motion, we need to determine if we want
longer shutter speeds to allow a degree of subject blurring to occur due
to the subject movement or faster shutter speeds to freeze the action.
As a general rule the shutter speed to arrest subject movement will
depend upon the focal length of the lens due to the amount of image
magnification. If you are using telephoto settings to capture the image
then the rule of 1/focal length of lens is probably a good starting point for
achieving blur free subjects. This should not be confused with camera
shake reduction which the optical image stabilisation of the camera (OIS)
is designed to control.
150
The OIS only compensates for camera movement; any subject

movement is still recorded in the image.
So even though OIS allows us to shoot with at least 3 f-stops of
equivalent shutter speed advantage it does not arrest subject motion.
In the illustration below of the Big One at Blackpool Pleasure Beach the
carriage hurtles down the highest drop of the ride. I used 1/640th sec to
capture the image without any blur.
Use of faster shutter speed to arrest subject motion at telephoto lens settings
If you use a telephoto convertor lens, to achieve greater image
magnification, this is even more important.
Use of an additional
teleconvertor lens makes
it even more important to
select fast shutter speeds
to eliminate any subject
motion blurring in the
image.
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To capture motion blur we need to use longer shutter speeds. In the

example of capturing waterfalls with silk like appearance we used shutter
speeds in the order of to 2 seconds long. To achieve these longer
times, especially in brighter ambient lighting we need to use neutral
density filters to reduce the amount of light entering the lens.
Common values of ND4 give 2 f-stops reduction and the ND8 will give 3
f-stops reduction in light. You may also need to use the lowest ISO as
well (100) and a small aperture (f 7.1) to achieve these longer shutter
speeds required to capture these types of shot. Obviously such long
shutter speeds will need the camera to be very stable for this exposure.
Use of tripod, bean bag or other mechanical means, to hold the camera
rigid is essential. Use the self timer or remote shutter cable to make the
exposure to prevent any camera movement.
Use of longer shutter speed to capture subject motion blur.

So the essence here is to analyse which component you need to
concentrate on to produce the effect you want to see in your image.
There are some other situations which will also direct you into which
mode to put the camera in to capture good images.
So called low light photography is one of those areas.
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Low Light Photography

Shooting in low light levels presents a significant challenge to any
photographer, not only users of the Panasonic Lumix FZ200.
How do we quantify low level light? Take a look at the selection of
images below. Each one could be considered low light as there is no
universal definition for this category of photography!
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In many of the images shown above there are some similarities. The
overall exposure times are less than 1/30th second. Could this be our
definition of low light photography?
Each of the images shown required a different technique to capture an
image of good quality. The toadstool on the forest floor and the candle
light photo needed a bean bag, or tripod, to hold the camera steady. The
stage photograph needed a pause in subject motion to allow a 1/5th
second exposure. The church interior needed the camera rested on a
church fitting to capture the second exposure.
Some of the low level light scenes can be deceptive however.
Take the image of the moon it is actually quite bright. It reflects light from
the sun and can actually be classed with the daylight 1/16th rule.
This rule suggests that in bright sunlight if we use an ISO of 100, a
shutter speed of 1/125th sec and an aperture of f16 we will get a perfect
exposure.
As our moon is a giant reflector, given our camera will only allow us to
set f8 we can easily get an exposure of 1/500th sec at f8 and an ISO of
100.
We have seen previously higher ISO values can lead to image noise,
particularly in shadow areas. To get the best quality images it is
important to avoid using the higher ISOs and find a way to use the lower
ones either by larger apertures or slower shutter speeds. The method
of achieving either will, of course, depend upon the subject.
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Close-Up & Macro Photography

We have seen that using a wide angle setting with the lens and moving
close to the subject will allow you to take some extreme close-ups such
as the one shown below.
Close-up using 25mm setting and a few centimetres from the subject
Whilst this does give great results it can lead to perspective distortion.
If this is the case, or the fact that some subjects may not allow you to get
so close to them, then we need to look at other methods of achieving a
larger image on the camera sensor.
One of these methods is to use close-up lenses or filters as
sometimes they are erroneously referred to as. These supplemental
lenses act like correction lenses that we find in spectacles. They modify
the focal length of the lens in front of which they are placed. They are
positive dioptres which effectively allow the lens to focus closer.
A set of 3 close-up lenses, the #1, #2
and #4 and an optically corrected
achromatic close up lens. All have
a 52mm filter thread and screw
directly onto the front of the FZ200
lens.
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The basic lenses are of just one element construction, some are multicoated to reduce reflection however the majority are just optical glass.
This is fine if you just want to experiment with close-up photography and
provided you understand some of the limitations they will give you
excellent results like the image below taken with such a set.
Close-up using the #2 close-up lens and the camera at 108mm equivalent focal
length
These lenses do suffer from color fringes (chromatic aberration) and
from edge definition fall off because of the lens curvature of field. This is
especially so with the higher value ones (#4 and #10). If you look at an
enlargement of the above image you will see both effects!
Using a small aperture like f7.1 will help to reduce the edge distortion.
Evidence of chromatic
aberration and edge
definition fall off with the #2
lens.
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To overcome the limitations of the single element lenses special lenses

called achromatic lenses are available. The most popular are the ones
available from Raynox and simply clip onto the front of the lens.
The Raynox M250 close up lens is very

popular for use in close up photography
What about the change in focus, or more importantly the working,

distances achieved with the addition of these close up lenses? Well, by
definition of the dioptre, with the cameras lens focused on infinity and a
#1 dioptre close-up lens fitted, the maximum focusing distance becomes
1 metre, with the #2 it becomes 0.5 metres, and with the #4 it becomes
0.25 metres.
You may see a lot of information regarding magnification ratios and
macro, what do they mean?
Take the magnification ratio example. If the image is one-quarter the
size of the subject, the magnification is 0.25x. If the image is one-half the
size of the subject, the magnification is 0.5x. When the image and the
subject are the same size, the magnification is 1x.
The term macro photography generally means that the image size is
actually larger than life size. However the term now is used to define a
lens which will focus more closely!
When using a supplementary close-up lens, it is very easy to calculate
the magnification for a camera lens set to infinity focusing.
Simply divide the focal length of the camera lens by the focal length of
the close-up lens.
Conveniently, the focal length of the close-up lens is derived by dividing
1000 by the dioptre #.
So, for example, the #2 dioptre lens has a focal length of 1000/2 or
500mm, the #4 lens is 1000/4 = 250mm.
So, for example, if we now set the camera to the equivalent of 100mm by
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using the zoom lever to achieve x4 optical zoom and we fit a #2 lens in
front of the FZ200 lens, the magnification would be 100/500, which is
0.2x. This means that a 10cm wide image would be 2mm long on our
8mm wide sensor.
The same close-up lens with the FZ200 set to 200mm (or x8 optical
zoom) will give a magnification of 200/500 which is 0.4x.
Zoom all the way out to 600mm (x24 optical zoom) and the magnification
becomes 600/500 which is 1.2, slightly bigger than life size!
As you can see, the magnification increases with the focal length of the
camera lens. Even greater magnifications are possible if the camera lens
is focused closer than when used at its infinity setting.
The Type #4 close-up lenses give double the magnification of the #2 and
the #2 gives double that of the #1 close-up lenses.
The following illustration summarises these points;
8cms wide
#1 lens
57cms 108cms
22in 42in
#2 lens
6cms wide
#4 lens
40cms 53cms
16in -21in
3cms wide
26cms 30cms
10in 12in
Closest subject to lens front distance
Farthest subject to lens front distance
Subject width at infinity focus
The more powerful the closeup lens and the longer the focal length of
the FZ200 lens, the larger the magnification ratio of the FZ200 will be.
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Two examples of small models photographed using the #1 close up lens

and then a superimposed background added.
Die cast Model and Church interior added.
Plastic Model with a digitally rendered background.
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Accessories
There are several accessories which you can purchase to allow you to
make better images. They may be to add additional lighting to a scene
such as with an external flash gun, or add stability to the camera whilst
taking a picture with a long exposure time or maybe just a convenient
way to carry the camera when out and about. Other photographers might
want longer telephoto or wider wide angle shots.
The way we accessorise our camera will obviously depend upon our
own personal needs as a photographer.
Filters:
Filters allow us to modify the light entering the camera lens in order to
create some lighting effect. It may be that we want to reduce the light to
allow us to use longer shutter speeds, or to reduce reflections from water
and foliage.
Maybe we want to improve the sky to ground exposure differences in
landscape photography. Filters are the answer to these photographic
situations.
Filters, however, come with a risk of reducing image quality - depending
upon the type of filter. This might be from poor optical transmission or
ghosting and flaring due to reflections from the FZ200 lens.
Many of us were persuaded to buy a UV filter when we first
purchased the camera the salesperson was probably commission
based and a fairly expensive filter may have helped him/her sell this to
you! With digital cameras there is absolutely no need to add UV filtration
to the camera.
Digital sensors are not as sensitive to UV as previous emulsion based
film was. Adding the filter can degrade your images.
Only if you are working in an area where dust or water splash is a real
potential hard do you need to add physical protection to your lens!
After the potential hazard has gone, remove it again.
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A selection of 52mm filters used

to modify the light entering the
FZ200 lens.
Neutral Density, Circular
Polarising and Fluorescent light
correction (FLD Rose).
We have discussed neutral density filters previously when looking at
extending the shutter times in order to capture silky flowing water or to
set the shutter speed/shutter angle in videography.
The first filter that you might want to purchase is the CPL or circular
polarising filter.
These work in exactly the same way as the polarising sunglasses we
might wear to reduce glare and reflections in bright sunlight.
They work by cutting incident light which is reflected back from an
object where the light is 90 to the camera axis. If the light doesnt reflect
back from the subject with this angle the degree of reduction effect is
reduced.
These CPL filters are almost always round in shape and have a rotating
glass element. The rotation of the filter is necessary for you to view the
degree to which the light is being reduced.
Turning the filter slowly whilst observing the image is necessary to find
the point at which the cut begins.
The angle of cut is normally quite small, perhaps only 20 or angular
rotation.
Circular and linear polarising filters achieve the same effect however
because the camera autofocus relies on polarised light to work properly.
Using a linear polarising filter may interfere with the correct operation of
it.
Hence Circular polarising filters, which modify the light, are used.
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Circular polarising filters are most useful for darkening skies as well.
Without a polarising filter.
With a polarising filter attached.
The filter can be screwed directly onto the camera lens. Watch out for
the thickness of some of these filters. Some of the thicker ones have
more metal around the filter glass and may cause vignetting to occur at
wide angle settings.
The second most useful filter, especially if you photograph a lot of
landscapes is the graduated neutral density filter. This filter is normally
supplied on a 100mm square clear acrylic plastic sheet and consists of a
half coated surface of a neutral dye.
The intersection between the neutral density part and the clear part of
the filter is not a distinct line but graduated so that a hard line is not
recorded on the camera image
Filter Holder System
The 100mm square

filter system.
Neutral Graduated
Full ND
Holder and the coated,

or dyed, acrylic sheets.
The filter holder uses a 52mm adaptor ring to attach it to the lens. Most
allow 2 or 3 filters to be stacked together to achieve multiple affects.
They are not as robust as glass filter systems so care must be taken not
to scratch the surface of the acrylic sheet. They do however provide a
very cost effective way of enjoying the effects created by using these
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filters.
Whole systems of filters have been developed to create a variety of
effects.
Some of these can be reproduced in post processing however you have
the visual confirmation that you have captured the effect you want at the
scene before you leave.
The original Cokin range is sometimes how this system is known as.
The 100mm square filter holder system (Cokin)

Some photographers still use (as I do) the FLD filter which was used to
correct for the green color cast which was prominent when you shot
daylight film under this light.
Today we can perform a manual white balance and correct this.
However this rose colored filter can be used to emphasise sunsets or
when shooting urban landscapes at dusk to correct for the green
fluorescent lighting in buildings if we use daylight white balance setting in
the camera.
If you shoot within 30 minutes of the sunset (at my latitude 53 north,
sooner nearer the equator) you will retain the right blue colors in the sky,
plus the sunset hues and the neutral office buildings.
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Daylight white balance.
Daylight white balance with the FLD rose filter attached.
164
Tripods and other support systems

Tripods, monopods, gorilla pods, bean bags and other mechanical
measures to hold the camera steady during exposure are largely a
personal preference.
Each of the systems has both advantages and disadvantages. Tripods
are ideal as they do provide a solid support for the camera but their size
and weight often means they are left behind when planning a photo trip
Since the Panasonic Lumix FZ200 isnt really a heavy camera, many of
the lighter tripods are adequate to support the camera payload. Many of
these fall into the travel category and fold up into a small footprint. This
makes it more convenient to carry and makes it more likely that you will
take it with you when you go out on a shoot, especially if you intend to
shoot video clips.
The Manfrotto 393 Photo-Movie Kit
Offers good height and stability, quick
release plate and pan and tilt head.
Many other tripods are stable enough for
the light payload of the FZ200, again the
amount of use/cost should be considered
when purchasing your tripod.
If you intend to shoot a lot of close up macro shots of plants and insects
it is worth investigating tripods where the column can be reversed to
allow the camera to sit between the tripod legs and get really close to the
ground. Some tripods allow the column to swing through 90 to allow this
facility. There are options for ball and socket heads which allow rapid
setting of the camera position or conventional 3-way levelling head.
Newer versions now have rapid pistol grip systems to position the head.
Your own preference will dictate which tripod system is best for you.
Monopods offer some advantages especially if you are a sports shooter
as they allow you hold the camera steady in a vertical plane and yet you
are still able to pan with the camera to follow live action events.
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The new gorilla pods with articulated jointed legs offer a versatile way
to hold the camera in situations where either tripod or monopod would
not achieve the desired result.
For example the gorilla pod can be used to support the camera on
fences, tree branches and railings etc., as well as in the conventional
tripod configuration.
There are two basic types, a light weight version and one aimed at DSLR
users.
The light weight one is really only designed for compact digital cameras
and you may experience difficulty in getting the head to stay exactly
where you want it to.
The gorillapod, or in this

case the spider tripod
from Vivitar is a
convenient way to hold your
camera on a variety of
surfaces. The jointed arms
are able to wrap around
round and rectangular
sections such as tree
branches and fence rails.
They normally have a quick
release plate at the head of
the tripod.
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Whichever system you use it is worth using either the inbuilt 2 or 10

second timer or a remote shutter release to commence the exposure to
minimise any camera shake from degrading the image.
An example of 2 wired
remote releases. The
one on the left is just a
basic focus/shoot device
whilst the other is a
fully featured
intervalometer where
the start/stop and
interval times can be
programmed. It is used
in time lapse
photography.
There are also available wireless remote releases which can be used to
fire the shutter remotely or start and stop video recording in the manual
mode. They have a range of up to 80 metres, outdoors.
A wireless remote shutter

release- the Pixl R221
These devices all plug into the mic/remote port of the camera so the use
of an external mic is not possible if you are using the remote to start and
stop video recording. Watch out for many of these receivers are
standard for use with other cameras. The connecting cables must be
plugged in correctly. The three contact plug to the receiver and the 4
contact plug to the camera. Install the cable the wrong way round and it
will not work!
167
External Flash
The use of external flash, either directly attached to the camera hot
shoe, or remotely triggered adds additional lighting control for those
wishing to use just simple, or studio, flash set ups.
Panasonic do a range of TTL (through the lens) compatible flash units
DMW-FL220E a small unit with a guide number of 22
DMW-FL360E a larger unit with a guide number of 36 and has a
bounce and swivel head.
DMW-FL360LE - same spec as the FL360E but with the addition of a
LED video light
DMW-FL500E a full featured flash unit featuring a bounce and swivel
head with a guide number of 50.
The Olympus FL36 (identical to

Panasonic FL360)
With the Olympus FL36, functionally equivalent to the Panasonic FL360,
the head will auto-zoom when you have the head pointing forward.
This means that the flash will select one out of six discreet zoom steps,
12mm, 14mm, 17mm, 25mm, 35mm or 42mm, whichever one is the
most suiting for the FZ200 zoom lens setting.
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The values indicated will be one half of the FZ200 lens setting. It will
select the largest zoom setting which is smaller than or equal to the lens
focal length used.
Zooming can be also done manually; the zooming is done internally with
no physical change in size of the unit.
If you have a wide angle conversion lens then you can flip over a wide
angle diffuser. This gives you 8mm flash light coverage.
Tilt and swivel
The head can be tilted a little bit downwards, suitable for close-up focus
distances. Tilting downwards gives a warning symbol on the display. It
can also be tilted 45, 60, 75 and 90 upwards.
The head can also be swivelled 30, 60, 90, 120, 150 and 180 to the
left, and 30, 60 and 90 to the right. The tilt and swivel can be
combined.
Tilting upwards or swivelling automatically zooms to 25mm, regardless of
the zoom setting on the lens. However, the zoom can still be operated
manually.
TTL exposure mode
All modern system cameras are expected to offer TTL flash control these
days. In film based camera a small sensor read the light reflected from
the film and terminated the flash when there had been sufficient
exposure. In the FZ200 this exposure determination is done in a different
way.
Before the actual exposure, a small pre-flash is done. The pre-flash
exposure is read by the image sensor, and used to decide how much
flash to apply in the actual exposure.
There is a clear advantage with this solution: The camera can examine
the pre-flash exposure thoroughly before deciding upon the main
exposure.
In face detection mode, for example, it can take extra care that the faces
are correctly exposed.
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The pre-flash method has a drawback though, it can a bit annoying for
anyone being photographed. Also, the pre-flash means that the main
exposure is slightly delayed. Not by much, but it could be enough for you
to miss a crucial timing.
Auto exposure mode
You can also use the auto mode on The FZ200 camera, in which case it
will read the aperture and ISO information directly from the camera.
TTL is usually preferable when using the FZ200 camera, since it usually
gives a more correct exposure. You may choose to use auto exposure
mode still to avoid the small TTL pre-flash.
The unit also offers full manual control. You achieve this by setting the
guide number (from 7 to 80) The unit will show you the maximum
distance the flash will cover, given your camera aperture value. You can
also vary the power by use of the flash power adjust by up to plus or
minus 0.7EV units.
It makes this unit a very versatile additional lighting source, especially if
you use an extension cord so you can get the flash unit off-camera for
better modelling.
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Using a compatible TTL extension cord to allow off camera work

Using non-TTL Flash Units
It is possible to use non-TTL flashguns with the FZ200. Most modern
flash guns have a low trigger voltage. This trigger voltage is the voltage
which appears at the base of the flash unit and connects with the internal
circuitry of the FZ200 camera.
Older flash units were designed for mechanical contacts on film cameras
so trigger voltage was not a problem. However with the miniaturisation of
the flash firing components within the camera the permissible voltage is
much lower.
I have not seen specifications for the allowable voltage of the trigger
circuits however I have used guns with 20 volts and have not
experienced any problems.
If you want to check the voltage of any of your older units there is a good
website which has details of many units.
http://dpanswers.com/roztr/volt_finder.php
These units will have to be used in full manual mode as they will not
communicate with the FZ200 exposure circuit.
Many of the flash units allow you to set an aperture/ISO value and the
unit will automatically expose for these values. Simply set them as per
your camera setting.
171
Sunpak PZ42X (Canon unit) used

here in manual mode. Set the
iso/aperture to match the camera
settings and the unit will auto
expose at this level.
Wireless Flash Triggers

If you have a flash gun with a high guide number and other useful
features like bounce/swivel but it has a high (more than 30v) trigger
voltage it might be cost advantageous to purchase a wireless trigger
system. Very cheap units are available if you do not have a lot of use for
a more professional set up.
Such a unit is shown below and can be used to trigger multiple receiver
units to allow some complex lighting set ups to be constructed using
multiple flash units.
Transmitter fits
on camera hot
shoe
Wireless flash trigger receiver and

transmitter unit.
Receiver attached to a powerful Vivitar

283 flash unit with a 260 volt trigger.
The units work over quite a large range (50 metres outdoors). As with
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the non-TTL units they again have to be used in the full manual mode.
Most units support both hot shoe and the PC (pronto-compur) cable
connections to allow connection to a variety of flash guns.
My National dual head flash

gun with side flash bracket
used with a PC cable
connection to a hot shoe
adaptor. This unit has
bounce facility with lower
power fill in flash. A
very useful unit for parties
etc.
If you use a fixed intensity flash unit where there is no adjustment for
output power you will need to use the flash guide number to be able to
set the camera aperture.
The guide numbers are usually in metres, so for example a flash unit
with a guide number of 32 at ISO 100 will give an exposure of the guide
number/ distance to subject (in metres).
If our subject is 5 metres away then the aperture is then set to 32/5
which is f6.1. The ISO would be 100.
Most flash units have some form of table which helps you establish the
correct aperture for any ISO setting and flash to subject distance.
173
On the left, the manual flash units table to help calculate the aperture
needed from distance and ISO and on the right a non-TTL unit with 2
preset light levels. The ISO is dialled in and the scale then gives the
aperture to set the camera to.
If you use a wireless trigger to fire these older units it is also possible to
use the resulting single flash to optically trigger other units if small
optical triggering units are attached to them.
The main camera flash cannot be used because of the pre-flash which
would prematurely fire the slave flash before the main exposure took
place.
More video tutorial material on flash:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V79dcaOrS_s
Wide Angle and Telephoto Conversion Lenses

Wide Angle conversion
Although the Panasonic Lumix FZ200 has a reasonably wide angle
setting (25mm equivalent) there are times when a slightly wider view
would help.
In interior architectural shots, landscapes and group photographs this
extra few millimetres of coverage could make all the difference.
Panasonic havent specifically produced a matching wide angle
conversion lens and tube for the FZ200 however there are a number of
options you can employ to get wider angle shots.
174
Firstly, a note of caution about using these conversion methods.

The weight of the suggested conversion lenses is quite
high and a very specific discipline is needed to use them. If
you do not follow the discipline you may cause damage to
the lens and/or the zoom motor gearbox. I accept no
responsibility for any damage to your camera if you want to
employ these lenses. I have used these lenses fairly
frequently and have had no issues with my camera which
has now taken over 70,000 images.
The first option is to use a 0.7x wide angle conversion lens from Digital
King. (Available on Amazon, Ebay and other distributors).
It is the Digital King DSW Pro 0.7X Its around 50-70 in the UK and
$80 USA Amazon.
It converts the 25mm setting to 17.5mm. This is quite an improvement
yet doesnt put the lens into fish-eye category.
If you get the one with a 52mm thread it will screw directly onto the lens
of the FZ200.
It has no vignetting as the front optic of this lens is 67mm wide so the
camera can be used at its widest angle position thus losing none of the
extra field of view.
The lens weighs 76 grams and measures 80mm diameter x 18mm long
It will take 67mm filters fitted to the front of the lens. Do not add at the
rear as this may cause vignette to occur.
The Digital King DSW Pro 0.7X Conversion lens

175
Camera wide angle 25mm
With 0.7x Digital King Adaptor 17.5mm
There is a very small amount of color fringing at the edges of the image,
however distortion is well controlled.
The second lens is similar to the Panasonic LWA52 wide angle 0.75x
conversion lens. It is a much bigger lens and weighs twice as much as
the Digital King convertor.
176
Minolta ACW100 0.8x wide angle convertor
25mm camera only
With Minolta ACW100 0.8x convertor 20mm
This lens has no color fringing and extremely sharp edge to edge.
177
The method of use for both of these lenses is as follows:

In the Sleep setting of the Economy mode (page 5 of the set up tools
menu) turn this setting to OFF.
Turn on the camera and then screw in the lens, do not zoom or turn off
the camera with the lens attached. You can use auto or manual focus as
this will not be affected.
When you have completed taking your images remove the lens
Reset your Sleep setting to your preferred value.
Telephoto Conversion
Panasonic do market a telephoto conversion lens and a mounting tube
for the FZ200 camera. The lens is the DMW-LT55E and needs the
adaptor tube DMW-LA7. The adaptor tube screws into the ring of the
lens barrel and then any 55mm close up lenses, or the LT55E lens can
then be screwed into the adaptor.
The lens and adaptor fitted on a FZ150 camera
The Telephoto adaptor LTE-55 needs to be used with a DMW-LA7 Adaptor tube
The LTE-55 gives a 1.7x tele-conversion effect with no loss of light.

The weight of the combination can result in a lot of strain on the camera
tripod mounting socket.
Ideally the tube should be used to mount the whole assembly to the
tripod. (In the above illustration of the lens fitted on a DMW-LA2 adaptor
tube on a FZ150, I used the Canon A-2 tripod lens mount ring note this
ring will not fit the LA7 tube you need the D size ring for this).
178
Lens at 600mm
Lens at 600mm plus 1.7x Teleconvertor
Illustration of the X 1.7 magnification of the LTE-55 lens.

In my own testing with the lens, the additional magnification necessitated
using a higher shutter speed to reduce blur caused by hand shake.
Given the high price of the lens and adaptor combination plus the shutter
speed limitation, I now use x 1.5 digital zoom with almost identical results
to the optical magnification for those situations where a slight increase in
zoom is required.
179
You could, of course, do this in post process using a re-size and crop
operation.
If you use the lens and tube combination you need to set the lens
conversion feature to tele T in the set up menu. This sets the zoom to
x24 and then limits the minimum zoom to x14 and increases the OIS
operation to adjust for more image movement from the increased
magnification.
It also sets the minimum aperture to f4 which might be restrictive for wildlife images. (You can ignore using the teleconversion setting and just
use manual zoom to overcome the vignetting occurring up to x14.
In this way you will retain the ability to use f2.8, however you may see
some loss of edge definition.
More on using close up lenses and wide angle convertors here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=68cKk32Zlzk
Optical versus digital zoom tested here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hreRXR1gLiQ
180
Lighting for Video and Stills Photography

Quite often we will need to add some additional lighting to be able to
capture video with enough scene brightness to overcome some of the
issues with noise in low light video scenes, especially those with lots of
shadow areas.
You can spend a lot of money investing in a whole range of general
purpose and specialist lighting units for your video productions.
These can range from simple tungsten halogen lighting units to the latest
LED technology units.
Until recently correctly white balanced tungsten halogen lighting was the
standard for video lighting.
Today we have moved more into a situation where LED technology has
matured to a degree where it can be used quite effectively to provide the
main source of lighting for a video production.
Basically all white LEDs are blue LEDs with a coating of a yellow
phosphor. This combination allows the manufacturer to produce a LED
with a fairly close temperature rating equal to that of daylight at around
5600K or tungsten at 3200K by varying the amount of phosphor.
Until recently the spectral emission of these LEDs were deficient in red
light so there was an issue when trying to capture a scene and maintain
good color fidelity.
This low CRI (color rendering intent) has now been addressed by
producing LED light panels which have a mixture of LEDs in them, white
LEDs and Red LEDs in a ratio to bring the CRI to over 93 in some
examples. The closer the CRI is to 100 the better the resulting images
are, although the light spectrum is discontinuous and the RGB peaks
dont exactly match the filters used over the sensor.
For home or amateur video production either the tungsten or tungsten
halogen lights can be used.
The LEDs have the advantage that they produce light a lot more
efficiently, nowhere near as much infra-red light is produced thus
keeping the operating temperature of the LEDs and housing units much
lower.
LEDs have the additional advantage that they can be powered by
battery power packs thus making them more suitable to providing a light
source where there is no access to mains electrical power supplies.
181
I have used a variety of lighting methods as shown below for use in table
top photography.
120w Tungsten Halogen Flood 700 lux
50W Tungsten Halogen Spot 200 lux
Variable Color LED Spot (3W)
LED 3x 1 Watt 800 lux spot
36 LED 4W (can be ganged together) 280 lux

LED Model 5004 2x 3.5W 600 lux
182
Color Rendering tests of the light sources.
120w halogen, 610 lux
50w halogen, 235 lux
36 LED x2, 240 lux
3 LED spot 770 lux
Tests using each light source at 1

metre distance. Only light source.
Manual white balance before each
exposure. ISO 400, F4
Twin LED model 5004 90 lux
All the 3 LED images look very

close to the original; the two
tungsten images have exaggerated
reds. The lux light meter readings
were taken from the scene at each
exposure.
183
There are many different lighting solutions available now using high
efficiency LEDs. Many have variable dimming facility and are well color
corrected. High end video lighting is very expensive and is not
necessary in most of our amateur needs.
If you are considering investing in professional grade lighting you will
soon find the cost of these lights becoming more expensive than the
FZ200 camera.
Using the portable 160 LED units now available at 33 in the UK you will
find you have enough light for video production as they can produce
900lux at 1 metre, 240lux at 2metre and 120lux at 4 metres.
You will still have to perform a manual white balance set operation to
achieve better color rendition with all of the light sources shown.
With the FZ200 in manual video mode to achieve a good exposure level
using ISO 100 and f2.8 1/30th sec shutter speed requires 300 lux. All the
units shown on the previous page (lux measured at 1 metre) will provide
this level of illumination at distances of 1 metre (many will exceed this
allowing you to move the lights further back, diffuse or dim them if they
have that facility)
Using ISO 2000 and the same aperture and shutter speed the camera
will record video with as little as 20 lux.
There will be some video noise.
By using manual focus, which enables lower shutter speeds, you can
reduce the ISO to achieve better image quality providing there is no
subject movement which will cause blurring at these reduced shutter
speeds.
Lighting safety
Remember the tungsten halogen lamps run extremely hot and care
should be exercised when using these lamps indoors. Keep away from
flammable materials and allow the fixtures to fully cool down before
handling to avoid personal injury.
LED lights (particularly the high intensity Cree LED) have extreme
brightness levels and when used as video lights on top of the camera
may cause retina damage if your subject stares into the light.
Try to avoid the lights being on axis with the camera lens to avoid such
situations if you can.
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Using External A/V monitors for live View in Recording mode

We know that the Panasonic Lumic FZ200 has an A/V (audio-visual) port
on the side of the camera for playing back stills and video on an external
composite audio-video signal into a compatible television, or monitor.
What you probably didnt know though is that there is an undocumented
mode which allows you to use the AV out in the camera recording mode.
This facility allows you effectively have a live view on a larger external
screen.
Using an external monitor for Live View using this undocumented method
To activate this undocumented feature connect your external monitor via

the composite AV lead (the white/yellow cable). Turn on the camera and
then press and hold the trash can button for about 5 seconds, or until
the external display turns on. The output format can be set to 4:3 or to
16:9 depending upon your monitor type simply by going to the playback
menu and selecting the output types (NTSC or PAL and the format).
To turn off the external display, again press and hold the trash can icon
for about 5 seconds.
Unfortunately you cannot use this preview mode for video and during an
image capture the screen will blank out!
185
External Microphones Used For Video Recording

When recording video it is essential to a capture good, clean audio
soundtrack.
In in-built stereo microphone pair of the Panasonic Lumix FZ200 capture
reasonable audio quality when the sound source is fairly close to the
camera. Once the sound source is away from close proximity, the
camera will tend to ramp up the automatic gain control resulting in thin
and noisy audio.
If you use the camera outdoors these microphones are very susceptible
to wind noise
The zoom motor can be heard if you are in a quiet environment and you
operate the zoom control.
To overcome the issue of the in-built microphone picking up the noise of
the zoom motor Panasonic introduced a compatible stereo electrets
condenser microphone the MS1.
The MS-1 external stereo microphone
The MS-1 is powered by a single AAA alkaline battery. Power is applied

if you select Mono or Stereo recording and a brief flash of the battery
status LED confirms there is sufficient voltage available to power the
electret microphone modules.
The microphone features an electronic wind noise filter which can be
switched on to attenuate the low frequency rumbling associated with the
sound of air buffeting over the microphone capsule. The capsules are
mounted on a flexible rubber mount which gives some audio decoupling
186
of vibration and handling noises. The capsules are covered in acoustic

transparent foam which helps to reduce any wind noise.
The microphone is fitted with 2.5mm right angled plug which mates with
the 2.5mm remote/mic socket on the front right of the camera.
Performance is almost identical to the inbuilt microphones with just the
advantage of wind noise and zoom motor noise reduction. The MS1 is
an expensive option at around 100 in the UK.
A popular short rifle mic, the Rode Videomic, can be used with the
FZ200 provided you use a 3.5mm female to 2.5mm male stereo adaptor.
I recommend that you use a cable version rather than a plug/socket.
These can put undue strain on the camera socket.
The Rode Video mic (monaural short rifle mic)
The Rode Video mic is a professional grade inch condenser shotgun

microphone. It has an integrated shock mount system to isolate the
microphone from handling noise. Powered by a 9v battery it has an
attenuator switch which can be set for -10dB or -20dB in very noisy
environments such as live music.
It also has a hot shoe mounting foot and and 3/8 mounting holes for
fixing on a tripod or mic stand. The audio quality is excellent for
interviews where only mono sound is required. A stereo version is
available the Rode stereo video mic. The Video mic is around 80 in
the UK. Again the 3.5mm female to 2.5mm male adaptor is needed.
If you want good quality audio for presentations to camera then a
lavalier microphone is a good choice.
187
There are many electret condenser types available, some with their own
amplifier and others directly connected to the camera.
Lavalier microphone with inline power adaptor
Worn close to the mouth of the user, usually clipped on to the collar of a
coat or shirt, held in place with a tie clip device. Some are fitted with
foam windshields and work well outdoors.
The wired devices can be used with short extension cables up to around
5 metres if screened cable is used to stop interference being picked up
by the device.
Samson and Sennheiser produce wireless versions.
The Sennheiser mic specifically designed for use in professional
broadcast situations.
The Samson Airline Micro

receiver mounted on the hot
shoe. The transmitter is worn
by the user with a lavalier mic
attached. The system is
monaural.
188
The ultimate choice of microphone will also be influenced by what is

referred to as the pick up pattern.
Understanding the various pick-up patterns can help you to not only
maintain a good volume, but also to avoid picking up unwanted noises
that might be present in the room.
Here are some of the most common microphone pick-up patterns:
Cardioid. Named for its heart-shaped pattern, this design is optimal for
picking up sound in the front of the microphone. The sides will usually be
at about half strength and only one-tenth strength at the back.
This is actually very useful, as all you need to do to reject unwanted
sound is have the back of the microphone facing the source of what you
do not want to pick up.
This pattern is used for most vocal or speech situations. The Rode Video
mic has this pick up pattern.
Omni-directional. This pick up pattern gives the mic the same pick-up
strength from all angles. This can be great if you are trying to capture all
of the intricate ambient sound in a room.
Most desk and stage microphones fall into this category.
More elaborate microphone set ups can be used and if a mixing console
is used then you could take an attenuated output directly to the mic input
socket of the camera to record excellent sound quality.
Wi-Fi Cards
The Eye-Fi SDHC cards add some

extra functionality to the FZ200.
It allows you to wirelessly transfer the
images you take directly to your
smartphone/tablet/pc over a wi-fi
network or transfer your images by wi-fi
hot spots to a cloud service and
download/print them later.
A Sandisk Eye-Fi SDHC card
Newer cameras are now being introduced with wi-fi connectivity for both
remote shooting and wirelessly transferring images to other devices.
189
There is a way to retro fit the transfer of images wirelessly by use of the
Eye-fi sdhc cards available from Eye-Fi or, in Europe only, from
Sandisk retailers.
The Eye-Fi Mobi cards are available in larger capacity (32GB) and
higher speeds (class 10). Eye-Fi also produce a Pro version of the card
which allows more connectivity, the ability to upload RAW camera files
and cloud back up. Sandisk only have 4GB and 8GB cards.
To utilise the transfer facility you will need to purchase one of the cards
available, download the Eye-Fi app for your tablet/smartphone and
create an on-line user account if you are using the Pro card.
The newer Mobi cards will pair directly with your smartphone/tablet after
entering the 10 digit pairing code supplied with the card. Older versions
will require an account to be set up.
Once the card has been registered or paired with your device as soon as
you begin to take images with the FZ200 with the Eye-Fi card installed it
will transfer those images to your paired device in around 6 seconds for
a full resolution JPEG image.
The app on an Android device
Image transfer taking place
If you download the Eye-Fi control centre onto your PC/MAC you will be
able to access and control additional facilities.
You can have the card utilise your Home Network or start the Direct
connection method to transfer the images.
190
You can also have the card become an Unlimited Storage device.
In this mode the card will transfer and then erase the images on the card
(when the capacity limit that you set has been reached) thus you can
shoot continuously both stills and video (up to 2GB in file size) and have
the card transfer these in the background to your paired device/cloud
service.
The Eye-Fi control panel on a Windows PC

Once you have the Eye-Fi card you can use it in several cameras and
pair it with other devices as well.
You can manage all the connections through the control panel.
To find out more on this facility see my video review of the Eye-Fi
SDHC card:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dqq6W4ktN6s
191
Tools Menu Setup Options

In this section its time to take a look at some of the options in the tools
set up section of the main camera menu.
The Tools set up section of the main menu.

On the first page of this menu we have the clock setting option, which is
the first menu you are presented with when you initially turn on a new
camera.
The Beep option allows you to control the volume and tone of the sound
when scrolling through menus. This can be set to OFF or set to one of
two levels.
Shutter Tone and Volume allow you to change the sound of the shutter
firing and the volume from OFF to high again in two increments.
The World Time allows you to set your camera to local time if you travel
away from your country and need to adjust the day/date to the travel
destination.
Travel Date allows you to enter a departure and return date as well as a
destination. During replay of the images this information is displayed
along with the image.
192
On page 2 of the set up menu we have seen the functionality of the

function buttons and the option to program the lens side lever as either
focus or zoom.
The LCD Display option allows users to customise the way the LCD
screen is calibrated. It allows the Brightness, Contrast/Saturation and
Color tints to be adjusted if you feel the display does not accurately
match the illumination of the subject.
However if you adjust this too far from its default you may begin to make
adjustments for exposure which are being biases by this display offset.
LCD Display style, data in border

The LCD Mode allows the brightness of the LCD display to be controlled
by the ambient light levels or switched to a low or high intensity mode.
The high intensity mode is useful if using the LCD in bright sunshine.
The EVF and LCD Display Styles allow you to set the way that exposure
and other displayed information are presented. It can either be
superimposed on the lower part of the image or in a black border at the
bottom of the image. The superimposed view gives you more image
size to evaluate focus etc.
193
The Guide Line option allows you to select a display overlay which is
useful for such things as getting your picture composition stronger by
using the rules of thirds grid lines (the top selection).
The lower grid line option allows you to set the horizontal and vertical
positions of two guidelines which are displayed.
Reading Histograms
The Histogram feature is useful for displaying the distribution of image
tones (brightness values).
White 1
Gray 2
Black 3
The Histogram, shown above, displays the brightness tones in the image
from black on the extreme left (3) through mid gray (2) in the centre and
whites (1) on the right hand side.
The height of the bars indicates the number of pixels in that range.
194
Here in this example of a high key image where there are more areas
of white in the image the skew of the histogram is more towards the
highlight end of the chart.
The histogram only displays the distribution of pixel values in the scene
to be photographed; you still have to interpret the indicated result.
Here in Aperture priority mode with -4/3 EV you can see the light areas
are not aligned with the right hand side giving an indication of
underexposure in the image.
White gap
195
Here, with the camera in Manual mode, the histogram looks to be

displaying a perfect exposure whilst the exposure meter is showing the
image to be very much underexposed.
If you half depress the shutter button you will see the live view of the
way the image will be taken with the whites and mid tones crushed into
the blacks. Compare this with the manual exposure set correctly.
So as you see in the Manual mode the histogram is only showing the
distribution of brightness values and not how they will be recorded!
You can become fairly quickly skilled in reading a histogram and how the
different lighting contrast levels affects the way the skew of the curve
looks.
Thankfully we have an immediate display of the recorded image now as
soon as the image has been captured and we can evaluate the exposure
directly.
196
The Exposure meter display

On page 4 of the tools menu we have the options of:
Video recording Area - This outlines, on the LCD display, the area which
will be recorded in video mode. There is always a slight crop of the
image when the camera starts to record video and by having this set to
on you will be able to preview exactly what will be cut off around the
edges of the frame.
The Remaining Display - can be set to either show the amount of space
for still images or the video recording time available on the SDHC card in
the camera.
The Highlight - function when set to ON will indicate on the image any
areas of the image where the highlight detail has been lost.
In such a situation you can then judge whether the loss is acceptable or
adjust your exposure to compensate.
The Exposure meter - display option superimposes a dual scale showing
aperture and shutter speed. It gives a quick visual indication of the
aperture/shutter speed combinations which could be used for this
exposure. Any combinations which are outside the aperture or shutter
speed range will be indicated in red.
The Lens Resume - option allows you to set up the camera so that after
a sleep mode, or turning the camera off and on again, the previous lens
zoom position will be recalled.
You can also set MF, manual focus, resume as well. This is ideal if you
set up your camera using my hyperfocal focusing method so that if the
camera is turned off or enters sleep mode it will return to exactly the
same settings as previously before the camera was turned off or went
into sleep mode.
197
On page 5 of the tools menu:

MF assist - set to ON will allow the camera to magnify the area set up
as the target thus allowing you to set critical focus when using the
manual focus method.
The Economy Mode - allows you to set the time before the camera goes
into its sleep mode, and/or set the interval before the LCD backlight
turns off to preserve battery life.
There is also an option to apply an ECO mode to the LCD when in live
view to preserve battery life however this results in lower image quality
but does not affect the recorded image.
Play on LCD when set to ON will force the camera to playback images
on the LCD even if you have selected the EVF as your main viewing
device.
Auto Review - allows you to display the image just acquired for 1 or 2
seconds or to hold it until you next press the shutter button. You can
also turn off the feature.
No. Reset - is there to update the folder number and the file number to
0001. Each folder holds 999 images after which the folder number
increments by 1 and the file number starts again.
This can be useful if you want very discrete image sequence numbers
rather than just incrementally camera generated ones.
The Folder and File number combine to give the image number, for
example 119-0025 is jpeg image 1190025.
198
If you never reset the numbering sequence it gives an indication of the

number of exposures that you have completed with the camera.
The camera starts numbering from 100-0001 so after each 1000 images
the folder number will increase to 101-0000 and so on.
My present image sequence is 119-0005 which means the camera has
taken 19,005 images in its lifetime.
The folder number can be assigned between 100 and 999.
When the folder number reaches 999, the number cannot be reset.
To reset the folder number back to 100, format the built-in memory or the
card first and then use this function to reset the file number.
A reset screen for the folder number will then appear. Select [Yes] to
reset the folder number.
The Reset option on page 6 is a way of reverting the camera back to

factory defaults for the REC mode and the SET UP menu items.
The option has two parts, the REC mode where all the settings are
restored to default, apart from time and date and the Folder/File number.
The second is the Set up parameters which include the Custom memory
profiles, face recognition and the Lens resume settings.
The USB Mode - allows you to Select On Connection either a PC or
PictBridge(PTP)]if you connect to a printer supporting PictBridge.
PictBridge(PTP): Set before or after connecting to a printer supporting
PictBridge.
PC: Set before or after connecting to a PC.
199
Output - specifies the video standard and aspect ratio

Video Out: Set to match the color television system in each country.
NTSC: Video output is set to NTSC system.
PAL: Video output is set to PAL system.
This will operate when the AV cable or mini HDMI cable is connected.
TV Aspect: Set to match the type of TV.
16:9: When connecting to a 16:9 screen TV.
4:3: When connecting to a 4:3 screen TV.
This will work when the AV cable is connected.
Vierra - link allows the control on the camera playback through the
Vierra interface standard on Panasonic Televisions via the HDMI cable
between the two devices.
3D - playback allows users to specify how the 3D files created with the
camera are displayed on a 3D or a conventional 2D Television.
On page 7 of this menu we have:

Rotate Display - This mode allows you to display pictures vertically if
they were recorded holding the camera vertically.
On: Rotate pictures on a TV and the LCD display so that they are
displayed vertically.
External Only: Pictures are displayed vertically by rotating when played
back on TV.
Scene Menu - Set the screen that appears as you switch the mode dial
200
to the SCN position.

AUTO: Display the Scene Mode menu to allow you to select.
OFF: Display the screen of the currently selected Scene Mode.
Menu Resume - The last operated menu position is saved even if the
camera is turned off, when you next access the menu it will return here.
Version Display Displays the current firmware revision number of the
camera.
Format allows the built-in memory or card to be formatted. Formatting
irretrievably deletes all the data from the card and then builds the
folders that the camera requires.
On the final page is the option to set your native Language and in the
Demo mode see how the OIS works.
201
The End Of The Book But Just The Beginning!

I hope that this guidebook, based upon my experience with the
Panasonic Lumix FZ200, has been useful in some respect.
The Panasonic Lumix FZ200 is a fantastic camera.
It is by no means a professional camera however it is capable of
delivering spectacular stills and video performance and given its total
convenience over DSLR systems one which will allow you to develop
your picture taking for many years to come.
I will endeavour to continue to update either to this guidebook or the
hints and tips cards available at:
http://www.grahamhoughton.com/download-section/
If you would like to leave any feedback on this book you can leave a
comment here on my Youtube channel discussion page.
http://www.youtube.com/user/ghough12/discussion
202
Image Gallery
A few sample images taken with the Panasonic Lumix FZ200.
203
204
205
206
Table of Indexes
A
AF/AE, 24, 27, 75, 80, 91, 146
AFC, 81, 82
AFF, 81, 82
AFS, 81
Aperture, 5, 41, 44, 45, 92, 94, 95, 96,
98, 144, 147, 148, 195
Auto Focus Lock, 5, 91
Auto retouch, 5, 111
autofocus, 3, 8, 10, 12, 25, 26, 75, 77,
78, 80, 81, 82, 89, 102, 161
AVCHD, 4, 20, 21, 22, 25, 141, 142
B
Background defocus, 53, 55
battery, 11, 13, 16, 17, 18, 19, 84, 102,
145, 181, 186, 187, 198
Bokeh, 88
Burst Mode, 24, 25
burst rate, 89
C
Centre weighted, 74, 75
clock setting, 192
close up lenses, 157, 178, 180
continuous shooting, 89
Contrast, 106, 108, 110, 193
control dial, 11, 29, 46, 49, 53, 55, 60,
64, 66, 84, 85, 86, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96,
100, 108, 127, 143, 144, 147
creative filter, 64
Creative retouch, 5, 112, 113
Creative Video Mode, 5, 142, 143, 144
Crop Factor, 41
custom setups, 147
D
depth of field, 37, 42, 55, 59, 63, 84,
87, 89, 93, 94, 148, 149, 150
Disp Button, 27
DMWLA7, 178
DMWLT55E, 178
DOF, 37, 38, 45, 55, 59, 84, 87, 88, 94,
98, 148, 149, 150
dynamic range, 46, 52, 62, 127
207
E
EVF, 24, 25, 27, 28, 61, 130, 193, 198
Exposure Bracketing, 5, 127
exposure compensation, 49, 53, 54, 60,
64, 74, 75, 94, 95, 100, 127, 142
Exposure meter, 100, 197
Extended Optical Zoom, 103
F
Face detection, 5, 139
Flash, 5, 24, 25, 26, 130, 131, 133, 136,
168, 171, 172
Flash Hot Shoe, 24, 26
Focus button, 23, 26
Focus Tracking, 79, 80
forced flash, 133
Front Curtain, 134
fstop, 41, 42, 96, 97, 98, 100
function buttons, 5, 88, 146, 193
H
Hand held Nite Shot, 51
HD movie, 33
HDMI, 27, 200
HDR, 52, 62, 63, 105, 127, 129
Histogram, 194
I
i.Dynamic, 5, 105, 147
i.Resolution, 5, 103, 105, 147
iA, 4, 7, 11, 12, 29, 46, 47, 48, 49, 51,
53, 56, 58, 64, 78, 92, 94, 130, 142, 143
Image Quality, 5, 34, 106
Image Size, 20, 33
ISO, 3, 4, 8, 10, 28, 35, 39, 40, 43, 44,
45, 51, 60, 63, 65, 92, 93, 95, 96, 97,
98, 99, 100, 105, 110, 125, 131, 144,
145, 147, 148, 152, 154, 170, 171, 173,
174, 183, 184
L
lens hood, 19, 20, 131
lithiumion, 11, 16, 17
M
Manual Exposure, 5, 95
Manual Focus, 4, 23, 84, 85
Menu, 4, 6, 24, 28, 47, 86, 111, 112,
208
113, 192, 200, 201

metering, 10, 25, 54, 73, 74, 75, 92, 94,
95, 99, 127, 144, 147
MF assist, 85, 86, 198
Microphone, 27
mode dial, 11, 12, 29, 200
Motion Deblur, 51
N
Night portrait, 61
noise, 34, 39, 40, 43, 44, 45, 51, 60, 61,
62, 63, 98, 99, 109, 123, 124, 125, 126,
154, 181, 184, 186, 187
Noise reduction, 106, 108
NTSC, 20, 21, 22, 185, 200
O
optical image stabilisation, 44, 97, 150
output format, 185
P
P mode, 12, 92, 94, 95
PAL, 20, 21, 22, 185, 200
Panning, 60
Panorama, 59
photostyle, 40, 147
Power switch, 25
preset custom modes, 147
program shift, 93, 94
Q
Quick AF, 5, 102
R
RAW, 5, 14, 20, 34, 35, 70, 71, 72, 107,
117, 118, 123, 124, 125, 126, 190
Rear Curtain, 134
S
Saturation, 106, 108, 110, 193
Scene Modes, 4, 58
SDHC, 11, 13, 14, 15, 16, 69, 70, 71, 89,
90, 111, 112, 116, 189, 191, 197
self timer, 25, 26, 152
sensor, 2, 3, 29, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39,
41, 42, 43, 71, 72, 73, 75, 76, 77, 78,
90, 92, 96, 97, 103, 106, 124, 155, 158,
169, 181
Sharpness, 106, 108, 110
209
Shutter Priority, 5, 95
Shutter release, 25, 144, 145
Shutter speed, 42, 45, 92, 95, 98, 147
Silkypix, 34, 118, 122, 125
Single Area AF, 79
Soft focus, 66, 112
Spot Metering, 74, 75
210
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UPDATED VERSION

All illustrations for this book were photographed using the

The reference to any manufacturers product is done purely to illustrate an example

Copyright Graham Houghton 2014

About The Author

Graham Houghton , Manchester,

Auto Exposure and Auto Focus Lock ......................................................................91

Wide Angle conversion ....................................................................................174

About You the Reader

Getting Started with the Panasonic Lumix FZ200

The Panasonic Lumix FZ200

Typical SDHC cards which can be used with the camera

These are available in capacities from 32GB to 2TB (maximum capacity,

The write protect switch

When a card is full and you remove it from the

Lithium-ion Battery Care

The Battery and memory card compartment

It is recommended not to release the memory card whilst the camera is

Fitting the Lens Hood

The lens hood

Memory Card Capacity

AVCHD Format Specifications

Color Recording Method

~3 Hrs 23 mins ~6 Hrs 50 min

Table 3: Recording Time using MP4 Format

FHD is 1920 x 1080 25 (PAL) 30 (NTSC) frames per second

F2.8 25-600mm (35mm eq.) Lens

The Panasonic Lumix Front Elevation

Manual zoom/ (focus) slide sw

Auto Video button

Mode Control Dial

EVF dioptre adjust

Back Control Wheel

AF/AE Lock Button

Description of Controls and Switches

Microphone/Remote release port - behind the rubber dust seal is a

4 Way navigation button - provides access to

It is also helpful in achieving greater camera stability as the extra point of

Mode Control Dial

Mode control dial

Some Things You Should Understand

The Panasonic Lumix FZ200 supports four aspect ratios;

3:2 aspect ratio

16:9 aspect ratio

4:3 aspect ratio

4:3 image in HD video

3:2 image in HD video

16:9 format still in HD video

Sample Images at the 4 Aspect Ratios

Silkypix is supplied with the camera on your software CDROM to allow

Camera Sensor, ISO and Light Sensitivity

The mega pixel myth has treated

The inch dimension is really a

1/2.3inch left and Micro

Does Size Matter?

1/2.3 inch sensor

Full frame sensor

Focus at Sensor plain

Depth of Field and Focus Zones