Panasonic Dmc Fz18 Operating Instructions Manual

							Advanced (Recording pictures)
51VQT1F83
Manual exposure
Determine the exposure by manually 
setting the aperture value and the shutter 
speed.
1Tilt the joystick towards 3/4/2/
1 to set the aperture value and 
the shutter speed.
2Press the shutter button halfway.
 The manual exposure assistance A 
appears for about 10 seconds to 
indicate the exposure.
 Set the aperture value and the shutter 
speed again when the exposure is not 
adequate.
3Take the picture.
∫Manual Exposure Assistance
 The manual exposure assistance is an 
approximation. We recommend checking 
the pictures after taking them using the 
review function.
 Refer to P52 for the available aperture 
values and the shutter speed.
 The brightness of the LCD monitor/
Viewfinder may differ from the brightness 
of the actual pictures. Check the pictures 
using the review function or playback 
mode.
 If the exposure is not adequate, the 
aperture value and the shutter speed turn 
red when the shutter button is pressed 
halfway.
 You cannot set the following items in 
manual exposure.
– Slow sync./Red-eye reduction [ ]
– [INTELLIGENT ISO]
– [AUTO] in ISO sensitivity (The ISO 
sensitivity is automatically set to 
[ISO100] when you switch from [AUTO] 
to Manual exposure.)
– Exposure compensation Set the aperture value and 
the shutter speed.
Switch between the aperture 
value and the shutter speed.
6
1/301/30F2.8F2.8
1/1251/125F4.0F4.0
The exposure is 
adequate.
Set to faster shutter 
speed or larger aperture 
value.
Set to slower shutter 
speed or smaller 
aperture value.
1/1251/125F5.6F5.6
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							Advanced (Recording pictures)
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Aperture Value and 
Shutter Speed
Aperture-priority AE
Shutter-priority AEManual exposure
 The aperture values given in the table 
above are values when the zoom lever is 
rotated to Wide.
 Depending on the zoom magnification, 
some of the aperture values cannot be 
selected.
Taking Pictures with 
Manual Focus
Use this function when you want to fix the 
focus or when the distance between the 
lens and the subject is determined and you 
do not want to activate auto focus.
1Press and hold [AF/MF].
 The MF icon [ ] appears.
Available Aperture 
Va l u e
(Per 1/3 EV)Shutter Speed 
(Sec)
F8.0 8 to 1/2000
F7.1 F6.3 F5.6 8 to 1/1600
F5.0 F4.5 F4.0 8 to 1/1300
F3.6 F3.2 F2.8 8 to 1/1000
Available Shutter 
Speed (Sec)
(Per 1/3 EV)Aperture Value
86
F2.8 to F8.0 54
3.2 2.5
21.6
1.3 1
1/1.3 1/1.6
1/2 1/2.5
1/3.2 1/4
1/5 1/6
1/8 1/10
1/13 1/15
1/20 1/25
1/30 1/40
1/50 1/60
1/80 1/100
1/125 1/160
1/200 1/250
1/320 1/400
1/500 1/640
1/800 1/1000
1/1300 F4.0 to F8.0
1/1600 F5.6 to F8.0
1/2000 F8.0
Available Aperture 
Va lu e
(Per 1/3 EV)Available Shutter 
Speed (Sec)
(Per 1/3 EV)
F2.8 to F3.6 60 to 1/1000
F4.0 to F5.0 60 to 1/1300
F5.6 to F7.1 60 to 1/1600
F8.0 60 to 1/2000
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							Advanced (Recording pictures)
53VQT1F83
2Tilt the joystick towards 3/4 to 
focus on the subject.
 MF assistance disappears about 
2 seconds after you stop operating the 
joystick.
 Focus range disappears about 
5 seconds after you stop operating the 
joystick.
3Take the picture.
∫MF ASSIST
If you tilt the joystick towards 3/4 when 
[MF ASSIST] is set to [MF1] or [MF2], MF 
assistance is activated and the screen is 
enlarged. This allows you to focus on the 
subject more easily.
1Press [MENU/SET] and then 
press 2.
2Press 4 to select the [SETUP] 
menu icon [ ] and then press 1.
3Press 3/4 to select [MF ASSIST] 
and then press 1.
4Press 3/4 to select [MF1] or 
[MF2] and then press [MENU/
SET].
AMF assistance
BFocus range
2
1
ftft
AB
MFMF
MENUSET
[MF1]The center of the screen is 
enlarged. You can adjust the 
focus while determining the 
composition of the whole of the 
screen.
[MF2]The center of the screen is 
enlarged over the whole 
screen. This is convenient for 
adjusting the focus in wide 
angle shots for which changes 
in focus are difficult to grasp.
[OFF]The screen is not enlarged.
MENUSET
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							Advanced (Recording pictures)
54VQT1F83
5Press [MENU/SET] to close the 
menu.
You can also close the menu by 
pressing the shutter button halfway.
 You can also use the joystick to perform 
steps
2 to 5.
∫Technique for Manual focus
1Tilt the joystick towards 3/4.
2Tilt it a little more.
3Tilt the joystick in the opposite direction 
to finely focus on the subject.
∫One shot AF
You can focus on the subject with auto 
focus by selecting [MF] with [AF/MF] and 
then pressing the AF macro/focus switch 
button.
This is convenient for prefocus.
∫Prefocus
This is a technique for focusing in advance 
on the point the pictures will be taken when 
it is difficult to focus on the subject with 
auto focus due to its quick motion. (e.g. 
[PANNING] (P62) in scene mode)This function is suitable when the distance 
between the camera and the subject is 
certain.
∫Changing the zoom area
The magnified area can be changed while 
the screen is expanded using MF Assist. 
This is convenient when you want to 
change the focus position to take pictures.
1Display MF Assist with 3/4 on the 
joystick.
2Change the expanded area with the 
cursor buttons 3/4/2/1.
 The expansion is canceled after 
approximately 2 seconds.
 The following will return the MF 
assistance to the original position.
– Switching the focus to [AF].
– When one shot AF is used
– Changing the picture size or aspect.
– Turning the camera off.
 You can also use manual focus while in 
motion picture mode [ ], but the focus 
cannot be adjusted during recording.
 If you focus on the subject in Wide and 
then rotate the zoom lever to Tele, the 
focus may not be adequate. In this case, 
focus on the subject again.
 The MF assistance does not appear when 
using the digital zoom.
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							Advanced (Recording pictures)
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 The distance to the subject displayed on 
the screen in manual focus is an 
approximation of the focus position. 
Remember that the distance is an 
approximation when taking a picture.
 Use the MF assistance screen for a final 
check of the focus.
 After canceling power save mode, focus 
on the subject again.
 The following function cannot be set when 
manual focus is set.
– [CONT.AF]
Registering Personal 
Menu Settings 
(Registering custom 
settings)
Select the desired recording mode and the 
desired menu settings and then save them 
in [], [] or [].
 Set to the mode dial to the desired mode 
and select the desired menu settings in 
advance.
1Press [MENU/SET] and then 
press 2.
2Press 4 to select the [SETUP] 
menu icon [ ] and then press 1.
3Press 3/4 to select [CUST. SET 
MEM.] and then press 1.
4Press 3/4 to select [ ], [ ] or 
[ ] and then press [MENU/SET].
5Press 3 to select [YES] and then 
press [MENU/SET].
 When [YES] is selected, the settings 
that were previously stored are 
overwritten.
 You cannot save the following menu 
items because they affect other 
recording modes.
–[CLOCK SET]
– [TRAVEL DATE]
MENUSET
MENUSET
MENUSET
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							Advanced (Recording pictures)
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– [RESET]
– [NO.RESET]
– [BABY1]/[BABY2] or [PET] birthday 
and name settings in scene mode
6Press [MENU/SET] to close the 
menu.
Taking pictures in 
Custom mode
You can select one of your own custom 
settings to suit the picture-taking conditions 
and other factors from among the 
registered patterns you have saved as 
custom settings ahead of time.
1Press 3/4 to select [ SET1], 
[SET2] or [SET3].
 1 to display the settings for each 
menu item. (Press 2 to return to the 
selection screen.)
 Only the main menu items are 
displayed.
2Press [MENU/SET] to enter the 
settings.
ASaving of the selected custom settings 
is displayed on the screen.
∫When changing the menu settings
Even if the menu settings are changed 
temporarily with [ SET1], [ SET2] or 
[ SET3] selected, what has been 
registered will remain unchanged.
To change what has been registered, 
overwrite the registered data using [CUST. 
SET MEM.] (P55) on the setup menu.
 You cannot register the settings of the 
following menu items as a custom mode. 
If they are changed, other recording 
modes will also be affected.
– [BABY1]/[BABY2] or [PET] birthday and 
name settings in scene mode
– [TRAVEL DATE], [ZOOM RESUME], 
[SCENE MENU], and [DIAL DISPLAY] in 
the [SETUP] menu
 At the time of purchase, the initial settings 
for the program AE mode [ ] are 
registered in [ SET1], [ SET2] or 
[SET3].
MENUSET
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							Advanced (Recording pictures)
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Taking expressive 
portraits and 
landscape pictures 
(Advanced scene 
mode)
In this mode, you can take quality pictures 
of such subjects as people, sporting events 
and activities, scenery, and people in night 
scenes in accordance with the surrounding 
conditions.
1Press 3/4 to select the 
advanced scene mode.
(Screen when selecting [ ])
2Press [MENU/SET] to set.You can also press the center of the 
joystick to set.
 The menu screen is switched to the 
recording screen in the selected 
advanced scene mode.
 Press [MENU/SET] and then perform 
steps
1 and 2 to change the advanced 
scene mode.
∫About the information 
 If you press [DISPLAY] when selecting an 
advanced scene mode in step 
1, 
explanations about each advanced scene 
mode are displayed. (If you press 
[DISPLAY] again, the screen returns to 
the screen shown in step 
1.)
The person stands out from the 
background and has a healthier 
complexion.
∫Technique for Portrait mode
To increase the effectiveness of this mode:
1Rotate the zoom lever as far as 
possible to Tele.
2Move close to the subject to make this 
mode more effective.
or
[PORTRAIT]
[NORMAL PORTRAIT]
Shades the background and photographs 
skin color beautifully.
[SOFT SKIN]
Makes the skin surface appear especially 
smooth.
[OUTDOOR PORTRAIT]
Prevents faces from appearing dark when 
shooting outside.
[INDOOR PORTRAIT]
Sets the ISO sensitivity setting to the 
appropriate setting to prevent blurring of 
photo subject for indoor photography.
[CREATIVE PORTRAIT]
You can change the amount of 
background blurring by changing the 
aperture value (P50).
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							Advanced (Recording pictures)
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 In [INDOOR PORTRAIT], the 
[INTELLIGENT ISO] operates, and the 
maximum ISO sensitivity level becomes 
[ISO400]. In other modes, the ISO 
sensitivity is fixed to [ISO100].
 In [NORMAL PORTRAIT], [SOFT SKIN], 
and [CREATIVE PORTRAIT], you can set 
the white balance.
 When [SOFT SKIN] is selected, if a part of 
the background etc. is a color close to skin 
color, this part is also smoothed.
 When [SOFT SKIN] is selected, this mode 
may not be effective when there is 
insufficient brightness.
 The initial setting for [AF MODE] is [ ].
This allows you to take pictures of a wide 
landscape.
 The focus range is 5 m (16.4 feet) to ¶.
 The flash setting is fixed to Forced OFF 
[].
 The setting on the AF assist lamp is 
disabled.
 The white balance cannot be set.Set here when you want to take pictures of 
sports scenes or other fast-moving events.
 This mode is suitable for taking pictures of 
subjects at distances of 5 m (16.4 feet) or 
more.
 [INTELLIGENT ISO] operates for all 
settings except for [CREATIVE SPORTS].
 You can set the white balance when 
[NORMAL SPORTS] or [CREATIVE 
SPORTS] is selected.
 Digital zoom cannot be used except for 
[CREATIVE SPORTS].
This allows you to take pictures of a person 
and the background with near real-life 
brightness.
[SCENERY]
[NORMAL SCENERY]
The focus adjusts onto far away subjects 
as a priority.
[NATURE]
The best setting for shooting natural 
scenery.
[ARCHITECTURE]
This setting takes sharp photographs of 
architecture. The guide lines are 
displayed. (P38)
[CREATIVE SCENERY]
The shutter speed (P50) can be changed 
in the [NORMAL SCENERY] setting.
[SPORTS]
[NORMAL SPORTS]
Controls the ISO sensitivity while stopping 
movement with a high shutter speed.
[OUTDOOR SPORTS]
Fast shutter speed for stopping movement 
when taking photographs outdoors in 
good weather.
[INDOOR SPORTS]
Increases the ISO sensitivity and 
increases the shutter speed to prevent 
blurring for indoor photography.
[CREATIVE SPORTS]
The shutter speed (P50) can be changed 
in the [NORMAL SPORTS] setting.
[NIGHT PORTRAIT]
[NIGHT PORTRAIT]
Uses when taking photographs of people 
with night scenery as a background.
[NIGHT SCENERY]
Night scenery is vividly photographed with 
the maximum 8 second slow shutter.
[ILLUMINATIONS]
Illuminations are photographed beautifully.
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							Advanced (Recording pictures)
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∫Technique for Night portrait mode
Open the flash when [NIGHT 
PORTRAIT] is selected.
 Since the shutter speed becomes slower, 
we recommend using a tripod and the 
self-timer for taking pictures.
 When [NIGHT PORTRAIT] is selected, 
keep the subject still for about 1 second 
after taking the picture.
 When [NIGHT PORTRAIT] is selected, we 
recommend rotating the zoom lever to 
Wide (1k) and being about 1.5 m 
(4.92 feet) from the subject when taking a 
picture.
 The range in which the focus is adjusted is 
shown below.
– [NIGHT PORTRAIT]: 1.2 m (3.94 feet) 
to 5 m (16.4 feet)
– [NIGHT SCENERY]/[CREATIVE NIGHT 
SCENERY]/[ILLUMINATIONS]: 5 m 
(16.4 feet) to ¶
(For information on the available flash 
range, see P42.)
 The shutter may remain closed (max. 
about 8 sec.) after taking the picture 
because of signal processing. This is not 
a malfunction.
 Noise may become visible when you take 
pictures in dark places.
 The flash cannot be set for settings except 
for [NIGHT PORTRAIT].
 When [NIGHT PORTRAIT] is selected, 
the flash settings become Slow sync./
Red-eye reduction [ ], and the flash 
is activated every time.
 When [NIGHT SCENERY] or [CREATIVE 
NIGHT SCENERY] is selected, 
[SENSITIVITY] is fixed to [ISO100].
 The continuous AF setting is disabled.
 The white balance cannot be set.
 When [NIGHT PORTRAIT] is selected, 
the initial setting for [AF MODE] is [ ].
Taking pictures that 
match the scene being 
recorded 
(Scene mode)
When you select a scene mode to match 
the subject and recording situation, the 
camera sets the optimal exposure and hue 
to obtain the desired picture.
 Refer to P60 to 65 and “About the 
information ” for details about each 
scene mode.
1Press 3/4/2/1 to select the 
scene mode.
2Press [MENU/SET] to set.You can also press the center of the 
joystick to set.
 The menu screen is switched to the 
recording screen in the selected scene 
mode.
 Press [MENU/SET], press 1, and 
perform steps 
1 and 2 to change the 
scene mode.
[CREATIVE NIGHT SCENERY]
The aperture value (P50) can be changed 
in the [NIGHT SCENERY] setting.
or
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							Advanced (Recording pictures)
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∫About the information   
 If you press [DISPLAY] when selecting a 
scene mode in step 
1, explanations about 
each scene mode are displayed. (If you 
press [DISPLAY] again, the screen 
returns to the [SCENE MODE] menu.)
 The flash setting is memorized even if the 
camera is turned off. However, the scene 
mode flash setting is reset to the initial 
setting when the scene mode is changed.
 When you take a picture with a scene 
mode that is not adequate for the 
purpose, the hue of the picture may differ 
from the actual scene.
 When [MENU/SET] is pressed and the 
menu screen is displayed, [ ] is 
selected in the [SCENE MODE] menu. 
You can set each of the settings by 
pressing 4 and selecting [REC] mode 
menu [ ] or [SETUP] menu [ ].
 The following items cannot be set in scene 
mode because the camera automatically 
adjusts them to the optimal setting.
– [INTELLIGENT ISO]
– [SENSITIVITY]
– [METERING MODE]
– [COL.EFFECT]
– [PICT.ADJ.]
Press [ ] to display the [SCENE MODE] 
menu and select a scene mode. (P59)
This mode allows you to take pictures of 
food with a natural hue without being 
affected by the ambient light in restaurants 
etc.
 The focus range is 5 cm (0.16 feet) 
(Wide)/2 m (6.56 feet) (Tele) to ¶. The white balance cannot be set.
Press [ ] to display the [SCENE MODE] 
menu and select a scene mode. (P59)
Select this when you want to take pictures 
at a wedding reception, an indoor party etc. 
This allows you to take pictures of people 
and the background with near real-life 
brightness.
∫Technique for Party mode
Open the flash.
 We recommend using a tripod and the 
self-timer for taking pictures.
 We recommend rotating the zoom lever to 
Wide (1k) and being about 1.5 m 
(4.92 feet) from the subject when taking 
pictures.
 The flash setting can be set to Slow sync./
Red-eye reduction [ ] or Forced ON/
Red-eye reduction [ ].
 The white balance cannot be set.
 The initial setting for [AF MODE] is [ ].
Press [ ] to display the [SCENE MODE] 
menu and select a scene mode. (P59)
This mode allows you to take pictures with 
a candle-lit atmosphere.
∫Technique for Candle light mode
 If you make the most of the candle light, 
you can take successful pictures without 
using the flash.
 We recommend using a tripod and the 
self-timer for taking pictures.
 The focus range is 5 cm (0.16 feet) 
(Wide)/2 m (6.56 feet) (Tele) to ¶.
 The flash setting can be set to Slow sync./
Red-eye reduction [ ] or Forced ON/
Red-eye reduction [ ].
 The white balance cannot be set.
 The initial setting for [AF MODE] is [ ].
[FOOD] 
MENUSET
[PARTY]
[CANDLE LIGHT]
MENUSET
MENUSET
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