Panasonic Dmc Fz40 Operating Instructions Manual

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Advanced (Recording pictures)
This allows you to take even more vivid pictures of the blue color of the sea, sky etc. It also 
prevents under exposure of people under strong sunlight.
Note
•
The initial setting for [AF MODE] is [ š].•Do not touch the camera with wet hands.•Sand or seawater will cause the camera to malfun ction. Make sure that sand or seawater does 
not get into the lens or the terminals.
•Problems caused by sand, seawater and fresh water are not covered by the product warranty.
This allows you to take pictures that show t he snow as white as possible at a ski resort or 
a snow-covered mountain.
This mode allows you to take pictures through an airplane window.
∫ Technique for Aerial Photo Mode
•
We recommend using this technique if it is difficult to focus when taking pictures of clouds etc. 
Aim the camera at something with high contrast, press the shutter button halfway to fix the 
focus and then aim the camera at the subject and press the shutter button fully to take the 
picture.
Note
•The flash setting is fixed to [ Œ].•The focus range is 5 m (16.4 feet) to  ¶.•Turn the camera off when taking off or landing.•When using the camera, follow all instructions from the cabin crew.•Be careful about the reflection from the window.
Record the image with a frame around it.
∫ Setting the frame
1Press  2/1  to select the frame to use, and then press [MENU/SET].
•The number of pixels is fixed to 2M (4:3).2Take pictures.
Note
•
It will be a normal motion picture recording during the motion picture recording.
Frame will not be displayed.
•[AUTO REVIEW] is fixed to [2SEC.].•The color of the frame displayed on the screen and the color of the frame around the actual 
image may differ, but this is not a malfunction.
 [BEACH]
 [SNOW]
 [AERIAL PHOTO]
 [PHOTO FRAME] 
						

							Advanced (Recording pictures)
- 102 -
[REC] Mode: 
Advanced (Recording pictures)Recording Motion Picture
This can record high definition motion pictures compatible with the AVCHD format or 
motion pictures recorded in Motion JPEG.
Audio will be recorded in stereo.
•
Close the flash. (It is recommended that you close the flash when recording motion pictures. 
However, leaving the flash open will not result in a significant difference in sound quality.)
∫Modes that can be recorded for motion picture
Select the mode
A Mode dial
B Motion picture button
ItemSettings/Note
ñIntelligent Auto Mode The camera will set the most appropriate settings to match 
the subject and the recording conditions, so you can leave 
the settings to the camera and take motion pictures easily.
³/±/´/² Mode
Record motion pictures by automatically setting aperture 
and shutter speed.
Custom Mode Record motion pictures with selected Custom Mode 
settings.
Creative Motion Picture 
Mode Record motion pictures by manually setting aperture and 
shutter speed. 
(P109)
¿Scene Mode Record motion pictures that match the scene being 
recorded. 
(P91 to 101)
[PORTRAIT] Record motion pictures with settings suitable for portraits.
[SCENERY] Record motion pictures with settings suitable for scenery.
[SPORTS] It will be a normal motion picture recording during the 
motion picture recording.
[CLOSE-UP] Record motion pictures with settings suitable for close-ups.
[NIGHT PORTRAIT] Record clear motion pictures with low light setting [ ] 
inside dim rooms or at dusk.
My Color Mode Record motion pictures in My Color Mode setting.
CUSTMCUSTM
B 
						

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Advanced (Recording pictures)
Note
•The screen will change as following when the motion picture button is pressed in steps 2 and 3.
¢ 1 Set [REMAINING DISP.]  (P32) to [ ] to display the available recording time before 
recording motion pictures.
¢ 2 The screen that is displayed during Motion Picture Mode setting is different depending on the 
setting of the 
[REC MODE].
¢ 3[ ! ] will not be displayed in the Creative Motion Picture Mode.
Start recording by pressing the motion 
picture button.
A  Available recording time
B  Elapsed recording time
•Release the motion picture button right after you press 
it.
•The audio is also recorded simultaneously from the 
built-in microphone on this unit. (Motion pictures 
cannot be recorded without audio.)
•The recording state indicator (red)  C will flash while recording motion pictures.•The screen will become dark momentarily, and recording will start after adjusting the 
display.
•Focus can be achieved during recording by pressing [FOCUS].•Focus can be set manually when [MF] is displaying.  (P73)
Stop the recording by pressing the motion picture button again.
•Sound will go off when pressing the motion picture button indicating start/stop of motion 
picture recording.
Sound volume can be set in [BEEP LEVEL]  (P30).
•If the built-in memory or the card becomes full in the middle of recording, the camera 
stops recording automatically.
A Still picture recording 
screen
¢1
B Motion Picture Mode 
setting¢2
C Motion picture recording 
screen
D Still Picture Mode 
setting
¢3
B
A
C
650 650
6507 7R1m17s
R1m17s
R1m17s
3s
3s 3s 
						

							Advanced (Recording pictures)
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•Refer to P145 for the [MOTION PICTURE] Mode menu.•The flash setting is fixed to [ Œ].•Refer to P222 for information about the available recording time.•The available recording time displayed on the screen may not decrease regularly.•Depending on the type of the card, the card access indication may appear for a while after 
recording motion pictures. This is not a malfunction.
•The operational sound of the zoom or button operation may be recorded when it is operated 
during the recording of a motion picture.
•When recording motion pictures with the lens cap string attached, the sound of the lens cap 
string brushing against the unit may be recorded.
•The screen may be blacked out momentarily, or the unit may record noise due to static 
electricity or electromagnetic waves etc. depending on the environment of the motion picture 
recording.
•When operating the zoom in recording motion pictures, it may take time to come into focus.•If the Extended Optical Zoom was used before pressing the motion picture button, those 
settings will be cleared, so the focus range will change dramatically.
•When the aspect ratio setting is different in still and motion pictures, the angle of view changes 
at the start of motion picture recording. When [ REC AREA]  (P32) is set to [ON], angle of 
view during motion picture recording is displayed.
•[STABILIZER] is fixed to [MODE1] in recording motion pictures.•In recording motion pictures, the following functions cannot be used.–Direction Detection function–Extended Optical Zoom–[FACE RECOG.]•It is recommended to use a fully charged battery or AC adaptor (optional) when recording 
motion pictures.  (P21)
•If while recording motion pictures using the AC adaptor (optional) the power supply is cut off 
due to a power cut or if the AC adaptor (optiona l) is disconnected etc., the motion picture being 
recorded will not be recorded. 
						

							- 105 -
Advanced (Recording pictures)
•When Intelligent Auto Mode is selected in step 1 on page 102, motion picture recording 
matching to the subject or recording situation can be performed.
∫ Scene Detection
When the camera identifies the optimum scene, the icon of the scene concerned is 
displayed in blue for 2 seconds, after which its color changes to the usual red.
•
[¦] is set if none of the scenes are applicable, and the standard settings are set.•When [ ] is selected, the camera automatically detects a person’s face, and it will adjust the 
focus and exposure.  (Face Detection) (P132)
Note
•Refer to P47  for settings in Intelligent Auto Mode.•Due to conditions such as the ones below, a different scene may be identified for the same 
subject.
–Subject conditions: When the face is bright or dark, the size of the subject, the color of the 
subject, the distance to the subject, the contrast of the subject, when the subject is moving
–Recording conditions: Sunset, Sunrise, Under lo w brightness conditions, When the camera is 
shaken, When zoom is used
•To take pictures in an intended scene, it is recommended that you take pictures in the 
appropriate recording mode.
When set to Intelligent Auto Mode
¦
>[i-PORTRAIT]
[i-SCENERY]
[i-LOW LIGHT]
[i-MACRO] 
						

							Advanced (Recording pictures)
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Press 3/4 to select the item and then press 
[MENU/SET].
¢ The SD Speed Class Rating is the speed standard for successive writes.
Press  3/4 to select [REC QUALITY] and then 
press  1.
Changing [REC MODE] and [REC QUALITY]
Select [REC MODE] from the [MOTION PICTURE] 
Mode menu, and press  1. (P27)
Recording formatFeatures
[AVCHD Lite]
•Select this format to record HD (high definition) video for 
playback on your HDTV using an HDMI connection.
•It can be played back as is by inserting the card into a device 
compatible with AVCHD. Refer to the instructions of the 
device used for details on compatibility.
•Use a card with SD Speed Class¢ with “Class 4” or higher.
[MOTION JPEG]
•Select this format to record standard definition video for 
playback on your PC. It can be recorded using less storage 
when there is not much space left on the memory card or 
when you want to attach the motion picture to an e-mail.
•Use a card with SD Speed Class¢ with “Class 6” or higher. 
						

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Advanced (Recording pictures)
Press 3/4 to select the item and then press [MENU/SET].
When [AVCHD Lite] is selected in step 2
¢1What is bit rate?
This is the volume of data for definite period of time, and the quality becomes higher 
when the number gets bigger. This unit is using the “VBR” recording method. “VBR” 
is an abbreviation of “Variable Bit Rate”, and the bit rate (volume of data for definite 
period of time) is changed automatically depending on the subject to record. 
Therefore, the recording time is shortened when a subject with fast movement is 
recorded.
¢ 2What is Mbps?
This is an abbreviation of “Megabit Per Second”, and it represents the speed of 
transmission.
When [MOTION JPEG] is selected in step 
2
¢ 3This item cannot be set in the Intelligent Auto Mode.
•With the [AVCHD Lite] or [ ] for [MOTION JPEG], high quality motion picture can be 
enjoyed on the TV by using the HDMI mini cable (optional). For details, see “Playing 
back on the TV with HDMI socket” on  P173 .•It cannot be recorded to built-in memory except for the [ ].
Press [MENU/SET] to close the menu.
•You can also press the shutter button halfway to close the menu.
ItemQuality (bit rate)¢1fpsAspect 
ratio
High 
quality
Longer  time([SH]) 1280k
720 pixels
Approx. 17 Mbps¢ 2
60p
(Sensor 
output is  30 fps) 16:9
([H])
1280k
720 pixels
Approx. 13 Mbps¢ 2
([L]) 1280k
720 pixels
Approx. 9 Mbps¢ 2
ItemPicture sizefpsAspect 
ratio 
High 
quality
Longer  time([HD]) 1280k720 pixels
3016:9
¢
3([WVGA])848 k480 pixels
([VGA]) 640k480 pixels
4:3
([QVGA]) 320 k240 pixels 
						

							Advanced (Recording pictures)
- 108 -
Note
•The motion picture recording may stop in the middle when any of the following cards are used.–Cards on which recording and deleting have been repeated many times–Cards which have been formatted using a PC or other equipment
Before taking pictures, format  (P38) the card in the unit. Because formatting will delete all data 
recorded on the card, save important data beforehand on the computer.
•You may not be able to record for a short while after turning the power [ON] when using a large 
capacity card.
•Motion pictures recorded in [AVCHD Lite] or [MOTION JPEG] may be played back with 
poor picture or sound quality or playback may not be possible even when played back 
with equipment compatible with these formats. Also, the recording information may not 
be displayed properly. In this case, use this unit.
For details on AVCHD compatible devices, refer to the support sites below.
http://panasonic.jp/support/global/cs/dsc/(This Site is English only.)•Motion picture recorded in [AVCHD Lite] does not comply with the “DCF/Exif”, so some 
information will not display while playback.
•The sound recording specifications on this model have been changed to improve audio 
quality. For this reason, some motion pictures recorded in [MOTION JPEG] may not be 
played back with Panasonic digital cameras (LUMIX)
¢.
(Motion pictures recorded with a Panasonic digital camera (LUMIX) can be played back 
on this model.)
¢ Models launched before December 2008, and some models launched in 2009 (FS, LS 
series).
•To play back AVCHD Lite motion pictures recorded with this unit on Panasonic Blu-ray Disc 
Players (DMP-BD30/DMP-BD31/DMP-BD50) it is necessary to update the firmware of the 
Blu-ray Disc Player.
You can download the latest firmware version from the following website.
http://panasonic.net/support/ 
						

							- 109 -
Advanced (Recording pictures)
[REC] Mode: 
Recording Motion Picture with Manual Settings
(Creative Motion Picture Mode)
It is possible to manually change the aperture and shutter speed and record motion 
pictures. Switching the [EXPOSURE MODE] allows you to use settings such as those 
when mode dial is switched to [ ³], [ ±], [ ´] and [ ²].
Set the mode dial to  [ ].
Press  3/4 to select the item and then 
press [MENU/SET].
Rotate the rear dial to change the settings.
¢ You can change the settings even during motion picture recording. However please 
note that operating sounds may be recorded.
•Items that can be set will switch every time the rear dial is pressed.•When [MF] is displaying, you can also  set manual focus using the rear dial.
Start recording by pressing the motion picture button.
[EXPOSURE MODE]Items that can be set
P (Program AE Mode) Program shiftExposure 
Compensation
¢
A (Aperture-Priority AE Mode) Aperture¢Exposure 
Compensation¢
S (Shutter-Priority AE Mode) Shutter speed¢Exposure 
Compensation¢
M (Manual Exposure Mode) Shutter speed¢Aperture¢ 
						

							Advanced (Recording pictures)
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Stop the recording by pressing the motion picture button again.
•If the card becomes full in the middle of recording, the camera stops recording 
automatically.
•You can also start/stop motion picture recording by pressing the shutter button.•Sound will go off when pressing the motion picture button or shutter button indicating 
motion picture recording start/stop. Sound volume can be set in [BEEP LEVEL] (P30).
∫Setting the aperture value and shutter speed for each [EXPOSURE MODE]
Note
•
Aperture value–Set the aperture value to a higher number when you want a sharp focus background. Set the 
aperture value to a lower number when you want a soft focus background.
•Shutter speed–When you want to take a sharp picture of a fast moving subject, set with a faster shutter 
speed. When you want to create a trail effect, set to a slower shutter speed.
–Manually setting a higher shutter speed may increase the noise on-screen due to the higher 
sensitivity.
–When recording under lighting such as fluorescent lighting, mercury lighting and sodium 
lighting, the coloring and brightness of the screen may change.
•Refer to “Recording Motion Picture” on P102  for other settings and operations for recording 
motion pictures.
•The sound recording specifications on this model have been changed to improve audio 
quality. For this reason, some motion pictures recorded in [MOTION JPEG] may not be 
played back with Panasonic digital cameras (LUMIX)
¢.
(Motion pictures recorded with a Panasonic digital camera (LUMIX) can be played back 
on this model.)
¢ Models launched before December 2008, and some models launched in 2009 (FS, LS 
series).
[EXPOSURE MODE]Aperture valueShutter speed (Sec.)
P —
—
A F2.8 to F11 (Wide)/F5.2 to F11 
(Tele)
S —1/30 to 1/20000th
M F2.8 to F11 (Wide)/F5.2 to F11 
(Tele) 1/30 to 1/20000th
(When using Manual Focus, the 
shutter speed can be set from 1/8 
to 1/20000th.)