Lumix GH3 Review Part 10, Setting Up the Camera

LUMIX GH3 REVIEW PART 10  SETTING UP THE CAMERA

It's complicated but mostly logical

Author AndrewS  April 2013

Port Botany. GH3, Lumix 100-300mm lens.

Introduction  Since the advent of digital photography, cameras have been getting increasingly complicated with each new model. Users like me have asked manufacturers for cameras which are highly Configurable which means that the device can be set up to suit an individual's likes and preferences. 

The GH3 is such a camera. Many of it's functions can be user selected to suit personal preference. This is wonderful but the ability to set user preference for so many camera operations brings with it the necessityto do so.  The new GH3 user could just leave everything at factory default while learning how to use the camera. But sooner or later they will have to brave the menu system and make a large number of choices in order to  best use  the camera's many capabilities.

Owner's Manual  I very strongly recommend that readers download and print out the entire 319 page GH3  "Owner's Manual For Advanced Features".  You can find it on any of the Panasonic National websites. Just follow the prompts for the GH3 camera. The Lumix team has been gradually improving their owner's manuals such that the GH3 manual is more coherently laid out than those for previous model cameras.  It is still very complex however, which unavoidably comes with the territory of a modern electronic camera. The reader is constantly being directed to jump back and forth from one page to another which is tedious with the PDF on screen. Page numbers in this article refer to the Owner's Manual (Advanced).  I have found it useful to stick physical tabs on key pages of the Manual so I can quickly go to one of the Menus or Fn button selections, for instance.

Setup advice  Each individual photographer has his or her own ideas about how a camera should operate and what it should be able to do. In this article I will try to indicate the possibilities available at each choice point. I will indicate my own selections with reasons. Yours will be different because you will have different ideas and expectations about how  you want a camera to work.

The emphasis of this article will be on Still Photo Capture, Expert User. I have nothing to say about Motion Picture, iA Mode, Scene Guide Mode or Creative Control Mode.

Setup Menu [Pages 45-52]

* Clock Set, World Time, Travel Date.  Set as required.

* Wi-Fi.  This could be the subject of a separate article. Setting up Wi- Fi is beyond the scope of this one.

* Beep.  You can set Beep Volume and E-Shutter Volume. For silent operation set Beep and E-Shutter Vol to OFF.

* Speaker Volume, Headphone Volume. Adjust to preference.

* Monitor/Viewfinder Display. Note that Monitor Display becomes Viewfinder when you look in the viewfinder.  Please see Part 2 of my GH3 review for a full discussion about this.

* Monitor Luminance. Mine is set to Auto, which appears to work well. You might want to experiment with Mode 1 or Mode 2 if more direct control of Monitor brightness is required.

* Economy.  You get plenty of choices here. I have Sleep Mode set to commence in 5 Minutes and Auto LVF/Monitor Off to activate in 1 Minute. You will likely want to experiment with this.

* Battery Use Priority. This applies when the accessory battery grip is fitted, see Page 268.

* USB Mode, Output, Viera Link, 3D Playback.  All these options are a matter of personal preference or are guided by equipment requirements.

* Menu Resume. This is useful. When set to ON the item highlighted when a Menu is selected is the one you last accessed. If you use something frequently, for instance I frequently format memory cards, it is handy to have that option appear first when I select Setup Menu.

* Menu Background. Plenty of choice here.

* Menu Information. when ON, displays a horizontal scrolling description along the top of the screen, of the current Menu setting. It is somewhat useful especially in the learning phase.

* Language.

* Version Disp. Go here to display the current firmware version of the body and lens attached if any.

* No. Reset, Reset and Reset Wi-Fi Settings. The Manual provides a comprehensive explanation of these items.

* Pixel Refresh. This initiates a software solution for hot pixels should any develop.

* Sensor Cleaning. This is performed automatically when you turn the camera on but can also be done on command.

* Format.  Formats the memory card.

Custom Menu  [Pages 53-63]

* Cust.Set.Mem.  Here you make Custom Mode settings. The process is well described on page 115. Just remember that a Custom Mode duplicates EVERYTHING in the camera's operating system except Set and See Module settings (Drive Mode and Focus Mode). It will duplicate whatever Shooting Mode was in use at the time the Custom Mode was set. Make sure you trawl carefully through all the Main Menus, Q Menu and  Fn button settings before committing to a Custom Mode. Once in a Custom Mode you can use the camera normally, altering any settings. Rotating the dial off the Custom Mode then back onto it will reset all parameters to the original Custom Mode selections.  You can, of course Re-Set a Custom Mode with different parameters at any time.  Custom Modes are very useful when you want to allocate a group of settings for a specific purpose, for instance, Tripod/Landscape or Sport/Action. They are easy to set, and you can see at a glance which Custom Mode if any, is currently active.

* AF/AE Lock. The options are described in Page 151. The fourth option, AF-ON is new to the GH3. You might want to spend some time experimenting with the options on this button to discover which suits you best. I like to use back button AF start, DSLR style,  so I have AF-ON set. In AFS this activates AF start then lock while the button is held down. It also starts AE but ISO is not displayed until the shutter button is half pressed. In AFC it activates and continues AFC. 

* AF/AE Lock Hold.  This option is greyed out if AF-ON is set in the panel above. If one of the other options is set this decides whether AF or AE Lock or both is held by pressing the button once or by continuing to hold it down.

* Shutter AF.  Set to ON.  The camera acquires and locks focus and exposure with half press.  This is the usual way most people would expect the shutter button to operate.

* Half Press Release. When set to ON, the shutter will fire with half press of the shutter button, as soon as focus is acquired and exposure is set. I find this somewhat alarming, in that the camera fires before I am ready,  and don't quite understand why the option is provided. But hey, modern cameras have lots of options which don't make much sense to me.

* AFS/AFF.  AF Flexible Focus Mode was introduced with the G5 with selection between AFS, AFF, AFC and MF via the Q Menu. But on the GH3 Focus Mode is selected with the set and see lever around the AFL button which only allows for three positions. So you have to tell the camera here in the Custom Menu whether you want the AFS/AFF position to activate AFS or AFF.  AFF is like Ai-Focus on Canon DSLR's. It works like AFS until the subject moves then it turns itself into AFC to follow focus on the moving subject. It might even work, I don't know.  I prefer to have direct control of the Focus Mode so I set AFS. But give AFF a try, it might work just fine. Be aware that AFF disables the ability to have AF + MF. You can't have MF if the camera is liable to switch to AFC at any time.

* Quick AF. When set to ON, this has the camera continuously attempting to find focus on the active AF area, without touching the shutter button. But the active AF area is not displayed until you do half press the shutter button or the back button for  AF. This is one of those functions which some users might like, but it does use up battery power. I set it to OFF.

* Eye Sensor AF. This is another one of those "Helper" functions which some people might find are actually helpful but others might find unhelpful or even irritating.  I am one of the latter because as with many of  these helper functions I would prefer to feeel as though I am in control of the camera. It does not work in low light. Sometimes it operates even when I have it switched off.  Strange...............

* Pinpoint AF time. This will start to make sense when you have the camera in hand and experiment with Pinpoint AF Mode. In Pinpoint Mode the preview image is automatically enlarged for a short time with half press shutter button. You can chose 1.5, 1.0 or 0.5 seconds. As use of Pinpoint Mode implies a deliberative photographic process I use and recommend the Long Time, 1.5 seconds. This is the mode for focussing on a small bird in a large tree,  an insect in a flower or something like that.

* AF Assist Lamp.  AF on the GH3 is so good I just switch the assist lamp off. This avoids startling your subjects with the red ray beam.

* Direct Focus Area. If you look at a G5 you can see the 4 Way controller is home to ISO, WB, AF Mode and Drive Mode. On the GH2 it hosts ISO, WB, Fn2 and Fn3.  The GH3 has moved all these functions elsewhere. This frees up the Control Dial/4Way Controller (aka Cursor Buttons) for AF area control duty.  You can allocate [Focus Area Set] to a Fn button, so the process of changing AF area is activated by pressing that button.  Or you can save that Fn button for some other function and set [Direct Focus Area ON]. Now the process of changing AF area position and size is activated by pressing anywhere on the knurled Control Dial.  Press the up/down/left/right cursor regions on the Control Dial to move the AF area. Rotate the Control Dial, Front Dial or Rear Dial to change the size. Confirm with half press shutter button or press Menu/Set.  With the AF area active, indicated by a yellow bounding box and 4 way arrows, press the Disp Button to return the AF area to the center.

In 1-Area Autofocus Mode the AF area can be positioned anywhere on the frame. In Pinpoint and MF Modes a reduced area of the frame is available.

* Focus/Release Priority. I fail to comprehend why one would want the camera to make the shot until the subject is in focus,  so I set this to Focus Priority. It still allows plenty of not in focus frames anyway especially in AFC.

* AF+MF. This allows focus to be adjusted manually while Autofocus is active. Definitely set to ON.

* MF Assist. This is linked to the item above. It enlarges the preview image when the MF Assist method is activated. The degree of enlargement can be cycled through 4x, 5x, 10x by rotating the Rear Dial with the right thumb, while half pressing the shutter button with the right index finger, while gently turning the focus ring on the lens ( if that is the MF assist method selected)  with the fingers of the left hand.  Some practice and dexterity is required.

For dedicated M43 lenses select [Enlarge by rotating the lens focus ring/lever]

For MF lenses with no electrical contacts select [Enlarge by pressing the AF Mode/Fn3 Button]

* MF Guide. This feature brings up a horizontal analogue focus distance bar on the lower part of the preview image. There is a mountain symbol at the left end and a flower symbol at the right end. If there were proper distance markings and even better, distance plus depth of focus indications, this feature might be genuinely useful. Fuji can do it with their compact X10/ X20 cameras. As it stands there is no way for the user to preset a focus distance by scale on the Lumix cameras. Were this feature available I would find it extremely useful for aerial (set at infinity) landscape (set at the hyperfocal distance) and street ( set at a mid distance, say 5 meters) photo assignments.

* Histogram. A  Live View histogram is another one of those features which one imagines would be useful but in practice is of limited value. When set to ON it appears on the preview screen in one of the options which is cycled with the Disp Button. It can be located anywhere on the frame except the edges. There are two problems with the preview histogram. The first is that it clutters up the image preview. The second is that the GH3 has such a reliable auto exposure capability that the histogram is infrequently useful. I have it set to ON but mostly use the preview screen with no camera data overlaid on the preview image.  I can bring up the histogram along with other data on screen if desired, by cycling the Disp Button.

* Guide Line. I find this very useful as I often want to know if a vertical line in my composition will be vertical in the photo. For this I use the Type 3 style [one vertical and one horizontal line]  The lines can be set anywhere in the frame. To set them both passing through the frame center, press the Disp Button when the lines are active [yellow]. This setup is good for buildings where I want the vertical lines in the building to be vertical in the center of the resulting photo. This allows easy post capture perspective correction in Adobe Camera Raw.

* Highlight. This operates in Auto Review or Playback.  Overexposed highlights are indicated by "blinkies". These can sometimes be fully or partly  recovered from RAW files in Adobe Camera Raw. Set to ON.

* Constant Preview. When set to ON, the Preview Image brightness responds to changes in Aperture or Shutter Speed in Manual Exposure Mode. When using external flash with a separate  meter to judge exposure, set to OFF so the preview image stays the same as you alter aperture and shutter speed.

* Expo Meter.  If you like your preview screen absolutely totally cluttered up with information set this ON.   Even with it on, only two of the Disp selectable screens display it, so if you think it might be useful one day you can set it ON then make it come and go by cycling the Disp Button.

* LVF Disp.Style/Monitor Disp.Style. Both can be set to the same style, which aids seamless transition from one to the other.  You get to choose between "Monitor Style" with basic camera data overlaid on the preview image or "Viewfinder Style" with a smaller preview image but the camera data is easier to read in all conditions, being located on a black strip beneath the image. Take your pick. I find Viewfinder style much more ergonomically effective as the camera data is always clearly visible and does not impair view of the subject.

* Monitor Info.Disp.  If this is set to ON, then cycling the Disp Button [Page 72] includes the (E) screen, "On monitor Recording Information". If the touch screen is active settings can be adjusted by touching an item on the screen. It provides yet another way for users to alter camera settings. I have it OFF in an attempt to simplify camera control operations.

* Rec. Area. If set to Motion Picture the preview screen will show a 16:9 image regardless of the still photo aspect ratio being captured. 

* Remaining Disp. Can be set to indicate remaining shots for still photo or remaining time for motion picture.

* Auto Review. The camera can automatically display a review of each photo taken. The review can be set to 1-5 seconds or Hold, which holds the review until you half press the shutter button. I notice some photographers at tourist destinations habitually looking at their auto review screen. More experienced photographers accept that it is a camera and yes, it does indeed make photos. They switch Auto Review OFF. This greatly facilitates shot to shot framing and capture. You want Auto Review OFF for sport/action work with AFC.

* Fn Button Set. See Below.

* Q Menu. See Below.

* Dial Set. [Page 60] Please read Page 60 carefully. I would suggest leaving dial operation  at factory settings until you are very familiar with the camera. The factory settings provide the action and rotation which I think many photographers would expect to find on a camera like this one. You can change these, but there is nothing quite so ergonomically disorienting as a control dial that works the opposite way to that which you expected.

You can assign Aperture/Shutter Speed, Rotation Direction and Exposure Compensation.

I did try assigning exposure compensation to the rear dial directly but it kept getting bumped accidentally so I sent EC back to the top button.

The dial options are extensive but not quite as over-the-top as those available on the EM5 which allows you to configure the dials differently in each of the P,A,S and M modes.

Note that after pressing the WB, ISO or [+/-] buttons you can switch function of the Front and Rear dials by pressing the Disp. Button. This means you can decide if you prefer to make the most common adjustment with the Front or Rear dial.

* Video Button. For those of us who do not  use video, this option allows the button to be diabled so it will not be pressed in error.

* Power Zoom Lens. If you have a PZ lens, the options on Page 61 are for you.

* Eye Sensor.  The Auto setting automatically switches the preview display to the EVF when the camera is brought to the eye. Judging from the negative user feedback when the Lumix team removed this feature from the G3, it would appear most users prefer the Auto switching feature ON. But some prefer to use manual switching with the LVF/Fn5 button which is also possible. The eye sensor sensitivity can be adjusted. The LOW setting works well for me.

* Touch Settings/Touch Scroll. Lots of options here. The main one is to decide if you are going to drive the camera with the touch screen or the direct  controls. Judging from comments I read in user forums, the camera community appears to be divided on this with some saying they  love the touch screen controls while others like me, just find them an impediment to the photographic process. The GH3 lets you try both and decide for yourself.

* Menu Guide. This refers to the Scene Guide and Creative Control Modes. ON activates the Mode Menu when the Mode Dial is switched.

* Shoot W/O Lens. Set this to ON so you can operate the camera without a lens or with a lens having  no electronic contacts.

Record Menu [Pages 158-175]

* Photo Style. This only applies to JPG capture. Setttings here do not affect RAW files. You can cycle through style presets with the right cursor button, or use the down button to select then alter Contrast, Sharpness, Saturation and Noise Reduction. The selections thus made can be regisered as a Custom Style which overwrites a previous setting. Those who use JPG frequently may need to spend some time investigating the options here as individual preferences will vary.

* Aspect Ratio. The most disappointing feature of the GH3 is that it no longer has the Multi Aspect Ratio Sensor which was a key feature of the GH2 and which I used frequently. So although you can still change aspect ratio, 3:2 and 16:9 are just crops of the native 4:3 frame. For RAW capture I always use 4:3 and crop later in ACR if required. JPG shooters might get more benefit from setting other aspect ratios at capture. But do so in the Q Menu or via a Fn Button, not here in the Rec. Menu.

* Picture Size. In 4:3 AR you can set L=16Mpx, M=8Mpx or S=4Mpx. The main reason one might use anything smaller than L is to set the camera up for Ex.Tele.Conv. In still photography, M enables 1.4x and S enables 2x. (JPG only).

 * Quality. You get 5 choices here from RAW, through 2 JPG quality levels and RAW+JPG at two levels. Note the list of effects listed on Page 161 which are available with JPG but not RAW capture.

Exclusive to the Q Menu there is a feature called "Picture Setting" which is an amalgam of Picture Size and Quality.

* Metering Mode. The choices are Multiple, Center Weighted and Spot.  Probably the most useful for general photography is Multiple. Spot is the most difficult to use but could be useful in specific situations.

* Burst Rate. The details are on Page 153. Use M or L if autofocus and live preview are required on each frame.

* Auto (Exposure) Bracket. Here you enter your preferred Auto Bracketing settings. Auto Bracketing will be activated when set on the Drive Mode Dial. 

Single/Surst Settings. Single means you have to press the shutter for each of the 3, 5 or 7 frames in the sequence. Burst means that if you hold down the shutter the camera will quickly fire all frames in the sequence. Unfortunately there is no setting for Timer+AEB on the Drive Mode Dial. So a cable remote is required. I have not yet checked if the Wi-Fi system can operate AEB with Burst. AEB is compatible with E-Shutter.

Step  Gives you many choices, maybe there is some overkill here but some might find a 7 step bracket is occasionally useful.

Sequence You get another lot of choices here also.

* Self Timer. I find 2 seconds is enough to settle the camera after pressing the shutter button. 10 seconds if  the photographer wants to get in the photo. Or fire the camera with a smartphone. There is an intermediate setting which fires 3 pictures after a 10 second delay. Unfortunately I can't find any way of linking this to AEB.

Note that you can assign Auto Bracket and Self Timer to the Q Menu and/or Fn buttons but only for the setup steps as per the Rec. Menu.  There appears to be no way, at least not that I have yet found,  to fire the camera with the Timer linked to AEB.  They are separate on the Drive Mode Dial and I guess the principle is that a hard module setting cannot be over ridden by a soft selection.

* i.Dynamic.  You can select High, Standard, Low and OFF.  With JPG capture and Standard setting i.Dynamic reduces exposure by 1/3 stop from that which would normally be given, then lifts shadow brightness in camera. The result is better detail in both highlights and shadows. The penalty is a bit more noise in the dark tones. With RAW capture, i.Dynamic just reduces the exposure 1/3 stop from normal with no further processing in camera.

* i.Resolution. The Owner's Manual is vague about the claimed benefits of this feature and after testing it, so am I. With  JPG and RAW files I couldn't convince myself that photos with  i.Resolution On were different from those with i.Resolution Off.

* HDR.  Page 164. This feature is available only with  JPG capture. You can select the Dynamic Range and also select Auto Align.  Having tested this feature, I can say it works as advertised but is not, in my experience, very useful. There are several reasond for this. First, it is not available with RAW capture. Second, with RAW capture not many subjects are beyond the Dynamic Range of the GH3+Adobe Camera Raw. Third, the pictures which result from the HDR process have an un-natural, processed appearance. There is often also evidence of movement of leaves, foliage etc between one frame and the next.

* Multi Exp.  Page 165. This feature also works as advertised and may have application in special circumstances. Exposition of the feature probably requires a separate discussion.

* Time Lapse Shot.  Page 166. This feature could be useful in many applications, such as wildlife, scientific, commercial etc. Setting the Start Time, Shooting Interval and Image Count are all quite straightforward. With longer time intervals, the camera will power down between shots to save battery and will re start before the next frame as required. Some cameras with Firmware Version 1.0 had uneven time sequencing, reported to have been fixed with the 1.1 upgrade. Time Lapse is compatible with E-Shutter but not with Timer Delay. The camera adjusts exposure and focus for each frame in the sequence.

 * Electronic Shutter. 

Advantages:  No blur from shutter shock, Silent operation if beeps set to Off. [Page 46]

Disadvantages. Not compatible with flash, Max ISO 1600, Slowest shutter speed, 1 sec, Distortion with subjects moving laterally in relation to the camera, Horizontal alternating light/dark broad lines across the photo with some light sources, eg fluorescent, and possibly others.

* Shutter Delay.  This feature is new to the GH3.  It operates with the mechanical shutter as follows:

Press Shutter Button>Shutter Closes>.....Nominated Delay Occurs....Shutter Opens>....Exposure Occurs....Shutter Closes>Shutter Opens.   The delay between the first shutter closing action and the exposure allows vibrations to dissipate, reducing the likelihood of shutter shock blur using the mechanical shutter.  You can set 1-8 seconds delay. It would also be another way for the photographer to get in the photo. Shutter Delay can be used with Timer Delay if required, although there would appear to be little purpose in doing so.

Note that Shutter Delay also works with  E-Shutter. In this case the effect is to delay the exposure by the the time nominated, after pressing the shutter button.

Shutter Delay cannot be accessed via the Q Menu or a Fn Button, only via the Rec Menu. You can allocate it with a group of settings to a Custom Mode.   I would like the the Lumix Team to add Shutter Delay to the list of features which can be allocated to the Q Menu or a Fn Button.

* Flash. The GH3 has extensive options for on and off camera flash operation. One or many DMWFL360L flash units can be controlled by the inbuilt, pop up flash unit. Pages 125-132. This is properly the subject of a separate discussion. However it is desirable to set Auto Exposure Comp ON in the Flash submenu. This enables flash and non flash  exposure comp to be controlled from the +/_ button on the camera top in association with the front and rear control dials.

* Red Eye Removal. Only available in Face Detect AF Mode.

* ISO Increments. The GH2 only allows 1/3 EV  ISO increments which I found irritating every time I changed ISO on  that camera. Fortunately the GH3 allows 1 EV increments which is much faster. The camera provides 1/3 EV increments with Aperure and Shutter Speed so 1/3 steps for ISO is redundant. However for those who want it you can still set  ISO in 1/3 EV steps.

* Extended ISO. Set this to ON.  I can't think of a reason to set this option OFF. Auto ISO will still use the standard ISO setting range.

* Long Shtr NR (Long exposure noise reduction) The shutter speed at which this is triggered varies with ISO.  On my tests from ISO 125-400 it comes in at 8 seconds. At ISO 1600 it is applied to shutter speeds from 2 seconds. The only disadvantage I can see with long exposure noise reduction is that each exposure is made twice, once with the shutter open and once with it closed. This could slow proceedings substantially with very long exposures.

* Shading Comp, Page 170. This is to automatically reduce image darkening in the corners. It displays as active with both RAW and JPG capture. The extra processing work might slow down the frame rate in Burst Mode.

* Ex. Tele Conv, Page 120. This feature works well on Lumix cameras.  JPG only. For still photography, M Image size gives 1.4x zoom, S image size gives 2x zoom. My tests show that the final image quality obtained by cropping a RAW image (via ACR) then converting to JPG is the same as that achieved by original capture with  Ex. Tele Conv. Position and size of the active AF Area can be changed normally.

* Digital Zoom, Page 119. This is probably more useful with Motion Picture. Normal control of the AF Area is lost.

*  Color Space. Set this to Adobe RGB. There is no reason to set sRGB. The color space will automatically revert to sRGB when JPG capture is used.

* Stabiliser, Page 117. This is where you set Normal or Panning OIS. Otherwise set OIS on the lens for those lenses fitted with an OIS switch,  or assign OIS to the Q Menu or a Fn Button.

* Face Recog.  Page 172-175.  This is several computing steps up from Face Detect and a feature one might expect to find on surveillance equipment.

* Profile Setup. Page 176. This feature might seem more at home on a snapshot compact.

Brief summary of functional ergonomics.

Before delving into Q Menu options, it might be useful to review the four stages of camera use. These are Setup, Pepare, Capture and Review.

Setup includes the tasks one might perform at home, prior to a photography outing, and largely involves making selections in the Setup, Custom and Record Menus as detailed above. It might also involve charging batteries, formatting memory cards, cleaning equipment etc.  As far as possible, assign to the Main Menus  items which you will not need to access when out and about.

Prepare Phase generally occurs in the few minutes prior to image capture, when the photographer decides specific settings for the coming photographic task, be it landscape on tripod, sport/action high speed, or whatever.

Capture is the Phase when one is in the process of taking photos, making any necessary adjustments to primary and secondary exposure and focussing parameters along the way.

The items which might need to be adjusted in Capture Phase are the Primary Exposure [Aperture, Shutter Speed, ISO], Secondary Exposure [Exposure Compensation, White Balance], Primary Focussing [AF, MF, Zoom] and Secondary Focussing [AF area position and size] Parameters. Control of these items is best allocated to hard modules directly accessible to the right index finger, right thumb and fingers of the left hand, preferably with all adjustments being enabled without having to change grip with either hand. That is potentially a lot of adjusting in a very short time span, while also taking photos. Which is the reason good ergonomic design is crucial especially in Capture Phase. You can see that the GH3 is better designed than many other cameras in this regard.  A,SS,ISO,EC,WB, Capture are all allocated to the right index finger. [with the thumb as alternate for some of these, for those who prefer it]  AF can be initiated by the right index finger or the right thumb. MF and zoom are assigned to the fingers of the left hand. AF area position and size is controlled by the right thumb, in a somewhat less than perfect ergonomic process as the right hand grip is disrupted. The GH3 needs a JOG lever.

This leaves a group of parameters which could usefully be adjusted in Prepare Phase. Some of these are allocated with fixed function to the Set and See Dials/lever [Mode Dial, Drive Mode, Focus Mode] . Others can be assigned with user selectable function to the Q Menu and the Fn Buttons.

Q Menu,  Pages  39-41.

While the parameters which might require adjustment in Capture Phase are more or less the same for any photographer or image capture task, the same cannot be said for Prepare Phase adjustments. Here we might find individual photographers with very different ideas about the items to which which they require ready access. Therefore there are many items from the Rec, Motion Picture and Custom Menus which can be allocated to the Q Menu.

Best use of the Q Menu is gained by setting a Custom list of items. Start by setting Q Menu to Custom in Custom Menu Page 6/8.  The process is well described on Page 41 of the Manual. Up to 15 items can be set but only 5 appear at any time. 5 is therefore the optimum number of items to allocate to the Q Menu, so they are all visible on the startup screen.

I would expect that many GH3 users will need to experiment with several versions of their preferred Custom Q Menu before settling on one long term. Also it might take considerable time and experiemce with the camera to decide which items go best on the Q menu and which on a Fn Button. Note that there is an item called Picture Setting available to the Q Menu but not to any of the Main Menus. This is an amalgam of Aspect ratio and Picture Size, the displayed screen dependent on Image Quality. For what it is worth, which is not much as individual preferences will vary widely, I have Burst Rate, Ex.Tele Conv, Stabiliser and Picture Setting on the Q Menu.

Function Buttons,  Pages 42-44.

There is quite a bit of overlap between the Fn button list and the Q Menu list but there are several items not common to both. Also note there are less options for Fn4 than the other hard Fn buttons. To set up the Fn buttons go to the Custom Menu, Page 6/8 and scroll to Fn Button Set. Follow the prompts. No two individuals will select the same options here and a final selection might take quite some time to settle on. Bear in mind that the easiest Fn buttons to operate while using the camera are, in order, Fn2, Fn3, Fn4, Fn1, Fn5. Also recall that the Fn2 button is also the Q Menu button, so if you want Q Menu, that takes Fn2 out of the Fn button list.  For what it is worth, which, as for the Q Menu selections is likely not much, I have the Fn buttons allocated  thus:  Fn1>Image quality, Fn2>Q Menu, Fn3>AutoFocus Mode, Fn4>Level gauge, Fn5>E-Shutter. I have the touch screen disabled, so Fn6 and Fn7 soft tabs are not available.

Custom Menus, see Cust. Set Mem. page 115.

If you want still more customisation here it is. You can register current camera settings  to one of the 5 custom Mode positions on the Main Mode Dial [three of the settings branch off C3]  Thus you can make a group of settings for Landscape, Sport/Action, Macro or whatever you choose.  Just remember you can't allocate Drive Mode or Focus Mode settings to a Custom Mode (but you can easily see the setting in use simply by looking at the camera) and you do assign everything else to the Custom Mode. You can use the camera normally in a Custom Mode changing any parameters as desired. These changes are not remembered by the camera so if you switch the camera off or leave a Custom Mode then return to it the settings will be as you registered them in the first place.  You can, of course overwrite a custom Menu with a new group of settings.

The last Word  The Lumix GH3 provides a user interface which can be extensively configured to suit individual preference. This opportunity brings with it the necessity to make many decisions in the quest for optimal setup. This article is an attempt to help GH3 users manage the challenge.