Advanced Compacts Sony RX100-vs-Canon G12

Sony RX100 on the left, Canon G12 on the right

 

Two very different approaches to the Advanced Compact concept

Why am I testing two superseded cameras ?   Over the last few weeks my daughter has been preparing for a 1500 kilometer hike, without support and carrying a full pack including tent. This will only be possible if she utilises ultra lightweight hiking strategies.  Part of the plan has always been for her to take a compact camera to record the journey.  She had a Canon Powershot G12 but the weigh in showed that at 750 grams, the G12 with carry pouch, 2 batteries, charger and power cord was too heavy.

So the search was on for a lighter option. She wanted a small camera with USB charging to eliminate the separate charger. She wanted sufficiently high picture quality to support  the production of a coffee table style large format book with full bleed  images of  places and people encountered on the journey. An impossible quest ?  Maybe not.

Canon G12 on the left, Sony RX100 on the right

Enter The Super Mini Camera: Sony RX100   Actually our research led us to the RX100 Mk 2, but we were unable to find one for sale in Sydney so had to settle for the original RX100 of which one was available at the time of our search. In fact the original RX100 is 2 mm thinner and 41 grams lighter than the Mk2, which for most users will not be an issue but for the ultralight hiker every gram and millimeter counts.

The RX100 with spare battery, carry pouch, charger and power cord, weighed in at 345 grams, less than half the weight of the G12 kit and saving 405 grams.

I had a chance to test the RX100  together with the G12 before the RX100 went on it's long walkabout.

Shop G12

Shop RX100. Apart from the different aspect ratio and color balance there is not much difference between the two renditions of this subject. Were we to go indoors however the balance would shift very strongly in favour of the Sony.

General description and market position  Each of these cameras is aimed at the user who wants high image quality in a compact package and is prepared to pay for it. Canon and Sony have approached the design brief in a very different way.

Sony has squeezed a large (by compact camera standards) sensor, good but not quite excellent quality zoom lens and workable user interface into a very small package. The Canon uses a much smaller sensor in a considerably larger body. The Canon lens has a greater zoom range and better optical quality. The Canon is easier to hold with a more comprehensive  interface suitable for the expert user.

Model	Width mm	Height mm	Depth mm	Box Vol cc**	Mass with batt	Lens DAV* degrees	Lens fstop	Zoom	Sensor size, diag mm, area squ mm	M-Pixels total, effec-tive
Sony RX100	102	58	36	213	240	75-24	1.8-4.9	3.6x	13.2x8.8  15.9 116	20.9 20
Canon G12	112	76	48	409	395	75-17	2.8-4.5	5x	5.6x7.5  9.4 42	10.4 10

 ** Box Volume = WxHxD, the volume of the box required to contain the powered down camera.

* DAV= Diagonal Angle of View

On the left, Sony RX100 with pouch. Center, Canon G12 with carry pouch. On the right Panasonic Lumix GH3 with Lumix 12-35mm f2.8 lens and shoulder bag.

 

Picture Quality 

Sharpness/resolution  With twice as many pixels you might expect this would be a walkover for the Sony.  But in my tests of real world subjects I found that the Canon sometimes  delivered slightly better resolution with better rendition of fine textural details. The Sony lens was a bit soft at the edges and in the corners, especially at the long end. The Canon lens delivered very good resolution into the corners at all focal lengths and apertures.

Exposure  The Sony consistently gave a little and sometimes a lot  less exposure to matched scenes. This enabled the Sony to protect highlights from blowing out although in some shots the mid tones were rather dark.

Dynamic Range  The Sony had the edge here, although not by a huge margin.

Color  Both camera reproduced colors well but with a typically different color balance.

Noise/Grain  The Sony was far ahead here. Canon photos at ISO 800 had about the same noise levels as those from the Sony at ISO 3200, a two stop advantage to the Sony.

Chromatic Aberration Both the RX100 and G12 produced liberal amounts of CA at high contrast margins. This often persisted in the JPG's.

DXO Mark scores  (dxomark.com)

Camera/DXO Score	Color depth	Dynamic Range	Low Light ISO	Sensor Overall	Lens ** P-Mpx	Lens* Overall
RX100	22.6	12.4	390	66	6	12
G12	20.4	11.2	161	47	N/T	N/T

 * DXO Mark tested the RX100 Mark 2 lens, which I believe is the same one as used in the original RX100.

** Please go to dxomark.com for an explanation of their concept of Perceptual Megapixels.

No DXO Mark test is available for the G12 lens.

You can see the Sony sensor is well ahead of the Canon on DXO Mark points. Real world testing gives results generally consistent with the DXO Mark score.

Note the DXO Mark score of only 6 Perceptual Megapixels for the Sony lens. This indicates that although the sensor has 20 Mpx, the lens is only resolving 6 of them. This also is consistent with my real world findings.

Casuarina, Canon G12

Casuarina, Sony RX100

 

Performance Overall the Sony is the more responsive camera. It acquires autofocus faster. The procedure for moving position of the focus area is a little better implemented. Shot to shot times are faster.

Auto ISO is better implemented in the Sony, which in P Mode and Auto ISO  reliably selects an appropriate aperture, shutter speed and ISO for the conditions.    Auto ISO in the G12 is frustrating. The camera often sets ISO too high or low for the conditions. I found myself using manual ISO all the time with the Canon to prevent inappropriate settings such as ISO 800 in bright sun. 

Ergonomics

Holding  You can get a reasonable hold on the Canon. Not so the Sony which is so small that one clings a little precariously to the edges of the thing. The wrist strap is a must.

Viewing  The Canon has a fully articulating monitor which I find very useful and an optical viewfinder which I find very much less useful as it shows only 77% linear field of view, has no camera data readout and is affected by parallax error and intrusion of the lens into the field of view.

On the Sony all you get is a fixed monitor. Fortunately it's a good one, reasonably easy to see in sunlight which the Canon's is not. In addition camera data is located in a strip below the preview image in the Sony but the same data is overlaid on the preview image of the Canon and therefore frequently impossible to read. Overall the Sony provides the best viewing experience.

Operating  The Canon is festooned with dials and buttons just like the expert's tool which it is designed to be. The user interface generally works well with no major problems apart from the Auto ISO. The Sony has a more spartan interface, there not being sufficient real estate available for anything more. I would not describe the Sony as enjoyable to use, rather it is utilitarian. It was designed to meet certain objectives and it does. Its' control modules are small and cramped but carry out their duties efficiently.

Comparison with Panasonic Lumix G6  I happened to have a Lumix G6 available at the time of testing, fitted with a Lumix 14-45mm lens. I made quite a few matched shots of the same subject with the G12, RX100 and Lumix G6. The RX100 has a higher DXO Mark score (66) than the G6 (61). I wondered how the two would compare in real world conditions, outside a test laboratory. In brief, the G6 delivered better picture quality, performance, holding, viewing and operating in all conditions.  G6 high ISO noise levels were about one stop lower than the RX100. The G6 /14-45mm delivered clearly better resolution/sharpness with all subjects in all conditions.  I am just making the point that DXO Mark scores describe the performance of some aspects of a camera in prescribed and controlled conditions. Real world results may, and in my experience often do, reveal a different picture (pun intended).

Summary   With the RX100, Sony has shown the other camera makers what can be done and in the process may have revitalised consumer interest in the compact camera category which seemed in danger of vanishing under the onslaught of smart phone cams.

I would say the RX100 is both a category killer product and also creator of a new category; namely very small body, large(ish) sensor, general purpose zoom lens, high picture quality.  I suspect most people will find it a much more versatile photographic tool than some of the recent release compacts which have an even larger, 28mm diameter,  sensor but a single focal length, wide angle lens.

It needs a better lens to match the sensor's pixel count and I wonder if it might be possible to improve ergonomics within the existing envelope of dimensions. I will make some mockups and experiment with this.

I think Sony could expand the RX100 franchise to include a modestly larger version with a better lens having more reach and wider aperture at the long end, a small built in handle and an EVF.

The G12 is not disgraced even though it is now two generations old. It continues to make very nice photos in all but dim indoor conditions.

The just released G16 provides a partial answer to the RX100 challenge. It is smaller and lighter than the G12, with a wide aperture f1.8-2.8 lens. But it loses the articulated monitor and retains that horrible old optical viewfinder. If the Canon G cams are going to stay with a fixed monitor they desperately need an EVF, like the Nikon P7800, or even better,  like the swing up one on the Panasonic Lumix GX7.

Setting Up the Lumix G6 Camera, Part 2, Q Menu and Fn Buttons

Lumix G6 with 14-140mm lens

 

Basic ergonomic concepts  For someone who has never encountered a recent model Lumix G camera, the task of allocating user selected functions to the Q Menu and Function Buttons might appear daunting.  There are 60 million possible combinations of Fn functions alone. The secret to managing this complexity is a good understanding of camera ergonomics.

Phases of camera operation  I find it useful to consider using a camera in four phases. These are:

Setup Phase  This covers the process of selecting preferences from the main menus, getting the camera ready to take out for photography. Setup is managed at leisure with no time constraints. Items for this phase can stay in a main menu. The user does not expect to require access to them while out and about.

Prepare Phase  This is the period of a few minutes or so prior to capture, in which the user configures the camera for the current photographic subject and task. Items which require adjustment in this phase are ideally located in the Q Menu.

Capture Phase   Now the user is in the process of making photos. Adjustments to be made in this phase must happen immediately without disrupting the user's grip on the camera or the flow of the capture process. Control modules ideal for this phase are the rear dial, front lever, Fn buttons and Cursor (4 way) buttons.

There is a hierarchy of control modules rated by their physical location on the camera. Those easily reached by the right index finger or thumb without disrupting grip have top place in the hierarchy. You would allocate tasks requiring maximum speed and efficiency in Capture Phase to those control modules.

Review Phase  This is self explanatory. Actions required in Review Phase are usually non urgent. Control modules can be positioned in relatively low access positions on the camera. I note  however that some photographers like to review every photo they make so for these users ready access to review controls is desirable. Note that Panasonic locates the Playback button in a high priority position on the G5/6 but in a low priority position (to the left of the EVF) on the GH3, indicating an expectation of a different (more experienced, less inclined to chimping) user profile for the GH3.

G6 Rear showing Fn buttons

 

Direct Focus Area  Your decision about this is the key to figuring what functions  need to be allocated to the Q menu and Fn Buttons.

Some preliminary explanation: One of the most useful features of a good mirrorless interchangeable lens camera [MILC] is the ability to position the active AF area anywhere in the frame and to control it's size. Lumix cameras allow anything from large size to pinpoint. On the G6 the active AF area is moved around the frame with the Cursor Keys (4 way controller). Size is controlled with the Rear Dial. Pinpoint is a separate Autofocus Mode. Active AF Area is returned to center by pressing the Disp Button when the AF Area square is yellow with bounding arrows.

Controlling position/size of the AF area is a Capture Phase action, which means it needs to be carried out quickly and efficiently without disruption to  holding, viewing or operating.

If you come from a SLR/DSLR background as many M43 users do, you might have become accustomed to using the "focus (with the central AF point) and  recompose" technique. This works but has several disadvantages. If  half press shutter is used to AF then exposure is usually also locked, which might not be desirable; the focussed distance may be slightly incorrect if a wide angle lens is used close up and if you are making many photos of, say, an off center subject and focussing on the face,  repeatedly focussing and recomposing is a nuisance.

The MILC solution to this is the ability to move the AF area to any position in the frame, retaining fast accurate AF in any position.

In the Custom Menu, Page 2/8 you will find an item labelled Direct Focus Area.  By default this is OFF.  In this case the process of starting to move the AF area is allocated to (any) one of the Fn buttons. Press the button, the AF square goes yellow with bounding arrows then you press the cursor keys to move the AF Area. Default functions for the Cursor Keys are retained (ISO,  WB, AF Mode, Drive Mode).

If you set Direct Focus Area ON,  the AF area goes yellow and moves immediately if you press any of the Cursor Keys. The advantage of this is that one button push is eliminated from the sequence. The disadvantage is that you lose the four default Cursor Key functions, which therefore  have to be allocated to the Q Menu and/or Fn button(s).

G6 Rear showing Q Menu active, Quality parameter displayed

Q Menu Customise screen

Q Menu  [Page 50-51]  You can easily customise this to personal preference. Go to the Custom Menu, Page 6/8. Find [Q Menu] and set to [Custom].  Q menu can store up to 15 items, but only 5 are visible at once. Therefore the optimum number of functions for the Q menu is 5. The Manual describes how to do this using the touch screen but I find the process easier using the Cursor Keys.

On pages 50 and 51 of the Manual you will find a list of 28 items which can be allocated to the Q menu. I suggest you read the list thoughtfully then highlight those items you think you might like to adjust in the Prepare Phase of camera work. Each individual will have a different idea about this and each person's list will almost certainly change with experience.

That's fine, the camera allows you to change your user interface at will.

Sample selections in Q Menu options list

 

Function Buttons  [Page 53]  Now look at the list on Page 53 and highlight which of the 38 items you think you might want to change in Capture Phase. Note the list includes [Q Menu] which means you can allocate activation of the Q Menu to any Fn Button and use [Fn1] for some function other than Q Menu. Why would you do that ?   Keep reading........

Sample selections in Fn button options list

 

The Reasoning Process  I will now describe the process of reasoning which led me to the settings which I use on my G6. This is based on setting the Cursor Keys to Direct Focus Area.

Your preferences and requirements will be different of course, but I have no idea what they may be. However if you follow the ergonomic reasoning process you should arrive at a configuration which suits your needs.

Actions required in Capture Phase  Capture Phase actions have the highest priority so they come first in the planning sequence. Individuals have their own ideas which could change over time.  The things I want to adjust in Capture Phase are the primary and secondary exposure and focussing parameters. These are:

Exposure: Primary;  Aperture, Shutter Speed, ISO.   Secondary;  Exposure Compensation. I  don't need to adjust white balance as I routinely use RAW capture and adjust WB as required in Adobe Camera Raw. But JPG shooters will most likely want to control WB, so will want this on the Q Menu or a Fn button.

Aperture and Shutter Speed are adjusted with the Rear Dial, depending on P,A,S,M Mode.  I have the Function Lever set to adjust Exposure Compensation.

Focus:  Primary; Start/Lock AF.  Secondary;  Change position/size of AF area, MF adjust.

I like to have the choice to start AF with half press shutter button or back button.   So I have the AEL/AFL button set to AF-ON.  Manual Focus touch up is always available by rotating the lens focus ring if AF+MF is set ON in the Custom Menu.

I prefer to change the position of the AF area instead of focus and recompose so I have Direct Focus  Area  set to ON in the Custom Menu. This means a place has to be found for ISO, Drive Mode and AF mode which are no longer on the Cursor Keys.

ISO is a primary exposure parameter used in Capture Phase so I send it to the Fn1 button, which is in a high priority location.   This means bumping the Q Menu elsewhere so it goes down to the Fn3 button. The logic of this is that Q Menu adjustments occur in Prepare Phase so can go to a low priority location on the camera.

Function Buttons  So now we see most of the Fn button tasks have been allocated. Here is the full list:

Fn1: ISO

Fn2: AF-ON

Fn3: Q Menu

Fn4: Level Gauge.    I often like to be able to access this quickly without having to scroll through the Disp screens.

Fn5: E-Shutter.   I use this most of the time in general photography but need to be able to quickly switch to the mechanical shutter when the situation requires, for instance:  ISO >1600, Shutter Speed<1 sec, Flash, Fluorescent light or sport/action.

Q Menu  On the Q menu I have just 5 items so I can see them all on one screen. They all lead to Prepare Phase adjustments:

Stabiliser, AF Mode, Quality, Focus Mode, Drive Mode.

Summary  That's it, all done. Your preferences will differ but I hope this exposition of a process of ergonomic reasoning will be helpful for any user wanting guidance in setting up a Lumix G6 camera. By the way, the G5 and GX7 work very much the same way and will benefit from the same reasoning process.

 

 

 

Setting Up the Lumix G6 Camera, Part 1, Menus

 

Part 1, Main Menus: Setup, Custom, Recording

 

Introduction  Current model Panasonic Lumix G Micro Four Thirds cameras, including the G6,  have a very sophisticated user interface.  With all menu and Fn buttons at default settings and the [iA] button active, they operate as high functioning point and shoot cameras, suitable for beginners or snapshooters. With one of the P,A,S,M modes engaged they become highly configurable. This means the user interface can be tailored to the preference of each individual user. This is a wonderful thing but the ability to allocate user preferred functions to camera control modules requires considerable understanding by the user as to how best to select from the many options available.

This two part article is an attempt to help G6 users grapple with the task.

Declaration about touch screen operation  I never use touch screen operation on a camera and have posted my reasons for this here. Many of the instructions in the Owners Manual refer to touch screen operation but all actions can be done with the hard controls. For this two part article on setting up the G6 I will assume direct control of all actions in all phases of use, using the buttons and  dials. If you prefer to use touch screen operation that's fine,  the Menu, Q Menu and Fn buttons all perform the same tasks. In fact you get two extra Fn (soft, on screen) buttons.

Likes and Preferences over time  On many cameras even today,  the function of all camera control modules is set by the manufacturer. Some offer user selectable tasking for one button.  On the G6, Panasonic offers  user tasking for 9 control modules. This requires a decision process as to  how best to exercise that choice. With experience it is highly likely that those choices will change over time.

Prescription-vs-Dialectic  Each individual will have a different idea about their preferred way of interacting with a camera's controls. So the content of this two part article will be dialectical in nature, designed to help the reader make his or her own choices.

Main Menus  I exhort the reader to download and print the entire 355 page Owners Manual from any Panasonic website. Panasonic's camera manuals have been improving over the last few years. The G6 Manual is very long and packed with information like a textbook. But it is reasonably well organised, well written and comprehensive.   I sometimes read reports by gung-ho camera reviewers that they managed to figure out how to use a new camera without reading the Manual, as if it were some kind of macho status symbol to do so. However I defy anybody to fully comprehend all the functions of the G6 without reading the Manual.

Page numbers in square brackets refer to the Owner's Manual.

Setup Menu [P 328-329]  Most of the items are well described in the Manual, but I make just a few comments about some.

Monitor/Viewfinder Display  If you look at the Monitor, that will be adjusted. To adjust the EVF, look through it while making adjustments. Monitor and EVF are adjustable for brightness, contrast/saturation and color balance. Increasing contrast also increases saturation. Each individual will have different color perception and preference for contrast/brightness. My own experience is that it takes me several weeks of experiment with these adjustments until they are to my satisfaction.

Menu Resume  I always set this On, so the highlighted item in each Menu will be the one I last used. This speeds up access to the most commonly used item. Unfortunately the G6 lacks a [My Menu] however the very good Q Menu largely supplants the function of a My Menu on other cameras.

Custom Menu [P 326-328]   I make no comment about items which I think are well described in the Manual. I state my own preference with reasons in several places. Your own practice may differ.

Cust.Set.Mem.  The procedure for allocating a Custom Setting to one of the C1,C2  positions on the Mode Dial is well described from page 129 in the Manual. If you move the dial to C2 a submenu can be displayed giving C2-1, C2-2, C2-3. Be aware that a Custom Mode locks in all the menu, button, lever and Mode Dial settings in place at the time the Custom Mode is set.

AF/AE Lock  You might want to experiment with this one. There are 4 options, AE Lock, AF Lock, AE+AF Lock and AF-ON. Your choice will depend on the way you expect a camera to operate. I set AF-ON. This enables back button focussing like a high end DSLR. In AFS  focus is acquired and locked separately from AE. In AFC pressing the button starts and continues AFC. You can set focus running with the back button then fire the shutter with the shutter release button when you are ready.

Shutter AF  The default and standard practice is to set this ON. You might conceivably set this OFF if the AEL/AFL button is set to AF-ON. Then you would have AF only on the AEL/AFL button. I like to have the option to activate AF with either button.

Quick AF and Eye Sensor AF  These are both settings designed to bring the image into focus before you press the shutter button. Some people may find this to their liking. Others might like to feel more in control of when and where the camera finds focus.

Pinpoint AF time  I suggest you experiment with this. The best time would depend on what type of subject you prefer. For instance "small bird in tree" would suggest a brief time so the photo can be made before said bird flies away.

AF Assist Lamp    Low light AF in the G6 and other recent Lumix G cameras is so good that the AF assist light is really not needed. In addition it is very distracting for live subjects. I leave it OFF.

Direct Focus Area  You need to exercise considerable thought about this feature and will possibly change the setting after gaining experience with the camera. Note that the G6 and some other Lumix cameras have a feature called "Touch Pad". This is a method of changing position of the AF Area by touch screen control while viewing through the EVF. You have to insert a thumb or finger between the face/nose and screen. I tried this and found it unworkable. Other reviewers have reported more positively about the feature. Give it a try.

Back to the hard controls, you can use the Cursor Buttons (a.k.a. 4 Way Controller) for either Direct Focus Area or the default functions (ISO, WB, Drive Mode, AF Mode) It is either/or, not both. I will discuss the implications of this in Part 2 of this article, allocating tasks to the Fn buttons.

This is the most important decision which needs to be made in configuring the camera to personal preference.

AF+MF  When set to ON this allows direct manual focus by rotating the focus ring on the lens while AF is active. It is a very useful pro style feature especially in situations where the AF system might have trouble reading your mind. I always set it ON.

MF Assist  This sets the method by which the preview image is enlarged during MF assist. The options are Focus Ring, Left key of the 4 Way controller or both or none. The natural option seems to me to be the focus ring which works well. The amount of zoom  is controlled with the rear dial. Managing  shutter half press, focus ring and rear dial together requires some dexterity and practice. If Direct Focus Area is ON the left key option is not available.

MF Guide  When ON, this displays an analogue bar with mountain symbol at one end and flower symbol at the other. It is useful for prompting the user which way to turn the focus ring. It would be a lot more useful if a focus distance could be preset manually by scale.

Peaking  The G6 is the first Lumix M43 camera with peaking. I rate it genuinely useful so have this set to ON.

Histogram Here you set the histogram on or off. Cycle through display options with the Disp button to make it appear on screen or not. I have found the G6 and other Lumix cameras are programmed to select an exposure which reliably protects highlights so I have Histogram OFF. However other users say they value the feature for fine exposure control.

Guideline You get a choice of none or three types of guideline/grid. I find the simplest single vertical/single horizontal line the best, with both lines running through the frame center. This is very useful for making sure vertical lines in the subject are vertical in the frame center.

Highlight  When ON, this activates the "blinkies" on overexposed highlights when seen in image review. It is definitely useful.

Expo.Meter  When ON, this clutters up image preview with a shutter speed/aperture relationship display. The idea seems to be to provide a graphical representation of the change in aperture which accompanies a change in shutter speed or vice versa. It might have some value as a learning tool.

LVF Disp.Style/Monitor Disp.Style  You can set both the EVF and Monitor to Viewfinder Style, with principal camera data displayed on a black strip below the image preview, or Monitor Style, with the data overlaid on the lower part of the image preview.  I have a strong preference for Viewfinder Style as the camera data are always easy to read in any conditions of subject or light. but others may prefer the Monitor Style. Either way you have the option to set both up to have the same appearance for a seamless transition from eye level viewing to monitor viewing.

Auto Review Beginners and snapshooters seem to like to review their images just after capture, thereby confirming, I suppose, that yes it is a camera and yes, it made a picture. But auto review slows down the shot to shot rate so more experienced photographers switch it off.

Fn Button Set  See Part 2 of this article.

Function Lever  This determines the function of the lever behind the shutter button. You have Auto, Zoom or Exp. The idea is that with a power zoom lens mounted you can zoom with this lever, so you don't have to find the zoom lever on the lens. With most lenses the Function Lever can be set to adjust exposure compensation directly. A bit too directly sometimes as the lever is fairly easy to bump accidentally.

Q Menu See Part 2.

iA Button Switch  Set to operate by short press or long press. The long press prevents it from being bumped accidentally.

Eye Sensor  Set this to Auto ON, sensitivity Low.

Self timer Auto Off  Some cameras auto cancel self timer after every shot, which can be really irritating. The G6  allows you to set self timer auto off at camera shutdown or retain self timer ON even when the camera is switched off.

Shoot W/O Lens  I always set this ON so I can check shutter operation without a lens mounted.

Recording [Rec] Menu [P 322-324]  Several of the options in the Rec. Menu are items which you will want to allocate to a Fn button or the Q Menu. If so, the items  remain available in the Rec. menu. If an item is changed in, say the Q Menu, that change will also appear in the Main Menu.

Photo Style  This applies to JPG images. So if you want to shoot JPGs and have them just as you like straight out of the camera, this is the place to experiment with the many options available.

Aspect Ratio  The G6 has the same basic sensor as the GH2 but without the multi aspect ratio capability. So any aspect ratio other than 4:3 is a crop, with less than 16 Mpx.

Picture Size  There may be occasion for using less than the full 16 Mpx, perhaps if if the image(s) are destined for the internet. But you can always dowsize a 16 Mpx image. The reverse is not possible.

Quality This is where you select RAW/JPG or RAW + JPG and the compression level for JPGs. This is one for the Q Menu.

Focus Mode  Here you select from AF single, AF continuous or an Auto style, AFF Mode, or Manual Focus. This is one for a Fn button or the Q Menu.

 Metering Mode  Select from Multiple, Center Weighted or Spot. Multiple is very reliable and recommended for all general photography. You would want a specific reason to use one of the other Modes. I select Multiple and leave it that way all the time.

Burst Rate  [P 179] Here you select which rate will be used when Burst is selected in the Drive Mode. There are 4 options. Note that the frames per second rates given by Panasonic are for guidance. The actual rate is dependent on the lens and subject/light level.

SH, super high (40fps) is JPG only, no live view (image preview in the EVF or monitor is only available for the first shot of the sequence) AF only on the first frame, focus is locked for the remainder of frames of the sequence.

H, High (7fps) RAW is enabled, AF and live view on each frame are not possible.

M, Medium (4fps) At this speed RAW, Live View and AFC are enabled on every frame. This is the most useful setting for photographing subjects moving towards or away from the camera.

L, Low (2fps) This works like M but slower. It is quite useful for slowly moving subjects.

Auto Bracket  Here you preset the auto bracketing sequence which will operate  when the Drive Mode is set to auto  bracketing. There are several options to navigate.

Single/Burst. Single means you have to press the shutter release button for each shot in the sequence separately. I can't think of a reason you would want to do this, but there it is.

Burst means the camera will quickly make all the shots in the pre set sequence with one long press of the shutter release button. Unfortunately the camera does not have the option to make the whole sequence with one short press of the shutter. Neither does it allow AEB to be linked with the Timer Delay. AEB and Timer are either/or options on the Drive Mode. I personally find this disappointing  because it means you have to find some means to drive the camera remotely or risk camera shake and/or misalignment of the frames when using AEB. The camera can be driven via smart phone and Wi-Fi or wired cable release.

Step allows 3, 5 or 7 shots with 1/3, 2/3 or 1 stop increments. Lots of choice here.

Sequence allows you to set under/normal/over or normal/under/over.

Self Timer  This is the place to pre set self timer options. Switching the self timer on or off is done via the Drive Mode. There are three options:

Single picture after 10 seconds delay.

Three pictures at 2 second interval after 10 seconds delay. This is the one for including yourself in the  family/work group annual photo.

One picture after 2 seconds delay. This is the usual choice with camera on tripod when you don't have or don't want to use remote control.

iDynamic/iResolution  These are options for JPG shooting. iDynamic tries to increase dynamic range by underexposing slightly then applying a tone correction curve to the dark and mid tones. On my tests it works and provides a small benefit. I also tested iResolution and could not convince myself it achieved anything that I could determine.

HDR  [P 192] Another JPG only function. If you want to use HDR it can be allocated to the Q Menu so you don't have to trawl through the Rec. Menu to find it. The camera should be on a tripod for this. HDR can be combined with Timer Delay for hands off shutter activation.

Set allows you to choose the number of exposure steps between each of the three exposures.

On/Off are self explanatory.

When the shutter button is pressed the camera makes three exposures in quick succession and combines them in camera  for greater highlight and shadow detail than would be possible with one exposure. It works.

Multi Exp.  [P 193-194] I have to confess that despite fiddling around with this option for a while I still don't quite grasp how it works. The idea is to combine several exposures into one composite image. The procedure appears to do this and maybe someone can discover a purpose in doing so.

Time Lapse Shot  [P 195] This does work and I can see how it could be useful in several situations. I got the function working if the first photo of the sequence is set for Now, but failed to work out how to set the first shot of the sequence to be made some time after setting the process into action. You might want to experiment with this.

Panorama Settings  I experimented with the in camera auto panorama function on this camera and found it wanting. In particular the final image often contained double imaging indicating inaccurate merging. I think Panasonic needs to do some more R&D on this feature. Other manufacturers manage to get it right.

Electronic Shutter  This is a very useful and important feature on recent Lumix M43 cameras. The E-Shutter eliminates Shutter Shock, about  which I have written in detail elsewhere on this blog. It also allows silent operation if beeps and E-Shutter sounds are switched off in the Setup Menu. E-Shutter is one to allocate to a Fn button for ready access.

Flash [P 139-148] (Not available with E-Shutter) The built in unit is very useful for filling shadows of backlit subjects or providing a small boost to low available light. The built in flash can also be used as a wireless commander for up to three off camera units (FL-360L) The Manual provides extensive detailed instructions for use.

ISO Limit Set  I generally just set 12,800 as the limit and let the camera do it's thing. The limit is 1600 with E-Shutter.

ISO increments  Apertures and shutter speeds are adjusted by 1/3 stop increments so it seems to me there is little point in making 1/3 stop increments for the ISO as well. Just having whole stop increments for ISO makes selection much faster.

Extended ISO  This allows ISO to be set up to 25,600, which could be useful for small output sizes in extreme low light.

Long Shutter Noise Reduction  This applies noise reduction to exposures of 2 seconds or more. It is probably worth setting ON although doing so doubles processing time for each exposure.

Shading Comp.  This reduces, but may not eliminate, corner shading with RAW or JPG files. It requires the camera to perform extra processing on every image so it might slow shot to shot times and continuous frame rates.

Ex.Tele.Conv and Digital Zoom   [P 134-137] These are JPG only Lumix features which provide two different approaches to digital zoom. They can be used with still photo or motion picture. It appears to me that perhaps Ex.Tele.Conv is better for still photo because it gives you full functional control of the AF area size and position.  You might imagine that Digital Zoom would provide better image quality as it produces 16 Mpx files while those from Ex.Tele.Conv are only 8 or 4 Mpx. I investigated this and found that at the same effective crop amount and  after bringing all three to the same output image size, I found no difference in quality between Ex.Tele.Conv, Digital Zoom and Cropped RAW files converted to JPG. So there is no free lunch. If you regularly shoot RAW, do that and crop later. If you want finished JPG files out of the camera try Ex.Tele.Conv for stills and Digital Zoom or Ex.Tele.Conv for motion picture.

Color Space  Set this to Adobe RGB always, as you need Adobe RGB for RAW capture. If you use JPG capture the camera will automatically revert to sRGB for the JPG shots. I assume there is some reason the choice is provided but I can't think what that might be.

Stabiliser Some lenses have an OIS  On/Off  control on the lens barrel. With one of those lenses mounted this portal selects from Normal or Panning type OIS.  With a kit type lens mounted,  an On/Off option appears in the menu selection. This menu item should be allocated to the Q Menu for ready access.

Face Recog  This is spook/spyware stuff.  Beyond face detection we have face recognition. I haven't tried it. I perhaps naïvely imagine I might do a better job than the camera at detecting a specific person's face.

Next: Q Menu and Fn Buttons in Part 2 of this guide to setting up the Lumix G6.