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| Perth Western Australia. GH4, 14-140mm, light tripod, Shutter Delay. |
Note that many items from the Rec menu can usefully be assigned to the Q Menu or a Fn button for quick access without having to enter the Main Menu.
Photo Style This applies to JPG images. Adjustments here will not affect RAW files. There are, as usual with a recent Panasonic camera many options.
You can select Standard, Vivid, Natural, Monochrome, etc. The list is on Page 140 of the Manual. OR
You can adjust each image characteristic separately. These are Contrast, Sharpness, Noise Reduction, Saturation and Hue.
My practice when shooting JPGs which I sometimes do especially for sport/action using Burst Mode is to stay with either the default which is Standard, or Natural which is very similar.
Aspect Ratio The GH1 and GH2 (and some other Panasonic cameras) had a multi aspect ratio sensor which was larger than standard size so the image could be configured to 4:3, 3:2 or 16:9 each with the same diagonal angle of view and closely similar pixel count.
Unfortunately current model M43 sensors lack this feature. The native aspect ratio is 4:3, anything else is just a crop. So I always use 4:3 and crop later in Photoshop as required.
Picture Size, Quality Picture Size refers to the number of pixels used at the point of capture. Quality refers to the level of file compression applied.
If the Quality setting (just below Picture Size) is RAW or RAW + JPG then Picture Size is set at 16 Mpx. If the Quality setting is one of the JPGs, Picture Size can be set to 16, 8 or 4 Mpx.
You are paying a lot of money for this camera so I see little point in recording at anything less than 16 Mpx and RAW or best quality JPG.
AFS/AFF The Focus mode lever around the AF/AE Lock button has space for only 3 positions but there are 4 Focus Modes. So you have to decide whether to assign AFS or AFF to the first position. AFS is straightforward AF single. AFF is one of those "helpful" settings which works like AFS for still subjects but if subject movement is detected transforms itself into a version of AFC. Supposedly. However when I read complaints about focus problems on Panasonic user forums they often involve the AFF setting.
So I select AFS here. That puts me not the camera in charge of deciding which Focus Mode I will use.
Metering Mode There are three options, Multiple, Center Weighted or Spot. The easiest to use and the most reliable in a wide variety of situations is Multiple, which can be regarded as an advanced form of centerweighted. Some pro photographers prefer centerweighted possibly as a result of long familiarity. Some beginners and enthusiasts get themselves in a mess trying to use Spot.
I use Multiple. It's not perfect and exposure compensation is sometimes required but it delivers a good result most of the time.
Burst Rate This refers to the number of frames per second which can be recorded, subject to the buffer filling. The option set in the menu here will be applied when the Drive Mode Dial top left on the camera is set to the continuous position (second position). See Page 113 of the Menu.
SH Super High, 40 fps. JPG only, no live view, AF on the first frame only. E-Shutter. This is a check your golf swing setting except the club handle will distort severely due to the rolling shutter effect of the E-Shutter.
H High, with AFS, 12 fps, focus on the first frame only, no live view on each frame. The mechanical shutter is enabled. This could be useful to record action at a fixed location with the framing and focus pre set. Tennis swing ?
H with AFC gives 7 fps but still no live view on each frame so I see little point to this setting.
M Medium, also gives 7 fps although this is lens dependent. The 12-35, 35-100 and 14-140mm lenses do and the 100-300mm lens does not give the full 7fps. The benefit of M is that you get live view and AF on every frame. This is the most useful setting for sport/action/wildlife/bird etc photos. I set M.
L Low gives 2 fps also with AF and live view on every frame and would be very useful for slow action.
Auto Bracket See Page 116 of the Manual. The setting you make here will be implemented when the Drive Mode Dial is moved to AEB (third position) There are 3 submenus.
* Single/Burst settings. Single means you have to activate the shutter for each exposure of the sequence separately. Burst means you hold down the shutter button or cable release button while all the exposures are made.
* Step. You get lots of choice, from 3 shots at 1/3 step intervals to 7 shots at 1 step intervals.
I use 5 shots at 1 step intervals but if it was available I would use 3 shots at 2 stop intervals.
* Sequence. You get -/0/+, which makes the most sense to me, or 0/-/+ if desired.
And Still there is no facility to combine Timer Delay with AEB. Come on Panasonic, it's just another position on the Drive Mode Dial. If this was available it would remove the present requirement to use a wired remote or smartphone to trigger the shutter release.
Self Timer Page 118 of the Manual. The setting made here will be implemented when the Drive Mode Dial is set to Timer (4th position). There are three options
* 10 seconds, 1 shot
* 10 seconds, 3 shots
* 2 Seconds 1 shot
The 10 second settings are generally used so the photographer can join the tour group photo. The 2 second setting is used to prevent camera shake on a tripod without having to use a remote trigger of some kind.
Time Lapse/Animation Page 120-124 of the Manual. After making settings in the menu here the time lapse function is accessed on the Drive mode dial (last position). The description in the manual is quite lengthy so I won't try to summarise it here.
In this menu the submenu options are Mode (Time Lapse Shot or Stop Motion Animation), Start Time, Shooting Interval and Image Count.
I don't have useful experience with this feature and there have been several complaints about it on user forums, possibly because it's implementation is quite complex. I have not yet succeeded in making it work properly.
Now we come to a list of enhancement functions applicable to JPG images: I am not quite sure what these are doing on a pro standard camera but I guess they form part of Panasonic's determination to include absolutely every conceivable option in the GH4. I find these "helpful" features confusing and exhausting so I don't use them routinely but have tried them all in the process of learning about the camera.
There is some confusion, in my mind anyway, about the requirement for JPG capture with these functions. Some, such as iHDR and HDR are only selectable if capture quality is set to JPG. Others like iDynamic and iResolution can be selected if RAW quality is set but only work properly with JPGs. Some can be set in the PASM Modes others only in iA Mode.
Highlight/Shadow Page 142 in the Manual. This reprises a function which first appeared on Olympus M43 cameras a couple of years ago. You can apply correction to the highlight and shadow portions of the JPG tone curve pre capture. You can save up to 3 presets for future use.
This might be useful if you are confronted with a subject having very low or high contrast. Note the effect is represented in the on screen playback image but this is a JPG. A RAW image file will not be affected.
i Dynamic Page 144, is another JPG image correction feature which has the effect of increasing dynamic range (highlight and shadow detail). On my tests this feature actually works. The camera basically underexposes the scene then lifts shadow tones to compensate. The result is better effective DR than standard JPG images. The cost is increased shadow noise. You can select between Auto, High, Standard Low and Off.
i Resolution also on Page 144, is yet another JPG function which in this case tries to improve resolution by performing some kind of electronic manipulation affecting some parts of the frame in a different way from other parts. Or something like that. I have tried it with several Panasonic cameras and remain unconvinced of the benefits. As usual there is a list of options from which to select.
iHandheld Night Shot Page 72, JPG only, iA Mode only. I am a bit old fashioned and still believe that a tripod is the answer for night work, however for those times when no tripod is available this might be worth a try. The camera is supposed to detect that night has fallen and will shoot a burst of handheld frames which are combined in camera.
iHDR iA only, JPG only. The camera detects a scene with high brightness range, quickly makes a burst of shots at different exposures and combines them in camera. I tried this, it works. I have no idea how one decides when to use iHDR and when to use iDynamic.
HDR This is different from iHDR. This one can be used in the PASM modes but is still JPG only. It combines 3 pictures with different levels of exposure into a single output photo with high DR. You get to select the exposure interval (Auto, 1, 2 or 3 stops) and whether to apply auto align or not. On my limited testing this feature actually works and produces decent results. I should try it more often and have moved it up to the Q Menu for that purpose. There have been some occasions which I have encountered recently which could have benefited from this feature.
Multi Exposure Maybe one day I will figure out how to make this feature work properly but today it is not to be. I have played around with this using the GH3 and GH4 and never managed to understand how it works or is intended to work. I read the instructions on Page 168 of the Manual but the events which are supposed to happen do not.
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| This helicopter has perfectly straight rotor blades. This is how they are rendered by E Shutter. |
Electronic ShutterWhile the previous seven features may be of uncertain usefulness most of the time, now we come to one which is front and central essential to effective operation of Panasonic M43 cameras. All of these cameras to date (except the GM1 which has electronic first curtain) have a mechanical shutter with 4 phase (close/open/close/open) action. This causes Shutter Shock with some lenses at some focal lengths and some shutter speeds. This shock leads to blurring with double imaging. The ultimate cure for this pesky problem is the yet to materialise global shutter. But until that day the options are electronic first curtain and fully electronic shutter.
The GH4 does not offer electronic first curtain for reasons unknown to me but it does have E Shutter. I regard this as Essential for all general photography with certain lenses such as the very popular 14-140mm Mk2.
As a general rule I use E-Shutter with all general handheld photography particularly in the shutter speed range 1/20 - 1/200 sec. For moving subjects/sport/action I use the mechanical shutter (to prevent distortion of moving objects) and a shutter speed of 1/400 sec or faster.
For shutter speeds slower than 1 second I use Shutter Delay as described below.
E Shutter should be allocated to a Fn button for ready access.
Shutter Delay E Shutter has several limitations one of which is that it cannot be used for exposures longer than 1 second, I know not why. So for night tripod work some other means of minimising the effects of shutter shock is required.
Shutter Delay to the rescue. When On this closes the shutter when the shutter release button is pressed, then delays opening the shutter for the exposure. It appears most of the shock effect comes from the first shutter closure so delaying the first opening controls most shock problems especially with exposure longer than 2 seconds.
For night tripod work I set 4 seconds delay to allow shake both from pressing the shutter release button and the first shutter closure to settle. Results are satisfactory as shown in the photo of Perth Western Australia at night at the top of this post. This was made on a very light tripod (0.95 Kg) with no cable release.
Unfortunately Shutter Delay cannot be assigned to the Q menu. I am hopeful that this is just an oversight which could be rectified with a firmware update.
Flash Note, flash does not work with E-Shutter, so if your flash menu is greyed out in the Rec Menu, deselect E-Shutter.
Panasonic has some very sophisticated flash functions including wireless off camera operation with some Panasonic units allowing commander control by the inbuilt unit.
For the inbuilt unit the options are Firing Mode, Flash Mode, Flash Synchro, Flash Adjust, Auto Exposure Comp, Manual Flash Adjust, Wireless, Wireless Channel.
See Page 183 for all the details.
I mostly use flash to fill shadows with backlit subjects. For this I set Firing Mode TTL, Flash Mode Forced On, Flash Synchro 1st, Flash Adjust -1 EV, Red Eye Removal Off.
ISO Limit Set In the GH3 You can set ISO with one dial and ISO Limit Set with the other dial, both on the same screen after pressing the ISO button. But for some reason unknown to me the GH4 is different. You can only access ISO Limit Set via the Rec Menu. So I just set the limit at 25600 and leave it.
ISO Increments The camera automatically provides 1/3 step increments for aperture and shutter speed so there is no need for 1/3 stop increments of ISO as well. I just set 1 EV.
Extended ISO This allows an ISO of less than 200 to be set. With Extended ISO 100 can be set. I am not clear why this is offered as an extension. I have read opinion that dynamic range may be less at ISO 100 than 200.
Long Shtr Noise Reduction Page 146. This works by creating a blank exposure the same duration as the initial exposure, during which noise is identified and reduced. My experiments with this show that the shutter speed and ISO level which trigger the NR function vary and are calculated by the camera. I switch it On.
Shading Comp This works with RAW files and reduces darkening which often appears in frame corners. The temptation would be to leave it On all the time but it could potentially slow frame rates in Burst Mode with AFC, due to the extra processing required. My tests did not indicate any such slowing but that could be to some extent lens dependent.
I generally leave it Off just in case.
Ex. Tele Conv. and Digital Zoom are both JPG only digital zoom features.
I prefer Ex.Tele Conv. for still photos because it allows normal display and operation of the active AF area. Options are Zoom, Tele Conv and Off. With Tele Conv option, if the Picture size is set to 8Mpx image enlargement is 1.4x linear. If Picture Size is set to 4 Mpx image enlargement is 2x linear.
Video users appear to prefer Digital Zoom. This records in 16 mpx picture size but the active AF area is not adjustable.
My tests show that cropped RAW (converted to JPG), Ex. Tele Conv and Digital Zoom each give virtually identical results when displayed at the same final output image size.
Panasonic's claim that Ex.Tele Conv increases tele effect without degradation of image quality has to be qualified with the question 'compared to what ' ?
Color Space Always set this to Adobe RGB. I see no point using sRGB if the larger Adobe color space is available.
StabiliserSeveral lenses lack an OIS switch on the lens barrel so their stabiliser has to be controlled via a menu. This is one for the Q Menu or a Fn button.
Face Recog This is spooky stuff. Beyond face detect we have face recognition. Presumably you would activate this feature if you think the camera will do a better job of recognising a particular person than you will. There is a long explanation of the procedure starting on Page 173. It seems you can delete the faces of presumably undesirable persons from your group photos. Amazing, yes. Useful ??
Profile Setup allows you to record the names and birthdays of your babies and pets on images. Wow !!
And on that slightly bizarre note this post about the Rec Menu ends. At least nobody can accuse Panasonic of holding back features.
Next: Q Menu and Fn buttons
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