LX100 Controls Part 6 Working the rings and dials

LX100 at E75mm

Operation of  the  LX100  in Capture Phase of use is controlled by rings and dials.  These adjust primary and secondary exposure parameters.

Aperture ring on the lens   This looks like a traditional aperture ring but isn’t. Like all traditional looking  set and see modules on modern electronic cameras it is really just an electronic actuator. The designers put it on the lens because it is meant to emulate the aperture ring of a classic camera but it could be anywhere.  Most of the time it indicates the actual f stop which the camera will use. 

However the lens is a variable aperture zoom so if you set f1.7 at focal length E24mm then zoom out to E75mm, the camera will automatically change the aperture to f2.8.

So now the markings on the aperture ring are giving you incorrect information.  The correct reading is indicated in the viewfinder or on the monitor.

Exposure Compensation Dial  This gives correct indication of exposure [+/-] status in P, A, and S Modes but not in M Mode where +/- is not available.

Shutter Speed Dial  Again this looks like a traditional shutter speed dial but of course it’s not and it may  indicate the actual shutter speed which the camera will use but quite often it will  not.

If you want to set a shutter speed in whole steps between  1 and 1/4000 sec  you can do that directly on the dial which can indicate the selected speed correctly, unless you are using an automated mode like [iA] or Panorama Shot which will ignore any setting indicated on the dial.

But the LX100 is a  modern electronic marvel which can set many more shutter speeds including intermediate speeds in 1/3 steps, speeds faster than 1/4000 and many speeds slower than 1 second, up to 60 seconds.

To select one of these speeds not shown on the dial you have to set the nearest speed on the Shutter Speed dial then rotate the rear Control Dial to bring up the desired speed, and you have to be looking in the viewfinder or at the monitor to see what is happening.

My understanding of this   is that traditional controls are adequate to set and display primary exposure parameters on a traditional mechanical camera with limited available settings.  But a modern electronic camera has many more available settings particularly for shutter speed which the traditional shutter speed dial is unable to set or display.

Which way do they turn ?

I will examine the controls which adjust  FStop, shutter speed and ISO (the three primary exposure parameters) and exposure compensation (probably the most often used secondary exposure parameter).

My current “other” camera is a Panasonic FZ1000.  On this camera each of the three primary exposure parameters is controlled by rotating the rear dial. Rotating the dial right always increases the parameter value. Rotating left always decreases the value.

Exposure compensation is controlled with the little lever in front of the shutter button. The same rule applies. Push left to decrease the value, push right to increase the value.

With this camera I never have to think about which finger moves which ring or dial in which direction. Right is up, left is down.

It matters not whether I am holding the camera in landscape or portrait orientation, the fingers of my right hand are always in the same relationship to the camera and its key controls.

My fingers soon learn what to do and the process of operating the camera becomes automatic.

Now look at the LX100.

F Stop: rotate left for up, right for down.

ISO: (if allocated to the control ring on the lens as I have it): rotate right for up, left for down.

Shutter speed: rotate the front of the dial  left for up (or the rear of the dial right for up) and the front right for down (or the rear left for down).  Are you confused already already ?

You might want to look at that dial to see which way it needs to turn.  But then you can’t look in the viewfinder. Of course you can turn the dial while looking in the viewfinder and check the shutter speed display under the preview image.  Some users with good stereo spatial memory might have no problem with this but I have been using the camera for several months now and I still can’t remember which way to turn that shutter speed dial.

Part of the reason for this is that the shutter speed dial requires the index finger and thumb for reliable operation and if one finger goes right the other one goes left.

Exposure Compensation: Turn the rear of the dial left for down and right for up. This is easier to remember  as the [+/-] dial can be turned with just the thumb on the rear of the dial so I don’t have to remember which way the front of the dial goes.

You see the problem here. There is no consistent turning direction which can be embedded in finger memory.

The result is an ergonomic kludge   The aperture dial will often indicate the actual f stop which the camera will use,  but sometimes not. 

The Exposure Compensation Dial mostly indicates the setting which the camera will use but sometimes not.

The Shutter Speed Dial can only set and display a fraction of the actual shutter speeds available to the camera.  Furthermore the method for setting “off dial” speeds is ergonomically clumsy, involving two dials.

There is no consistent direction of turning the rings and dials for “value up” and “value down”.

Surely there must be a better way. 

Oh…………. right, it has already been invented in the form of a well realised modern control system.   

The [Mode Dial+Control Dial] system can easily be scaled down from FZ1000 size to LX100 size as 

I have demonstrated with my “LX102” mockup described here.  I will return to this mockup in a subsequent post.

In my view the LX100 controls are a step backwards which Panasonic has elected to use for some reason which is not terribly clear to me at all.   

Maybe the reason is about marketing and maybe that will work for Panasonic.

But it looks to me like a triumph of fashion over function.