LX100 Controls Part 8 Changing Modes

LX100

Working through  this series of posts on the LX100 controls I now consider the actions required to complete the task of changing various modes starting with exposure mode.

The standard exposure modes on a Panasonic camera are [iA], P, A, S, M.

I usually regard changing exposure mode to be a Prepare Phase task. However it could also be considered a Capture Phase task as one may want to change exposure mode in the middle of capture proceedings. 

I do this routinely when using the Panasonic FZ1000 camera. I use A Mode at the wide end of the zoom range and S or M Modes at the long end to ensure adequate shutter speed.  

But I sometimes want to switch from P to S exposure mode with the LX100  and for the same reason, to ensure adequate shutter speed for the conditions.

This means changing exposure mode needs to be carried out quickly and efficiently with minimal disruption to the capture workflow.

FZ1000

This camera has a Mode Dial+Control Dial control system.

The exposure modes are on the Mode Dial. To change from any mode to any other mode I just turn the dial. I quickly learned the sequence in which the modes appear on the dial and can easily change modes while looking through the viewfinder.

There is a brief confirmation of the mode selected in the form of an icon at the top left of the live view screen (EVF or monitor).

Changing exposure mode always involves doing the same thing so my fingers soon learn what they need to do.

LX100

This camera has an Aperture Dial+Shutter Speed Dial system.

Changing exposure mode involves different actions depending on which mode is set initially and which is required.

So if we start with P Mode, switching to A Mode is easy, just turn the aperture ring.

To get from P Mode to S Mode we do a different thing which is turn the shutter speed dial.

To go from A Mode to S Mode requires moving both the shutter speed dial and the aperture ring. The aperture ring always moves right (at the top) but the shutter speed dial could go either way depending on the actual shutter speed required.

To go from P to M also requires moving both controls.

Access to [iA] requires yet another different thing namely a press (preferably a long press to prevent accidental activation) on the [iA] button which is squeezed into  a little space between the on/off switch, shutter button and exposure compensation dial. This disables the aperture dial and shutter speed dial but leaves the exposure compensation dial active.

Comment 

Several reviewers have presented the view that changing modes on the LX100 is really easy. Indeed changing back and forth from P to A is easy.

But other changes are more complex, some involving a double action which I find is not easily learned as the ring/dial turns go in different directions.

To change exposure mode on the LX100 I have to stop taking photos, put the camera down from my eye, think about which ring/dial has to turn which way, make the turns while viewing the ring and dial to make sure I get them right, then resume taking photos.

To this the reader might say  “So what ?   If the process makes you think about what you are doing surely that is  a good thing ?”

To which I would answer "perhaps" but there is a more efficient, streamlined way of  completing the same set of tasks so why not use it ?

Other Modes

There is not much difference between a [Mode Dial+Control Dial] system and an [Aperture Ring+Shutter Speed Dial] system with regard to changing other modes.  Both generally involve allocating some functions to buttons and some to a Quick Menu.

Larger cameras with more available real estate can find space for set and see modules for Drive Mode and Focus Mode, which is handy.

Viewfinder Position Top Left or Inboard over the lens ?

LX100

I have used  many cameras over the years. In recent times I have been thinking a lot about the user interface and trying to analyse why some design features work better than others, particularly after long association.

I decided last year  that I would never again buy any camera without a decent quality built in electronic viewfinder. Not one which has to be popped up and pulled out either.

I will revisit the arguments for viewfinder-vs-no viewfinder and optical viewfinder-vs-electronic viewfinder in another post.

Today I want to share some thoughts about the optimum location for a viewfinder.

I have used cameras with viewfinder at the top left position, with flat top  and  also at the inboard position on the lens axis, with hump top.

I have been moved to post this after realising that the more I use the Panasonic LX100 camera the less enthused I become about that camera’s top left EVF position. 

This is not about the EVF itself, which is quite decent, but about its location on the camera.

Advantages of  top left position 

* The overall height of the camera can be lower than is possible with the hump top style.  Even when the lens barrel diameter is as great as the height of the body a top left EVF can be fitted.

* Some right eye users might feel it better suits their viewing style. 

* Some left eye viewers might find it gets the user’s nose away from the controls on the right side of the monitor.

Disadvantages of top left position

* If a full eyecup is available and fitted it protrudes above and to the left side of the body. I had a Lumix GX7 with such an eyecup which was forever getting snagged as the camera went in and out of its carry bag.  The practical dimensions of the camera increased by the amount of the protrusion, so a larger than expected carry bag was required. In addition the likelihood of damaging or losing the eyecup increased. Both these issues are magnified by the location of the eyecup right at the bottom of the carry bag, (assuming handle side up insertion into the bag) which is usually narrower than the top.

* If a non protruding eyecup is fitted as on the LX100 or the GX7 without the accessory eyecup, I have found three issues:

1. Stray light often enters the eyepiece, interfering with image preview. Possibly because of this I find myself squinting more when I use a camera with top left viewfinder.

2. If I press my eye up to the eyecup to exclude stray light my eye ends up too close to the eyepiece for clear viewing.

3. I find it more difficult particularly in portrait orientation to bring my eye directly to the center of the eyepiece optical axis.

My workaround for all three  problems when using the LX100 is to form a makeshift eyecup with the index finger (landscape orientation) or  thumb (portrait orientation) of my left hand.  

Advantages of the over lens position

* A full eyecup can be fitted permanently. This greatly reduces the chance of stray light entering the viewfinder, and if the eyecup is well designed it automatically places the viewing eye at the optimum distance from the eyepiece and on the optical axis of the eyepiece, in landscape or portrait orientation.

* As the eyecup is not right on the corner of the camera, it is not so prone to snagging and damage as it goes into and comes out of the carry bag.

* I find I squint less when using a viewfinder on the lens axis and am also more easily able to keep the non viewing eye relaxed and open.

* With a long lens fitted I find the lens/camera combination better balanced with the viewfinder on axis with the lens.

* It is possible and usual to place the viewfinder, hotshoe and inbuilt flash in a fore and aft relationship on top of the camera, making space for more control modules than can be fitted with the top left viewfinder position.

Disadvantages of the over lens position

* Overall camera height is greater.

* Some left eye viewers might find their nose impinging on control modules on the right side of the camera back.

* If the user is to be able to look approximately straight ahead when previewing the scene, the viewfinder eyepiece needs to protrude back 15-20mm from the rear face of the monitor.

This requirement can also be seen as an advantage:

Cameras without this rear protrusion require the user to turn the head to one side in order to get the eye close enough to the eyepiece.

When I am using the Lumix FZ1000 which has a 20mm rear eyepiece projection,  I can look straight ahead in landscape or portrait orientation, preview the EVF image with my right eye and leave the non viewing (left) eye open to scan the wider scene if desired.

Conclusion

If a compact camera is to have a built in EVF and retain a low profile then the EVF must be located at or near the top left corner of the body.

But if the camera is allowed to gain a little height, I rate the optimum position for the EVF as being over the lens and on line with the lens axis.

LX100 Controls Part 7 Prepare and Capture Phases of use

LX100. High subject brightness range, high level of perspective correction.

This was to have been   a five part series but looks like it it will run to 7 or 8 parts. So be it.

I identify four phases of camera use.  These are Setup, Prepare, Capture and Review.

For each phase there is a set of typical tasks the completion of which requires actions.

The camera has user interface modules (UIM) which allow the user to perform those actions.

Prepare Phase  is that period of a few minutes prior to taking photos when the user configures the camera for the present circumstances.

Capture Phase  is when the user is in the process of taking photos.

The table below lists typical tasks likely to be required in each phase. Some tasks could be regarded as part of either phase, depending on circumstances.

Prepare Phase	Either	Capture Phase
Exposure Mode: Auto, P, A, S, M	P, A, S, M ISO	Primary exposure parameters ISO, FStop, Shutter Speed
Other Modes: Focus, Autofocus, Drive, Flash, Metering, Silent.		Secondary exposure parameters Exposure compensation [+/-] White balance AE Lock Program shift
Settings: Quality, Size, Shutter type, Stabiliser, Burst, Aspect ratio, Macro.		Primary focus parameters Start/continue AF Set MF
Displays: E-Level, Info, Histogram,		Secondary focus parameters Set position and size of AF/MF box AF Lock AF in MF, MF in AF
Motion Picture settings		Zoom

Of course, most photos will require change to only a small number of these parameters but the capability to change any of them needs to be built into the user interface.

The user of a modern camera could be very busy in both phases if  all the available features and functions of a modern camera are fully utilised.

It behoves the designer therefore to optimise the design of UIMs for efficient operation in both phases.

Prepare Phase actions are typically carried out with the camera held  away from the face so the top and rear aspects of the device are visible and accessible to the fingers.

Capture Phase actions are optimally carried out while looking through the viewfinder. UIMs are operated by feel without disrupting grip with either hand.

Optimal UIM types:

For Prepare Phase: include set and see modules (often rings or dials), Programmable Function Buttons and a user selectable Quick access mini menu.

For Capture Phase: include Control Dials, Rocker Modules and  rings. The function of modules for Capture Phase is determined by context.  For instance in Aperture Priority Mode a control dial changes aperture. In Shutter Priority Mode the same dial controls shutter speed. Optimally the dial always turns the same way for “value up” and the opposite way for “value down”.

Set and see modules are not optimum for Capture Phase as the camera has to be taken down from the eye to see them, disrupting the flow of picture taking. Of course the data generated by set and see modules is usually replicated in the viewfinder (and monitor). But the opportunity cost of this is a duplicated interface.

A set and seemodule allocated to a Capture Phase task could have been more efficiently used for  Prepare Phase. 

The LX100 has three set and see  modules allocated to Capture Phase tasks. These are the Aperture Ring, Shutter Speed Dial and Exposure Compensation Dial.

Many reviewers and users have written positively about this arrangement. I am not one of them. In this series of posts about the LX100 controls I present a dissenting view.

This will continue in the next post of the series in which I will summarise some findings from my time and motion studies of camera operation.  

LX100 Focus Issues

LX100, 1 Area AF, center, AF box size 4/15

A few days ago  I made a sequence of photos of a group of people moving across in front of the camera. (not the photo above) I decided to use Manual Focus and set up prior to the sequence of shots. I focussed on a part of the scene which was about the distance from the camera which I estimated would give me sufficient depth of focus at the aperture in use.

Had I allowed AF to operate the camera would have focussed on the closest person which was not what I wanted.

So I set the LX100 to manual focus and used peaking to find the in focus point.

I made the series of exposures and on review found them all out of focus even at the distance which I thought was in focus.

Back at home I did some experiments comparing accuracy of AF with MF. For manual focus I tried 

Peaking on and off, high and low.

With a range of different subjects at different light levels I found the AF frames were usually sharper than the MF frames.

Why ? 

In the process of focussing manually several hundred times I discovered that the peaking effect is not peaky enough for consistently accurate focus. I had to turn the focus ring a substantial distance to pass from one side of the peaking display to the other.  The on screen analogue style virtual distance display moved a considerable distance during the to and fro process as I was trying to find the peak of the peaking. 

I had no better luck with peaking switched off. 

I found no significant difference in accuracy between the high and low peaking settings.

Conclusion  In my hands AF is more consistently accurate with most subjects than MF.  It is also much faster.

A better Way:   AF + AF Lock

For those times when I want to set and lock focus for a sequence of exposures I use the following:

1. In the Custom Menu Page 1/9 set the AF/AE-Lock button to AF Lock.

2. Next tab down set AF/AE Lock Hold to ON.

3. To focus place the AF box over that part of the subject required to be in focus and press the AF/AE-L button.

4. The AF box changes from white to green and a little green dot appears top right on the image preview indicating focus is achieved.

5. Many frames can now be shot each at the same focussed distance.

Notes:

*  Focus is cancelled if the zoom lever is moved.

*  If [AF+MF]  is ON (Custom Menu Page 3/9) then manual focus is activated by turning the lens ring. This cancels focus lock. I find it too easy to bump the lens ring which turns at the slightest touch,  so I have [AF+MF] OFF. 

I find this method is usually faster and more accurate than trying to focus manually.

However……………

Sometimes autofocus gets it wrong

I have found that Panasonic cameras, including the LX100 which use contrast detect autofocus have an excellent record of AF speed and accuracy. But there are still some subject types which can give problems with any of these cameras.

* Obviously a featureless flat surface provides no contrast on which to focus.

* The AF system is not responsive to a subject with horizontal lines (in landscape orientation) if there are no vertical lines or texture.

* Multiple small lights like those used in Xmas decorations are often rendered out of focus.

* Other types of lights in the AF box can unsettle the AF system although less frequently than the small spherical decorative ones.

I suspect the problem here is that local flare around an in focus light source is difficult to distinguish from a slightly out of focus rendition of the same subject element.

* Dense, fine foliage seems to present a problem for the AF system in my experience.

I find I can usually manage subjects such as those described above by:

* Being aware of potential problem subject types.

* Selecting a more AF friendly part of the subject (with clearly defined shapes or vertical lines) and using the AF Lock/Hold strategy described above.    

LX100 Subjects with high brightness range revisited

After editing in Adobe Camera Raw

I have been using the LX100 a lot lately. It makes a very good street/candid camera. I made the shot above in Programme AE Mode, with autofocus. The camera is very fast and responsive which allows it to be used in many close in situations.

Same capture. JPG straight out of camera with i-Dynamic set to Auto.

This is the same file as the one at the top showing the appearance as it came out of  Adobe Camera RAW with default settings.

To get from the appearance above to that at the top required some work in ACR. I adjusted rotation, perspective, exposure, color, highlights, shadows, contrast, blacks, vibrance and clarity.  I could have made the dark tones lighter and the light tones darker but that gives the photo an un-natural appearance.

The downside of lifting dark tones so much is the level of luminance noise in the lifted tones. I find this much less obvious in a print than on screen.

I think the LX100 has done a good job with the JPG but the version edited in ACR is better.

The LX100 is able to cope with subjects like the one above having very large brightness range, especially with RAW capture and thoughtful editing.

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.

LX100 Controls Part 5 Holding and Operating the Aperture Ring

Illustration courtesy of Panasonic

On Page 53  of the operating instructions there is a little picture with a caption “Holding the camera”.  

This appears quite simple but in practice holding the camera and operating the aperture ring proves to be less straightforward particularly if you want to use Aperture Priority or Manual Exposure Modes.

One issue is that the aperture ring does not have lands and/or serrations all the way round its circumference. It has just two raised, serrated lands, the remainder being smooth.  The fingers wanting to turn the aperture ring (usually the index finger and thumb of the left hand) must be placed on those lands.

Another issue is that there is very little space between the third and fourth fingers of the right hand on the mini handle and the lens.

There are four basic camera holds:

* Landscape orientation left hand under, as illustrated in the operating instructions.

* Landscape orientation left hand over.

* Portrait orientation left hand under.

* Portrait orientation left hand over.

I will illustrate some of the issues I have with the LX100 with reference to the photographs.

Landscape orientation left hand under. This is the position the left hand and fingers must take for low f numbers. As the left hand rotates for higher f numbers the left index finger impinges on the right middle finger. In addition I find the position of the left wrist and fingers uncomfortable. A younger more flexible person might have no trouble at all.

Landscape orientation left hand over. I find this more comfortable. My left wrist and fingers are in a more natural position. The EVF eyepiece is small and thin. This creates two issues. First I need to get my eye a little distance away from the eyecup. Second I need to protect the eyecup from excess stray light. I do this  by holding the left index finger and thumb as shown  creating a sort of bionic accessory eyecup.  Now I can see clearly and my left hand feels comfortable but of course I am unable to turn the aperture ring. I could get my left index finger and thumb onto the raised lands of the ring with the left hand over position  but  that takes away the finger eyecup effect.

Neither of the two hold/operate positions shown above is altogether satisfactory for me.  

Problems continue in Portrait orientation. Left hand over position is difficult as the fingers of the left hand impinge on those of the right hand at smaller f numbers. In addition I find it difficult to center my right eye correctly on the viewfinder. 

In the photo above I am trying to use the portrait version of a left hand under hold. This looks awkward and uncomfortable and it is.

This is a more comfortable hold for portrait orientation. The left hand is supporting the camera from beneath. The left thumb is forming a little accessory eyecup and eyeline guide. The camera is steady and I can see clearly. But I am unable to rotate the aperture ring. If I bring my left index finger and thumb onto the aperture ring I am still unable to rotate it as my fingers fall onto the smooth parts of the ring.

This little series of photos illustrates some of the problems I am experiencing as I try to form a working relationship with the LX100. 

Most of the time I find the camera works very well in Programme AE Mode [Aperture ring and shutter speed dial both on A] and that is what I generally use. 

Much of the promotion of and enthusiasm about this camera has been centered on the aperture ring.

I find it ironic that I am finding the most ergonomically effective way to use the camera for general hand held  photography is to allow the camera to set the aperture automatically thus rendering the aperture ring without function most of the time.