Panasonic Digital Camera Dmc L1k Operating Instructions

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Cautions for Use
∫Optimal use of the camera
Take care not to drop or knock the unit 
or put a lot of pressure on it.
 Take care not to drop or knock the bag 
that you inserted the unit in as it may 
strongly shock the unit.
 A strong shock may break the lens, 
screen or outer case and cause the 
camera to malfunction.
Keep the camera as far away as possible 
from electromagnetic equipment (such 
as microwave ovens, TVs, video games 
etc.).
If you use the camera on top of or near a 
TV, the pictures on the camera may be 
disrupted by electromagnetic wave 
radiation.
Do not use the camera near cell phones 
because doing so may result in noise 
adversely affecting the pictures.
Recorded data may be damaged, or 
pictures may be distorted, by strong 
magnetic fields created by speakers or 
large motors.
Electromagnetic wave radiation generated 
by microprocessors may adversely affect 
the camera, disturbing the pictures.
If the camera is adversely affected by 
electromagnetic equipment and stops 
functioning properly, turn the camera off 
and remove the battery or disconnect AC 
adaptor. Then reinsert the battery or 
reconnect AC adaptor and turn the 
camera on.
Do not use the camera near radio 
transmitters or high-voltage lines.
If you record near radio transmitters or 
high-voltage lines, the recorded pictures 
may be adversely affected.Always use the supplied cords and 
cables. If you use optional accessories, 
use the cords and the cables supplied 
with them.
Do not extend the cords or the cables.
Do not spray the camera with 
insecticides or volatile chemicals.
 If the camera is sprayed with such 
chemicals, the body of the camera may be 
damaged and the surface finish may peel 
off.
 Do not keep rubber or plastic products in 
contact with the camera for a long period 
of time.
Do not use benzine, thinner or alcohol 
for cleaning the camera.
 Remove the battery or disconnect the AC 
adaptor from the electrical outlet before 
wiping the camera.
 The body of the camera may be damaged 
and the surface finish may peel off.
 Wipe off any dust or fingerprints with a 
soft, dry cloth.
 Use a dry, dust cloth to remove dirt and 
dust on the zoom ring, focus ring and 
aperture ring.
 Do not use a kitchen detergent or a 
chemically treated cloth.
 The camera is not waterproof. If rain water 
or other drops of water splash onto the 
camera, wipe it with a dry cloth. If the 
camera does not operate normally, 
contact the dealer or your nearest 
servicenter. 
						

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About dirt on the image sensor
This camera features an interchangeable 
lens system so dirt may get inside the 
camera body when changing lenses. 
Depending on the recording conditions, dirt 
on the image sensor may appear on the 
recorded picture.
Do not change lenses where there is a lot 
of dust, and always attach the body cap 
when a lens is not attached to the camera, 
so that dirt or dust does not get inside the 
camera body. Remove any dirt on the body 
cap before attaching it.
Clean any dirt on the image sensor using 
the steps below.
Removing dirt on the image sensor
Black spots may appear on the recorded 
picture if dirt or dust gets on the image 
sensor. The image sensor is very delicate 
and easily scratched. If it becomes 
necessary to clean the image sensor, 
always use the following steps.
 Use the AC adaptor when cleaning. If you 
use the battery and the remaining battery 
power becomes low during cleaning, the 
shutter will close and the shutter curtains 
and the mirror may be damaged.
1 Detach the lens. (P16)
2 Turn the camera on.
3 Set [NO RELEASE WITHOUT LENS] in 
the [CUSTOM] menu to [OFF]. (P87)
4 Set the focus mode lever to [MF]. 
(P42)
5 Set the shutter speed to [B] (Bulb). 
(P39)
6 Press and hold the shutter button.
 The mirror goes up and the shutter 
curtains open.
7 Clean the image sensor.
 Blow off the dust on the surface of the 
image sensor with a commercially 
available blower brush. Be careful not to 
blow too strongly.
 Do not put the blower brush further 
inside than the lens mount. Do not let the blower brush touch the 
image sensor as the image sensor may 
get scratched.
 Do not use any objects except a blower 
brush to clean the image sensor.
8 Release the shutter button.
 The shutter curtains close and the 
mirror goes down when the camera is 
turned off. Be careful that the blower 
brush does not get caught in the shutter 
curtains.
9 Turn the camera off.
∫Battery
The battery is a rechargeable lithium ion 
battery.
Its ability to generate power comes from 
the chemical reaction that takes place 
inside it. This reaction is susceptible to 
the surrounding temperature and 
humidity. If the temperature is too high 
or too low, the operating time of the 
battery will become shorter.
After use, be sure to remove the battery.
Bring charged spare batteries when 
going out.
 Be aware that the operating time of the 
battery becomes shorter in low 
temperature conditions such as at a ski 
resort.
 When you travel, do not forget to bring the 
AC adaptor (supplied) so that you can 
charge the battery in the country that you 
are traveling in.
If you drop the battery accidentally, 
check to see if the body of the battery 
and the terminals are damaged.
 Inserting a damaged battery in the 
camera will damage the camera. 
						

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Dispose of unusable battery.
 Batteries have a limited life.
 Do not throw batteries into fire because it 
may cause an explosion.
 Unusable batteries should be discarded in 
accordance with battery recycling laws. 
Call the RBRC hotline at 1-800-822-8837 
for information.
Do not allow battery terminals to come 
into contact with metal objects (such as 
necklaces, hairpins etc.).
 This can cause short circuiting or heat 
generation and you may be badly burned 
if you touch a battery.
∫AC adaptor
 If you use the AC adaptor near a radio, the 
radio reception may be disturbed. Keep 
the AC adaptor 1 m (3.28 feet) or more 
away from radios.
 When the AC adaptor is in use, it may 
generate whirring sounds. However, this is 
not a malfunction.
 After use, be sure to disconnect the AC 
cable from the electrical outlet. (A 
maximum of about 0.5 W is used if you 
leave it connected.)
 Keep the terminal of the AC adaptor 
clean.
∫Card
Do not leave the card where the 
temperature is high, where 
electromagnetic waves or static 
electricity are easily generated or 
exposed to direct sunlight. 
Do not bend or drop the card. 
 The card may be damaged or the 
recorded content may be damaged or 
deleted.
 Put the card in the card case or the 
storage bag after use and when storing or 
carrying the card.
 Do not allow dirt, dust or water to get into 
the terminals on the back of the card and 
do not touch the terminals with your 
fingers.∫About the recorded data
 Recorded data may be damaged or lost if 
the camera breaks down due to 
inappropriate handling. Matsushita will not 
be liable for any damage suffered due to 
loss of recorded data.
∫About tripods
You can prevent jitter (camera shake) when 
the shutter speed is slow or you take a 
picture at close range if you use a 
commercially available tripod for cameras.
 When using a tripod, make sure it is stable 
when the camera is attached to it.
 You may not be able to remove the battery 
when using a tripod.
 Read the operating instructions for the 
tripod.
∫About the strap
 If you attach a heavy interchangeable lens 
(more than about 1 kg/35.3 oz) to the 
camera body, do not carry the camera by 
the strap. Hold the camera and the lens 
when carrying them. 
						

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Message Display
Confirmation messages or error messages 
will be displayed on the screen in some 
cases.
The major messages are described below 
as examples.
[THIS MEMORY CARD IS PROTECTED]
The Write-Protect switch on the SD 
Memory Card or the SDHC Memory Card 
is slid to the [LOCK] side. Slide it to the 
other side to unlock it. (P23, 94, 97)
[NO VALID PICTURE TO PLAY]
Record a picture or insert a card with a 
recorded picture and then play it.
[THIS PICTURE IS PROTECTED]
Delete or overwrite the picture after 
canceling the protect setting. (P94)
[THIS PICTURE CANNOT BE DELETED]/
[SOME PICTURES CANNOT BE 
DELETED]
Pictures not based on the DCF standard 
cannot be deleted. If you want to delete 
some pictures, format the card after saving 
necessary data on a PC etc. (P97)
[NO ADDITIONAL DELETE SELECTIONS 
CAN BE MADE]
You have exceeded the number of pictures 
that can be set at once with 
[MULTI DELETE]. Delete the selected 
pictures and then select [MULTI DELETE] 
again to delete any remaining pictures.
More than 999 favorites have been set.
[CANNOT BE SET ON THIS PICTURE]/
[CANNOT BE SET ON SOME PICTURES]
If the pictures are not based on the DCF 
standard, the DPOF print cannot be set.
[MEMORY CARD ERROR
FORMAT THIS CARD?]
The card format cannot be recognized by 
the camera. Format the card again with the 
camera after saving necessary data on a 
PC etc. (P97)[PLEASE TURN CAMERA OFF AND 
THEN ON AGAIN]
Check that the lens is attached correctly 
and then turn the camera off and on.
[MEMORY CARD ERROR
PLEASE CHECK THE CARD]
An error has occurred accessing the card. 
Insert the card again.
[READ ERROR
PLEASE CHECK THE CARD]
An error has occurred reading the data.
Insert the card again. Make sure the card is 
inserted properly and then play back again.
[WRITE ERROR
PLEASE CHECK THE CARD]
An error has occurred writing the data.
Turn the camera off and remove the card. 
Insert the card again and turn the camera 
on. Make sure the camera is turned off 
before removing or inserting the card to 
avoid damage.
[A FOLDER CANNOT BE CREATED]
A folder cannot be created because there 
are no remaining folder numbers that can 
be used. (P99)
Format the card after saving necessary 
data on a PC etc. (P97) If you execute 
[NO.RESET] in the [SETUP] menu after 
formatting, the folder number is reset to 
100. (P29)
[PICTURE IS DISPLAYED FOR 4:3 TV]/
[PICTURE IS DISPLAYED FOR 16:9 TV]
 The video cable is connected to the 
camera. Press [MENU/SET] if you want to 
delete this message at once.
 Select [TV ASPECT] in the [SETUP] 
menu to change the TV aspect. (P30)
[CANCEL LIVE VIEW MODE]/[LIVE VIEW 
MODE CANNOT BE SELECTED]
If you use Live View where the temperature 
is high or for a long period of time, the 
temperature of the image sensor will 
increase and Live View may become 
unusable. Switch to using the Viewfinder for 
taking pictures or turn the camera off for a 
short while. 
						

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Troubleshooting
If you return the menu settings to the initial 
settings at the time of purchase, the 
condition may improve.
Select [RESET] in the [SETUP] menu. 
(P29)
∫Battery and power source
1: The camera cannot be operated even 
when it is turned on.
 Is the battery inserted correctly? Is the 
AC adaptor connected correctly?
 Is the battery sufficiently charged?
– Charge the battery or use one that 
has been sufficiently charged.
2: The LCD monitor turns off while the 
camera is turned on.
The camera turns off arbitrarily.
 Is power save mode (P28) activated?
– Press the shutter button halfway to 
cancel this mode.
 Is the battery exhausted?
– Charge the battery or replace it with a 
battery which has enough capacity.
3: The camera turns off immediately 
after it is turned on.
 Is the battery charge insufficient to 
operate the camera?
– Charge the battery or use one that 
has been sufficiently charged.
 If you leave the camera on, the battery 
will be exhausted. Turn the camera off 
frequently by using power save mode 
(P28) etc.
∫Recording
1: The picture cannot be recorded.
The shutter does not activate.
 Is the card inserted?
 Is there any memory remaining on the 
card?
– Before recording, delete some 
pictures. (P45)
 Is the subject focused?
– At the time of purchase, the camera is 
set so that you cannot take a picture 
until the subject is brought into focus. 
If you want to be able to take a picture 
when you press the shutter button 
fully even if the subject is not focused, 
set [FOCUS PRIORITY] in the 
[CUSTOM] menu to [OFF]. (P86)
2: The recording mode ([ ], [ ], 
[ ], [ ]) cannot be set correctly.
 Is the lens attached correctly?
– Detach the lens and attach it again. 
(P16)
3: The subject is not focused properly.
 Is the subject beyond the focus range of 
the camera? (P34)
 Have you taken a picture with jitter?
 Is [FOCUS PRIORITY] in the 
[CUSTOM] menu set to [OFF]? (P86)
– In this case, the picture may not be 
properly focused even if [AFS] or 
[AFC] in focus mode is set.
4: The recorded picture is whitish.
The lens is dirty.
 The picture can become whitish if there 
is dirt e.g. fingerprints on the lens. If the 
lens is dirty turn the camera off and 
then gently wipe the lens surface with a 
soft dry cloth.
5: The recorded picture is too bright or 
dark.
 Check that the exposure is correctly 
compensated. (P40) 
						

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6: The recorded picture is blurred. The 
optical image stabilizer is not 
effective.
 The shutter speed will become slower 
and the optical image stabilizer function 
may not work properly when taking 
pictures especially in dark places. In 
this case, we recommend holding the 
camera firmly with both hands when 
taking pictures (P31, 51). We 
recommend using a tripod and the 
self-timer (P67) when taking pictures 
with a slow shutter speed.
7: The recorded picture looks rough. 
Noise appears on the picture.
 Is the ISO sensitivity high or the shutter 
speed slow?
(ISO sensitivity is set to [AUTO] when 
the camera is shipped. Therefore, when 
taking pictures indoors etc. the ISO 
sensitivity increases.)
– Decrease the ISO sensitivity. (P71)
– Set [NOISE RED.] in [FILM MODE] 
towards [_] or set every item except 
[NOISE RED.] towards [`]. (P77)
– Take pictures in bright places.
 Is [LONG SHUTTER NR] in the 
[CUSTOM] menu set to [OFF]? (P87)
8: The picture cannot be recorded with 
Live View.
 If you use Live View for a long period of 
time or where the temperature is high, 
the temperature of the image sensor 
will increase. A message may appear 
on the screen and Live View may 
become unusable. In this case, switch 
to using the viewfinder for taking 
pictures or turn the camera off for a 
short while.9: A shutter sound is heard twice when 
taking pictures with Live View.
 If you press the shutter button fully, the 
shutter sound is heard twice and 1 
picture is taken. The first shutter sound 
is heard when the shutter returns to the 
position before a picture is taken and 
the second shutter sound is heard 
when the picture is actually taken
10:The shutter sound is heard once 
when taking pictures with Live View 
however a picture is not taken.
 The shutter sound is heard in auto 
focus when the mirror goes down and 
then goes up after pressing the shutter 
button halfway to enable the camera to 
focus or when the shutter button is 
released immediately after pressing it 
fully. However a picture is not taken.
∫LCD monitor/Viewfinder
1: A flickering vertical line appears on 
the LCD monitor under fluorescent 
light.  
High luminance light sources turn 
black.
If you move the camera quickly left and 
right when taking pictures, the dark 
parts of the subject may appear as if 
they have a purple or green afterimage.
 The LCD monitor may flicker for a few 
seconds after turning the camera on 
indoors under fluorescent light.
This is not a malfunction. This does not 
affect the pictures you are recording.
2: The LCD monitor is too bright or dark.
 Adjust the brightness of the LCD 
monitor. (P28)
 Is the camera in High angle mode? 
(P53)
3: Black, red, blue and green dots 
appear on the LCD monitor.
 These pixels do not affect the recorded 
pictures.
This is not a malfunction. 
						

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4: Noise appears on the LCD monitor.
 In dark places, noise may appear to 
maintain the brightness of the LCD 
monitor.
This does not affect the pictures you are 
recording.
∫Flash
1: The flash is not activated.
 Is the flash closed?
– Press the [ OPEN] button to open 
the flash. (P58)
2: The flash is activated 2 times.
 The flash is activated 2 times. The 
interval between the first and second 
flash is longer when AUTO/Red-eye 
reduction [ ], Forced ON/Red-eye 
reduction [ ] or Slow sync./
Red-eye reduction [ ] is set so the 
subject should not move until the 
second flash is activated.
∫Playback
1: The picture being played back is 
rotated and displayed in an 
unexpected direction.
The camera has a function that 
automatically rotates the display of 
pictures recorded holding the camera 
vertically. (If you take pictures when 
aiming the camera up or down, the 
camera may recognize that it is being 
held vertically.)
 You can display the pictures without 
being rotated when [ROTATE DISP.] 
(P91) is set to [OFF].
 You can rotate pictures with the 
[ROTATE] function. (P91)
2: The picture is not played back.
 Did you press [ ]?
 Is the card inserted?
 Is there a picture in the card?3: The folder number and the file number 
are displayed as [`] and the screen 
turns black.
 Is the picture edited with a PC or 
recorded with a digital camera from 
another manufacturer?
This may happen if you remove the 
battery immediately after recording or 
you record with an exhausted battery.
– Format the data to delete the pictures 
mentioned above. (P97) (Formatting 
irretrievably deletes all data including 
the other pictures. Check the data 
carefully before formatting.)
 Pictures edited or rotated with a PC 
may be displayed in black in playback 
mode (P44), multi playback (P48) and 
calendar playback (P49).
4: The picture is displayed with a date 
different from the actual recording 
date in calendar playback.
 Was the picture edited with a PC or 
recorded with a digital camera from 
another manufacturer?
This kind of picture may be displayed 
with a date different from the actual 
recording date in calendar playback. 
(P49)
 Is the clock in the camera set properly? 
(P26)
For example, if the clock setting on the 
camera is different from the date and 
time set on the PC and you acquire 
pictures recorded with the camera to 
the PC and then write them back to the 
card, the pictures may be displayed with 
dates different from the actual recording 
dates in calendar playback etc. 
						

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∫TV, PC and printer
1: The picture does not appear on the 
television.
 Is the camera connected to the TV 
correctly?
 Set the TV input to external input mode.
2: The display areas on the TV screen 
and the camera’s LCD monitor are 
different.
Depending on the TV model, the area 
display may be smaller so the picture 
may be stretched horizontally or 
vertically and the top and bottom or left 
and right of the picture may be cut off 
when it is displayed. This is due to the 
TV specifications and is not a 
malfunction.
3: The picture cannot be transferred 
when the camera is connected to a 
PC.
 Is the camera connected to the PC 
correctly?
 Is the camera recognized by the PC 
correctly?
 Set [USB MODE] to [PC]. (P29, 98)
4: The card is not recognized by the PC.
 Disconnect the USB connection cable. 
Connect it again while the card is 
inserted in the camera.
5: The picture cannot be printed when 
the camera is connected to a printer.
 Does the printer support PictBridge?
– You cannot print pictures with printers 
which do not support PictBridge. 
(P100)
 Set [USB MODE] to [PictBridge (PTP)]. 
(P29, 100)6: The ends of the pictures are cut at 
printing.
 When using a printer with a trimming or 
borderless printing function, cancel this 
function before printing. (For details, 
refer to the operating instructions for the 
printer.)
 Depending on the photo printing store, 
you may be able to print pictures in 16:9 
size if they were recorded when the 
aspect ratio setting (P79) was [16:9]. 
Check with the photo printing store 
before printing.
7: The picture is not displayed fully on 
the TV.
 Check the [TV ASPECT] setting on the 
camera. (P30)
∫Others
1: An unreadable language was selected 
by mistake.
 Press [MENU/SET], select the [SETUP] 
menu icon [ ] and then select the [ ] 
icon to set the desired language. (P30)
2: A sound is heard when the camera is 
turned on or off.
This is the sound of lens or aperture 
movement and is not a malfunction.
3: A certain part of the picture appears 
blinking in black and white.
 Is [HIGHLIGHT] set to [ON]? 
– This appears due to the highlight 
feature function which shows white 
saturated areas. (P29)
4: The AF assist lamp does not turn on.
 Is [AF ASSIST LAMP] in the [REC] 
mode menu set to [ON]? (P82)
 Are you taking pictures in dark places?
– The AF assist lamp does not turn on 
in bright places. 
						

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5: The camera becomes warm.
 The surface of the camera may become 
warm during use. This does not affect 
the performance or quality of the 
camera.
6: The clock is reset.
 If you do not use the camera for a long 
time, the clock may be reset. When the 
message [PLEASE SET THE CLOCK] 
appears, set the clock again. (P26)
 When you take a picture before setting 
the clock, [0:00 0. 0. 0] is recorded.
7: Colors appear on the picture which 
were not found in the actual scene. 
 Depending on the zoom magnification, 
the picture may have some colored 
fringes around the subject. This is 
called chromatic aberration and may be 
more visible when recording distant 
subjects. However this is not a 
malfunction.
8: The file numbers are not recorded 
consecutively. 
 When you perform an operation after 
taking a certain action, the pictures may 
be recorded in folders with different 
numbers from the ones used prior to 
the operation. (P99)
9: The file numbers are recorded in 
ascending order.
 If the battery is inserted or removed 
when the camera is not turned off, the 
recorded folder numbers are lost. 
However if you turn the camera on 
again and record pictures, the recorded 
folder numbers are different from the 
prior recorded folder numbers. 
						

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Number of recordable pictures
 The number of recordable pictures is an approximation. (These vary depending on the 
recording conditions and the type of card.)
 The number of recordable pictures depends on the subjects.
 The numbers in brackets are when [RAW REC.] is set to [ON].
Aspect ratio
Picture size:3136k2352 pixels
(7.4M): 2560k1920 pixels
 (5M EZ)
Quality
Card
16 MB0 (0) 2 (0) 6 (0) 1 (0) 4 (0) 10 (0)
32 MB2 (0) 7 (1) 15 (1) 5 (1) 11 (1) 23 (1)
64 MB7 (2) 15 (3) 32 (3) 11 (2) 24 (3) 48 (3)
128 MB16 (5) 33 (6) 66 (7) 24 (6) 49 (7) 99 (7)
256 MB32 (10) 65 (12) 130 (14) 49 (12) 98 (13) 190 (14)
512 MB65 (21) 130 (25) 250 (28) 98 (24) 195 (27) 380 (29)
1GB130 (43) 260 (51) 510 (57) 195 (48) 390 (55) 770 (59)
2GB260 (88) 530 (105) 1040 (115) 400 (98) 790 (110) 1530 (120)
4GB530 (170) 1040 (200) 2040 (220) 790 (190) 1560 (220) 3010 (230)
Aspect ratio
Picture size:2048k1536 pixels
(3M EZ): 3136k2080 pixels
(6.5M)
Quality
Card 
16 MB3 (0) 7 (0) 16 (0) 1 (0) 3 (0) 7 (0)
32 MB8 (1) 17 (1) 35 (1) 3 (1) 8 (1) 17 (1)
64 MB18 (3) 37 (3) 74 (3) 8 (2) 17 (3) 36 (4)
128 MB38 (6) 77 (7) 150 (7) 18 (5) 37 (7) 74 (8)
256 MB76 (13) 150 (14) 290 (15) 36 (11) 74 (14) 145 (16)
512 MB150 (26) 300 (29) 590 (30) 74 (24) 145 (28) 290 (32)
1GB300 (53) 600 (58) 1180 (61) 145 (48) 290 (58) 580 (64)
2GB620 (105) 1220 (115) 2360 (120) 300 (99) 600 (115) 1180 (130)
4GB1230 (210) 2410 (230) 4640 (240) 590 (195) 1180 (230) 2310 (250)