Panasonic Dmc F3 Operating Instructions Manual

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Care of the camera• Do not touch the lens or the sockets with dirty hands. Also, be careful not to allow liquids, sand and other foreign matter to get into the space around the lens, buttons etc.
• Do not strongly shake or bump the camera by dropping or hitting it. Do not subject to 
strong pressure.
The camera may malfunction, recording pictures may become impossible, or the lens, the LCD 
monitor or the external case may be damaged.
• We strongly recommend you do not leave the camera in your trousers pocket  when you sit down or forcefully insert it into a full or tight bag etc. 
Damage to the LCD monitor or personal injury may result.
• Do not attach any other items to the hand strap that’s included with your  camera. While being stored, that item can rest against the LCD monitor and 
damage it.
• Be particularly careful in the following places as they may cause this  unit to malfunction.
– Places with a lot of sand or dust.
– Places where water can come into contact with this unit such as when using  it on a rainy day or on a beach.
• This camera is not waterproof. If water or seawater splashes on the camera, use a dry  cloth to wipe the camera body carefully.
If the unit does not operate normally, please contact the dealer where you purchased the 
camera or the repair service centre.
About Condensation (When the lens is fogged up)• Condensation occurs when the ambient temperature or humidity changes. Be careful of condensation since it causes lens stains, fungus and camera malfunction.
• If condensation occurs, turn the camera off and leave it for about 2 hours. The fog will  disappear naturally when the temperature of the camera becomes close to the ambient 
temperature. 
						

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Before cleaning the camera, remove the battery or the DC coupler (optional), or 
disconnect the power plug from the outlet. Then wipe the camera with a dry soft 
cloth.
• When the camera is soiled badly, it can be cleaned by wiping the dirt off with a wrung wet cloth, and then with a dry cloth.
• Do not use solvents such as benzine, thinner, alcohol, kitchen detergents, etc., to clean the  camera, since it may deteriorate the external case or the coating may peel off.
• When using a chemical cloth, be sure to follow the accompanying instructions.
• If the LCD monitor is dirty, blow away dust and foreign matter with a commercial blower brush.  If it is very dirty, gently rub with a soft cloth or an eyeglass cloth.
• Do not press the LCD monitor with excessive force. Uneven colours may appear on the LCD  monitor and it may malfunction.
• Do not press on the LCD monitor with hard pointed tips, such as ball point pens.
• Do not scratch or press the LCD monitor too hard.
• If the camera is cold when you turn it on, the picture on the LCD monitor will be slightly darker  than usual at first. However, the picture will return to normal brightness when the internal 
temperature of the camera increases.
• Do not press the lens with excessive force.
• Do not leave the camera with the lens facing the sun as rays of light from the sun may cause it  to malfunction. Also, be careful when placing the camera outside or near a window.
Cleaning
About the LCD monitor
Extremely high precision technology is employed to produce the LCD monitor screen. 
However there may be some dark or bright spots (red, blue or green) on the screen. 
This is not a malfunction. The LCD monitor screen has more than 99.99% effective 
pixels with a mere 0.01% of the pixels inactive or always lit. The spots will not be 
recorded on pictures on the built-in memory or a card.
About the Lens 
						

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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.
Always remove the battery after use.
• Store the removed battery in the battery case (supplied).
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.
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 battery charger (supplied) so that you can charge 
the battery in the country that you are travelling in.
Dispose of unusable battery.• The battery has a limited life.
• Do not throw the battery into fire because it may cause an explosion.
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.
• If you use the battery charger near a radio, the radio reception may be disturbed.
• Keep the charger 1 m (3.28 feet) or more away from radios.
• The charger may generate whirring sounds when it is being used. This is not a malfunction.
• After use, be sure to disconnect the power supply device from the electrical outlet. (A very  small amount of current is consumed if it is left connected.)
• Keep the terminals of the charger and battery clean.
Battery
Charger 
						

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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.
Notice for when transferring to another party, or disposing of the memory card• “Format” or “delete” using the camera or a PC will only modify the file management information, and it will not erase the data in the memory card completely.
It is recommended to physically destroy the memory card or use the commercially available 
computer data deletion software to completely erase the data in the memory card before 
transferring to another party or disposing.
Management of data in the memory card is the responsibility of the user.
Personal information is included in the recorded image when the name or birthday is set in 
[BABY1]/[BABY2] in Scene Mode.
Disclaimer
• Information including personal information may be altered or vanish due to erroneous operation, static electricity, accident, malfunction, repair, or other handlings.
Please note in advance that Panasonic is not liable in any way for any direct or indirect damage 
from the alteration or vanishing of information or personal information.
When requesting a repair, transferring to another party or disposing• Reset the settings to protect the personal information.  (P25)
• If there are pictures stored in the built-in memory, copy them onto the memory card  (P95) 
before formatting the built-in memory  (P26) as needed.
• Remove the memory card from the camera when requesting a repair.
• Built-in memory and settings may return to factory default when camera is repaired.
• Please contact the dealer where you purchased the camera or your nearest Service Centre if 
above operations are not possible due to malfunction.
When transferring to another party, or disposing of the memory card, please refer to 
“Notice for when transferring to another party, or disposing of the memory card” on  
P114 .
Card
About the personal information 
						

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• Store the battery in a cool and dry place with a relatively stable temperature: [Recommended temperature:15 oC to 25 oC (59 oF to 77 oF), Recommended humidity: 40% to 60%]
• Always remove the battery and the card from the camera.
• If the battery is left inserted in the camera, it will discharge even if the camera is turned off. If  the battery continues to be left in the camera, it will discharge excessively and may become 
unusable even if charged.
• When storing the battery for a long period of time, we recommend charging it once a year.  Remove the battery from the camera and store it again after it has completely discharged.
• We recommend storing the camera with a desiccant (silica gel) when you keep it in a closet or 
a cabinet.
• Recorded data may be damaged or lost if the camera breaks down due to inappropriate  handling. Panasonic will not be liable for any damage suffered due to loss of recorded data.
• When you use a tripod, make sure the tripod is stable when this unit is attached to it.
• You may not be able to remove the card or the battery when using a tripod or unipod.
• Make sure that the screw on the tripod or unipod is not at an angle when attaching or detaching  the camera. You may damage the screw on the camera if you use excessive force when 
turning it. Also, the camera body and the rating label may be damaged or scratched if the 
camera is attached too tightly to the tripod or unipod.
• Read the operating instructions for the tripod or unipod carefully.
• Some tripods or unipods cannot be attached when the DC coupler (optional) and AC adaptor  (optional) are connected.
When not using the camera for a long period of time
About the picture data
About tripods or unipods 
						

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Message Display
Confirmation or error messages will be displayed on the screen in some cases.
The major messages are described below as examples.
[THIS MEMORY CARD IS WRITE-PROTECTED]
>The Write-Protect switch on the card is moved to [LOCK]. Move the switch back to unlock 
it. (P16)
[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 the picture after cancelling 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.  (P26)
[NO ADDITIONAL SELECTIONS CAN BE MADE]
• The number of pictures, which can be set at one time when [MULTI] has been selected for 
[DELETE MULTI]  (P41), [FAVORITE]  (P91), [TEXT STAMP]  (P86) or [RESIZE]  (P88) has 
been exceeded. > Reduce the number of pictures set, and then repeat the operation.
• More than 999 Favourites have been set.
[CANNOT BE SET ON THIS PICTURE]
• [TEXT STAMP] or [PRINT SET] cannot be set for pictures not based on the DCF standard.
[NOT ENOUGH SPACE ON BUILT-IN MEMORY]/[NOT ENOUGH MEMORY ON THE 
CARD]
• There is no space left on the built-in memory or the card. – When you copy pictures from the built-in memory to the card (batch copy), the pictures are  copied until the capacity of the card becomes full. 
						

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[SOME PICTURES CANNOT BE COPIED]/[COPY COULD NOT BE COMPLETED]
• The following pictures cannot be copied.
– When a picture with the same name as the picture to be copied exists in the copy 
destination. (Only when copying from a card to the built-in memory.)
– Files not based on the DCF standard.
• Moreover, pictures recorded or edited by other equipment may not be copied.
[BUILT-IN MEMORY ERROR
FORMAT BUILT-IN MEMORY?]
• This message will be displayed when you format the built-in memory on a PC. > Format the built-in memory on the camera again.  (P26) The data on the built-in memory 
will be deleted.
[MEMORY CARD ERROR
FORMAT THIS CARD?]
• It is a format that cannot be used with this unit. > Format the card again with the camera after saving necessary data on a PC etc.  (P26)
[PLEASE TURN CAMERA OFF AND THEN ON AGAIN]/[SYSTEM ERROR]
• This message appears when the camera is not operating properly.
> Turn the camera off and on. If the message persists, contact the dealer or your nearest 
Service Centre.
[MEMORY CARD PARAMETER ERROR]/[THIS MEMORY CARD CANNOT BE USED]
>Use a card compatible with this unit.  (P16)
• SD Memory Card (8 MB to 2 GB)
• SDHC Memory Card (4 GB to 32 GB)
• SDXC Memory Card (48 GB to 64 GB)
[INSERT SD CARD AGAIN]/[TRY ANOTHER CARD]
• An error has occurred accessing the card. > Insert the card again.
> Insert a different card.
[READ ERROR/WRITE ERROR
PLEASE CHECK THE CARD]
• It has failed to read or write data.
> Remove the card after turning the power [OFF]. Insert the card again, turn the power on, 
and try to read or write the data again.
• The card may be broken. > Insert a different card. 
						

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[MOTION RECORDING WAS CANCELLED DUE TO THE LIMITATION OF THE 
WRITING SPEED OF THE CARD]
• Use a card with SD Speed Class¢ with “Class 6” or higher when recording motion pictures.
¢ SD speed class is the speed standard regarding continuous writing.
• In the event that it stops even after using a “Class 6” card or higher, the data writing speed has  deteriorated so it is recommended to make a backup and then format  (P26).
• Depending on the type of the card, motion picture recording may stop in the middle.
[A FOLDER CANNOT BE CREATED]
• A folder cannot be created because there are no remaining folder numbers that can be used. 
(P98)> Format the card after saving necessary data on a PC etc.  (P26)
[PICTURE IS DISPLAYED FOR 4:3 TV]/[PICTURE IS DISPLAYED FOR 16:9 TV]
• The AV 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 if you want to change the TV aspect.  (P25)
• This message also appears when the USB connection cable is connected to the camera only.
In this case, connect the other end of the USB connection cable to a PC or a printer.  (P96, 99)
[PRINTER BUSY]/[PLEASE CHECK THE PRINTER]
• The printer cannot print.
> Check the printer.
[NO BATTERY POWER REMAINS]
• The remaining battery power is low.
> Charge the battery.
[THIS BATTERY CANNOT BE USED]
• The battery cannot be recognised by the camera.
> Use a genuine Panasonic battery. If this message is displayed even when a genuine 
Panasonic battery is used, contact the dealer or your nearest Service Centre.
• The battery cannot be recognised as its terminal is dirty.
> Remove any dirt etc. from the terminal. 
						

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Troubleshooting
First, try out the following procedures (P119–127 ).
• The battery is not inserted correctly.  (P13)
• The battery is exhausted.
• Is [SLEEP MODE]  (P24) Mode active?
> Press the shutter button halfway to cancel these modes.
• The battery is exhausted.
• The battery is exhausted.
• If you leave the camera on, the battery will be exhausted. > Turn the camera off frequently by using the [SLEEP MODE] Mode etc.  (P24)
• Is the temperature of the battery excessively high or low? If it is, it will take longer than usual to  charge the battery or charging may remain incomplete.
• Are the terminals of the charger or battery dirty?
> Wipe off the dirt using a dry cloth.
If the problem is not resolved,  it may be improved by selecting [RESET] (P25) on the 
[SETUP] menu when taking pictures .
Battery and power source
The camera cannot be operated even when it is turned on.
The LCD monitor turns off while the camera is turned on.
The camera turns off immediately after it is turned on.
The [CHARGE] lamp flashes. 
						

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• Is the [REC]/[PLAYBACK] selector switch at the [!] setting?  (P27)
• Is there any memory remaining on the built-in memory or the card?
> Delete the pictures which are not necessary to increase the available memory.  (P40)
• The picture can become whitish if there is dirt e.g. fingerprints on the lens. > If the lens is dirty, turn on the camera, eject the lens barrel  (P8) and gently wipe the lens 
surface with a soft dry cloth.
• Was this picture taken with the flash at the close range when the zoom was near [W] (1 k)?
> Zoom in a little, and then take the pictures. (P35)
> Check that the exposure is correctly compensated.  (P50)
> Set other than [HI-SPEED BURST]  (P58), [FLASH BURST]  (P59) in Scene Mode or 
[BURST]  (P76) of the [REC] Mode menu to [OFF].
• The focus range varies depending on the Recording Mode. > Set to the proper mode for the distance to the subject.
• The subject is beyond the focus range of the camera.  (P32)
• There is camera shake (jitter) or the subject is moving slightly.  (P34)
> The shutter speed becomes slower when pictures are taken in dark places so hold the 
camera firmly with both hands to take the pictures.  (P28)
> When taking pictures at a slow shutter speed, use the self-timer.  (P49)
> When you do not use the Digital Zoom, set it to [OFF] and the sensitivity to [ ].  (P71)
Recording
The picture cannot be recorded.
The recorded picture is whitish.
The area around where the pictures were taken becomes dark.
The recorded picture is too bright or dark.
2 or 3 pictures are taken at one time.
The subject is not focused properly.
The recorded picture is blurred.