Panasonic Lumix DMC FX8 User Manual

							Recording pictures (basic)
31VQT0R26
∫Exposure
 If you press the shutter button halfway 
when the exposure is not adequate, the 
indication of the aperture value and the 
shutter speed turns red. (However, the 
aperture value and the shutter speed do 
not turn red when the flash is activated.)
 The brightness of the LCD monitor may 
differ from that of recorded pictures. The 
subject looks dark on the LCD monitor, 
but the actual picture is bright.
 When most of the subjects in the screen 
are bright (e.g. blue sky on a clear day, 
snowy field, etc.), the recorded pictures 
may become dark. In this case, 
compensate the exposure value on the 
camera. (P41)
 When you press the shutter button, the 
LCD monitor may become bright or dark 
for a moment. This function allows easy 
adjustment of focus and the recorded 
picture will not be affected.
 We recommend making sure the clock is 
set properly before taking pictures. (P19)
 When the time for power save is set (P20), 
the camera is automatically turned off if 
you do not operate within the set time.
When operating the camera again, press 
the shutter button halfway or turn the 
camera off and on.
 In some cases, if the distance between 
the camera and the subject is beyond the 
recordable range when you use the 
camera, the picture may not be properly 
focused even if the focus indication is lit.
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							Recording pictures (basic)
32VQT0R26
Taking Pictures in Simple Mode
This mode allows beginners to take 
pictures easily. Only the most basic 
functions appear in the menu to make 
operations simple.
1Select the desired item and set 
the desired value.
 Close the menu by pressing the shutter 
button halfway or the [MENU] button 
after finishing the setting.
∫Settings in Simple mode
[PICT.MODE]
[AUTO REVIEW]
[BEEP]
[CLOCK SET]
Change date and time. (P19)
SIMPLE MODE
AUTO REVIEW
BEEP
CLOCK SET
EXITMENUSELECT SET
PICT.MODEENLARGE
4k6/10k15 cm
E-MAIL
MENU
ENLARGE Optimum for enlarging to 
8qk10q, Letter etc.
4qk6q/
10k15cmOptimum for regular size 
printing.
E-MAIL Optimum for attaching to 
e-mails or insertion into 
website.
OFF The recorded picture does not 
automatically appear.
ON The recorded picture 
automatically appears on the 
screen for about 1 second.
OFF No operational sound
LOW Soft operational sound
HIGHLoud operational sound
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							Recording pictures (basic)
33VQT0R26
∫Other Settings in Simple mode
In Simple mode, other settings are fixed as follows. For details, refer to the pages 
corresponding to each item.
Focus range 30 cm (0.98 feet) to ¶ (Tele)
5cm (0.16feet) to ¶ (Wide)
[POWER SAVE] [2MIN.] P20
[ECONOMY] [OFF] P20
Self-timer 10 seconds P40
Optical Image 
Stabilizer[MODE2] P43
Burst speed Low speed P44
Number of recordable pictures in burst mode
 [ENLARGE]: max. 3 pictures
[4qk6q/10k15cm]: max. 5 pictures
 [E-MAIL]: max. 5 pictures
[W.BALANCE] [AUTO] P63
[SENSITIVITY] [AUTO] P65
[ASPECT RATIO] [ ] P65
[PICT.SIZE] and 
[QUALITY] [ENLARGE]:  (2560k1920 pixels)/Fine
[4qk6q/10k15cm]:  (1600k1200 pixels)/Standard
 [E-MAIL]:  (640k480 pixels)/StandardP66
[AF MODE] [ ] (1-area-focusing) P67
[AF ASSIST LAMP] [ON] P68
[SLOW SHUTTER] [1/8 – ] P69
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							Recording pictures (basic)
34VQT0R26
∫The Backlight Compensation
Backlight is a situation where light comes 
from the back of subjects. Subjects such as 
people become dark when pictures are 
recorded in backlight. If you press 3, [ ] 
(compensating backlight ON indication) 
appears and the backlight compensation 
function is activated. This function 
compensates the backlight by brightening 
the whole of the picture.
 If you press 3 while [ ] is displayed, 
[ ] disappears and the backlight 
compensation function is canceled.
 When you use the backlight compensation 
function, we recommend using the flash.
 The settings on the simple mode are not 
applied to other recording modes except 
[CLOCK SET] and [BEEP].
 The setting on [MONITOR], [BEEP 
TONE], [SHUTTER], [NO.RESET] and 
[LANGUAGE] in the [SETUP] menu (P20) 
also affects the simple mode.
 You cannot use the following functions in 
the simple mode.
– White balance fine adjustment
– Exposure compensation
– Auto bracket
– [AUDIO REC.]
– [D.ZOOM]
– [COL.EFFECT]
–[PICT.ADJ.]
3
3
BACKLIGHT
BACKLIGHT
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							Recording pictures (basic)
35VQT0R26
Checking the Recorded Picture (Review)
1Press 4.
 The last recorded picture appears for 
about 10 seconds.
 Press the shutter button halfway or 4 
to cancel the review.
 You can check other pictures by 
pressing 2/1.
 When the recorded pictures are too 
bright or dim, compensate the 
exposure. (P41)
2Enlarge and shift the picture.
:1k>4k>8k
:8k>4k>1k When you change the magnification or 
the position to be displayed, the zoom 
position indication A appears for about 
1 second to check the enlarged area.
∫Recorded pictures can be deleted 
during the review (Quick Deletion)
 Once deleted, pictures cannot be 
recovered.
 Multi pictures or all pictures can be 
deleted. Read P49 or P50 to operate 
them.REVIEW1X
DELETE4XEXIT
1XDELETE8X
REVIEW4X
WT
DELETE THIS PICTURE?
DELETE SINGLE
MULTI/ALLSELECT
SET
YESNO
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							Recording pictures (basic)
36VQT0R26
Using the Optical Zoom
You can make people and subjects appear 
closer with the 3 times optical zoom, and 
landscapes can be recorded in wide angle.
∫To make subjects appear further away 
use (Wide)
∫To make subjects appear closer use 
(Tele) The optical zoom is set to Wide (1k) 
when the camera is turned on.
 The picture may have some distortion 
(typical example: vertical straight line bent 
outwards). This is due to the lens 
aberration, which is common to some 
extent with all photographic lenses. 
Distortion may be more visible when using 
a wider area of the zoom lens as you get 
closer to the subject.
 When using the zoom lens at high 
magnification, the quality of the picture 
can be enhanced if a tripod is used. At 
high magnification, even small 
movements can cause a slight decrease 
in picture sharpness.
 If you use the zoom function after focusing 
on the subject, focus on the subject again.
 In motion image mode [ ], the zoom 
magnification is fixed to the value set at 
the start of recording.
 The lens barrel (P11) is ejected or 
retracted according to the zoom position.
 Take care not to interrupt the motion of the 
lens barrel while the zoom lever is rotated.
 If you wish to make subjects appear even 
closer, use the digital zoom. Select [ON] 
for [D.ZOOM] in the [REC] mode menu for 
using the digital zoom. (P70)
WT
WT
3
WT
WT
3
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							Recording pictures (basic)
37VQT0R26
Taking Pictures using the Built-in Flash
When you set the flash, you can take 
pictures using the built-in flash according to 
the recording condition.
A:Photo flash
Do not cover it with your finger or any other 
items.
∫Switching to the appropriate flash 
setting
For the selectable flash settings, refer to 
“Available flash settings by recording 
mode” on P38.
:AUTO
The flash is automatically activated 
according to the recording condition.
: AUTO/Red-eye reduction
The flash is automatically activated 
according to the recording condition.
It reduces the red-eye phenomenon (eyes 
of the subject appear red in the picture) by 
triggering the flash before actually 
recording the picture. After that, the flash is 
activated for actual recording again. The flash is activated twice. The first 
flash is activated only for a preparation 
of actual recording. The subject should 
not move until the second flash is 
finished.
 Use this when you take pictures of 
people in low lighting conditions.
: Forced ON
The flash is activated every time regardless 
of the recording condition.
 Use this when your subject is back-lit 
or under fluorescent light.
: Forced ON/Red-eye reduction
 The flash setting is set to Forced ON/
Red-eye reduction only when you set 
to [PARTY] in scene mode. (P54)
: Slow sync./Red-eye reduction
When you take a picture with a dark 
background landscape, this feature makes 
the shutter speed slow when the flash is 
activated, so that the dark background 
landscape will become bright. 
Simultaneously it reduces the red-eye 
phenomenon.
 Use this when you take pictures of 
people in front of a dark background.
: Forced OFF
The flash is not activated in any recording 
condition.
 Use this when you take pictures in 
places where the use of the flash is not 
permitted.
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							Recording pictures (basic)
38VQT0R26
∫Available flash settings by recording mode
The available flash settings depend on the recording mode.
(±: Available, —: Not available)
¢Not available in backlight compensation
∫The available flash range to take pictures
 The available flash range is an approximation.
 Refer to P30 for the focus range.
 Refer to P65 for the ISO sensitivity.
 If the ISO sensitivity is set to [AUTO], it is automatically adjusted from [ISO100] to 
[ISO400] when you use the flash.
 To avoid noise, we recommend decreasing the ISO sensitivity (P65) or setting 
[PICT.ADJ.] to [NATURAL]. (P70)
ISO sensitivityAvailable flash control range
WideTe l e
AUTO 30 cm (0.98 feet) to 4.0 m 
(13.1 feet)30 cm (0.98 feet) to 2.2 m 
(7.22 feet)
ISO80 30 cm (0.98 feet) to 1.7 m 
(5.58 feet)30 cm (0.98 feet) to 1.0 m 
(3.28 feet)
ISO100 30 cm (0.98 feet) to 2.0 m 
(6.56 feet)30 cm (0.98 feet) to 1.1 m 
(3.61 feet)
ISO200 40 cm (1.31 feet) to 2.8 m 
(9.19 feet)30 cm (0.98 feet) to 1.5 m 
(4.92 feet)
ISO400 60 cm (1.97 feet) to 4.0 m 
(13.1 feet)40 cm (1.31 feet) to 2.2 m 
(7.22 feet)
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							Recording pictures (basic)
39VQT0R26
∫Shutter speed for each flash setting
¢The shutter speed changes depending on the slow shutter setting. (P69)
 There may be differences in the above shutter speeds in scene mode.
 Do not stare at the photo flash from 
close proximity.
 If you bring the flash too close to the 
subjects, they may be distorted or 
discolored by its heat and lighting.
 Do not cover the photo flash with your 
fingers or any other items.
 While the flash is being charged in 
economy mode, the LCD monitor is 
turned off.
 When you take a picture beyond the flash 
control range, the exposure may not be 
adjusted properly and the picture may 
become bright or dark.
 When you repeat taking a picture, 
recording may be disabled even if the 
flash is activated. Take a picture after the 
access indication disappears.
 When the jitter alert appears, we 
recommend using the flash.
 When you set to burst mode or auto 
bracket, only 1 picture is recorded for 
every flash activated.
 The flash icon turns red when activating 
the flash and pressing the shutter button 
halfway. When the flash is being charged, the flash 
icon blinks red, and you cannot take a 
picture even when you press the shutter 
button fully.
 When taking a picture with the flash, the 
white balance will be automatically 
adjusted [except for [ ] (Daylight)], but 
the white balance may not be properly 
adjusted if the flash level is insufficient.
 When the shutter speed is fast, the flash 
effect may not be sufficient.
Flash settingShutter speed (Sec.)
: AUTO 1/60 to 1/2000
: AUTO/Red-eye reduction 1/60 to 1/2000
: Forced ON
: Forced ON/Red-eye reduction1/60 to 1/2000
: Slow sync./Red-eye reduction 1/8
¢ to 1/2000
: Forced OFF1/8¢ to 1/2000
8 to 1/2000
(In [NIGHT SCENERY] in 
scene mode)
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							Recording pictures (basic)
40VQT0R26
Taking Pictures with the Self-timer
1Select the self-timer mode.
: Self-timer set to 10 seconds
;
: Self-timer set to 2 seconds
;
No display: canceled
2Take the picture.
A: Press the shutter button halfway to 
focus.
B: Press the shutter button fully to take 
the picture. The self-timer indicator 
C blinks and the 
shutter is activated 
after 10 seconds (or 
2 seconds).
 If you press the 
[MENU] button when the self-timer is 
set, the self-timer setting is canceled.
 When using a tripod or in other cases, 
setting the self-timer to 2 seconds is a 
convenient way to avoid the jitter caused 
by pressing the shutter button.
 When you press the shutter button fully 
with one stroke, the subject is 
automatically focused just before the 
recording. In dark places, the self-timer 
indicator blinks and then it may turn on 
brightly to work as the AF assist lamp 
(P68) for focusing on the subject.
 In simple mode [ ], the self-timer is fixed 
to 10 seconds.
 In [SELF PORTRAIT] in scene mode 
(P54), the self-timer is fixed to 2 seconds.
 When you set the self-timer in the burst 
mode, the camera starts taking a picture 2 
or 10 seconds after the shutter button is 
pressed. The number of pictures taken at 
a time is fixed to 3.
 We recommend using a tripod when 
recording with the self-timer.
(When you use a tripod, make sure the 
tripod is stable when the camera is 
attached to it.)
3
CANCELMENU
3
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