Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ30 Review

(Note: All screens and menus can be displayed on either the EVF or LCD.)

Shown here is the Program AE mode screen. Flash is disabled, ISO is set to 80, image size is 8M, Fine quality, our battery is fully charged, the MEGA O.I.S. (image stabilizer) is enabled in Mode 1, Metering is set to Multiple and there's enough room on our SD card for 4 pictures. The time and date is displayed for a few seconds when you first turn the camera on or change modes.

When the shutter is half-pressed and the autofocus is achieved, the AF target brackets in the center turn green (red if AF fails) and a focus confirmation "green dot" is displayed. This is also when the aperture and shutter speed values are displayed. Using its Program Shift option, you can actively change aperture to the desired value and the camera will automatically choose the correct shutter speed.

Pressing the Display button cycles through various displays including the live histogram shown here.

Pressing the Stabilizer button located on the top of the camera will briefly display this menu of options.

The Aperture priority mode allows you to select a specific aperture value to control depth of field (range of focus). A small aperture number gives you a shallower depth of field to put the background out of focus.

Shutter-speed priority is the direct opposite of aperture priority, it allows you to select the desired shutter speed and the camera matches the proper aperture. Fast shutter speeds allow you to "freeze" rapid moving subjects or "blur" them with a slower shutter speed.

In Manual exposure mode you select both the shutter speed and aperture value - you must also select the right combination to get the proper exposure level. An on-screen meter will display the exposure value as you change the settings.

Rotating the Mode Dial to the SCN position gives access to 14 scene specific modes that are optimized for variety of shooting environments and subjects. You can choose from Portrait, Sports, Food, Scenery, Night Portrait, Night Scenery, Baby, Soft Skin, Candle Light, Party, Fireworks, Snow, Starry Shy and Panning. While scrolling through the Scene menu, pressing "Left" on the 4-way controller will give a brief description of the Scene modes intended use.

Press the 4-way controller "Up" to enable AE Bracketing and set the EV step value or to apply Exposure Compensation or Flash Exposure Compensation.

Record Menu options:

White Balance - Auto, Sunny, Cloudy, Incandescent, Flash or Manual set
Sensitivity - Auto, 80, 100, 200, 400
Aspect Ratio - 4:3 (standard default), 3:2, 16:9
Picture. Size - 8M, 5M, 3m, 2m, 1m
Quality - TIFF uncompressed, JPEG Fine and Standard or RAW
Audio Rec. - Record 10 sec audio note with still image, On or Off
Metering Mode - Multiple, Center-weighted or Spot
AF Mode - Select the desired AF-area sensor combination desired
Continuous AF - Continuous auto focus, On or Off
AF Assist Lamp - On or Off
D. Zoom - Digital zoom option, On or Off
Color Effect - Off, Cool, Warm, B/W
Picture Adjust
Contrast - Low, Standard, High
Sharpness - Low, Standard, High
Saturation - Low, Standard, High
Noise Reduction - Low, standard, High

Flip Animation - Create small in-camera animations
Conversion - Auxiliary lenses, wide or telephoto

Press the 4-way controller "Down" to enable the Quick Review function to view or delete the last image taken.

Macro (close up) focus mode lets you get closer than 1.97 inches (5cm) to your subject at wide angle.

Movie mode captures QucikTime video at either VGA (640x480) or QVGA (320 x 240) resolution with audio. You can also choose a frame rate of 30 or 10 frames per second. The length of capture is limited only by the amount of available memory. Because the FZ30 features a manual zoom control, the optical zoom may be used during recording.

Movie mode recording options:

White Balance - Auto, Sunny, Cloudy, Incandescent, Flash or Manual set
Picture Mode - VGA (30 or 10fps), QVGA (30 or 10fps)
Metering Mode - Multiple, Center-weighted or Spot
AF Mode - Select the desired AF-area sensor combination desired
Continuous AF - Continuous auto focus, On or Off
AF Assist Lamp - On or Off
Digital Zoom - Digital zoom option, On or Off
Color Effect - Off, Cool, Warm, Black/White, Sepia
Conversion - Auxiliary lenses, wide or telephoto