Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ7 Review

Record Modes & Screens

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

The screen when using Simple record mode (Heart on the Mode dial.) This mode is designed for the beginner with fully automatic operation. You can activate Backlight Compensation, which will brighten the entire image when your subject would otherwise be dark because of the bright background.

Menu options in Simple mode are minimal.

Pict. Mode

Auto Review - Auto review after capture (off, on)

Beep - Camera beep sounds, Off, Low, or High

Clock Set - Set the time and date

Shown here is the Program AE mode screen. Flash is disabled, ISO is set to 80, image size is 6M, 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 308 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, Soft Skin, Scenery, Sports, Night Portrait, Night Scenery, Panning, Food, Party, Candle Light, Fireworks, Starry Sky, Baby 1 & 2, Snow, and High Sensitivity. 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

Sensitivity

Aspect Ratio

Picture. Size

Quality

Audio Rec.

Metering Mode

AF Mode

Continuous AF

AF Assist Lamp

D. Zoom

Color Effect

Picture Adjust

Contrast

Sharpness

Saturation

Noise Reduction

Flip Animation

Conversion

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 FZ7 records sound during movies, the optical zoom may not be used while recording. It can however, be preset before hand.