The Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH2: The Unofficial Quintessential Guide

by Brian Matsumoto Ph.D, Carol F. Roullard

Overview

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH2: The Unofficial Quintessential Guide provides a wealth of information and professional insights for owners of this powerful HD camera.

With its electronic viewfinder and interchangeable lenses, the GH2 is capable of not only recording professional-quality still images, but has the added ability to record HD video as well. The mirrorless design enhances the camera's versatility beyond that of most digital single lens reflex (DSLR) cameras. With the appropriate adapters, it can use virtually any manufacturer's manual focus, legacy lens. It is smaller than a typical DSLR in both size and weight, and retains automatic focusing while recording videos capability that is missing in many DSLR cameras.

With the GH2, Panasonic has significantly expanded the video capabilities beyond those of previous models. Among the improvements is the ability to adjust the frame rate and shutter speed when filming video, giving users greater control over the movie-making process.

In this guide, authors Brian Matsumoto and Carol F. Roullard explore and explain the features and capabilities of the GH2 camera in detail, as they cover everything from the basic features of the camera to numerous advanced photographic applications. The informative text is illustrated with example images throughout.

Readers will learn how to:

• Control the most basic camera functions-focus and exposure
• Navigate the camera's menu system
• Achieve a range of artistic effects using various camera settings
• Use the camera's automated controls, and override those controls to obtain better exposure
• Use the GH2 in its video mode to obtain HD videos
• Post-process images and videos on a computer
• Expand the camera's use by mounting it on a telescope or microscope
• And much more!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781933952895
Publisher:	Rocky Nook
Publication date:	01/24/2012
Pages:	272
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Dr. Brian Matsumoto is a retired research scientist who has worked for 30 years recording his experiments with a wide range of film and digital cameras. From 1992 to 2009, he served as Director of the Integrated Microscopy Facility, a unit administered by the Neuroscience Research Institute and the Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology at the University of California, Santa Barbara. This facility provides instruction and support for projects that require advanced imaging. In addition to the two books he has written for Rocky Nook, Dr. Matsumoto has published several articles and has had his photographs published in a number of periodicals. He is experienced in the technical aspects of photography and has taught courses on recording scientific experiments.

Carol F. Roullard has been an avid photographer since high school, where she first experimented with black and white artistic composition. She has continued photographing (mainly nature and architecture) throughout the years. Carol has used a variety of cameras covering a wide range of makes and models, from simple point-and-shoot cameras to complex professional cameras. She has been using the latest Panasonic G series models for the past several years. Carol is a Project Management Quality and Compliance engineer by trade and has spent a number of years developing procedural and quality control methodology for IT projects. In addition, Carol has developed and conducted training sessions covering best practices for procedural and quality control, breaking down complex subjects into easy-to-use approaches to learning.

Table of Contents

Getting Started 2

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH2: New Features 3

Using This Book 3

Setting Up Your New Panasonic GH2 Camera 5

Battery 6

Memory Card 7

Protecting the Lens 9

Viewing Menu Commands 10

Touch Screen 15

Information and Error Messages 16

Important RESET Command 16

Cleaning the Sensor 16

Setting the Clock Date and Time 17

The Dual Viewing System of the Panasonic 18

Recommendations 19

Basic Photographic Ideas and External Buttons 20

Introduction 21

File Formats 23

Shutter-Release Button 26 Focusing 26

Exposure (Shutter Speed, Aperture, ISO) 33

White Balance and the Appearance of Color 36

Drive Mode Lever 37

Videos 40

Recommendations 41

Exploring the Power of Two Electronic Displays 42

Introduction 43

The LCD Screen 43

The Viewfinder 44

Framing Pictures 45

Reviewing Pictures, Burst Groups, and Videos 58

Altering the Playback Display 61

Deleting Saved Pictures, Burst Groups, and Videos 65

Recommendations 66

Automatic Settings 68

Introduction 69

Face Recognition 70

Mode Dial 76

Intelligent Auto Mode 77

Predefined Scene Modes 84

Recommendations 91

Setting the Camera Using Shortcuts 94

Introduction 95

Quick Menu 95

My Menu 97

Setting the Function Buttons 98

Custom Modes 100

Setting Color Schemes 102

Recommendations 108

Taking Control of the Camera 110

Introduction 111

Three Semiautomatic Modes: Shutter-Priority AE (S), Aperture-Priority AE (A), and Program AE (P) 111

ISO 115

White Balance 119

Revisiting Aspect Ratio and Pixels 124

Customizing Automatic Focusing 126

Automatic Focusing: Speeding Up Focusing at the Expense of Battery Power 129

Automatic Focus in Dim Light 130

Locking Focus with AF/AE 131

Manual Focus: Overriding Automatic Focusing 131

Manual Operation of the Camera 134

Introduction 135

Manual Exposure Mode Controls 135

Manual Focusing Overriding Automatic Focusing 140

Manual Focusing of Four Thirds Lenses 140

Manual Focusing Any Lens 141

Focusing Using the Touch Screen 141

Fine-Tuning White Balance 143

Intelligent Resolution 145

Getting More Magnification from the Lens 146

Choosing File Formats: JPEG 148

Optical Image Stabilizer (O.I.S.) 149

Auto Bracketing 151

The System Approach to Expanding the Camera's Utility 156

Introduction 157

Optical Accessories: The Micro Four Thirds Lens 157

The Four Thirds System 160

Legacy Lenses, Discontinued Lenses 163

Research Microscopes 167

Laboratory, Teaching, and Home Microscopes 168

Cable Release 170

Tripods 170

Telescopes 172

Recommendations 174

Flash Photography 176

Introduction 177

The Built-in Flash 177

The Flash Icons on the Display Screen 181

Additional Controls for Preflash and Internal Shutter 181

External Flash 185

Recommendations 186

Videos 188

Two Roads to Video 189

Part 1: General Video Setup 190

Part 2: Advanced Settings: Creative Motion Picture Mod 200

Recommendations 205

Playing Back Your Pictures and Videos 208

Introduction 209

Playback Terminology 210

PLAYBACK Menu 210

Working outside of the Camera 235

Recommendations 237

Appendix A Common Error Messages and Resolutions 238

Appendix B Intelligent Auto Mode Menu Options 246

Acknowledgments 252

Index 253