Panasonic GF1 Modes & Menus

Panasonic DMC-GF1 Modes and Menus

Capture Modes: When powered on, the Panasonic GF1 defaults to Record mode. The Exposure Mode dial on top of the camera sets the main shooting mode, with the following options:

• Intelligent Auto: This mode places the camera entirely in control of most exposure variables, and when using autofocus, requires a focus lock before the shutter can be triggered. The user can still access the self timer, adjust the exposure compensation, enable or disable the flash, select between single / continuous autofocus or manual focus modes, enable or disable autofocus tracking, enable or disable image stabilization (modes 1 or 2 only), and enable or disable face recognition. It is also possible to enable or disable guide lines on the LCD display, change the aspect ratio, and select the still image quality and dimensions. When shooting movies, you can specify the quality, dimensions and compression (except for the 16:9 WVGA Motion JPEG mode), and disable or set the strength of the wind cut function.
•  Program AE (with Shift): This mode places the camera in control of both aperture and shutter speed, while the user has access to all other menu functions. Once the camera's exposure system has been activated by half-pressing the shutter button, the user can shift the aperture value and shutter time by rotating the rear dial. (The overall exposure remains the same, but you can ask the camera to use a larger or smaller aperture or faster/slower shutter speed.) When shooting movies, most functions are available, but the aperture and shutter speed both remain under automatic control.
•  Aperture Priority: Lets the user control the aperture setting while the camera selects the best shutter speed. (The aperture range varies with the lens in use.) When shooting movies, most functions are available, but the aperture and shutter speed both remain under automatic control.
•  Shutter Priority: The opposite of Aperture Priority, allows the user to set the shutter speed, from 1/4,000 to 60 seconds, while the camera selects the most appropriate aperture setting. When the flash is activated, the fastest shutter speed drops to 1/160th second. When shooting movies, most functions are available, but the aperture and shutter speed both remain under automatic control.
•  Manual: Provides complete user control over the exposure, including both aperture and shutter speed settings. A Bulb shutter setting also becomes available in this mode, allowing variable length exposures for as long as you hold down the shutter button, to a maximum exposure time of four minutes. When shooting movies, most functions are available, but the aperture and shutter speed both remain under automatic control.
• Motion Picture P: The DMC-GF1 allows shooting of movie clips in all its various Record modes, but only the Motion Picture P mode allows control of aperture and exposure compensation used for movie capture. The aperture range varies with the lens in use, and the precise shutter speed remains under automatic control although it can be tweaked in the desired direction using exposure compensation. ISO sensitivity is controlled automatically in this mode, and the autofocus mode is fixed at single-point.
• Custom1: Four sets of shooting modes and settings can be stored in the GF1, and the first of these sets can be accessed in this mode. Settings for all of the custom modes can be made via the Cust. Set Mem. option on the first screen of the GF1's Custom Menus.
• Custom2: The second, third and fourth sets of custom shooting modes and settings referenced in the previous item can be accessed in this mode.
• Scene Mode: Adjusts camera settings (color rendering, flash mode, etc.) to optimize for different subject types: Portrait, Soft Skin, Scenery, Architecture, Sports, Peripheral Defocus, Flower, Food, Objects, Night Portrait, Night Scenery, Illuminations, Babies (including keeping track of birthdays for two different children, so the Panasonic software can display the child's age along with the photo), Pet, Party, and Sunset.
• My Color Mode: Lets you adjust color, brightness, or saturation of the image on-screen. (That is, the preview image shown on the LCD will reflect the color adjustments you've selected.) Here, the "Color" adjustment shifts the overall hue of the image from yellow at one extreme to blue at the other. The adjustment can either be made automatically via a number of presets, or manually via the "Custom" setting. Presets include Expressive, Retro, Pure, Elegant, Monochrome, Dynamic Art, and Silhouette.

Movie Record Button: Pressing this dedicated movie record button will start and stop movie recording. Movies will be recorded using whatever mode is currently selected. This button can be enabled or disabled in some modes via a Custom Settings Menu setting. Confusingly, the Intelligent Auto mode provides only limited options on the Custom Settings menu, and the Movie button will retain whatever setting it had when it was last set. So users might find themselves in iA mode unable to trigger a movie when they want to, and also unable to find the option on the Custom Settings menu that would let them do so. (In fact, the camera will tell you to check the setting for the Movie Record button if you press it and it's disabled, but in iA mode, there's no way to turn it back on again.)

Playback Mode: The Playback button on the rear panel accesses Playback mode, where you can review captured images. The left and right arrow keys, as well as the up and down keys, scroll through the images on the card. You can enlarge captured images or display them in index or calendar formats for quick viewing.

Panasonic GF1 Menus

Pressing the Menu button provides access to the camera's full menu system. The following options are available in most camera modes as menu tabs down the left side of the display. (Full auto mode greatly reduces the available options, to simplify camera operation.)  

Panasonic GF1 Record Menu:

(This menu does not appear in iA mode)

(This menu does not appear in iA mode)

(This menu does not appear in iA mode)

(This menu does not appear in iA mode)

Panasonic GF1 Motion Picture Menu:

(This menu has reduced options in iA mode)

Panasonic GF1 Custom Menu:

Panasonic GF1 Setup Menu:

Panasonic GF1 My Menu:

The Panasonic DMC-GF1's My Menu shows the five most recently-used menu options, handy for accessing frequently-used controls quickly. Unlike some My Menu features, you can't explicitly assign controls to this menu, rather, the most-recently used ones appear here automatically.

Panasonic GF1 Playback Menu: