FZ20 settings

[mario_sav]

Hi!

I'm a happy new fz20 owner! I just wanted to know about image settings such as contrast, sharpness, saturation and noise reduction.

I know what they do, i just need to know how they affect image quality, add noise, eat details,etc.

Thanks in advance

[genece]

Camera settings are a matter of opinion and will vary according to the way each of us use a camera.

But with the FZ20 my preferences were.

Spot focus
spot meter
contrast ...low
Noise reduction...low
saturation and sharpness ...normal
Continuous AF ...off
ISO on auto
Exposure compensation... Minus 1/3

I am sure I missed some and while they may not be the best for you they are most likely worth trying.

[Phill D]

Mario
I use very similar settings to Gene on my FZ20.
The only differences are;
Contrast at std.
Iso at 80 usually but do change manually as situation dictates.
Sharpness at high all the time.
EV -1/3 at least & -2/3 sometimes, also sometimes bracket EV at +/- 2/3
Gene
I have never tried low contrast & wondered what pushed you to use it?
Also I hadn't noticed the auto iso setting as I usually shoot in aperture priority mode. Having just tried it out setting to auto iso in auto mode seems to reset the iso to 100 in the other 3 aperture, shutter & manual modes. Setting it at 80 as I do makes the auto mode stick to 80 I think. Perhaps I'll give auto a try as I don't think there is usually much difference between 80 & 100 iso.

[genece]

Gene
I have never tried low contrast & wondered what pushed you to use it?
Also I hadn't noticed the auto iso setting as I usually shoot in aperture priority mode. Having just tried it out setting to auto iso in auto mode seems to reset the iso to 100 in the other 3 aperture, shutter & manual modes. Setting it at 80 as I do makes the auto mode stick to 80 I think. Perhaps I'll give auto a try as I don't think there is usually much difference between 80 & 100 iso.

I think low contrast helps to avoid blowing highlights....and I use Program mode almost all the time and almost always leave the ISO on auto.
For longer exposures I set it on 80 and when I need a faster shutter speed I will set it to 400 but 99% of the time I use Program and auto ISO

[mario_sav]

Hey! thanks for your replies.

I was just wondering why do you use EV -1/3 or -2/3?, does the camera tend to overexpose images?

Thanks.

[genece]

I was just wondering why do you use EV -1/3 or -2/3?, does the camera tend to overexpose images?

Yes it does and that will vary according to how you use the camera and apparently the camera its self.

With my FZ10 I use a minus 2/3 setting
with the FZ20 I use a minus 1/3 setting
And I use no exposure compensation at all on the FZ30 but many people do, which is what leads me to believe it has a lot to do with how we each meter.

[JLV]

I have a FZ20 and do not need to make EV adjustments for most shots. Try Auto Bracket. Of the three pics see which you like.