DMC FZ50 Questions - amitr0

[amitr0]

HI all,

I recently got a DMC FZ 50 for myself.

What I find is that when I zoom to 12X in auto mode the quality of the image is ugly. But if I do the same zoom action in manual focus, and then press the Focus button to focus the camera, the image quality improves. Why is that so?

Amitr0

[timmciglobal]

Because you have the switch selected to "manual" not autofocus on left of camera?

Tim

[amitr0]

no dude, u got the question wrong.

I said, when i use auto focus mode and use zoom to 12x the quality of pic i get is far worse than when i use manual focus, zoom out to 12x and then either focus manually or use the little focus button to focus.

Why is that?

[jcon]

no dude, u got the question wrong.

I said, when i use auto focus mode and use zoom to 12x the quality of pic i get is far worse than when i use manual focus, zoom out to 12x and then either focus manually or use the little focus button to focus.

Why is that?


:confused: Uhhh, first off kill the hostility, Tim was simply trying to help, so no need for the rudeness.

What I am confused about in your post is you said when you have it in manual focus, and press the focus button, it looks better. I may be wrong here, but in manual focus, there is no focus button, you manually focus(with focus ring), then press the shutter to take the picture.

Are you going past the 12X into the digital zoom?

[amitr0]

:confused: Uhhh, first off kill the hostility, Tim was simply trying to help, so no need for the rudeness.
What I am confused about in your post is you said when you have it in manual focus, and press the focus button, it looks better. I may be wrong here, but in manual focus, there is no focus button, you manually focus(with focus ring), then press the shutter to take the picture.

Are you going past the 12X into the digital zoom?

My apologies to every 1 here if the answer sounded rude. i had no such intention, i merely dropped the punctuations and smileys. :( i am really sorry if it hurt any 1.

Well jcon, there is one in FZ50 and in FZ30 too, it is at the same place where you set your focussing modes.

[jcon]

Could you post samples of both Auto Focus and Manual Focus and include the EXIF for both photos?

[amitr0]

Could you post samples of both Auto Focus and Manual Focus and include the EXIF for both photos?



oops nopes i dnt have them :(


i had been to golden gate bridge and had taken some shots of alcatraz, that is when i noticed it!

[jcon]

Would you be able to just take some test shots in your home and post those? It will be much easier to diagnose whats wrong if we can actually see it.

Oh and BTW, I stand corrected on the Manual Focus button.

[amitr0]

i already triedthat when u posted the pic request. seems like the infinity focussing is the issue, in the room it seems to work well!

[amitr0]

Lets leave the above topic for a while, till I can show you some proof with infinity focusing!

1. I want to build my own remote shutter cord. there was post for the same here ( http://www.stevesforums.com/forums/view_topic.php?id=101430&forum_id=93 ) but for the FZ30. Does the same circuit diag work for FZ50 too?

2. In the same thread it refers to a diag by another guy...which he tells that he used. http://www.dcresource.com/forums/showthread.php?t=12342&highlight=shutter+release

However the second one has a batery in it which the first one hasn't. I am confused. can some one help?


3. Is the macro lens worth buying for the FZ50. Has any one used it? I want to know about the improvement in macro focusssing. Some sites claim that is goes close to 1:1? Is it true?

4. Are there other cheaper but better alternatives than the macro lens panasonic manufactures for Fz50?

5. I want to buy a tripod, but the range these guyd come in confuses me. I want a basic one (no ball and socket, no money for that), so is a $30 tripod, 6'2'' height, good enuf? Can some one tell me the product name and model numer so that I can go pick it up please.

[genece]

i already triedthat when u posted the pic request. seems like the infinity focussing is the issue, in the room it seems to work well!

That really seems unusual......the focus of the FZ cameras is truely amazing.

I would look at the focus mode you are using.....I would use 1 area HS focus and I would turn off Continuous Auto focus......it causes grief.

And I just have to ask, after you used the switch on the lens to focus...you did put it back to the AF position , correct?
You can have settings in the menu or on the dials set to auto but that switch on the lens needs to be all the way up. ( it could be on Macro AF but that can also can cause problems)

[JMK]

1. I want to build my own remote shutter cord. there was post for the same here ( http://www.stevesforums.com/forums/view_topic.php?id=101430&forum_id=93 ) but for the FZ30. Does the same circuit diag work for FZ50 too?

2. In the same thread it refers to a diag by another guy...which he tells that he used. http://www.dcresource.com/forums/showthread.php?t=12342&highlight=shutter+release

I posted the Schematic for the basic shutter release. The one shown with the battery was for a wireless shutter release so it needed a battery to power the receiver, but the circuit is the same for the camera end of it.

The hardest part to find is the 4 pole jack that plugs into the camera. I found it at the local dollar store, it was on one of those cheap headset microphone combos for cells phones.

The remote should work fine for the FZ50.

Here's the Schematic Again.

20278

[amitr0]

I posted the Schematic for the basic shutter release. The one shown with the battery was for a wireless shutter release so it needed a battery to power the receiver, but the circuit is the same for the camera end of it.

The hardest part to find is the 4 pole jack that plugs into the camera. I found it at the local dollar store, it was on one of those cheap headset microphone combos for cells phones.

The remote should work fine for the FZ50.

Here's the Schematic Again.

20278

tHANKS jmk. iT IS UR POST THAT INSPIRED THIS QUESTION. i AM ALSO LOOKING AROUND TO FIND ALL THE COMPONENTS TO BUILD ONE!

[amitr0]

That really seems unusual......the focus of the FZ cameras is truely amazing.

I would look at the focus mode you are using.....I would use 1 area HS focus and I would turn off Continuous Auto focus......it causes grief.

And I just have to ask, after you used the switch on the lens to focus...you did put it back to the AF position , correct?
You can have settings in the menu or on the dials set to auto but that switch on the lens needs to be all the way up. ( it could be on Macro AF but that can also can cause problems)

gOSH i REALLY DNT REMEMBER HOW i DID IT. I AM A NOVICE, AND AT THAT TIME THAT CAM WAS TWO DAYS OLD. I HAVE LOCATED TEH SHOT THOUGH.

but how do i share???? thE ATTACHMENT SIZE IS 198k :o THAT WNT EVEN LET U PPL LOOK AT IT PROPERLY :o

[amitr0]

CAN SOME ONE TELL ME WHAT IS DIGITAL ZOOM AND HOW THIS WORKS IT'S ADVANTAGES.

I SEE MY PANASONIC DMCFZ50 HAVING 200X ZOOM, (OR WAS IT 20X) WHAT IS THAT?

hOW DO i SUE IT TO GET GOOD PICS??

[genece]

If you are using digital zoom that may be your problem......You may need to spend some time with the manual (instruction book).

These suggeestions are just to get you started and after you see the nice photos you can get and you are a little more familiar with the camera you may wish to change most of my suggestions, but lets find a starting point.

1. Put the camera on "P" mode and push the menu button
2. set the image size to 10mp.
3. Set the metering to multiple
4. set the focus to 1 area high speed
5. Set the sensitivity to auto
6. turn off Continuous Auto focus
7. Leave alll the picture adjustments to standard except for NR set it to low.
One other thing I would set the IS to mode 2

Now go outside and take some photos and see if things are working any better........one other thing make sure the focus area is in the center of the viewfinder.
All of the above is in the manual.

A photo does not need to be huge to see if its any good or not. this photo is 117 kbs and you can see its not bad. and if there was a problem we would most likely be able to see the problem.
http://photos.imageevent.com/grc6/fz30/zoo/websize/P1190699_0r.jpg

[Elisha82]

whats the advantage of turning off Continuous Auto Focus?
i thought having it on was a good thing!

[genece]

whats the advantage of turning off Continuous Auto Focus?
i thought having it on was a good thing!

This is just a preference of mine.....and I do not feel its a good thing for someone to use when they are getting familiar with the camera.....once you are aware of what to expect from the camera you are in a much better position to judge what works for you......and I do not think everyone will like my choices but I do believe they are a good place to start getting familiar with the camera.

I do use CAF on my DSLR ,as it works the way I would expect....I am not sure how the Panasonic version works....it seems to mess up my focusing rather than help. But that is only my opinion.

[Pave]

CAN SOME ONE TELL ME WHAT IS DIGITAL ZOOM AND HOW THIS WORKS IT'S ADVANTAGES.

I SEE MY PANASONIC DMCFZ50 HAVING 200X ZOOM, (OR WAS IT 20X) WHAT IS THAT?

hOW DO i SUE IT TO GET GOOD PICS??
Well, digital zoom is in fact a magnifiing algorithm similar to those that programs like Photosop use. But mostly using Photosop for enlargement gets you much better results than the digital zoom. Which answears your next quetion? It's advantages? None.
Digital zoom in fact first appeared so that the manufacturers could type in huge letters on the box, that the camera has 10x zoom and only in tiny letters in brackets behind it you could find that only 3x is optical zoom. But many people just don't understand the difference and after they buy the camera, they are surprised why the pictures taken with digital zoom on are so bad...
Btw. I'd say, that it is 20x since if it were 200x it would mean focal lenght of 7000 (supposing it is 35mm eqiv.). With this you would be able to use the camera instead of Hubble telescope :D

[Mike63]

whats the advantage of turning off Continuous Auto Focus?
i thought having it on was a good thing!

Longer battery life is the first thing that comes to mind.:) Less wear and tear are the second thing. Just think about that tiny motor and gears constantly working in continuous focus mode.

[amitr0]

If you are using digital zoom that may be your problem......You may need to spend some time with the manual (instruction book).

These suggeestions are just to get you started and after you see the nice photos you can get and you are a little more familiar with the camera you may wish to change most of my suggestions, but lets find a starting point.

1. Put the camera on "P" mode and push the menu button
2. set the image size to 10mp.
3. Set the metering to multiple
4. set the focus to 1 area high speed
5. Set the sensitivity to auto
6. turn off Continuous Auto focus
7. Leave alll the picture adjustments to standard except for NR set it to low.
One other thing I would set the IS to mode 2

Now go outside and take some photos and see if things are working any better........one other thing make sure the focus area is in the center of the viewfinder.
All of the above is in the manual.

A photo does not need to be huge to see if its any good or not. this photo is 117 kbs and you can see its not bad. and if there was a problem we would most likely be able to see the problem.
http://photos.imageevent.com/grc6/fz30/zoo/websize/P1190699_0r.jpg


I will do all this and let u know the results....

[Honest Gaza]

whats the advantage of turning off Continuous Auto Focus?
i thought having it on was a good thing!

When trying to track a moving object it can be useful. However, in the case of still subjects, if you try to recompose the shot (put the subject off-centre), the focus will change to the "incorrect" subject.

[Elisha82]

good to know.....thanks guys!

[great_guns]

Well, digital zoom is in fact a magnifiing algorithm similar to those that programs like Photosop use. But mostly using Photosop for enlargement gets you much better results than the digital zoom. Which answears your next quetion? It's advantages? None.
Digital zoom in fact first appeared so that the manufacturers could type in huge letters on the box, that the camera has 10x zoom and only in tiny letters in brackets behind it you could find that only 3x is optical zoom. But many people just don't understand the difference and after they buy the camera, they are surprised why the pictures taken with digital zoom on are so bad...
Btw. I'd say, that it is 20x since if it were 200x it would mean focal lenght of 7000 (supposing it is 35mm eqiv.). With this you would be able to use the camera instead of Hubble telescope :D

ROTFLMAO - "Hubble telescope".

I do see 400x or 500x zoom even these days on camcorders though. Its such a lame marketing practice, isnt it?

-G

[dmonk]

attached are two pictures of an eagles nest taken with tcon1.7. The one out of focus is on auto focus, the one in focus is ising the manual focus MF1 mode.
The nest is 75+ yards from road, in the shade in the top of a very tall pine.
It is an extremely difficult shot but I am excited about the one good picture I got. I have not had any problems with autofocus without the teleconverter.

[taavi223]

When you have the tele converter on, have you gone into the menu and set the converter setting to tele? I don't have any converter lenses so I don't know what the setting actually does, but it may affect its focusing.

[dmonk]

I just found that setting but haven't done that. Most pictures come out fine on the normal setting. Only problem is with very distant difficult conditions.
Will try some with the setting to tele to see what it does.

Thanks for the advice. Still learning the camera.

[genece]

Just a suggestion, but there is no need to use the tele conversion setting....and if I were you I would change how you are shooting the Long distance photos, your exif says you used F8 and a ISO of 200......you would be better served (IMHO) to use F5.6 and ISO 100. If your thinking is the smaller aperture for better DOF, really in shots like those, DOF is not much of a factor.

It also says your using pattern metering and for shots where there is one important subject it seems better to meter on the subject with either Center weighted or spot metering.

In looking at the exif again it seems you used auto exposure but had the ISO set to 200 so the camera picked the smaller aperture......try to control that..
It also suggests you were using the full 10mp and not any extended zoom you should try the extended zoom ,its really useful.

Just a couple suggestions, they may help and they may not.

[Mike63]

When you have the tele converter on, have you gone into the menu and set the converter setting to tele? I don't have any converter lenses so I don't know what the setting actually does, but it may affect its focusing.

On my FZ-20 all that does is limit the zoom from 6-12 to prevent the vignetting that appears when using less zoom.

When I was playing with my Tcon-17 the other day I also had some focusing issues. I had not seen Gene's recommendation at that time but manual focus drastically improved my pictures.

[dmonk]

It also says your using pattern metering and for shots where there is one important subject it seems better to meter on the subject with either Center weighted or spot metering.


Sometimes I think I am going to be stupid all my life! I thought I was set to center weighted because the dot was in middle of brackets. Must have been thinking about another camera. Thanks a bunch for the help!

I still don't quite understand how the EZ works. How small a picture size would you recommend if you think you will crop the picture? I shot the picture at 10mp because I knew I would have to crop to get a decent size image. Is 5mp too small? I have some very nice pictures I took with an Olympus 4mp camera so I know that I really don't need 10mp to get some nice pictures.

Again thanks for the help!!!

[genece]

I have cropped FZ10 and FZ20 photos at I would think 30 % or so and FZ30 photos even more than that.......But I really think the EZ zoom can be a useful tool as it allows you to focus and meter with more percision.
The crop I think is very similar to doing it in a Photo editor but as I said it helps you control the metering and focusing while you are taking the photo.
My wife use the FZ30 at 3EZ almost our entire Alaskan Vacation with very good results at least IMHO.

Some examples of that here
http://imageevent.com/grc6/fz30/fz30alaskawildlife

[dmonk]

OK, I have been trying to decide what is the best mp to shoot at to get the best zoom for the buck. I set chair 20 yards away and took pics at 10-8 and 5mp. Then I cropped the pictures to just include the Tcon17 box. Extreme I know. Here's the results starting with 10mp going down.
I think Gene is right. It is easier to focus and seem to get more bang for the buck with the 5mpEZ. Note I was using monopod, and on autofocus so I am sure there is probably some movement.
Tried camera out on little field trip and will post a couple I got on 5mpEZ.

[dmonk]

Took this pic. of Carolina Wren using TCON-1.7 tele at 5mpEZ zoomed to 12x.
Lighting wasn't the greatest but I am satisfied.

[genece]

Thats interesting ...I never tried a test like that......but with my FZ30 I have some very nice photos taken at 3EZ......and the 5EZ of the FZ50 should be even better.
I even have some 3EZ photos that I added a 1 inch border and interpolated back up to 100dpi and had printed at 20 X 30 inches and they are very nice.
I think I could have skipped the interpolation with 5 mp.

One other thing that helps my Tcon17 photos is a hood......I do not always use one but I should.

[dachshundthree]

A friend told me about using 3ez to get better resolution on distant shots. I tried it and it does seem to work, but I don't know how, or why. Could you please me how to post a question I have. I am brand new here and I am not sure how to post a new question.:)

[genece]

Sure at the top of this page you will see this

Digital Camera Resource Page - Forums > Manufacturer Specific Forums > Panasonic

Click on the word Panasonic and at the top of the page that opens there is a New Thread button .....click it and your in business.

[hcanan]

ok, do you use a tripod when shotting with optical zoom?

stabilization is more important with optic zoom...


you can see some photos took by optic zoom with a fz50 here;

http://www.esnips.com/web/hasimcanan-photographs


take care...