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Question

What are the best settings for a Lumix FZ 70

Sep 21, 2015 1:15PM PDT

HI all I am so new to this camera I just got it and I know nothing about camera's... I need some help in regards to understanding the camera. I can read the manual but do not have a clue what they mean with the settings. lol

So does anyone know what the best settings are for video and pic's?

Discussion is locked

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Answer
No such thing as "the best settings are for video and pic's"
Sep 21, 2015 2:31PM PDT

The "best settings" depends on what you're shooting and the conditions you're shooting them in.

That said, I would recommend that someone new to photography start with "automatic" mode. Then, if you come across a situation where automatic mode doesn't do well, switch to the mode for that situation. e.g. Sports, Landscape, Portrait, etc. Then, if you come across a situation where that mode doesn't do well, come back here (and ideally post an example pic) and ask which manual settings might work better in that specific situation.

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Thanks
Sep 21, 2015 5:27PM PDT

Ok thank so much. I did a little video with my dog and the coloring seemed off. I guess I was wondering what kind of setting that would be.

Thanks again

I am so new at this is. lol Happy

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"the coloring seemed off" = white balance.
Sep 21, 2015 9:24PM PDT

Assuming you weren't using one of the funky "creative" filters (Sepia, High Dynamic, etc.) it's likely that the white balance wasn't set appropriately for the lighting conditions. Check your manual for how to set the coloring/white balance to (outdoors) Sunny, (outdoors) Cloudy, (indoors) Incandescent, etc. to match the conditions you're shooting in. The manual should also explain how to set (and save) a custom white balance using a (white) piece of paper. And how to manually set a specific value (temperature in degrees K), as well as tweak the amber/blue/green/magenta balance.

Or, Panasonic is (in)famous for having a slightly greenish tint in all of their cameras (image processing chips). So if by "off" you mean slightly greenish, this is why. (And it can be countered somewhat by moving the balance toward magenta (down?) on the grid.)

For stills/photos, one way around all of this is to shoot RAW so you can adjust coloring/white balance in post. (This is what I do with my Panasonic cameras.)