The Panasonic DMC-FX5 has an easy
to use menu system that is quite intuitive. With the exception
of the Simple mode — another name for what everyone
else calls the Auto mode — all other shooting modes
and the Playback mode use a menu system composed of two parts.
Each option has a name, and its current setting is clearly marked
next to it.
The Set-up menu varies in content according to the mode in use — recording
or playback — so the options shown below are marked with a red square
for those offered in the recording modes, and green for those that are
available in playback:
Monitor: serves to adjust
the brightness of the LCD monitor.
Auto Review sets the image
display time after capture: Off, 1, 3 seconds or zoom which
automatically zooms the image 4X for about 1 second.
Volume: to adjust the
speaker's playback volume.
Power Save: automatically
turns off the DMC-FX5 (2, 5, 10 min or Off).
Economy: decides the
delay before the camera turns off the LCD monitor to save
power (Off or On).
Beep: controls the camera
beeps (High, Low, Off).
No. Reset:
resets file numbering to 0.
Reset: returns the camera
to factory settings.
Clock Set: to set the
time and date on the DMC-FX5.
USB Mode: Mass Storage,
PTP, Direct Print, or PictBridge.
Video Out: NTSC or PAL.
Language: selects the
interface language (English, French, Italian, Japanese
German, Spanish, Chinese).
While the printed manual supplied with the FX5 is an improvement over previous
Panasonic manuals produced for other cameras, there is still room for improvement,
for better translation, and for greater consistency with the terminology
used by the the rest of the camera manufacturing community. Moreover, the
user would benefit from better and more in-depth explanations of the camera's
functions, and of its limitations.
Software
In Canada, the Panasonic DMC-FX5 is bundled with a single
CD that contains:
Panasonic's SD Viewer
A software suite from ArcSoft(see further);
Adobe Acrobat to read the PDF instruction manual
of SD Viewer;
QuickTime to view the videos captured with the FX5;
The USB driver for Windows 98 and Windows 98SE.
The Arcsoft software suite includes 4 titles:
PhotoImpressions 4: to edit photos.
Photobase 4: to edit and organize images and interface
with Picture Stage a program designed to upload images to
PictureStage.com so they can be shared over the web.
PanoramaMaker 3: to create panoramic images by stitching
together a series of photos that overlap.
PhotoPrinter 4: a print layout utility that makes
it possible to arrange photos to be printed.
For image editing, the best tool offered is ArcSoft's PhotoImpressions
4. That program allows a fair amount of control over the image.
Adjustments are possible for brightness, contrast, saturation
and hue, amongst other things and the program is able to display
RAW images. Worth noting though, PhotoImpressions 4 does not
offer controls over RAW images that are any different from
those offered over all images.
Panasonic's SD Viewer is able to show the basic shooting data for any
image shot with the DMC-FX5.
The data shown includes the time and date, shutter speed and aperture,
sensitivity setting (ISO), exposure compensation, white balance, and
flash state.
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Interface & Software
