More Digital Photography Talk

[ShutterbugGail]

I am really pleased with my Panasonic FZ18, which I bought about two months ago. It's a DSLR-like super zoom that starts at wide angle (28mm/equivalent).

It may not give the overall performance of a digital SLR, but it is worth of consideration by those who do not wish to incur the expense, bulk and weight of a DSRL.

I've written more about the FZ18, it's strengths and weaknesses, in my blog:

http://www.digicamhelp.com/camera-logs/9/

[bobg3590]

I am curious about the recommended settings in your blog, things like sharpen -1, NR -2, etc etc.  Is your aim to have the best prints or display right from the camera, or are some of these settings (like sharpen -1) designed to give you more latitude when post-processing your pictures?  

[ShutterbugGail]

Hi bobg3590 and welcome to the Q&A Board,

I display my images primarily online. I also do occasional prints up to 8X10" though I typically print 4x6" for family snapshots.

I choose those settings because I like to have control over how an image is finally processed. I turn sharpening down because I want to sharpen all or parts of of image I feel is important. If, for some reason, the camera over sharpens, it can not be undone.

For those who do not like to edit photos, they may want to bump up sharpening.

The same with Noise reduction. Noise reduction can smear detail, especially in Panasonic cameras, so I prefer to do the noise reduction if needed.

I reduce the contrast setting because I take most of my photos outside in bright sun. By reducing contrast, my goal is to minimize blown highlights, though proper exposure plays an even more important role in controlling blown highlights.

I increase saturation a tad because I'm so used to Canon cameras that produce much more saturated colors. This is just a personal preference and not as important to me as the settings mentioned above.