Panasonic AF100 – CAMERA OPERATION When operating the camera there are a few basic things to check before beginning:

• Using the MODE button on the back of the camera, make sure you are in CAM mode (side of camera, toward back near battery area)

• Make sure the SDHC card is inserted and formatted using the CARD FUNCTION menu. If you have a SCENE FILE loaded on the card, make sure it is 1) backed up to a computer and 2) loaded into the camera before formatting

• Check and set ALL RECCOMENDED SCENE FILE settings (see below) • Double check the Recording Format for your project (Resolution and Frame Rate)

o PH1080/24P is suggested • Double Check that the two presets for Zebra Patterns are set to 80% and 90%

o Some people prefer to set to 80% and 100% so they can see pure white • Set white balance for scene, under correct lighting conditions, into one of the

presets (A or B) using the white balance switch to select the preset and the AWB button (at the front of the camera) to set the white balance. Please see below for details on setting WB.

IF you are using an electronically controlled lens

• Set camera to Manual Iris (Iris Button toggle to Manual) • Set Focus to Manual (Focus Switch to M)

General Information about Memory Cards to be used in AF100: RECCOMENDED: 16GB (or higher) Sandisk or PNY brand, class6 SDHC card.

• Only SDHC cards should be used. o SDHC cards store 4GB and up (depending on the card), 8GB is the

absolute minimum size recommended – 16 or 32 GB is better. 1GB = roughly 5 minutes of footage at PH mode (which you will

be using) • 8GB = 45m • 16GB=90m • 32GB=3 hours

• SDHC cards are rated as being different classes, which describes the data transfer rate. In general this applies to the speed data can be read or written on the card.

o Class 6 or higher is recommended PH footage setting requires class4 or above Variable Shutter requires class6 or above

• Formatting Card – NOTE: When Memory Card is formatted, all data recorded on card is erased.

o Set camera to ON o Insert card into one of the slots below viewfinder (tilt up and open the card

cover)

o Make sure correct slot is selected with SLOT SELECT button (back of camera)

o Press MENU button o Select CARD FUNCTIONS >CARD FORMAT from menu o Select YES o Confirm you want to erase all data on the card

• Memory Card Safety

o Never use card that has not be formatted in the camera o Never run camera unless the card is in all the way and the card cover door

is closed o Format your card after every download o Do not remove the card if the Orange Light is flashing o Remove the card by gently pressing in and popping it out, not pulling it

out. o Memory Card Access Lamp:

Orange – Reading/Writing Flashing Orange – Verifying/Accessing card Flashing Green – Card is full No light – No Card/Card is unformatted

General Information about AVCHD footage shot on AF100:

• AVCHD is a standard for the recording and playback of HD video. The format uses compression in the MPEG-4/AVC/H.264 codecs and audio is Dolby Digital (lossless) or Uncompressed PCM.

• The footage on the card will be compressed and will only be viewable using the camera or an AVCHD compatible viewer (like VLC player) until it is ingested into Final Cut.

• DO NOT attempt any other method of viewing footage and LEAVE ALL FILES ON THE CARD ALONE

• When copying the footage from your SDHC card to a drive MAKE SURE TO COPY THE ENTIRE CONTENTS OF THE CARD TO AN EMPTY FOLDER on your hard drive.

Recording Formats: The AG-AF100 can shoot in multiple formats and frame rates. You can shoot with either 720 or 1080 resolution, in progressive or interlaced format and at 24, 30 or 60fps. Your choice will depend on your own project including both production and post-production concerns. It is suggested that you shoot at 1080/24P for HD “film look”, especially if you plan to use variable shutter. Whatever you select should be used and maintained throughout the entire production process.

• Setting the Recording Format is done in the SCENE FILE (see below for recommended Scene File settings)

Operating the AF100 using Manual Settings: When working on your projects you want to have as much control over the functions of the camera as possible. To this end, we make sure that Focus, Iris (exposure control) and White Balance are all handled manually by the operator. Additionally, the operator must set the ISO (sensitivity of the camera to light) manually. • If you are using a Prime Lens with an adapter, this should not be an issue. All Auto controls, with the exception of White Balance, will be automatically disabled.

• If you are using an electronically controlled lens (like the Lumix Zoom), you will want to make sure that both IRIS and FOCUS are set to Manual.

o Set camera to Manual Iris (Iris Button toggle to Manual) o Set Focus to Manual (Focus Switch to M)

While it is possible to use auto settings with an electronically controlled lens, these auto controls should be used only in very rare circumstances when the operator cannot, for whatever reason, take the time to make creative decisions. Using the Auto setting will reduce the overall quality of your project. Manually Adjusting White Balance You must manually set the white balance under the lighting conditions that you will be using. Only set white balance once the scene has been lit or you are under the correct natural lighting conditions. The camera allows you to save two WB settings for your convenience, but you must reset white balance whenever you move locations or the light changes drastically. There are Presets for Tungsten and Daylight, which you can use in a pinch, but you should do your own manual WB whenever possible.

• Set WHITE BAL switch to A (or B, whichever one you will save adjustment to) • Place White Card in an area with the lighting conditions under which you plan to

shoot • Zoom in and fill whole screen with white. • Press and hold the AWB button (this will set both white balance as well as black

balance, which can help reduce video noise) o Two messages will flash on the screen, the first indicates that WB is set,

the second that Black Balance is set • If you want to use the other “save slot”, set the switch to B and repeat. This

works well if you will be returning to the same lighting condition and do not want to write over the old one.

Using Presets for White Balance This should only be used in the event you absolutely cannot manually White Balance

o Set WHITE BAL switch to PRST o Press AWB button to switch between 3200° K (halogen) 5600° K

(daylight)

Using Variable While Balance This is used in the case that you know the Color Temperature compensation you wish to shoot with. This should only be used if you know the specific CT of the lamps you are under or to create a “warmer” or “cooler” look to your image. You should have a good understanding of how color temp works before using this method.

o ATW must be set to off (though this should already be true, see menu

settings below) o Set WHITE BAL switch to PRST o Press AWB button to toggle past 3200° K (halogen) and 5600° K

(daylight) to the VAR setting. o Use the FUNCTION NOB (on the side of the camera) to increase (more

blue) or decrease (more orange) the CT (noted in °K) o If the function knob does not seem to be changing the CT and instead is

moving the white box around, press and hold the knob in for a few seconds.

Manual Settings to help with Exposure and Focus: You will, of course, be using the f-stop ring on the lens to control the exposure of your image. This is not quite as easy as taking a light reading and setting the lens, however. You will need to use many different tools to help you not only capture the image you desire, but to help you gauge the look of your image with the viewing tools (LCD, External Monitor, Electronic Viewfinder) at your disposal. While these tools are excellent for helping you see your frame and the general look of your image, the focus and exposure can be hard to gauge. Do not trust your displays only; use the helpful tools and tips listed below.

Zebra Pattern presets:

• DO NOT use the LCD or EVF (viewfinder) to judge exposure of your image. The screen and the eyepiece can both be set to display varying brightness and they cannot be fully trusted to display the effective brightness of your captured image. To judge exposure you should use a combination of the Exposure Meter, Wave Form Monitor and, primarily, the Zebra Pattern.

• Zebra Pattern is used to give visual information to the operator in order to make decisions regarding how the iris (f-stop) should be set. Generally speaking, if the ZP is set at 80%, only the brightest highlights (almost pure white) should be indicated with the crawling pattern.

• Zebra Indicator superimposes a striped pattern on picture wherever it exceeds a preset level. A zebra set to 100 will show you where video levels are at or above maximum and are being clipped. Some people like to set zebra lower (85-90) to give warning before highlights reach 100.

• How to set Zebra Pattern: o Press Menu o DISPLAY SETUP > ZEBRA DETECT 1 o Choose % desired for preset 1 (suggested 80%) o Repeat for preset 2, setting the preset for a different amount (suggested

90% or 100%) Adjusting ISO (Film Cam) or Gain (Video Cam): In the Film Cam setting, the AF100 appears to have the ability to change the sensitivity of the camera to light, using ISO ratings similar to motion picture film. However, this is not exactly so. Because the chip itself cannot be “more” or “less” sensitive to light, the video signal is electronically amplified or decreased, (known as adding or decreasing “video gain”). When Gain is increased, amping up video signal and “adding” brightness, video noise is also added. Because of this, ISOs above 1000 (or video gain above+9db) should be used with caution.

In Film Cam setting, ISO is set to the three settings of the “Gain Switch” on the side of the camera. To change the ISO between these three settings, switch from L, M or H. While these settings appear to be Low, Medium and High each is set individually in the SW MODE menu and can be set to any ISO the user desires. It is recommended that the slowest ISO be set to L and fastest set to H for ease of use.

• To change L, M, H gain values:

o MENU > SW MODE> LOW GAIN o MENU > SW MODE> MID GAIN o MENU > SW MODE> HIGH GAIN

• Recommended Settings* o L=200ISO o M=400ASA o H=800ASA

*Higher than these settings will introduce video noise. You can go to 1000ISO or even 1600ISO if need be, but image will be noisy. Above 1600ASA should only be used in dire, low light, situations. In this case, other considerations need to be taken to reduce the noise to usable levels.

Using ND filters: The AF100 comes equipped with three built in optical ND filters. These filters are on a “wheel” controlled by the large knob on the front of the camera with the numbers 1-4 printed on it. ND filters cut light intensity entering the camera and are typically used for bright lighting conditions and/or for controlling depth of field. • ND Wheel Settings (Take note, these can be confusing!)

o 1 =NO FILTER IN PLACE o 2= ND6 (2 stops filtered out – Open f-stop 2 stops) o 3= ND12 (4 stops filtered out – Open f-stop 4 stops) o 4= ND18 (6 stops filtered out – Open f-stop 6 stops)

*If you need to cut the light by different amounts, you can use ND filters mounted in the Matte Box. Note that the camera does not come equipped with an ND3 or ND9, which some students may be familiar with. Combinations of ND filters between 4x4 glass filters and the built in filters will work – for instance, putting a ND3 in the matte box and turning the built in knob to 2 will give the user a cumulative ND9 (1 stop for ND3+2stops from built in ND6). Additional Tools to Help with Focus and Exposure: EVF DTL button

• Located on side of camera under LCD screen • This will add “Detail” to your View Finder or LCD screen by adding white

outlines to the edges of objects that are in sharp focus. FOCUS ASSIST aka “Focus-in-Red” *This setting must be mapped to a user button in the SW MODE menu (see below) • Press USER 1 button on side of camera to toggle on • This function is similar to EVF DTL, but the edges of sharp focus are outlined in red, which is often easier to see. Combining this function with turning off the color on the viewfinder (EVF Color set to OFF in the DISPLAY SETUP menu)

Note: Using both EVF DTL and FA at the same time will make the red edges appear more stark. However, this should be used with caution since it can sometimes create the illusion of focus where things are beginning to go soft - the red layer “sees” the sharp edges from the EVF DTL and interprets them as part of the image. WFM • Located on side of camera under LCD screen • This will toggle to the Waveform Monitor and the Vector Scope. The WFM is an excellent tool to use to help track exposure across the frame. While Zebra Bars are the most common way of helping the user gauge exposure, the WFM expresses the relative brightness across the frame and can easily be used to see differences in exposure. The vector scope can be used to track color saturation.

Y-GET (Using function knob) • If Y-GET has been set in the SW Mode menu (see below) you can move the small white viewing area around the display using the Function Knob. • When you press the Knob in, the camera will display a % reading for the while level in that specific area. Remember, 80% is about as high as you want a highlight and 100% is pure white.

Other Optional Controls: Adjust SHUTTER SPEED: Shutter speed for Progressive shooting is best at OFF (this does not shut the shutter off, but rather uses the native shutter speed for the frame rate selected) with the SyncroScan setting (set in Scene File) set to 180°. Changing the Shutter Speed should only be done if you want to create a visual effect, if the lighting conditions demand it, or if you are shooting footage of specific types of monitors. To change the shutter speed • Press Dial Select Button on the back of the camera and select SHUTTER • Turn the Shutter/Frame Rate dial to your desired setting

Shooting with Variable Frame Rates The AF100 allows users to shoot with variable frame rates (for fast or slow motion) similar to a film camera. The effect of the speed change of the footage will be relative to the base frame rate you have selected in your Scene File (60fps is 2.5x slower than 24fps but 2x slower than 30fps) PLEASE NOTE: • Variable Frame Rate only works when set to either PH1080/24P or PH1080/30P resolution. • When shooting in a Variable Frame Rate audio recording WILL BE DISABLED • REMEMBER TO SHUT OFF VARIABLE FRAME RATE after you are done with the particular shot

To use Variable Frame Rate • Be sure the camera is set to PH1080/24P or PH1080/30P • Dial Select Button on the back of the camera and select FRAME RATE • Press the Shutter/Frame Rate dial IN to toggle VFR on • Turn the Shutter/Frame Rate dial to your desired setting • After the shot, toggle VFR OFF by pressing the dial in again

Recommended AF100 Menu Settings for students Note: The SCENE FILE settings include very precise image controls that will affect the look and quality of your image. This guide skips over those controls and specifics will be provided in an additional sheet. *=Settings that can be altered from 0 to get a particular “look”, see other handout for recommended settings *=Settings that may be altered as a part of a specific “look”, however you should set these even if all other settings are at 0 *=Non-Vital Setting, however a few are included to give recommended setting for best use or because they will only affect use if an electronic lens is attached. Vital Settings, see below for complete list of all menu items SCENE FILE

SCENE SELECT o F6 (or any custom setting) o This setting selects the “box” or file that all your Scene settings will be saved in

OPERATION TYPE o FILM CAM

REC FORMAT o PH1080/24P or PH1080/30P

VFR MODE o OFF

SYNCRO SCAN o 180.0d

DETAIL LEVEL V DETAIL LEVEL DETAIL CORING CHROMA LEVEL CHROMA PHASE COLORTEMP Ach

o 0 (unless altered for specific look) COLORTEMP Bch

o 0 (unless altered for specific look) MASTER PED IRIS LEVEL DRS

o OFF GAMMA

o CINELIKE V (OR D) KNEE MATRIX

o NORM2 (OR CINELIKE) SKIN TONE DTL

o OFF B/W MODE

o OFF

SW MODE

FUNCTION KNOB o Y-GET

LOW GAIN o 200ISO

MID GAIN o 400ISO

HIGH GAIN o 800ISO

ATW o OFF

IRIS DIAL o Down/Open

USER1 SW o FA

USER2 SW o INH (this shuts the button off)

USER3 SW o CAPTURE (takes a still image)

WFM o WAVE/VECTOR

S/S SW INH o ENABLE BOTH BUTTONS

FACE FRAMING o OFF

RECORDING SETUP

PREREC MODE o OFF

INTERVAL REC o OFF (Toggle ON to do TIMELAPSE)

RELAY REC o OFF (unless you know you want to span a long shot across both cards.) o Turning this ON, will make it so INTERVAL REC and VFR are not possible

PH AUDIO MODE o AC3 (assuming you are only recoding on-board audio for temp track)

MIC ALC o OFF

MIC GAIN1 o -50db

MIC GAIN2 o -50db

TC/UB SETUP

TC MODE o NDF

TCG o RECRUN

AV IN/OUT SETUP

SDI&HDMI OUT SEL o 1080i/720p

HP MODE o LIVE

TEST TONE o OFF (ON if you want tone with your Bars)

VIDEO SETUP o 7.5%A

AUDIO OUT o Toggle if you need to hear one channel separately

DISPLAY SETUP

ZEBRA DETECT 1 o 80%

ZEBRA DETECT 2 o 90%, 95%, or 100% depending on user comfort

Y GET MARKER o ON

SAFTY ZONE o 90% for TV SAFE Or o 1.85:1 for Widescreen

CENTER MARKER o ON

FOCUS BAR o ON

REC COUNTER o TOTAL

VIDEO OUT OSD o OFF (ON if you want to see the Display on your video monitor)

IRIS METER o ON

LEVEL METER o ON

ZOOM & FOCUS o MM/FT

CARD & BATTERY o ON

OTHER DISPLAY o ALL

LCD BACKLIGHT o This will VARRY, depending on what the shooting environment is like

LCD SET o Set this to BARS (from Bars button) as discussed in class

EVF SET o Set this to BARS (from Bars button) as discussed in class

SELF SHOOT o MIRROR

EVF MODE o AUTO

EVF COLOR o ON (OFF if you want B/W viewfinder to use with Focus-in-red)

CARD FUNCTIONS

CARD FORMAT o THIS IS HOW YOUR FORMAT YOUR CARD (see above for more detailed

information) USER FILE No Vital Settings META DATA No Vital Settings OTHER FUNCTIONS

LENS CHECK o OFF

IR REMOTE o OFF

TALLY LAMP o OFF (REAR if you want to see red light showing camera is rolling)

POWER SAVE o OFF

SYSTEM FREQ o 59.94Hz

MENU INT o This will restore all menus to factory default. BEWARE!

PLAY SETUP No Vital Settings THUMBNAIL No Vital Settings OPERATION No Vital Settings

ALL MENU OPTIONS LISTED *=Settings that can be altered from 0 to get a particular “look”, see other handout for recommended settings *=Settings that may be altered as a part of a specific “look”, however you should set these even if all other settings are at 0 *=Non-Vital Setting, however a few are included to give recommended setting for best use or because they will only affect use if an electronic lens is attached. SCENE FILE

SCENE SELECT o F6 (or any custom setting) o This setting selects the “box” or file that all your Scene settings will be saved in

OPERATION TYPE o FILM CAM

REC FORMAT o PH1080/24P or PH1080/30P

VFR MODE o OFF

SYNCRO SCAN o 180.0d

DETAIL LEVEL V DETAIL LEVEL DETAIL CORING CHROMA LEVEL CHROMA PHASE COLORTEMP Ach

o 0 (unless altered for specific look) COLORTEMP Bch

o 0 (unless altered for specific look) MASTER PED IRIS LEVEL DRS

o OFF GAMMA

o CINELIKE V (OR D) KNEE MATRIX

o NORM2 (OR CINELIKE) SKIN TONE DTL

o OFF B/W MODE

o OFF CARD READ CARD WRITE LOAD/SAVE/INIT NAME EDIT

SW MODE

FUNCTION KNOB o Y-GET

LOW GAIN o 200ISO

MID GAIN o 400ISO

HIGH GAIN o 800ISO

ATW o OFF

IRIS DIAL o Down/Open

USER1 SW o FA

USER2 SW o INH (this shuts the button off)

USER3 SW o CAPTURE (takes a still image)

WFM o WAVE/VECTOR

S/S SW INH o ENABLE BOTH BUTTONS

FACE FRAMING o OFF

RECORDING SETUP

PREREC MODE o OFF

INTERVAL REC o OFF (Toggle ON to do TIMELAPSE)

RELAY REC o OFF (unless you know you want to span a long shot across both cards.) o Turning this ON, will make it so INTERVAL REC and VFR are not possible

PH AUDIO MODE o AC3 (assuming you are only recoding on-board audio for temp track)

MIC ALC o OFF

MIC GAIN1 o -50db

MIC GAIN2 o -50db

TC/UB SETUP

TC MODE o NDF

TCG o RECRUN

TC PRESET UB PRESET EXT TC LINK

AV IN/OUT SETUP

SDI&HDMI OUT SEL o 1080i/720p

SDI OUT SDI 24PsF SDI EDH DOWNCON MODE HP MODE

o LIVE TEST TONE

o OFF (ON if you want tone with your Bars) VIDEO SETUP

o 7.5%A AUDIO OUT

o Toggle if you need to hear one channel separately DISPLAY SETUP

ZEBRA DETECT 1 o 80%

ZEBRA DETECT 2 o 90%, 95%, or 100% depending on user comfort

Y GET MARKER o ON

SAFTY ZONE o 90% for TV SAFE Or o 1.85:1 for Widescreen

CENTER MARKER o ON

FOCUS BAR o ON

REC COUNTER o TOTAL

VIDEO OUT OSD o OFF (ON if you want to see the Display on your video monitor)

IRIS METER o ON

DATE/TIME o DATE/TIME

DATE FORMAT LEVEL METER

o ON ZOOM & FOCUS

o MM/FT CARD & BATTERY

o ON OTHER DISPLAY

o ALL LCD BACKLIGHT

o This will VARRY, depending on what the shooting environment is like LCD SET

o Set this to BARS (from Bars button) as discussed in class EVF SET

o Set this to BARS (from Bars button) as discussed in class

SELF SHOOT o MIRROR

EVF MODE o AUTO

EVF COLOR o ON (OFF if you want B/W viewfinder to use with Focus-in-red)

CARD FUNCTIONS

CARD FORMAT o THIS IS HOW YOUR FORMAT YOUR CARD (see above for more detailed

information) CARD STATUS

o This checks the details of available space, etc on card CLIP PROPERTY

o Only used when looking at clips in PlayBack mode USER FILE

CARD READ CARD WRIGHT LOAD/SAVE/INIT

META DATA

CARD READ RECORD USER CLIP NAME META DATA PROP CLIP COUNTER RST META INIT SET

OTHER FUNCTIONS

LENS CHECK o OFF

IR REMOTE o OFF

TALLY LAMP o OFF (REAR if you want to see red light showing camera is rolling)

CLOCK SET TIME ZONE POWER SAVE

o OFF LANGUAGE SYSTEM FREQ

o 59.94Hz SYSTEM INFO LENS INFO MENU INT

o This will restore all menus to factory default. BEWARE OPERATION TIME UPDATE LENS UPDATE

PLAY SETUP

PB FORMAT REPEAT PLAY RESUME PLAY SKIP MODE

THUMBNAIL

THUMBNAIL MODE INDICATOR DATA DISPLAY DATA FORMAT

OPERATION

DELETE INDEX CLIP PROTECT COPY