Lumix S1Rii custom settings C1/C2 & Q menu settings

[Jayneboo]

I'm not convinced custom settings are that helpful or necessary. Given the amount of options for customising buttons and dials (on most camera's - not including Leica) I've found it easier to have all main functions assigned to custom buttons and dials and then build up your muscle memory.

 

[Markuswelder]

I'm not convinced custom settings are that helpful or necessary. Given the amount of options for customising buttons and dials (on most camera's - not including Leica) I've found it easier to have all main functions assigned to custom buttons and dials and then build up your muscle memory.

I've pretty much come to the same conclusion. I've tried a number of times to make use of them, but always failed. I'm not sure if things have changed with my S5 Classic, but previous to that with my G9 etc, things like the manual AFS/AFC switch settings would not carry over into different C modes. Which is pretty annoying, as that's one of the use cases I was trying to set up. For example, C1 would be for still subjects, AFS mode, lens stopped down, slow minimum shutter, while say C2 would be for moving subjects ie AFC mode much higher minimum shutter speed, and wider aperture setting. But I couldn't seem to get that to work, as the camera was stuck in whatever focus mode the lever was set on.
I'll give it another try, & see what happens

Edit -just tried it, same behavior. The lever over rides the saved setting

 

[Markuswelder]

Time for another b!t(h. Why is the edit post time limit set at 10 minutes? That's another giant PITA, by the time you post, then proof read it, do a couple of changes you thought about in the meantime while editing your mistakes/whatever, the time limit runs out & you lose all your work. Bl00dy frustrating

 

[Pete_W]

I'm not convinced custom settings are that helpful or necessary. Given the amount of options for customising buttons and dials (on most camera's - not including Leica) I've found it easier to have all main functions assigned to custom buttons and dials and then build up your muscle memory.

I've pretty much come to the same conclusion. I've tried a number of times to make use of them, but always failed

I find the custom modes really useful.

I use C1 and C2 for train photography. They are both similar settings: 1/800s shutter speed, F8 aperture, auto ISO, train subject detection on, AF custom set 2 and 1-area focus enlarged and set right of centre in the frame. The only difference between the two slots is that C2 is set up for back button focus. For C3 I just have it set to LEICA Monochrome - easy to access instead of scrolling through all the different styles.

If I am out shooting at a railway station, I have the camera in regular Aperture mode for stills shooting and when a moving train is approaching, I switch to C1 or C2 and the camera is perfectly setup of that type of shooting.

 

[Markuswelder]

I was hoping you could save different AF modes, so that when I'm wandering around strange cities, I have one C setting for stills, & another for moving subjects. I also shoot predominantly Aperture mode, so most of the settings will save for me in the two C settings ie Aperture, min shutter speed etc. Not too difficult to flick that little focus mode lever, it just would have been nice not to have to think about it. I'm on blood thinners and another medication at the moment, don't know if that's causing it, but I'm horribly vague and forgetting the basics at this point.

 

[dirk]

I like the custom settings, because it makes my life easier, the more complicated the AF algorythms become.

The C1, C2 etc. settings are very useful to me, because I can store the AF sensitivity in it. Nit just one of 4 different predefined setups. I can create my own one and the nsave ot to one of the custom settings.

Because there are also physical switches for AFS/AFC etc., it is understandable, that these override the C settings. Otherwise you would be confused, if you have the physical switch to AFS but the camera works in AFC instead. I think it is the same with singel frame and continious frame. But these are minor compromises in comparison to go to the details AF sensitivity settings each time from zero or the combination of H or H+ with Jpeg only and in i.e. Fine only.

Thanks to the custom settings, I can configure two very different setups for a specific sport and i.e. for Portrait photography as a starting point which is already 99% right. This saves a lot of time. Additionnally, if you give someone else your camera for a few shots and he/she changes something accidentely, I just turn of the camera and turn it on again. Voily, my old settings are back.

Last but not least, nobody has to use the custom features. You can choose to reprogram specific physical buttons instead or just use it like it was 40 years ago, put it in M-Mode, choose the ISO and start taking pictures. Even with manual focus.

The only downside with custom functions are, that you have to learn how to use them and while doing this, learn all these little details like the different AF sensitivities and differnt AF options and different tracking modes and which of these many combinations is the best mix/setup for what you want to achieve. But once mastered, life is suddenly easy.

I am still at the very beginning of finding the best AF & tracking mixture for field hockey. I am sure this will still take a lot of time and experiments. I do not have the possibility to shoot a game each week. This makes it a very long term process of try & error. This is why I avoided it always in the past. But I have to bite the bullet now. It would be a shame not to try to master all these options, although it is an overwhelming choice of different AF mixes.

 

[Markuswelder]

Because there are also physical switches for AFS/AFC etc., it is understandable, that these override the C settings. Otherwise you would be confused, if you have the physical switch to AFS but the camera works in AFC instead.

Not how I see it. The C setting should over ride the manual lever, then there's no confusion as to which C setting you're in. If you want to use the AF lever, go back into your standard PASM modes.
For example, C1 is for still shots, with all the associated settings.
C2 is AFC, with all its associated settings. You're in C2 and have flicked the lever which associated settings do you now have?

 

[Markuswelder]

I tried a workaround on my G9, but it's more trouble than it's worth, as you lose that brilliant functionality of the AF mode lever.
What I did was moved the AF mode selector to a Fn button, that way the camera does save the AF mode to the C setting. But then you have to go menu diving, or remember what button you assigned it to in anything other than a C setting.
Just another big PITA, and why I gave up on it. At least with the S5 classic, it's simple and it works when you sort out a basic, all purpose setting. Even better than my G9 I think, as you can combine subject detection with different focus modes. Which I rather like.

 

[Markuswelder]

Just had a look, the AF mode is locked to the lever. Can't assign it to a function button. Which I think is dumb.
The Drive mode is a physical dial, you can assign that, but not the AF mode. Go figure. Pretty sure that's different to my G9.
Oh well, back to my simple PASM dial then

 

[Pete_W]

Yes, the AF switch and the drive mode dial are hardware settings and cannot be saved into a custom mode.

However on the S9 which does not have an AF switch nor a drive mode dial, both settings can be saved into custom modes. It was the same with the GX85 when I had it. The downside is that if you're just in a PASM mode you have to press a few buttons to switch AF mode (e.g. via the quick menu). But the lack of hardware switches and dials does make custom modes a lot better.

 

[GeorgeHudetz]

I find the C modes incredibly useful, and one of the upgrades the S1RII has that I really like is having 5 C modes directly available compared the 3 of the older bodies, and I switch between them daily. Once I have my camera setup the way I want it, I rarely use the P/A/S/M locations on the PASM dial. I do routinely switch between A and M modes, but I use the C modes to do that. C1 for handheld landscape, which means A (aperture set to F8 and ISO set to 80). Also set AF to single area and turn of subject detection. C2 is tripod landscape, so similar to C1, but also disable OIS, turn off hand-held HR,and set it to pin-point AF. C3 is for astro, which means M, with a default 15 second shutter speed, aperture of F2.8, and ISO set to 1600, single are AF. C4 is sports/wildlife, so M (1/1000, wide-open, auto ISO, zone AF, subject detection enabled).

All this really saves me time and keeps me focused on my goal (photography) when I'm out in the field. So if I'm photographing a scene, and some wildlife shows up, I just switch to C4 and start shooting. If I need to, I can also quickly switch to AFC and a continuous drive mode. Quick & easy. As for the S9, I personally would not give up the AF lever or the drive mode dial in order to get C control over those items, but it does make sense that Panasonic choose to do that for that particular body

I also change some of my button mappings between C modes. So yeah, overall, I find the C modes invaluable.

In fact, the lack of C modes is one of the reasons I moved away from Fuji X. Since the X bodies give dial-based control of shutter speed, ISO, and aperture, and since having a C mode override physical dials doesn't make sense, Fuji chooses to not to not have C modes for X bodies. In fact, they do not even have a PASM dial. Some people love this, but I grew to view it as a hindrance.

 

[Markuswelder]

Well it looks to me the the Drive mode can be assigned to a Fn button, and therefore should be able to saved to a C mode. While the AF switch can't. Which is what I thought was the dumb bit. I haven't actually tried it, as I shoot exclusively in single shot, but I thought I might have been able to swap them around and get something to work. Not so as it appears.
I'm not particularly worried about it, I've shot plain Jane single shot Aperture mode for donkey's years now, thought I'd give something else a try, no dice

 

[GeorgeHudetz]

The "Drive Mode Settings" command that can be assigned to a button does not change the drive mode itself, but it does allow changes to whatever drive mode is selected.