Short explanations and tips from my test series – worked through with the LUMIX G70 and the 14–42 mm kit lens. The values under each card match exactly this gear.
Three controls set the brightness. Each one adds light – and each one has a side effect. Change one, and you balance it with another.
Side effect: less depth of field – the background goes soft.
Side effect: motion blur and camera shake.
Side effect: more noise, less detail in highlights and shadows.
The higher the f-number, the smaller the opening. Every full stop (f/5.6 → f/8) halves the light – balance it with twice the exposure time or twice the ISO.
The aperture is the opening in the lens. A small f-number (f/3.5) means a wide opening: more light, shallow depth of field, soft background. A large f-number (f/11) means a small opening: less light, more of the scene in focus.
The kit lens is sharpest between f/4 and f/6. From around f/11, diffraction softens the image again – use f/22 only when you really need maximum depth of field.
Focal length sets the angle of view. Wide angle shows a lot of the surroundings and stresses closeness and depth. Telephoto brings things closer and seems to pull the background towards your subject.
Think full frame: on the G70’s Micro Four Thirds sensor, 14–42 mm looks like 28–84 mm. 25 mm is roughly the classic 50 mm “normal” lens – perfect for practice.
Standing still and zooming only crops tighter. Perspective changes when you move: close up at 14 mm or far away at 42 mm gives two completely different pictures of the same subject.
Zooming in makes the widest opening smaller. Choose your position and focal length first, then adjust shutter speed or ISO for exposure.
ISO amplifies the sensor’s signal. Higher values make the image brighter but add visible noise and lose detail in bright and dark areas.
Stay at ISO 200 whenever you can. Auto ISO helps when the light changes quickly – on the G70 the automatic mode goes no higher than ISO 3200.
Shutter speed decides how motion looks: fast speeds freeze it, slow speeds blur it – lovely for flowing water, light trails or panning shots.
Handheld rule of thumb: 1/(2 × focal length), so about 1/100 s at 42 mm. The stabiliser buys you margin but won’t stop subject movement. Use the mechanical shutter for moving subjects.
White balance defines what counts as neutral. Set a low Kelvin value and the image turns cooler; a high value makes it warmer.
For a series, fix the white balance instead of AWB – otherwise colours drift from frame to frame. Shooting RAW gives you full freedom later in editing.
Good pictures guide the eye. The rule of thirds, leading lines, a clear foreground and deliberate empty space give an image structure and calm.
Before you press the shutter, trace the edges: what pokes into the frame, what gets cut off? Keep the horizon straight – and when in doubt, take one step closer.
Lots of depth of field, a steady camera and good light. The time just after sunrise and before sunset gives soft, warm side light.
14–18 mm, f/5.6 to f/8, ISO 200 and a tripod. Bring something interesting into the foreground – it adds depth. A polariser deepens the sky and cuts reflections.
A calm background draws the eye to the face. You get there with a long focal length, a wide aperture and as much distance as possible between person and background.
42 mm at f/5.6, close to the person, background far away. Focus on the nearest eye. Soft light – shade, clouds, a window – is kinder than harsh sun.
The kit lens isn’t a macro, but it gets surprisingly close. Leaves, textures or products work well when you use the shortest focusing distance.
At 42 mm and 0.3 m from the sensor you get the largest reproduction ratio. Depth of field gets very thin – use f/5.6 to f/8 and fine-tune focus manually.
Starting points, not rules. Fine-tune from here with exposure compensation and a look at the histogram.
| SITUATION | FOCAL LENGTH | APERTURE | SHUTTER | ISO | FOCUS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Landscape | 14–18 mm | f/5.6–f/8 | 1/125 s or tripod | 200 | AFS |
| Portrait | 42 mm | f/5.6 | 1/250 s | 200–800 | AFS |
| Street | 18–25 mm | f/5.6 | 1/500 s | Auto (≤ 3200) | AFF |
| Sport & motion | 35–42 mm | f/5.6 | 1/1000 s | Auto (≤ 3200) | AFC |
| Panning | 25–42 mm | f/8 | 1/30 s | 200 | AFC |
| Night on a tripod | 14 mm | f/5.6 | 2–30 s | 200 | MF |
| Close-up | 42 mm | f/5.6–f/8 | 1/250 s | 200–800 | MF |
