Panasonic makes operating instructions and user guides for its Lumix cameras freely available as pdf-downloads at
panasonic.com. Yet, beyond these user manuals the company also
publishes separate Service and Repair Guides that are intended for use by
support and maintenance personnel. These booklets provide detailed information on
the different components of the camera, such as parts lists and block diagrams. So, if
you are interested in the inner workings of your Lumix or want to dissemble and repair
your camera, these guide books are essential reading.
Cover of the GH3 Service Manual[panasonic.com]
Moreover, the Service Manuals provide instructions on how to access
some hidden information on camera performance and operating errors. One can, for example,
put the camera into service mode to
see a list of error codes that reveal to the technician where the camera might have malfunctioned
in the past, and the Service Manuals decode those entries. Even more relevant perhaps, the user can
obtain the shutter count, the number of times the camera has turned on, and the
number of instances that the flash has fired by navigating to the respective menus. The procedures to access this information differ
slightly across cameras, as their button layout and labeling varies (see the respective pages for the
Lumix G-series,
LX-series, and
FZ-series for details).
Exploring the service menus does generally not pose a risk to the camera's functioning,
but care should be taken not to push a wrong combination of buttons that might put the
camera into permanent (instead of temporary) service mode.
Lumix LX100 dissembled[ifixit.com]
Panasonic's Service Manuals can sometimes be found for sale on
amazon (click here for latest offers) or
ebay (click here to check current listings).
Moreover, some photo sites, such as the French ambroise-charron.com
and the Portuguese paulocorceiro.com,
have made a number of service and repair guides
available for download. These Service Manuals enable
owners to repair their devices and thereby to reduce electronic waste. The listings below
relay and mirror the links to the pdf-versions of the manuals. Please send me a note if
you find Service Manuals for other Panasonic cameras on the web, so that we can add them to the repository.
In case the repair manual for your camera is not listed, the site
tradebit.com carries many service manuals and lets visitors purchase a pdf copy for about US$ 15-20.
Further Reading
Some of the Lumix cameras have near identical Leica siblings, such as the Digilux-3 (similar to the L1) or several of the
D-Lux (similar to the LX-series) and V-Lux (similar to the FZ-series) models.
The Panasonic Service Manuals are relevant for these Leica models also, so that, for example, the
shutter count for the Digilux-3, the
V-Lux super-zooms, or the
D-Lux cameras can be accessed through hidden menus. Moreover,
additional resources for Leica camera owners are available on the
Leica literature page.
