Model 129 (160-0829) Special Features Faxback Doc. # 6294 Auto Focusing The automatic focusing feature lets you concentrate on creating great videos without having to worry about whether or not they are properly focused. However, the camcorder also has a manual focusing feature for special situations or special effects. (See "Manual Focusing.") In the auto-focus mode, the camcorder detects the distance from the camcorder to the object at the center of the viewfinder and sets the focus for that distance. When you move the camcorder, the focus is continuously adjusted to maintain the sharpest picture. Try to keep your desired subject in the middle of the view finder. Note: If FULL AUTO is ON, H.S. SHUTTER and W. BALANCE do not appear in the view finder menu. Zoom Auto Focus The camcorder's zoom auto focus automatically zooms out to adjust the focus if you zoom all the way in on an object and the object is out of focus. This feature works only in the full auto mode. Notes: When the subject is closer than 10 feet, the camcorder might automatically zoom out to obtain the best focus. If the lens gets dirty, clean it with a soft tissue and lens- cleaning fluid. If the lens gets damp, dry it with a soft cloth or wait until the moisture evaporates. Always replace the lens cap when you finish recording. The auto-focus sensor might not be able to focus on a subject in the following situations. You are taping in extremely low light. You are taping snow or fog. Close and distant objects are both near the center of the viewfinder. You are taping a long object from its end. The scene includes several objects equal distances apart. Light reflects off the subject. The focus point moves rapidly. You are taping through a window. MANUAL FOCUSING Manual focusing is useful when the subject is not in the center of the viewfinder. You get the best results if you focus on the subject close up before you begin recording, as described in the following procedure. 1. Push FULL AUTO to the left so the FULL AUTO indicator disappears. Then press MANUAL FOCUS. MANUAL FOCUS appears in the viewfinder. 2. Press T to zoom in on your subject. 3. Press POWER FOCUS F and N until the image is sharp and clear. 4. Press W or T until you see the desired image, and begin recording. To automatically focus on a subject in the center of the viewfinder, you can temporarily switch to the auto-focus mode by pressing MANUAL FOCUS so MANUAL FOCUS disappears from the viewfinder. Then press the button again to return to manual focusing. MACRO FOCUSING When you want to shoot extremely close up pictures (as close as 3/8-inch away) of objects such as small plants, insects, or photos in your family album, slide FULL AUTO to ON, press W and aim the lens at the subject. Auto focus will automatically focus on the subject in most cases. It is best to set the camcorder to the zoom-out position during a macro shot. If auto focus does not function with a close-up subject, follow this procedure. 1. Set FULL AUTO to OFF - FULL AUTO disappears from the viewfinder. 2. Press W to zoom-out from your subject. 3. Press MANUAL FOCUS. MANUAL FOCUS appears in the viewfinder. 4. Press Power Focus F and N until you get the sharpest picture. When you record a solid-colored object such as a flower petal, the color might shift. If this happens, use the white balance lock mode. When you use the macro-focus mode, we recommend that you set the camcorder on a tripod because even the smallest movements are magnified. VARIABLE SPEED POWER ZOOM The power-zoom feature lets you go from wide angle to telephoto shots at the touch of a button. During recording, press the power zoom button (W or T) with the fingers of your right hand. Press T (telephoto) to zoom in and W (wide-angle) to zoom out. BACKLIGHT COMPENSATION The lens' iris determines how much light gets into the camcorder. Normally, the camcorder automatically adjusts for changing lighting conditions. The iris opens in low light and closes in bright light. The auto-iris system can handle most lighting conditions. However, if the background is much lighter than your subject, the iris closes, resulting in a dark subject. Press and hold down BACKLIGHT/GAIN-UP to compensate for unusually bright backlighting. SYMBOL appears in the viewfinder to indicate that the camcorder is in the backlight mode. GAIN-UP LIGHT appears in the viewfinder when you record a dark subject. Press BACKLIGHT/GAIN-UP to make the image brighter SYMBOL appears in the viewfinder to indicate that the gain-up mode is selected. When the subject becomes brighter, SYMBOL disappears and gain-up mode is disengaged. If the subject becomes dark again, press BACKLIGHT/GAIN-UP while SYMBOL appears in the viewfinder. Note: In the gain-up mode, the picture is usually of a lower quality than in the regular. AUTO WHITE BALANCE Adjust the white balance so white objects record as white and colors appear natural. In most cases, the automatic white balance adjustment works best. (Slide FULL AUTO to the right.) Color shifts might occur in the following situations: Most of the subject is a single color. You are shooting a close-up (macro) or telephoto shot. Natural and artificial lights are mixed. You are using special effects lighting. You are recording a subject against a background with an intense color. You are recording in insufficient light. The lighting of a scene changes too rapidly or there is too much contrast. In such situations, you can avoid color shifts by setting and locking the white balance setting as follows: 1. Zoom out all the way on a subject that is not one solid color. Wait about 8 seconds for the white balance to adapt. 2. Push FULL AUTO to OFF. 3. Press MENU to display the menu in the viewfinder. Then press Select so the pointer is next to W. BALANCE. 4. Press SET. AUTO starts flashing. Press SELECT so the display changes to LOCK, then press SET to store. 5. Press MENU. The viewfinder display returns to normal and W. BALANCE LOCK appears. Notes: To unlock the white-balance setting, push FULL AUTO to ON. The color temperature of light varies. For instance, the color temperature of the sun varies depending on the weather and time of day (see "Brightness Situations"). FADE IN & FADE OUT You can press FADE IN/OUT to fade in at the beginning of a scene and/or fade out at the end. This gives your recordings a professional look. To fade in, do the following: 1. Press FADE IN/OUT before starting recording. FADER appears in the viewfinder. 2. Press REC START/STOP to begin recording. FADE IN appears in the viewfinder, and the image gradually appears in the viewfinder. To fade out, do the following: 1. Press FADE IN/OUT during recording. FADER appears in the viewfinder. 2. Press REC START/STOP to stop recording. FADE OUT appears in the viewfinder, and the image gradually disappears from the viewfinder. Note: The sound fades in and out along with the picture. BLANK SEARCH This function automatically finds the end of the recorded portion on a partially recorded tape, letting you continue recording from that point. Notes: Once a tape has been recorded to the end, blank search does not work properly. Be sure to use it only on partially recorded tapes. The power switch must be set to CAMERA for blank search to work. 1. Press REVIEW, then press PLAY. Either *>>> or *><< appears in the viewfinder, and the camcorder begins to search for the end of the recorded portion of the tape. 2. Press REC START/STOP to continue recording from the end of the previously recorded portion. To stop the blank search function while it is still in progress, press STOP. REVIEW This feature lets you quickly review the last few seconds of a recording. 1. During recording, press REC START/STOP to stop the tape. ||----- appears steadily in the viewfinder. 2. Press REVIEW. The tape rewinds and plays the last few seconds of the tape. 3. Press REC START/STOP to resume recording from that point. CAMERA SEARCH The camera search function lets you review recorded portions of a tape and resume recording at the desired point on the tape for smooth scene transitions. 1. During recording, press REC START/STOP to stop the tape. ||----- appears in the viewfinder. 2. Press REVIEW. Then, press and hold down FAST-F to move the tape forward at the normal playback speed, or press and hold down REWIND to quickly scan backward. 3. Release either button to stop the tape. 4. Press REC START/STOP to start the recordings at that position on the tape. This permits neatly connected successive recordings. HIGH SPEED SHUTTER A faster shutter speed reduces the blurring that sometimes occurs in the individual frames of fast action shots. Use this feature when recording fast action (such as tennis or a golf swing) that you want to watch later using the freeze-frame feature. The normal shutter speed is 1/60 second. You can change the speed to 1/100, 1/250, 1/1,000, 1/4,000 or 1/10,000 second. 1. Push FULL AUTO to OFF. 2. Press MENU to display the menu in the viewfinder. Then press SELECT so the pointer is next to H.S. SHUTTER. 3. Press SET. NORMAL starts flashing. Press SELECT to display the desired shutter speed, then press SET to store. 4. Press MENU. The viewfinder display returns to normal. Display in the Brightness Shutter Speed viewfinder required 1/160 (Normal) (None) 1/100 1/100 30 lux 1/250 1/250 75 lux 1/1000 1/1000 300 lux 1/4000 1/4000 1200 lux 1/10000 1/10000 3000 lux Notes: You need more light than usual for high shutter speeds. When you play back a tape recorded with higher speeds, you might notice that scene changes are not as smooth as usual. Picture brightness changes when you use high shutter speeds. If you use fluorescent lights during high shutter speed recording, the picture might flicker during playback. To return to the normal shutter speed, set FULL AUTO to ON. AUTO INDEX MARK RECORDING Recording with indexing makes it easy to find program segments when you play back the tape in a VCR that has the VHS Index Search System (VISS) feature. See your VCR's owner's manual for index playback instructions. The index signals are automatically recorded in either the VCR or camcorder mode when: You turn on the camcorder and begin recording You insert a cassette and begin recording You switch from the VCR mode to the camera mode and begin recording You press RECORD to start recording from the stop mode. Note: The camcorder itself does not find the index marks in the playback mode. SPECIAL CAMERA RECORDING FEATURES USING THE CLOCK/CALENDAR GRAPHICS GENERATOR The clock/calendar feature lets you record the time and date as part of the picture. Use the following procedures to set the current date and time, and to select whether the date and time are recorded on the tape. 1. Load the clock/calendar battery. 2. Slide the power switch to CAMERA so the power indicator lights. 3. Press MENU to display the menu in the viewfinder. Then press SELECT until the pointer is next to DATE/TIME SETTING. Note: If FULL AUTO is ON, H S. SHUTTER and W. BALANCE do not appear. 4. Press SET. AM 12:00 JAN.1.1994 appears in the viewfinder. with JAN. flashing. 5. Press SELECT to display the correct month, then press SET. Note: Press and hold SELECT to rapidly advance the display. 6. The day digits flash. Press SELECT to display the correct day, then press SET. 7. The year digits flash. Press SELECT to display the correct year, then press SET. 8. The hour digits flash. Press SELECT to display the correct hour, then press SET. 9. The minute digits flash. Press SELECT to display the correct minutes, then press SET. The date and time disappear, then press SET. The date and time disappear, and the pointer moves to the next item. 10. Press MENU. The viewfinder display returns to normal. Note: To correct or change clock/calendar information, repeat this procedure. Recording Clock/Calendar Information The time/date graphics are recorded whenever they appear in the viewfinder. To display the time/date graphics, do the following. 1. While in the record pause mode, press MENU to display the menu in the viewfinder. Then press SELECT until pointer is next to DATE/TIME DISPLAY. Note: The menu does not appear while the recording is in progress. Press REC START/STOP to stop recording and enter record pause mode. Then press MENU to return to the menu display. 2. Press SET. The mode display starts flashing. Use SELECT to display the desired mode, then press SET to store it. 3. Press MENU. The viewfinder display returns to normal. COUNTER MEMORY/DISPLAY BUTTON Press COUNTER MEMORY/DISPLAY to check several special displays in the viewfinder. Each time you press COUNTER MEMORY/DISPLAY, the display changes in the following sequence. No Display 0:5:24 E--F Battery Level and Lapse-Time Counter (appears Only in the Camera Mode). 0000 E--F Battery Level and Tape Counter M0000 E--F Battery Level and Tape Counter with Memory The lapse-time counter shows you the hours, minutes, and seconds of elapsed time (only in the camera mode). The maximum time display of the lapse-time counter is 9:59:59. DIGITAL COUNTER This feature lets you mark and return to specific locations on a tape. 1. Press COUNTER MEMORY/DISPLAY until the counter appears in the viewfinder. 2. Press COUNTER RESET to set the counter to 0000 at the beginning of the tape. 3. Begin recording or playback. 4. Note the counter reading for a point you might want to return to. If you reset the counter to 0000 at the beginning of the tape each time you play it, the counter readings correspond to the same locations on the tape. DIGITAL COUNTER WITH MEMORY This feature lets you rewind the tape to a specific point where you reset the counter to 0000. 1. Press COUNTER MEMORY/DISPLAY until the counter and M appear in the viewfinder.. Begin recording or playback of a tape. 2. Begin recording or playback of a tape. 3. Press COUNTER RESET to set the counter to 0000 for a point you might want to return to. 4. When you are ready to return to the 0000 location, press REC- START/STOP or STOP. If in the recording mode, set the power switch to VCR. Then press REWIND. The tape stops when the counter returns to 0000. The tape also stops when the counter reaches 0000 during fast-forward. Press REWIND or FAST-F again to wind the tape past 0000. SPECIAL CAMERA RECORDING FEATURES Hints For Making Better Video Tapes: If you are not familiar with camera techniques, there are many books about the subject available at your local library. However, because the camcorder is so simple to use and tape can be used again and again, it is inexpensive to experiment and learn as you go. The following information will get you started. LIGHTING Lighting should be uniform. The camcorder can record in low-light conditions, but more light is usually better. The optimum brightness for top quality pictures is between 500 and 100,000 lux. If necessary, obtain an optional camera light and attach it to the camcorder's accessory shoe on the camcorder. Caution: Do not place a light source near the camcorder mechanism. The heat can damage the camcorder. BRIGHTNESS SITUATIONS The following charts show you the approximate brightness and color temperature of light in different situations or from different light sources. Typical Brightness of Common Situations Brightness Situation 100,000 (Lux) Clear day at noon 65,000 Clear day at 10:00 am 35,000 Clear day at 3:00 pm 32,000 Cloudy day at noon 25,000 Cloudy day at 10:00 am 2,000 Cloudy day, one hour after sunrise 1,000 Clear day, one hour before sunset 1,000 Fluorescent light near window 700-800 Factory floor 500-700 Sales counter in department store 500 Bowling alley 400-500 Library 400-500 Office with fluorescent lighting 400 Fluorescent desk lamp 250 Flashlight at 3 feet 100 Shop stairway 15-35 During intermission at movie theater 15-20 Cigarette lighter at 1 foot 10-15 Candles on birthday cake at 8 inches Color Temperature Chart Color White Temperature Situation Color Balance Range 10,000 Clear day Blue 9,000 Color TV 8,000 Cloudy day 7,000 Rainy day ________ 6,500 Daylight fluorescent light 6,000 Camera flashbulb 5,500 5,000 Blue White A Photolamp U 4,500 White T fluorescent light O 3,500 Off-white fluorescent light Tungsten Photolamp 3,200 Halogen lamp 2,800 Tungsten Yellow ________ lamp iodine lamp 2,500 Acetylene lamp Kerosene lamp 2,000 Candlelight Red CAMCORDER MOVEMENT When you move the camcorder while recording, do so slowly and steadily. Too much movement or fast movement makes your recordings look awkward. A video camera tripod is a valuable investment for top-quality movie making. ZOOM IN AND ZOOM OUT As with camcorder movement, too much use of zooms can detract from your recording. When you use power zoom, it is best to zoom in or zoom out in one smooth motion, not in several jerky motions. If you use them sparingly, movements from side to side combined with zooms can be very effective in your video tapes. SOUND PICKUP If the sound source for your movie is only a few feet away, the built-in microphone picks it up clearly. However, sometimes an external microphone, or, for distant sound sources, a super-directional shotgun microphone might be better. Or you can use an FM wireless microphone for professional results. Connect an external microphone with a 1/8-inch mini-plug to the EXT MIC jack. SPECIAL CAMERA RECORDING FEATURES Playing A Tape On A Tv If you have a regular VHS VCR, you can play your camcorder tapes in that VCR. However, if the camcorder is your only VCR or if your other VCR does not use the VHS format, you can play back tapes from the camcorder through your TV. CONNECTING TO A STANDARD TV Use the RF converter kit (CMC) No. 16-2323) as described below to connect the camcorder to a TV that only has VHF and UHF input terminals. 1. Remove the cover from the camcorder's AUDIO/VIDEO IN/OUT jack compartment. 2. Connect the RF converter's multi-pin plug to the camcorder's VIDEO, RF DC-OUT, and AUDIO jacks, and set AV IN/EDIT/AV OUT to AV OUT. 3. Disconnect the VHF antenna/cable wire from your TV and connect that wire to the RF converter's IN FROM ANT jack. If your antenna wire is the flat, 300-ohm type, use the matching transformer. 4. Using the 75-ohm antenna cable, connect the RF converter's OUT TO TV jack to the TV's VHF antenna terminal. If your TV only has 300-ohm screw terminals for VHF, connect a matching transformer (available at your local Radio Shack store) between the 75- ohm antenna cable and TV's antenna terminals. 5. Set the converter's CHANNEL switch to Channel 3 or 4. 6. Set the TV's tuner to the same channel as the converter's CHANNEL switch. You do not have to disconnect the RF converter when you watch TV broadcasts. When you turn on the camcorder, its signals are sent to the TV. When you turn off or disconnect the camcorder, the antenna/cable signals are sent to the TV. Set the TV's tuner as usual. Note to CATV system installer: This reminder is provided to call the CATV system installer's attention to Article 820-40 of the National Electrical Code that provides guidelines for proper grounding and, in particular, specifies that the cable ground shall be connected to the grounding system of the building, as close to the point of cable entry as is practical. Cautions: Use the optional RF converter only with this camcorder. The RF converter is a sealed unit. Do not attempt to open or modify it. Do not damage or drop the converter or subject it to mechanical vibration. Unplug the RF converter during lightning storms. CONNECTING TO A TV/MONITOR A TV/monitor is a TV that has separate audio/video inputs. Connect the camcorder to such a TV as follows. Note: Use a video-quality shielded cable with phono connectors. Do not use standard audio cable. 1. Set AV IN/EDIT/AV OUT to AV OUT. 2. Connect the supplied audio/video cable's yellow phono plug to the camcorder's VIDEO jack and white phono plug to the AUDIO jack. Connect the other end of the audio/video cable to the TV/monitor's input jacks - yellow to video and white to audio. If your TV/monitor is stereo, use a Y-adapter (Radio Shack Cat. No. 42-2435) to connect the white plug to both audio inputs. Set the TV/monitor to the video mode to watch playback from the camcorder. PLAYBACK After you connect the camcorder to your TV or TV/monitor, play a tape as follows. 1. Turn on the TV. Set the camcorder's power switch to VCR. 2. Insert a pre-recorded tape into the camcorder. 3. Prepare the TV to receive the camcorder signals - set your standard TV to Channel 3 or 4, or set your TV/monitor to the video mode. 4. Press PLAY on the camcorder. Press STOP to end playback and press EJECT to remove the tape. (BR/all-07/13/94)