Moviecorder (160-0804) Recording - Part 1 Faxback Doc. # 18895 The following instructions give you the basic steps for camcorder recording. Many of the steps refer you to another section of this manual for more detailed information. Before you make the first recording, read all the steps and the suggested detailed information. Then, use these steps as a reminder for recording procedures. Be sure you also read "Special Recording Features", (see below) for additional information about recording. 1. Choose and connect a power source. 2. Press EJECT to open the cassette compartment. Then, insert a standard VHS cassette, and close the compartment. See "Inserting/Removing a Cassette.", (see below). 3. Push the POWER switch on top of the camcorder to the right until the red indicator lights. 4. Set the CAMERA/VCR PLAY switch to CAMERA/VCR. NOTE: If the cassette's erase-protection tab is removed or you have not inserted a cassette, TAPE flashes in the viewfinder for several seconds. 5. Set the FOCUS switch to AUTO. See "Auto Focus" and "Manual Focus.", (see below). 6. Turn the IRIS control to AUTO. "See Auto/Manual Iris.", (see below). 7. Set the NEGATIVE/POSITIVE switch to POSITIVE. See "Negative/Positive Inversion.", (see below). 8. Set the MIC switch to NORMAL. See "Sound Pickup.", (see below). 9. Place the right hand between the hand strap and the camcorder. Then, adjust the hand strap so that it fits tightly over the hand. 10. Remove the lens cap and side it onto the hand strap as shown. 11. Adjust the viewfinder so that you can look into it comfortably with the back of the camcorder resting on the right shoulder. See "Adjusting the Viewfinder.", (see below). Then, adjust the VIEWFINDER FOCUS control for the sharpest picture in the viewfinder. Note: The lens focus adjustment also affects the picture in the viewfinder. 12. Point the camcorder at the desired subject, and use the fingers of the right hand to press W or T on the power zoom control until you see the power zoom control until you see the desired picture in the viewfinder. See "Power Zoom.", (see below). 13. To begin recording, press the large, red record/pause button with the right thumb. 14. To stop recording, press the record/pause button again. REC disappears from the viewfinder, and PAUSE appears. 15. Push the POWER switch to the right so that the red power indicator goes off to turn off the camcorder. 16. Press EJECT to eject the video cassette. NOTE: LOW LIGHT appears in the viewfinder when the lighting is not sufficient. See "DC Camera Light.", (see below). AUTO FOCUS When you set the FOCUS switch to AUTO, the auto-focus system uses an invisible infrared light beam to determine the distance to the nearest object that appears in the center of the viewfinder. Then, it focuses on that object. Each time you move the camcorder, the autofocus system automatically readjusts. It is usually best to let the auto-focus system focus for you. However, in some situations, the auto-focus system might not work properly. See "Manual Focus.", (see below). MANUAL FOCUS If you are recording in one of the following situations, use manual focus: The focus point is not in the center of the picture. Close and distant objects are both near the center of the viewfinder. The focus point is behind a window. The focus point is moving rapidly. A telephoto or wide-angle lens is attached to the camcorder. You are taping objects that are more than 30 feet away in low-light conditions. You are taping in snow or fog. You are taping a long object from its end. You are taping objects that do not reflect infrared light, such as water or a black surface. To manually focus, do the following. 1. Set the FOCUS switch to MANUAL. 2. Look through the viewfinder, and turn the lens focus ring to focus on the desired object. Be sure you properly adjust the viewfinder focus control. Note: For best results, zoom in as close as possible on the object before focusing. Adjust the focus. Then, adjust the zoom as desired before you begin recording. See "Power Zoom.", (see below). 3. Press INSTANT to temporarily use the auto-focus system. Release INSTANT to return to manual focus. 4. Set the FOCUS switch to AUTO to return to auto focus. MACRO FOCUS This feature lets you record objects as close as 3/8 inch. Follow these steps to use the macro focus feature. 1. Set the FOCUS switch to MANUAL. 2. While pressing the green macro button, push the zoom lever toward the bottom of the camcorder. 3. To focus on the desired object, manually adjust the zoom ring within the wide-macro range (green line on the zoom ring). 4. To stop macro recording, push the zoom lever toward the top of the camcorder until the green macro button pops out. To return to auto focus, set the FOCUS switch to AUTO. AUTO/MANUAL IRIS The iris determines how much light gets into the camcorder. When you set the IRIS control to AUTO, the camcorder automatically adjusts for changing lighting conditions. The aperture widens in low light and narrows in bright light. The auto-iris system can handle most lighting conditions, and it is usually best to set the IRIS control to AUTO. However, in some situations you must set the iris manually. For example, if the background is much darker than the object you are recording, turn the IRIS control toward CLOSE. If the background is much lighter, turn the IRIS control toward OPEN. POWER ZOOM This feature lets you go from a wide-angle shot to a telephoto shot at the touch of a button. During recording, press the power zoom buttons ( W or T ) with the fingers of your right hand. Press T to zoom in and W to zoom out. FADE IN/FADE OUT You can slowly fade in the picture and sound at the beginning of a scene and slowly fade them out at the end of a scene. This gives the recordings a smoother, more professional look. Follow these steps to fade in. 1. Before you begin recording, press and hold down FADE. The viewfinder picture becomes gray. 2. While holding down FADE, press the record/pause button to begin recording. Then, release FADE. To fade out at the end of a recording, press and hold down FADE until the picture in the viewfinder becomes gray. Then, stop recording. HIGH-SPEED SHUTTER Use this feature when recording fast action (such as a tennis or golf swing) that you want to watch later using freeze-frame. See "Freeze Frame.", (see below). The faster shutter speed reduces blurring that occurs in the individual frames of fast action. Normally, the shutter speed is 60 times a second. You can change the speed to 120, 250, 1000 or 2000 times a second. Follow these steps to set the camcorder to a higher shutter speed. 1. Press DISPLAY so that the battery level indicator appears in the viewfinder. NOTE: The shutter speed display appears only when the battery level indicator appears. 2. Repeatedly press SHUTTER until the desired shutter speed appears. The shutter speed displays appear in the following order: S : 120 (120 times a second) S : 250 (250 times a second) S : 1000 (1000 times a second) S : 2000 (2000 times a second) No display (60 times a second) 3. Press the record/pause button to start recording. 4. To return to normal shutter speed, repeatedly press SHUTTER to the right until there is no shutter speed display. NOTES: Higher shutter speeds require brighter lighting. Be sure the lighting is sufficient during high shutter speed recording. When the lighting is insufficient, LOW LIGHT appears in the viewfinder. When you play back a tape recorded with higher shutter speeds, you might notice that scene changes are not as smooth as usual. The auto-focus system might not work properly with some fast -action scenes. If it does not, manually focus. If you use AC-powered lights during high shutter speed recording, the picture might flicker during playback. When recording with the illumination such as a fluorescent lamp, a mercury vapor lamp or a sodium lamp, the picture may flicker. SOUND PICKUP If the sound source for the recording is only a few feet away, the built-in microphone picks it up clearly. For normal use, set the MIC switch to NORMAL. When you record outside on a windy day, set the switch to WIND. To use an external microphone, see "Attaching an External Microphone." (EB/all-02/08/96)