PRO 847 Camcorder (160-0865) Recording Faxback Doc. # 34698 Video Cassettes We recommend that our cassettes be used with your camcorder. Use of poor quality or damaged tapes can contaminate the video heads. Head cleaning is not covered under warranty and is considered normal maintenance. Inserting or Removing Cassettes CAUTION: Insert the cassette so the safety tab is at the top and the tape window is facing out. The cassette should slide easily in the compartment. Do not force the cassette. 1. Attach a power supply and turn on the camcorder. 2. Press the EJECT button to open the cassette compartment. 3. Insert the tape with the safety tab on top and the window facing out. 4. Gently press the compartment where it is labeled PUSH until it clicks into place. The top closes automatically. CAUTION: Do not press down on the top or you may damage your camcorder. Erase Protection - Safety Tab You can protect your video cassettes from being erased by closing the safety tab. To erase a previous recording, open the safety tab and record over it. Recording Times The camcorder records in standard speed (SP). See the chart for the maximum SP recording times for some 8 mm cassettes. Cassette Recording Time P6-15 15 Minutes P6-20 20 Minutes P6-45 45 Minutes P6-60 60 Minutes P6-90 90 Minutes P6-120 120 Minutes P6-150 150 Minutes Making a Recording The steps below tell you how to make a recording and suggest using some of the recording features. Each feature is described in detail on the following pages. To Make a Recording: 1. Attach a power supply. Attach the adapter, charged battery, or install optional "AA" alkaline batteries. 2. Remove the lens cap and attach it to the handstrap. 3. Slide the POWER switch upward to turn on the camcorder. The CAM indicator will light and the camcorder will enter the record pause mode. PAUSE appears in the viewfinder. 4. Insert a video tape. Press EJECT. Insert the cassette with safety tab facing up and the tape window facing out. 5. Adjust the viewfinder and eyepiece focus control for your vision. 6. Start and stop recording. Press and release the thumb trigger (REC START/STOP button) to start recording. REC appears in the viewfinder. Press and release the thumb trigger again to stop recording. The camcorder is now in record pause. PAUSE appears in the viewfinder. The camcorder will automatically turn off if it remains in record pause for three minutes. Slide the POWER switch upward to turn the camcorder back on. 7. Use the zoom feature. Zoom in and out using the zoom control. 8. Review what you have recorded. Press and release REW to review the last few seconds of the recording. Press and hold REW or FFWD to visually see what you have recorded. Release the button to begin recording at that point. 9. When you are finished, slide the POWER switch upward to turn off the camcorder. Replace the lens cap. Viewfinder Displays 1. Status Displays The REC indicator appears when the camcorder is recording. The PAUSE indicator appears during record pause. The FF indicator appears during fast forward. The REW indicator appears during rewind. The STOP indicator appears when the camcorder is stopped. The BLANK indicator appears during blank search operation. 2. Zoom Indicator The zoom indicator appears here when you use the zoom control. Details in "Zooming", below. 3. Warnings and Information TAPE appears during recording when there is approximately five minutes of tape left. TAPE END appears when the end of the tape is reached during recording or a cassette is inserted with its tape already at the end. (Symbol) appears when the safety tab on the cassette has been closed, there is no cassette in the camcorder, or condensation has formed inside the cassette or camcorder. (Symbol) indicator appears when excessive moisture (condensation) has entered the camcorder. The camcorder will not operate when this indicator appears. Place the camcorder in a warm, dry area until this indicator disappears. 4. Elapsed Time-Counter The time counter appears during recording and playback. An "M" appears in front of the time counter when memory stop is on. Details are in "Time Counter", below. 5. AE (Auto Exposure) Higher Shutter Speed Indicator A shutter speed (1/60, 1/100, 1/150 or 1/125) is automatically selected by the camcorder. No indicator appears for 1/60 second shutter speed. AE: 100, AE: 150, or AE: 250 will appear when the higher shutter speed has been selected by the camcorder. 6. FOCUSLOCK (Symbol) Indicator One of these indicators appears when the focus has been locked. Details in "Focusing", below. 7. Tape Time Remaining Indicator This indicator shows the approximately amount of tape remaining in the cassette. Details in "Tape Time Remaining Display", below. 8. Battery Level Indicator This indicator shows how much power is left in the rechargeable battery. Details are in Faxback Doc. # 34696. 9. AUTO DATE, Date, Date and Time, or 88:88 AUTO DATE, date, or date and time appears in this area of the view- finder when you press the DATE/TIME button. These displays will be recorded on your tape when they appear. Details are in "Set The Date and Time", below. 88:88 appears here when the clock lithium cell has not been installed or needs to be replaced. Details are in "Install the Clock Lithium Cell", below. Viewfinder The camcorder's viewfinder is a miniature monitor that displays the picture seen by the camcorder when recording. Adjust Viewfinder for Convenient Viewing For convenient viewing, you can rotate the viewfinder up and down. CAUTIONS: Do not force the viewfinder to rotate completely around. This will damage the viewfinder and/or the camcorder. When carrying the camcorder with the shoulder strap, put the viewfinder down. This helps prevent possible damage to the viewfinder from bumping against your body as you move. Eyepiece Focus Control The eyepiece focus control lets you set the focus of the viewfinder for your personal vision. If you wear eye glasses, you probably can operate the camcorder without them. It is easiest to set the correct focus by focusing on one of the view- finder's on-screen displays. Flying Erase Head A separate erase head is mounted on the spinning headwheel (hence the term "flying"). This allows you to make clean edits without the "glitches" or "rainbow noise" that may occur at the beginning or the end of recordings. Microphone The microphone picks up the sound during a recording. It is more sensitive to sounds coming from the direction the lens is pointed. Model Pro848 Only: External Microphone Jack The camcorder has an external microphone jack (MIC) for attaching an optional microphone. DISPLAY Button Press the DISPLAY button when the camcorder is connected to a TV monitor to have the viewfinder displays appear on the TV screen. They will be recorded during tape copying if they appear. Press DISPLAY again to remove them. Automatic White Balance and Iris The camcorder automatically adjusts the white balance and iris to give the best recording for each scene. Tape Time Remaining Display The camcorder will automatically calculate the tape time remaining on the cassette in the camcorder during recording or playback. The indicator will appear in the viewfinder at the halfway point of the tape. (Symbol) and (Symbol) appear as you near the end of the tape. TAPE END flashes when you have reached the end of the tape. Quick Review Feature Press and quickly release REW when the camcorder is in record pause to review the last few seconds of a recording. The VCR (PLAY)/CAM button must be in the CAM position. The camcorder will play back the last few seconds of the recording, return the tape to its previous position, and return to record pause. Camera Edit Feature The camera edit feature allows you to position the tape when the camcorder is in record pause. The VCR (PLAY)/CAM button must be in the CAM position. Press and hold REW to visually search the recorded tape in reverse. Press and hold FFWD to visually search forward in the recorded tape. Release the button to return the camcorder to record pause at that point on the tape. Press the thumb trigger (REC on remote) to start recording at this point. Blank Search With the press of a button, the camcorder advances through the tape looking for a blank section. This feature saves time and tape by locating the end of the last recorded segment. 1. Place the camcorder in record pause. 2. Press the BLANK button. The camcorder fast forwards or rewinds the tape to the end of the recorded portion, stops, and enters record pause. BLANK appears in the viewfinder during blank search. NOTES: Before starting to record, make sure the camcorder has stopped on the blank section of tape where you want to begin recording. If there are blank portions of tape between scenes, the blank search feature may stop on blank sections of tape as short as 60 seconds. Blank search can also be used in the VCR (PLAY) mode. When the camcorder is being used to play back a tape, just place the camcorder in the stop mode and press BLANK. Zooming You can zoom in and out for close ups or wide-angle shots just by sliding the zoom controls on the camcorder or pressing the button on the remote. The camcorder can automatically focus when you zoom at most distances. Using the Zoom Control 1. To zoom in or out, slide the zoom control on the camcorder or press the ZOOM T or W button on the remote. To move the lens in the telephoto (close up) direction, slide the zoom control toward T or press the ZOOM T button on the remote. To move the lens in the wide angle direction, slide the control toward W or press the ZOOM W button on the remote. The zoom level indicator appears in the viewfinder. AE (Automatic Exposure) Shutter Speed Control The camcorder automatically adjusts the shutter speed (1/60, 1/100, 1/150, or 1/250) according to the lightning conditions. 1/60 second shutter speed is selected for normal recording situations. No indicator appears in the viewfinder. If recording in bright lighting conditions, AE: 100, AE: 150, or AE: 250 will appear in the viewfinder. Focusing Under normal conditions the camcorder can adjust focus automatically on the object located in the center area of the viewfinder. Under certain con- ditions, you may want to use the focus lock feature. Using Focus Lock The focus lock feature is useful when objects pass between your subject and the camcorder or your main subject is not located in the center of the viewfinder. 1. Center the main object in the viewfinder. 2. Press FOCUS LOCK to turn on the focus lock feature. FOCUSLOCK will appear for a few seconds and then (symbol) will remain in the view- finder. 3. Press FOCUSLOCK again to turn off the focus lock feature. (Symbol) will be removed from the viewfinder. NOTE: When zooming in to record a subject in the distance, auto focus might not function properly because of picture instability. Use a tripod for stable focused pictures. Conditions Requiring Focus Lock When recording a subject through a dirty window. When recording two subjects, one nearby and one in the distance. When recording a horizontally or vertically striped subject. When the subject is not in the center of the viewfinder. When recording very bright subjects. When recording a subject without contrast, such as, a white wall. Install the Clock Lithium Cell The clock cell indicator 88:88 will flash for a few seconds in the view- finder when you turn on the camcorder if the cell has not been installed or needs to be replaced. Install Cell 1. Make sure camcorder is turned off, and remove any power supply attached to the camcorder. 2. Pull out the clock cell holder. 3. Insert the clock cell with the "+" terminal facing up in the cell holder. 4. Replace the clock cell holder. It will click into place. Remove Cell To remove cell, slide the cell out of the cell holder. CAUTIONS: Lithium cell. Replace only with 3-volt lithium cell - such as CR2025. Use of other cell presents a risk of fire or explosion. Must be disposed of properly. Never handle punctured or leaking cell. May cause burns or personal injury. Keep out of the hands of children. Can cause death or injury if swallowed. If swallowed, consult a physician immediately for emergency treat- ment. The lithium cell used in this device may explode resulting in a fire or chemical burn if mistreated. Do not recharge, dis- assemble, heat above 212 degrees F (100 degrees C), or incinerate. Never use metallic tweezers to hold the cell, and never short circuit the + and - sides of the cell. Set the Date and Time The date and time must be set before it can be displayed and recorded on your tapes. The clock cell must be installed, with positive (+) side up, before the date can be set and recorded. 1. Attach a power supply to the camcorder. Slide the POWER switch upward to turn on the camcorder. Make sure the CAM indicator is on. If not, press the VCR(PLAY)/CAM button to turn it on. 2. Press and hold down the DATE/TIME and FOCUS LOCK buttons until the reset time and date appears. 3. A flashing cursor lets you know which part of the display you are setting. Press the DATE/TIME button repeatedly until the correct month appears. 4. Then press FOCUS LOCK. The flashing cursor will move to the next part of the display. 5. Repeat steps 3 and 4 until you have entered the correct month, day, year, hour with AM or PM, and minutes. 6. After you set the minutes, press FOCUS LOCK to start the seconds and remove the flashing cursor from the viewfinder. Correct the Date and Time To correct the date or time after the clock has been started simultaneously press the DATE/TIME and FOCUS LOCK button. Then correct the date or time using the DATE/TIME and FOCUS LOCK buttons. Recording Date or Date and Time on Your Tape The date or date and time can be recorded on your tape. Whenever one of the displays appears in the viewfinder, it will be recorded. The camcorder also has an AUTO DATE feature. The clock cell must be installed and the clock set. Select the Display to Record 1. Repeatedly press DATE/TIME to select the display you want to record. Select AUTO DATE to automatically record the date for 15 seconds at the beginning of the first recording of the day. NOTE: AUTO DATE will remain selected even if the POWER switch is turned off. Select date only to continuously record the date. Select date and time to continuously record the date and time. Select no display if you do not want any of the displays recorded. Time Counter The time-counter display shows the actual time elapsed when recording or playing back a segment of tape. During playback, the memory-stop feature helps locate a certain point on the tape. When memory stop is on, the tape will stop automatically during rewind or fast forward when the time counter reaches M 0:00:00. To use the Memory-Stop Feature 1. Locate the place on the tape you want to return to, press the VCR(PLAY) /CAM button to light the green VCR (PLAY) indicator, and press PLAY. 2. Press COUNTER RESET on the remote control to reset the time counter to 0:00:00. 3. Press COUNTER MEMORY on the remote control to turn the time counter's memory-stop feature on. When memory stop is on, an M appears before the time counter in the viewfinder. 4. Continue to play the tape. When you want to return to the place you marked, press the STOP button. 5. Press REW. The tape will rewind to the time counter reading of M 0:00:00. NOTES: During rewind, the tape might not stop exactly at the M 0:00:00 point. A minus (-) will appear in front of the time counter if the tape is rewound farther back than a time counter reading of 0:00:00. Recording Tips In case of fire or theft make a video recording of your home and contents to store in a safe place. Try to make sure indoor scenes are well-lit. Do not move the camcorder rapidly from side-to-side while recording. A steady, gradual "pan" avoids blurring and "jitter". Use the viewfinder to make sure the camcorder is level while recording or your scenes will appear "tilted". Do not bump or tap the camcorder's microphone while recording because this sound will be recorded. Include close-ups of individuals when taping family outings or group functions. Be aware of video and audio backgrounds. Background details barely noticed while you are taping may show up as visual "clutter" on your recording. Background noises (especially TV sets, radios, household appliances, traffic sounds, etc.) can detract from the sound you want to record. Avoid long "still" shots of landmarks and scenic attractions. Recordings are more interesting if they include people and details. "Local color" will give travel videos lasting appeal. Consider recording a familiar or landmark scene from an unfamiliar vantage point. Traveling Tips Write down your camcorder's serial number and keep it separate from the camcorder when traveling. If your camcorder is lost or stolen, you will be able to identify it. Use extra care to avoid damage to your camcorder and accessories when operating them at a beach or pool. Spray, sand, and dust should be avoided. If your lens has been exposed to the elements, clean it only with proper lens cleaning supplies. Make sure you have any plug adapters that you may need before taking your camcorder to other countries. Consult your dealer for advice. Carry your camcorder in a carrying case when traveling. See AC201A Soft Carrying Case on Faxback Doc. # 34700, for a case designed especially for this camcorder. An ordinary suitcase or carry bag does not offer the protection your camcorder needs. Treat your camcorder as carry-on luggage to protect it from rough handling. Model Pro848 Only: Recording from a TV or VCR To record on your camcorder from a TV or VCR having AUDIO/VIDEO OUT jacks, use the audio/video cable that came packed with your camcorder. Connection 1. Attach the white plug on one end of the included audio/video cable to the AUDIO OUT L jack on the TV or VCR and the other white plug to the white plug to the white AUDIO L jack under the A / V cover. (Refer to Faxback Doc. # 34716, Fig. A) 2. Attach the red plug on one end of the included audio/video cable to the AUDIO OUT R jack on the TV or VCR and the other red plug to the red AUDIO R jack under the A/V cover. NOTE: If your TV or VCR is not stereo, you may need an optional Y adapter. 3. Attach the yellow plug on one end of the included audio/video cable to the VIDEO OUT jack on the TV or VCR and the other yellow plug to the yellow the yellow VIDEO jack under the A / V cover. CAUTION: The unauthorized recording of television programs and other recorded material may infringe the rights of others. Operation 1. A. Camcorder connected directly to TV monitor: Turn on the TV and tune it to the channel you want to record. B. Camcorder connected to the VCR that is already connected to TV: Turn on VCR and tune it to the channel you want to record (or place the cassette you want to copy in the VCR). 2. Place the camcorder's audio/video IN OUT switch to IN. 3. Place the tape you want to record on (with safety tab open) into the camcorder. 4. Attach a power supply to the camcorder. 5. Slide the camcorder's POWER switch upward to turn on the camcorder. 6. Press the VCR/CAM button to place the camcorder in playback. The green VCR indicator will light. 7. Press the REC button on the camcorder (located under the viewfinder) to begin recording. If you are copying a tape, press PLAY on the VCR when you are ready to start copying. 8. Press STOP when you are finished. (LB/EB 09/19/96)