Before You Begin Recording Make a test recording first to check if the camcorder operates correctly. If necessary, clean the video heads ( 120).
1. Holding the lock button on the switch pressed down, set the switch to CAMERA. 2. Set the TAPE/CARD switch to. 3. Open the lens cover (move the lens cover switch down to ). 4. Press the start/stop button to begin recording.
Press the start/stop button again to pause recording.
Basic Functions Recording
When You Have Finished Recording 1. Turn the switch to. 2. Close the lens cover (move the lens cover switch to ). 3. Unload the cassette. 4. Disconnect the power source. 5. Close the LCD panel.
Wait until the tape counter stops completely before you start recording. When you do not remove the cassette, you can record the next scene without producing any noise or blank sections between the recordings even if you turn the camcorder off. Bright light may make it difficult to use the LCD screen. In such case, use the viewfinder instead. When recording near loud sounds (such as fireworks, drums or concerts), the sound may become distorted or may be recorded not in the actual sound level. This is not a malfunction. The camcorder enters the stop mode ( ) after 4 minutes 30 seconds when left in record pause mode ( ) to protect the tape and video heads. In stop mode, press the start/stop button to start recording.
When powered by a battery pack, the camcorder shuts off to save power ( 67) if left without any operation for 5 minutes. Approximately 30 seconds before the camcorder shuts off the message AUTO POWER OFF will appear. If the camcorder shuts off, turn the switch to and back on again. About the LCD and viewfinder screen: The screens are produced with extremely high-precision manufacturing techniques, with more than 99.99% of the pixels operating to specification. Less than 0.01% of the pixels may occasionally misfire or appear as black or green dots. This has no effect on the recorded image and does not constitute a malfunction.
Time Code Indicates the recording time in hours, minutes and seconds. Remaining tape Indicates the remaining time of the tape in minutes. moves during recording. END flashes when the tape reaches the end. When the time left is less than 15 seconds, the remaining tape time may not appear. Depending on the type of the tape, the indication may not be displayed correctly. Recording reminder The camcorder counts from 1 to 10 seconds when you start recording. This is helpful to avoid scenes that are too short. When flashes

flashes in red when the lithium button battery is not installed, or when it needs replacing.
Reviewing and Searching when Recording
You can review the last few seconds of your recording (record review). You can also play back the tape to locate the point where you wish to begin recording (record search). Available only in the mode.

Joystick

Mode switch

Record Review

In record pause mode:
1. Set the mode switch to
2. If the joystick guide does not appear on screen, press ( ) to display it. 3. Push the joystick ( ) momentarily towards and release it.
The camcorder rewinds the tape, plays back the last few seconds, and returns to record pause mode.

Record Search

2. If the joystick guide does not appear on screen, press ( ) to display it. 3. Hold the joystick pushed ( ) towards to search back towards the beginning of the recording or pushed ( ) towards to search forward towards the end of the recording.
Release the joystick at the point where you wish to begin recording. The camcorder returns to record pause mode.
Recording on a Memory Card
Recording Still Images on a Memory Card
1. Holding the lock button on the switch pressed down, set the switch to CAMERA. 2. Set the TAPE/CARD switch to. 3. Open the lens cover (move the lens cover switch down to ). 4. Change the size and quality of the still images, as necessary ( 75).
The default image size and quality is L 1152x864.
5. Press the PHOTO button halfway.
turns green when the focus is adjusted and a green frame appears. The beep sounds. When you press the PHOTO button on the wireless controller the still image is recorded immediately.
6. Press the PHOTO button fully.
and the focusing frame disappear and you hear a shutter sound. The CARD access indicator flashes.
Recording Movies on a Memory Card
1. Holding the lock button on the switch pressed down, set the switch to CAMERA. 2. Set the TAPE/CARD switch to. 3. Open the lens cover (move the lens cover switch down to ). 4. Select the movie size ( 75).
Set a size other than the default [ MOVIE REC OFF].
5. Press the start/stop button to begin recording.
The CARD access indicator flashes. Press the start/stop button to stop recording.
Do not turn off the camcorder, change the position of the TAPE/CARD switch, disconnect the power source, open the memory card cover or remove the memory card while the CARD access indicator is flashing. Doing so could result in data damage. About the focusing frame: The camcorder automatically selects the appropriate focusing frames out of the 9 focusing frames, allowing to focus on subjects out of the center ( 78). If the subject is not suitable for autofocus, turns yellow. Keep the PHOTO button pressed halfway and adjust the focus manually with the joystick ( ). When recording a still image (step 5 above), the image may appear out of focus for a moment while the camcorder is focusing. When the subject is too bright, OVEREXP. starts flashing. In such case, use the optional FS-H27U ND filter. Sound for movies recorded on the memory card will be monaural. We recommend using a memory card with a transfer rate of more than 2 MB/ sec., after initializing it with this camcorder. With memory cards not initialized with this camcorder, or after repeatedly recording and erasing the memory card, the writing speed may be slower and the recording may stop. When powered by a battery pack, the camcorder shuts off to save power ( 67) if left without any operation for 5 minutes. Approximately 30 seconds before the camcorder shuts off the message AUTO POWER OFF will appear. If the camcorder shuts off, turn the switch to and back on again.

Screen Displays during Still Image Recording
Remaining Card Capacity for Still Images flashing in red: No card in green: 6 or more images in yellow: 1 to 5 images in red: No more images The indication may not decrease even though a recording has been made, or may decrease by 2 images at once. All indicators are displayed in green when a memory card is played back. Card Access Display appears to indicate that the camcorder is writing on the memory card.
Still Image Quality and Size ( Indicates the image quality and the image size of the still image.
Screen Displays during Movie Recording
Remaining Card Capacity for Movies Indicates the remaining time in hours and minutes. At less than 1 minute, the remaining time will be displayed in 10-second steps, at less than 10 seconds in 1-second steps. The indication varies depending on the recording condition. The actual remaining time may be longer or shorter than indicated. Movie recording time Card Access Display appears and the display moves to indicate that the camcorder is writing on the memory card. Indicates the recording time of the movie in hours : minutes : seconds.

Movie size (

Indicates the movie size.

Zooming

The zoom is available in the and modes. When recording on the tape, in addition to the optical zoom you can also use the digital zoom ( 64).
Optical zoom Digital zoom

20x 80x / 800x

Zoom out

18x 72x / 720x

Zoom in

Zoom lever

Optical Zoom
Move the zoom lever toward W to zoom out (wideangle). Move it toward T to zoom in (telephoto).
When operating the zoom from the camcorder you can also change the zoom speed ( 34). You can also use the T and W buttons on the wireless controller. The zoom speed with the wireless controller will be the same as with the camcorder (when one of the fixed zoom speed levels is selected) or fixed at [SPEED 3] (when [VARIABLE] is selected). When the zoom speed is set to [VARIABLE], the zoom speed will be faster in the stop and record pause modes. Overusing the zoom feature when recording movies can result in recordings that may have an unsettled feel or cause discomfort on playback. Make effective use of the zoom. Keep at least 1 m to the subject. At wide-angle, you can focus on a subject as close as 1 cm.

Playing Back a Tape

Playback
If the playback picture is distorted, clean the video heads using a Canon Head Cleaning Cassette or a commercially available digital video head-cleaning cassette ( 120).
1. Holding the lock button on the switch pressed down, set the switch to PLAY. 2. Set the TAPE/CARD switch to.
3. If the joystick guide does not appear on screen, press ( ) to display it. 4. Push the joystick ( ) towards to rewind the tape. 5. Push the joystick ( ) towards / to play back the tape.
Push ( ) again to pause the playback.

Basic Functions Playback

6. Push the joystick ( ) towards to stop the playback.
To use the viewfinder, close the LCD panel. About the screen display: During playback, the time code gives the hours, minutes, seconds and frames. The remaining tape time may not appear when the time left is less than 15 seconds.

Special Playback Modes

(Playback Pause)
) towards / or press the PAUSE
During normal playback, push the joystick ( button on the wireless controller.
(Fast Forward Playback) /

(Rewind Playback)

Plays back the tape at 11.5 times the normal speed. During normal playback, hold the joystick pushed ( ) towards or pushed ( ) towards. You can also press and hold the FF or REW button on the wireless controller instead. Release the joystick or wireless controller button to return to normal playback.

(Reverse Playback)

Press the button on the wireless controller during normal playback. Press the PLAY button on the wireless controller or push the joystick ( ) towards / to return to normal playback.

(Frame Advance) / /

(Frame Reverse)
Plays back frame-by-frame. Press the button on the wireless controller repeatedly during playback pause. Press and hold it to play back continuous frame advance/frame reverse. Press the PLAY button on the wireless controller or push the joystick ( ) towards / to return to normal playback.
(Slow Forward)/(Slow Reverse)
Plays back at about 1/3 the normal speed. Press the button on the wireless controller during normal or reverse playback. Press the PLAY button on the wireless controller or push the joystick ( ) towards / to return to normal playback.

(Forward x2 Playback)/(Reverse x2 Playback)
Plays back at 2 times the normal speed. Press the button on the wireless controller during normal or reverse playback. Press the PLAY button on the wireless controller or push the joystick ( ) towards / to return to normal playback. There is no sound during special playback. The picture may become distorted during some special playback modes. The camcorder stops the tape automatically after 4 minutes 30 seconds in playback pause mode to protect the tape and video heads.
Playing Back a Memory Card
3. If the joystick guide does not appear on screen, press ( ) to display it. 4. Push the joystick ( ) to move between images.
To play back a movie on the memory card:
5. Push the joystick ( /.

) towards

Push the joystick ( ) towards / again to pause/resume the playback. Push the joystick ( ) towards to During playback stop the playback. When the movie playback ends or is stopped, the first frame of the movie appears as a still image. Push the joystick ( ) towards or or press the REW /FF button on the wireless controller for 8x fast forward/fast rewind playback. Images not recorded with this camcorder, uploaded from a computer (except the sample images 61), edited on a computer and images whose file names have been changed may not be played back correctly. Do not turn off the camcorder, change the position of the TAPE/CARD switch, disconnect the power source, open the memory card cover or remove the memory card while the CARD access indicator is flashing. Doing so could result in data damage.

Adjusting the Volume

When you use the LCD screen for playback, the camcorder plays back the sound using the built-in speaker. The sound will be muted when the LCD panel is closed. Available in the

Speaker

modes.

FUNC. button

SPEAKER VOLUME
2. With the joystick select ( ) the speaker volume icon. 3. Adjust ( ) the volume as required. 4. Press the FUNC. button to save the setting and close the menu.
If you turn off the volume completely the volume display will change to .
When the stereo video cable is connected to the AV terminal, the speaker sound will be muted.
Playing Back on a TV Screen

Selecting the Type of TV

During playback, set the [TV TYPE] option according to the TV set to which you connect the camcorder. Available only in the mode.

VCR SETUP

TV TYPE WIDE TV
1. Press the FUNC. button to open the FUNC. menu. 2. With the joystick select ( ) the icon and press ( ). 3. Select ( ) the [VCR SETUP] menu and press ( ). Then, select ( the [TV TYPE] option and press ( ). 4. Select a setting option and press ( ) to save the changes.
[WIDE TV]: TV sets with 16:9 aspect ratio. [NORMAL TV]: TV sets with 4:3 aspect ratio.
5. Press the FUNC. button to close the menu.

1. Set the mode switch to. 2. If the joystick guide does not appear on screen, press ( ) to display it. 3. Push the joystick ( ) towards [EXP] to enter the exposure lock mode.

EXP BACK

Advanced Functions Recording
[EXP] on the joystick guide will be displayed in light blue and the exposure adjustment indicator and the neutral value 0 appear on the screen. When you operate the zoom during exposure lock, the brightness of the image may change.

Exposure Adjustment

During exposure lock:

4. Adjust (

) the brightness of the image as necessary.
To return to automatic exposure, push the joystick ( ) towards [EXP] once more. The exposure adjustment indicator will disappear and [EXP] will turn white again.

5. Push the joystick (

) towards [BACK] to save the exposure setting.
When you operate the zoom during exposure lock, the brightness of the image may change. The adjustment range depends on the brightness at the time you locked the exposure. The manual exposure setting will reset to auto exposure when you turn the camcorder off or change the recording program.
Adjusting the Focus Manually
Autofocus may not work well on the following subjects. In such case, focus manually.
Reflective surfaces Subjects with low contrast or without vertical lines Fast Moving Subjects Through dirty or wet windows Night Scenes
1. Set the mode switch to 2. Adjust the zoom.
3. If the joystick guide does not appear on screen, press ( ) to display it. 4. Push the joystick ( ) towards [FOCUS] to activate the manual focus.
[FOCUS] on the joystick guide will be displayed in light blue and MF appears on the screen.

BACK FOCUS

5. Adjust (
) the focus as necessary.
Push the joystick ( ) towards for a farther focal distance or push it ( ) towards for a closer focal distance. To return to autofocus, push the joystick ( ) towards [FOCUS] once more. MF will disappear and [FOCUS] will turn white again.

6. Push the joystick (

) towards [BACK] to save the focus adjustment.
The setting resets to autofocus when you set the mode switch to Readjust the focus when you have turned off the camcorder.

Infinity Focus

Use this function when you wish to focus on faraway subjects such as mountains or fireworks. Available only in the and modes.

FOCUS PRI.: The camcorder records the still image once focus is adjusted. Set it to [OFF] when you wish to record a still image as soon as you press the PHOTO button. When set to [OFF], no focusing frame appears. The setting cannot be turned off when the mode switch is set to. In the Fireworks recording program the setting is automatically turned off. REVIEW: Sets how long a still image will be displayed after recording. You can erase ( 82) or protect ( 83) the image when you press the FUNC. button while you are reviewing the image, or when you press the FUNC. button right after recording. [REVIEW] cannot be selected when (continuous shooting), (high-speed continuous shooting) or (auto exposure bracketing) is selected.

CARD OPERATIONS

Menu Items PRINT ORD. NO, YES ALL ERASE TRANS.ORD. NO, YES ALL ERASE ERASE ALL NO, YES IMAGES INITIALIZE NO, YES PROTECT1 PRINT ORDER1 TRANSFER ORDER1

Setting Options 109

After opening the menu from the index screen
Menu Items REC MODE AV DV2 TV TYPE
Setting Options STD PLAY, LONG PLAY ON, OFF NORMAL TV, WIDE TV
REC MODE: You can choose between SP (standard play) and LP (long play). LP extends the tape usage by 1.5 times. Tapes recorded in LP mode cannot be used for audio dubbing. Depending on the nature and usage condition of the tape, picture and sound recorded in LP mode may be distorted. We recommend using the SP mode for important recordings. If you record in both SP and LP modes on the same tape, the playback picture may become distorted and the time code may not be written correctly.
If you play back a tape that has been recorded in LP mode with another digital device on this camcorder, or vice versa, picture and sound may become distorted.

AUDIO SETUP

Menu Items OUTPUT CH AUDIO DUB.2 WIND SCREEN 12bit AUDIO MIX BALANCE AUDIO MODE
Setting Options L/R, L/L, R/R AUDIO IN, MIC. IN AUTO, OFF STEREO1, STEREO2, MIX/FIXED, MIX/ VAR. 16bit, 12bit
OUTPUT CH: Switches the output channels when playing back a tape with audio recorded on two channels. [L/R]: Stereo: L+R channels / Bilingual: Main+Sub. [L/L]: Stereo: L channel / Bilingual: Main. [R/R]: Stereo: R channel / Bilingual: Sub. WIND SCREEN: When an external microphone is connected the setting will automatically reset to [OFF ]. AUDIO MODE: Switches the audio recording mode. [16bit] records in high sound quality. Select [12bit] if you plan to dub audio later.

Pressing the WIDE SCR button again makes the data code disappear. The data code will not display the next time you turn on the camcorder.
Advanced Functions Playback

End Search

When you have played back a tape, you can use this function to locate the end of the last recorded scene. Available only in the mode.

In stop mode:

1. Open the FUNC. menu, select ( ) the end search icon and press ( ). 2. Select ( ) [EXECUTE] and press ( ) to start the search.
END SEARCH appears. The camcorder rewinds/fast forwards the tape, plays back the last few seconds of the recording and stops the tape. Operating the joystick ( , ) will cancel the search. End search cannot be used once you unload the cassette. If there are blank sections between recordings or sections recorded in different recording modes on the same tape, the end search function may not work properly. You cannot use end search to locate the editing end of audio dubbing.
Returning to a Pre-marked Position
If you wish to return to a particular scene later, mark the point with the zero set memory and the tape will stop at that point when you rewind/fast forward the tape. Available only in the and modes.
1. During recording or playback, press the ZERO SET MEMORY button on the wireless controller at the point you wish to return to later.
0:00:00 appears. To cancel, press the ZERO SET MEMORY button again.
2. If you were playing back a tape, rewind the tape. If you were recording, after you finish turn the switch to PLAY and then rewind the tape.
appears. The tape stops automatically at 0:00:00 The tape counter changes to time code.
If the time code has not been recorded consecutively, the tape may not stop correctly at the scene marked with the zero set memory.

Date Search

You can locate the change of the date/time zone with the date search function. Available only in the mode.

Press the searching.

button on the wireless controller to begin
Press more than once to search for further date changes (up to 10 times). Press the STOP button to stop searching. Recordings shorter than 1 minute per date/time zone cannot be located with this function. Date search may not function if the data code is not correctly displayed.
Selecting the Image Quality/Size

Digital Camera Functions

Still images are compressed and recorded in JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group). Movies are recorded in Motion JPEG. You can select the image quality of still images, and the image size of still images and movies. The number of still images and maximum recording time of movies that can be recorded on a memory card vary according to the recording condition. The estimated figures are as follows: Number of still images Image Size L 1152x864 that can be recorded on a memory card: Number of Images 128MB 512MB File Size per Image 608KB 416KB 224KB 176KB 120KB 72KB

Image Quality Super Fine Fine Normal Super Fine Fine Normal

S 640x480

16MB 105 170
Maximum recording time of a movie Image Size 320 x x 120
on an SD memory card: File Size per Second 250KB 120KB
Advanced Functions Digital Camera Functions

16MB 50 sec. 1 min.

Recording Time 128MB 8 min. 17 min.

512MB 32 min. 67 min.

* When using a MultiMedia Card (MMC) the maximum recording time of movies is 10 seconds (at 320x240) or 30 seconds (at 160x120).
Depending on the number of images on the memory card, you may not be able to download images to a computer (Windows: more than 1800 images; Macintosh: more than 1000 images). In such case, use a card reader. Connection to a PictBridge compatible printer will not work when the memory card contains more than 1800 images. For best performance, we recommend to keep the number of images on the memory card less than 100. Users of Windows XP: When you plan to connect the camcorder to a computer using a USB cable, keep the length of one movie shorter than approx. 12 min. at 320 x 240 and 35 min. at 160 x 120.
Selecting the Still Image Size and Quality
Available only in the mode). mode (the image quality only can also be set in the

1152x864/FINE

1. Press the FUNC. button. 2. Select ( ) the still image size/quality symbol.

) the still image size.

The number on the right indicates the approximate number of images that can be recorded on the memory card at the current image size/quality setting.
4. If you want to change also the image quality: Press ( ( ) the desired still image quality.

) and select

The number on the right indicates the approximate number of images that can be recorded on the memory card at the current image size/quality setting. You can press ( ) again to go back to select the image size (step 3).
5. Press the FUNC. button.

Selecting the Movie Size

Available only in the and modes.

320x240

1. Press the FUNC. button. 2. Select ( ) the movie size symbol.

) the movie size.

The number on the right indicates the approximate remaining recording time for movies on the memory card at the current movie size.
4. Press the FUNC. button.
Simultaneous Recording on the Tape and Memory Card
When you are recording a movie on a tape, you can record the same picture as a still image on the memory card. The size of the still image will be S 640 x 480. The image quality can be selected. Available only in the mode.

STILL IMG REC OFF

1. Press the FUNC. button. 2. Select ( ) the still image recording symbol.
3. Select ( ) the still image quality. 4. Press the FUNC. button. 5. While you are recording a movie, press the PHOTO button.
The still image is recorded on the memory card while the screen continues to show the video recording. The quality of the still image is slightly lower than a still image of the same size recorded in the mode. Still images cannot be recorded on the memory card when a digital effect is activated or while recording in widescreen (16:9) mode.

DV Dubbing

You can input video from other digital video devices via the DV terminal, and record the input video on the tape in the camcorder. You can also record the input video as a movie or still image on a memory card.
Check the type and orientation of the DV terminal and make sure you connect the DV cable properly. Refer also to the instruction manual of the connected device.
Digital video device (e.g. camcorder) Output Signal flow
Commercially available DV cable

Open the LCD panel

Dubbing
Available only in the If AV mode. 93).
1. Load a blank cassette in this camcorder.
DV is displayed, change the setting (
2. Connected device: Load the recorded cassette or disc. 3. Open the FUNC. menu, select ( ) the record pause icon press ( ). 4. Select ( ) [EXECUTE] and press ( ) to start the search. 5. Connected Device: Play back the tape or disc. 6. If the joystick guide does not appear on screen, press ( ) to display it. 7. Push the joystick ( ) towards / when the scene you wish to record appears.
8. Push the joystick ( ) towards to stop recording. 9. Connected Device: Stop playback.
If a cassette is loaded, make sure that the tape is stopped. If AV DV is displayed, change the setting ( 93).
2. Selecting the still image quality: Press the FUNC. button. Select ( ) the still image quality symbol followed ( ) by a setting option and press the FUNC. button. Selecting the movie size: Press the FUNC. button. Select ( ) the movie size symbol followed ( ) by a setting option and press the FUNC. menu. 3. Connected device: Load a recorded cassette or disc and start the playback.
4. Press the PHOTO button halfway when the scene you wish to record appears.
5. Press the PHOTO button fully.
4. Press the start/stop button when the scene you wish to record appears.
Pressing the start/stop button again stops recording. Blank sections may be recorded as anomalous picture. If the picture does not appear, reconnect the DV cable or turn the camcorder off and back on again. Do not connect any devices to the camcorders USB terminal. You can only record video signals from devices with the logo from recordings in SD (standard definition) standard, in SP or LP recording mode. Note that signals from identically shaped DV (IEEE1394) terminals may be in different video standards ( 112). We recommend powering the camcorder from a household power source. The data code of the image will reflect the date and time it has been recorded on the memory card. An image recorded from an image in widescreen mode will be vertically compressed.

Audio Dubbing

You can add sound on a tape with the built-in or with an external microphone. : You can also add sound from external audio devices. This function is operated with the wireless controller.
Connecting an Audio Device
Audio device (e.g. CD player) OUTPUT
Signal flow STV-250N Stereo Video Cable (supplied)

AUDIO DUB. AUDIO IN

1. Load a recorded cassette.
Use a tape recorded in SP, 12-bit mode with this camcorder. : Continue directly to step 4. : Select the audio source for the audio dubbing with the following procedure.
2. Select ( ) the [AUDIO SETUP] menu and press ( ). Then, select ( ) the [AUDIO DUB.] option and press ( ). 3. Set it to [AUDIO IN] or [MIC.IN] and press ( ) to save the changes, then close the menu. 4. Locate the scene you wish to start audio dubbing. 5. Press the PAUSE button on the wireless controller. 6. Press the AUDIO DUB. button on the wireless controller.

AUDIO DUB. and appear.

7. Press the PAUSE dubbing.
Microphone: Speak into the microphone. Audio device: Begin playback.

8. Press the STOP

button on the wireless controller to stop dubbing.
Audio device: Stop playback.
Audio dubbing will stop if the tape has a blank section or a section recorded in LP mode or 16-bit mode. You cannot use the DV terminal for audio dubbing. The sound quality of the audio dubbed will deteriorate when you audio dub a tape that was recorded with a different camcorder or when you audio dub the same tape more than 3 times. You can check the picture on the LCD screen. If you use [AUDIO IN] for the dubbing, you can check the audio on the camcorders speaker. Set the zero set memory at the end of the scene you wish to audio dub. The camcorder will automatically stop audio dubbing at that point.
Playing Back the Added Sound
You can select to play back Stereo 1 (original sound), Stereo 2 (dubbed audio), or adjust the balance of both sounds. Available only in the mode.

12bit AUDIO STEREO1

1. Open the FUNC. menu, select ( ) the icon and press ( ). 2. Select ( ) the [AUDIO SETUP] menu and press ( ). Then, select ( ) the [12bit AUDIO] option and press ( ). 3. Select a setting option and press ( ) to save the changes.
STEREO1: Plays back the original sound. STEREO2: Plays back the added sound. MIX/FIXED: Plays back Stereo 1 and Stereo 2 at the same level. MIX/VAR.: Plays back Stereo 1 and Stereo 2. The mix balance can be adjusted. If you select an audio setting other than [MIX/VAR.], close the menu.

No sound from the built-in speaker.
Speaker volume is turned off. Adjust the volume with the [SPEAKER VOLUME] option of the FUNC. menu.
The tape stops during playback pause.
When playback pause continues for more than 4 minutes 30 seconds during playback or audio dubbing, the camcorder shuts off to protect the tape and video heads. When audio dubbing, restart the playback of the tape and press the PAUSE button on the wireless controller.

Memory Card Operation

Memory card cannot be inserted. Memory card cannot be recorded.
Memory card was not facing the correct direction. Turn the memory card over and reinsert it. Insert a memory card. Memory card is full. Replace the memory card or erase images. Memory card is not initialized. Initialize the memory card. The folder and file numbers have reached their maximum value. Set [FILE NOS.] to [RESET] and insert a new memory card. If you are using an SD memory card, make sure the card protection tab is set to allow recording. 67

83 84

Memory card cannot be played back. Image cannot be erased. flashes red.

Set the.

switch to PLAY and the TAPE/CARD switch to
Insert a memory card. Image is protected. Cancel the protection. Card error occurred. Turn off the camcorder. Remove and reinsert the memory card. Initialize the memory card if flashing persists.
The printer is not operating even though camcorder and printer are correctly connected.
1. Set the switch to PLAY and the TAPE/CARD switch to. 2. Disconnect and reconnect the USB cable. 3. Turn off the printer and turn it back on.
Dubbing via the camcorders DV terminal does not work. Set [AV DV] to [OFF].
93 Wrong signal standard. Dubbing may work via the AV terminal. Refer also to the instruction manual of the connected device.

Condensation

Moving the camcorder rapidly between hot and cold temperatures may cause condensation (water droplets) to form on its internal surfaces. Stop using the camcorder if condensation is detected. Continued use may damage the camcorder.

Tape Format Tape Speed Maximum Recording Time (80 min. cassette) Fast Forward/Rewind Time LCD Screen Viewfinder Microphone Lens
Lens Configuration Filter Diameter AF system Minimum Focusing Distance White Balance Minimum Illumination Recommended Illumination Image Stabilization
Recording media Size of Images on the Card SD Memory Card, MultiMediaCard* Still image: 1152 x 864, 640 x 480 pixels Movie: 320 x 240, 160 x 120 pixels, 15 frames/sec. File Specification Design rule for Camera File system (DCF), Exif 2.2** compliant, DPOF compliant Image Compression Method Still image: JPEG (compression: Super Fine, Fine, Normal) Movie: Video data: Motion JPEG, audio data: WAVE (monaural) * The camcorders operations have been tested with SD memory cards up to 2GB. Performance cannot be guaranteed for all memory cards. ** This camcorder supports Exif 2.2 (also called Exif Print). Exif Print is a standard for enhancing the communication between camcorders and printers. By connecting to an Exif Print-compliant printer, the camcorders image data at the time of shooting is used and optimized, yielding extremely high quality prints.

Input/Output Terminals

AV Terminal 3.5 mm minijack Video: 1 Vp-p/75 ohms unbalanced Audio: output: -10dBV (47 kohms load)/3 kohms or less input: -10dBV/40 kohms or more ( only) Special 4-pin connector (IEEE 1394 compliant) mini-B 3.5 mm stereo minijack, -57dBV (with a 600 ohms microphone)/ 5 kohms or more
DV Terminal USB Terminal MIC Terminal

Power/Others

Power supply (rated) Power consumption (AF on) Operating temperature Dimensions (W x H x D) Weight (camcorder body only) 7.4 V DC 2.5 W (using viewfinder), 2.5 W (using LCD screen in normal brightness) C 57 x 77 x 109 mm excluding protrusions 370 g
CA-570 Compact Power Adapter
Power supply Power consumption Rated output Operating temperature Dimensions Weight V AC, 50/60 Hz 17W 8.4 V DC, 1.5 A C 52 x 29 x 90 mm 135 g

BP-208DG Battery Pack

Battery type Rated voltage Operating temperature Battery capacity Dimensions Weight Rechargeable Lithium Ion Battery 7.4 V DC C 850 mAh 39 x 8 x 63 mm 40 g
Weight and dimensions are approximate. Errors and omissions excepted. Subject to change without notice.
12bit audio. 95 16:9 (Widescreen). 35
Exposure lock/adjustment. 47
Faders. 58 File numbers. 67 Fireworks (recording program). 43 Focus. 48 Focus priority. 64 Focusing frame. 31 FUNC. menu. 54

f o c u s

CAMCORDERS

CANON MVX460

Wider field of
took me a couple of minutes to figure out how to use and navigate through the camcorder's various menus and subsets. Stand out performance features included the capability of the image stabiliser to virtually eliminate shaky filming explaining how I tested this would probably have traffic authorities knocking on my door and the ability to zoom in to selected parts of filmed images during playback. Overall image quality proved to be quite superb, but I did feel that primary colours were a little too vibrant. Correcting this could be as simple as adjusting a setting or two on your TV. Low level filming was good too, but the built-in LED didn't give as much illumination as I thought it might, and using it to film friends and pets gave them the video equivalent of red eye that you get when taking photographs with a flash. I must add, that all my video viewing was on a high definition 50-inch Plasma monitor, and from fairly close up, and that as the review MVX460 was a very pre production model, the overall performance of production models would probably improve, and take an already superb package up a performance notch or two. With its ability to film in widescreen or at the press of a button 4:3 mode and its overall performance, I feel that Canon has another winner that should sell really well.

Joel Kopping

hat was first, the chicken or the egg? This is a question that naturally has people divided into two camps. As I eat both chicken and eggs, it doesn't actually bother me which one was first What I do however know for certain, is that the Canon MVX460 camcorder on review here, is the first 16:9 format widescreen camcorder that I've been asked to play with. I was also just about the first person outside of the personnel of Canon SA to be given the pre production camcorder the first of its kind in SA so in this respect can count myself quite lucky. This meant that I couldn't go around wielding the camcorder like a crazed Japanese tourist, lest the wrong people found out that this widescreen camcorder was an actual reality and not a blip on a forward in time looking radar. Before moving on to mention some of the MVX 460's features and specifications, now is probably the best time to look at the reasons for going widescreen on a camcorder. With High Definition TV looming and 16:9 widescreens becoming the screen ratio of choice for just about all consumers looking to replace aging TVs, it makes perfect sense that filmed memories fill the entire screen on said new TV. If you can help it, why would you want to watch anything that doesn't entirely fill your screen? That is without being artificially stretched. (I can hear the argume-.'discussion' now, as wifey dearest looks at a stretched image of herself and asks if she really was that fat when the video was made.) High Definition is not only about being slightly wider than our older TVs, it's also about being able to look at an image that has more detail than the 520-odd lines that PAL TVs display. In fact, you need at least 720 progressive lines for a device to be considered 'High Definition'. This brings us to the pixel count on the MVX 460, which at 1.3 Megapixels falls right into the HD ballpark (A high resolution panel that has 1280 by 720 pixels only uses pixels.). Admittedly this number isn't too high when compared to digital stills cameras, but as you've already seen, it offers more resolution than most TV screens do. Apart from the high for a DV camcorder pixel count, the MVX460 uses Canon's DIGIC DV processing with separate signal paths for A U D I O

p e a k s

VERDICT The MVX460 adds widescreen functionality to Canon's traditional qualities of performance and ergonomics. PRICE..Unavailable SUPPLIED BY Canon SA 011-265-4900 www.canon.co.za

WEBSITE

video and stills to ensure optimal image reproduction for each. It is equipped with 20x optical zoom with Electronic Image Stabilization and 800x digital zoom, is equipped with a 2.7-inch wide colour LCD screen and it even has DV and AV inputs. Other features include the capacity to store images on tape or on memory card, PictBridge compliance, an option to film in 16:9 or 4:3 modes, Night Mode with a built-in white LED, is supplied with a 0.75x wide lens attachment. The camcorder can even be controlled via a wireless controller. In use, the MVX 460 displayed all the virtues that I've come to expect from Canon. Despite there being no manual supplied it was after all a pre-production model it only

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