Argus DC-3185 User Manual

Argus DC- 3185

Digital Camera Quick Start Guide

Argus D C -3185 Digital Camera Quick Start Guide

Thank you for selecting the Argus DC-3185 Digital Camera! It is our goal to

make your digital imaging experience the best that we can. If you ever get

stuck, have a question or simply need some advice about using your new

Argus DC-3185 digital camera please feel free to visit our live technicians

at http://www.arguscamera.com/support.htm or call us

at 1-224-836-3400 (choose option 4).

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Getting to know your Argus DC -3185 Digital Camera

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Argus Camera Company

10 Colonial Parkway

Inv

erness, IL 6006 7

www.arguscamera.co m

Using your new Argus DC- 3185 Digital Camera

is as easy as 1,2,3!

Getting Started with your new Argus DC-3185 Digital Camera

1. Remove the plastic protective covering from the LCD on the back of

the camera.

2. Open the battery door on the bottom of the camera and insert three AAA

alkaline batteries – we recommend photo grade AAA batteries or other

brand-name long life batteries for best performance.

a. Please use high grade Alkaline, Photo Grade Alkaline or rechargeable

Alkaline batteries for your camera’s best performance.

b. Please do not leave batteries in your camera for an extended time

without use as they may cause damage to the camera.

c. We recommend that you store images only on your removable memory

(SD/MMC) card, however your new DC-3185 includes a small amount of

built-in memory that will store approximately eight images. If you decide

to save any images directly to the camera, please transfer photos saved

to the cameras internal memory onto your computer before replacing

the batteries to avoid losing photos.

d. Photos saved to an SD/MMC card are secure and will not be lost if the

batteries are drained or removed.

3. Turn the camera on by pressing the “ON/OFF” button for approximately

three seconds. The camera will automatically shut off automatically after 60

seconds, however you can also shut it off by pressing and holding the

“ON/OFF” button for approximately three seconds when the camera is on.

4. Frame your subject using either the optical or LCD viewfinder. Always try to

get as close as you can and be sure there is enough light. If more light is

needed, please turn on the flash feature.

a. Turn on the flash by holding the “Flash/Down” key – you will see the

Flash icon on the LCD blink for a few seconds and then a Flash Symbol

will appear, press “Flash/Down” again – the Auto Flash is now on. The

camera will then be in Auto Flash mode and the camera will adjust the

light for the exposure automatically.

1. The flash icon should NOT have a line through it as that would

indicate the flash is in the off mode.

2. If the flash icon will not set to auto flash, your batteries may be low

and need to be replaced.

3. The default for the flash is off. Each time you turn your camera on,

you will need to reset the flash to Auto Flash if needed.

b. Once the subject is framed and the lighting condition is set, press the

shutter button on the top of the camera. Please hold the camera steady

for approximately three seconds to ensure the best exposure.

c. To review the image, press the “P review” button.

d. To return to the capture mode, press the “P review” button again.

Other Important Features of your new Argus DC-3185

Digital Camera

1. Internal Memory : Your camera is equipped with 16MB of built in storage

that is designed as starter memory only and can hold a few images (up to 8).

We strongly recommend that you purchase and use a SD/MMC memory card

(electronic film!) to store your images. The Argus DC-3185 can operate with

SD cards ranging from 16MB up to as much as 512MB which will hold

hundreds of images.

*Note : If when inserting an SD or MMC card, a format icon may appear, this means your

mory card needs to be formatted in order to work with this camera. Please press the shutter

tton to format the SD card.

2. Self- Timer: Be in the picture with your friends! The Argus DC-318 5

has a built-in 10 second self timer which can be accessed by pressing the

menu button “M” once, press “M” a second time to scroll over to the self

timer icon, and then press the shutter button down to confirm. The camera

resets to the self-timer off position once it has

been used.

3. Rapid Fire and 3 photos taken in succession: Your new Argus

DC-3185 camera lets you capture 3 images in quick succession. To enter

the Rapid Fire mode, press the M/On/Off button four times until you see the

Rapid Fire icon (backwards E). Press the shutter button and the camera

will capture 3 quick rapid fire images.

4. Changing Image Resolution: Your Argus DC-3185 camera can

capture images in 3.2M P, 2MP and VGA modes! This is very important for storage and usage considerations. If you want to take lots of images on a very small SD card (32 or 64MB) then you may want to use VGA or 1MP resolution. These images will be fine for use on the computer screen or in emails but will not be great for printing. If you plan to print the images with the best possible quality, then consider using 2MP resolution.

To change the resolution, turn the camera on, select “M/On/o ff” and then select “P review”. A little box will appear on the LCD with stars in it. You can change the resolution / number of stars by scrolling up or down with the UP or DOWN keys. To confirm, press “P review.”

*** = 3.2 Million Pixel resolution ** = 2 Million Pixel resolution * = VGA (or 307K) resolution

5. Deletin g Picture s fro m Interna l Memory:

a. Press the “P review” button when the camera is on. Next select the

image you want to delete by scrolling with the UP or Down arrows. When you are on the image that you want to delete, select the Menu “M” button. You will see a “DEL LAST” icon, and you will be given a chance to change your mind or to delete the image. If you still want to delete the image, scroll to the “Y” mark using the UP or Down arrows and then press the shutter button to delete.

Deletin g Al l Pictures :

b. Press the “P review” button when the camera is on. Next press the

menu button one time and you will see a “DEL ALL” icon along with “Y” or “N” or scroll to the “Y” using the up or down arrow and then use the shutter button to confirm.

6. Frequenc y: Your Argus DC-3185 camera can be used anywhere in the

world! However since artificial lighting frequencies vary in different regions, you may want to set the correct frequency for the region to avoid lines in your images during indoor shooting. You can change the frequency by turning the camera on, press menu "M" button, press preview button to enter the sub menu, then press menu button again three times until you see a 50/60 on the LCD. Use the down arrow to scroll to 50 for Europe and Asia or 60 for the Americas and rest of world. Press the “P review” button to exit the menu.

Installing the Camera Drivers and Phot o Editing Software

BEFORE YOU PLUG THE CAMERA INTO THE PC, PLEASE INSTALL THE CAMERA DRIVERS FROM THE ENCLOSED DISK – DO THIS FIRST TO AVOID POTENTIAL CONFLICTS OR SYSTEM HANG-UPS .

You must install camera drivers before your new digital camera can talk to the PC. Drivers are the equivalent of instructions for the PC on how to talk to the camera.

1. Open your CD door, and insert the included CD (Argus DC-3185 Digital Camera CD).

2. Close the CD door and the CD should start Auto Install. a. If Auto install does not begin in 45 seconds, go to Start / My

Computer and click on the DC-3185 CD drive. When the folder opens, click on Setup.

3. The Argus Install menu will appear on your screen, scroll down to the button that indicates “Install Camera Drivers”, and click on the button. Follow the setup steps to install.

4. Should you want to install the fun and helpful accompanying free Editing Software from ArcSoft, scroll to the Photo Impression button, click on the button and follow the setup steps to install the programs.

Transferring Your Images to Your PC

You must use an editing program to vie w, manipulate and share your digital images. The Argus DC-3185 includes an easy-to-use but very powerful application from ArcSof t®called Photo Impression . Howeve r, you can use any editing program to download the image s from your new Argus DC-3185. Simply look for the Argus Camer a name under Digital Cameras and Scanners in the application .

Using ArcSoft ’s Photo Impression to Transfer and Edit your image s

1. First, ensure your camera is in Mass Storage Device Mode (default when camera is shipped and will remain so unless you use the camera as a web camera). To ensure that the camera is MS mode, turn the camera on, press the menu “M” button, press the “P review” button, then press the “M” button twice. You should see an icon with USB plus a little hard drive icon on your LCD. This will indicate MS mode. If the LCD displays a little web camera, use the down arrow to scroll to the hard drive icon to enter Mass Storage Mode.

2. Be sure you have installed the Photo Impression application before you proceed.

3. Locate and launch the Photo Impression software icon on your desktop and launch the program.

wil

4. When Photo Impression has launched on your screen. On the lower right button

. The menu will change, and

appear

; click that button and move the scroll bar up until you see My Computer. Select My Computer and you should see a Removable Disk. Within Removable Disk, you see will a folder called “DCIM” and inside

is another folder called “100Image”. Select this folder and click on OK.

5. A sub menu will appear on top of your imaging software desktop providing options for downloading – select one image or all images and click download.

6. The images will be transferred to the Photo Impression Album and display at the bottom of your work space as icons.

7. Double click on the image you wish to view or edit and then let your creativity begin.

The following are some additional tips about how best to use your Argus DC-3185 camera:

- Always try to be close to your subject when capturing a photo.

- If using the flash feature, the optimal range for exposure is to have your subject less than five feet away.

- When taking a photo, try not to pose the subject, spontaneous, action or fun scenes always produce the best images!

- Do not try to do extreme close ups with the Argus DC-3185 – the camera is optimized for a range of 3 feet to infinity, without flash.

- The Argus DC-3185 is best used for viewing images on the PC, printing 3” x 5” pictures, emailing images for including small images in presentations, greeting cards and calendars.

corner, select

an image-editing tray

an option button “Browse” will

the “From Folder”

Advanced Features and Settings

1. Using the Argus DC-3185 as

Your new Argus DC-3185 camera can also double as a plug-and-play device allowing you to participate in live video conferences over the web. To use the camera for W eb Video:

a. Install the camera drivers on the enclosed disk. b. Turn the camera on, select menu “Menu/ON/OFF”, select “P review” and

then select “Menu/ON/OFF” again to enter the sub menu. Click “Menu/ON/OFF” twice until you see “USB” displayed on the LCD and then using the down arrow, scroll until you see a web camera icon displayed on the LCD and click Preview to exit and confirm.

c. Now plug the enclosed USB cable to the camera and then into a USB

port on your computer (it is best not to use a USB port replicator).

d. On your computer, select “My Computer” and you will see the Argus

3185 camera displayed as a drive. Double click on the icon and the camera will become active.

a Web camera

2. Using the Argus DC-3185 to record short video clips

Your new Argus DC-3185 camera can also double as a neat little PC video camera, which is great for taking short videos for use on your PC. To use the camera for PC Video:

a. Make sure you have first installed the enclosed software. b. To enter the Video Clip mode, turn the camera on, pressing

“Menu/ON/OFF” button 3 times displays the video camera icon. Press the shutter button to select. Then you will see the flash icon with the letters " AVI" on the bottom left of the LCD. You are now ready to capture short video clips. The short video clips will last approximately 1 minute, then stop automatically, if you want to make another short video clip, you need to repeat the above operation. Please remember, video clips require a lot of storage even for short clips, so if you plan to take extended video clips, please ensure that you have a large size SD card inserted.

c. To take videos, simply use the shutter button to turn the video camera

on and off.

d. After the camera has powered on, press “Menu/ON/OFF” and then

press “P review” to enter a sub-menu. Then, by pressing “Menu/ON/OFF” , you can switch to different sub-menus. When entering into a sub-menu, use “UP” or “DOWN” to make changes. At last, press “P review” to validate your choice and exit.

We hope you enjoy your new Argus DC-3185 Digital Camera for many years to come. If you should have any questions or require further assistance on how to use the Argus DC-3185 camera please visit us at www.arguscamera.com and select support. We offer free telephone support, live on-line chats, frequently asked questions and answers and overnight email responses.

Also, please visit us at www.arguscamera.com for other fun digital imaging products and news and updates on coming products from Argus Camera .

Thank You for Selecting Argus Digital Cameras!

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