Canon A5 User Manual

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DIGITAL CAMERA

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Please read this guide before using of the PowerShot A5.

You will find instructions on how to use basic camera functions.

Canon

IIntroduction

Thank you for purchasing a Canon PowerShot
A5, the easy-to-use, compact digital camera
with a large range of functions incorporated
into a card-sized body.

Please read this guide and the Reference

Guide to gain maximum benefit from the

high-quality digital imaging made possibie with
the PowerShot A5.

Please read the Handling and
Safety Precautions section of the

Reference Guide before attempt

ing to use the camera.

Copyright © 1998 Canon Inc All rights reserved.

Disclaimer

While every effort has been made to ensure that the
information contained in this manual is accurate and
complete, no liabiirty can be accepted for any errors or
omissions. Canon Inc. reserves the nght to change the
specifications of the hardware and software described
here in at any time without prior notice.

No part of this manual may be reproduced, transmit
ted, transcribed, stored in a retrieval system, or
translated into any language in any form, by any
means without prior written permission of Canon Inc.

Canon Inc. makes no warranties for damages resulting
from corrupted or lost data due to a mistaken
operation or malfunction of the camera, the
CompactFlash™ cards (CF cards), personal computers,
peripheral devices or use of non-Canon CF cards.

Trademark Acknowledgement

Canon and PowerShot are trademarks of Canon Inc
Adobe and Adobe Photoshop are trademarks of Adobe
Systems Incorporated.
Apple, Macintosh and Power Macintosh are trademarks of
Apple Computer, Inc.
CompactFlash is a trademark of SanOisk Corporation.
IBM is a registered trademark of International Business
Machines Corporation.
Microsoft, Windows are registered trademarks of Microsoft
Corporation in the U.S. and other countries.
Ulead Systems, Inc. and Phofoimpact are trademarks of
Ulead Systems, Inc.
Other names and products not mentioned above may be
trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective
companies.

IUnpacking

The camera is shipped with the items listed below. Please check your package now to confirm
that it is complete. Contact your camera distributor if anything is missing.

• PowerShot A5

• Wrist Strap WS-100

• Video Cable VC-100

• PC Interface Cable IFC-100PC

• Macintosh Interface Cable IFC-100MC

• Compact Power Adapter CA-PS100E

• AC Power Cord

• DC Coupler DR-100

• Battery Pack NB-5H

• Battery Case

• Button-sized CR2016 Lithium Battery

(fitted)

• CompactFlash™ Card

• PowerShot Solution CD-ROM

• PowerShot Solution Users Manual

• Ulead Photoimpact 4.0 CD-ROM

• Ulead Photoimpact 4.0 Users Manual

• Quick Start Guide (this publication)

• Reference Guide

• System Map

• Instructions for CF Card

• Instructions for Battery Pack

• Instructions for Compact Power Adapter

• Warranty Card for PowerShot AS

• Software license agreement

• Guarantee/Registration card

I

Before You Start

1. Charge the Battery Pack

Follow the instructions below to charge
Battery Pack NB-5H before installing it in the
camera.

1) Attach the AC Power Cord to the Compact
Power Adapter CA-PS100E and plug it into
a wall socket.

To AC Power Outlet

Compact Power Adapter
CA-PS100E

2) Place the battery pack into the compact

power adapter as shown below.

Battery Pack NB-5H

Charging Indicator

' While charging, the indicator on

the charger will flash green.
Once the battery pack has charged,
the indicator will stop flashing and
shine steadily.
A full charge takes approximately 90
minutes.

1

Before You Start continued... 219

2. Install the Batteries into the Camera

The following describes how to insert
Battery Pack NB-5H into the camera.

1) Ensure that the Mode Dial is
turned to the L (lock)
position (power off).

2) Slide the battery cover lock to the release

position and open the battery cover.

3) Install Battery Pack NB-5H into the battery
chamber with the terminals oriented in
the direction shown below.

■v;-r

Battery Terminals

4) Close the battery cover and slide the
battery cover lock into the closed position.

I

Before You Start continued... 319 __

I Check to make sure that the battery

cover lock is firmly in the lock
position. The camera will not operate
unless the battery cover lock Is
securecf.

' Remove the battery pack from the

camera whenever you will not use it
for an extended period. Do not
remove the button-sized lithium
battery because it is used as the
reserve power source for the date/
time settings.

' You can also use a 2CR5 Lithium

Battery (sold separately) instead of
Battery Pack NB-5H.

' When removing Battery Pack NB-5H

from the camera, it is helpful to slip

your fingernail or fingertip into the
indent on the bottom of the battery
pack before you gently pull it out.

Indent

Before You Start continued... 419

3. Using the Camera with an AC Power Source

To power the camera with an AC power
source, connect DC Coupler DR-100 to
Compact Power Adapter CA-PS100E as
shown below and replace Battery Pack NB­5H with the other end of the DC coupler.

Cable Cover

• Please note that the compact power
adapter will not charge a battery pack
while in use as a DC power source for
the camera.

• The DC output indicator on the
compact power adapter will shine red
while in use as a DC power source for
the camera.

DC Coupler
DR-100

Compact Power
Adapter
CA-PSIOOE

DC Terminal

Before You Start continued... 5/9 .

4. Inserting a CF Card

Follow the procedures below to insert a CF
card into the camera.

1) Slide the lock for the CF card slot cover to

the open position and open the cover.

2) As shown below, orient the card with its
label side facing up and insert it into the
slot until it is firmly seated.

8

Arrow Mark

The CF card eject
button will pop up
when a card is inserted.

Use this button to eject a card.

3) Close the CF card slot cover.

• The CF Card can only be fitted when
correctly oriented. Do not use undue
force to insert the CF Card.

1Before You Start continued... 619

CF Cards and Image Capacities

Small/N Small/F Large/N Large/F CCD RAW

FC-4M 118

FC-8M 236 125

FC-15M 442 235 169 81 15

• Small (512 x 384 pixels); Large (1024 x 768 pixels);
CCD RAW (Uncompressed)

• N refers to Normal quality, F to Fine quality.

• Figures noted herein reflect standard shooting
conditions established by Canon.

• Actual totals may vary according to the characteris

tics of the photographic subject.

63 45 22

89 44

4

8

5. Fitting the Wrist Strap

A wrist strap is shipped with the camera.
Attach the strap to the camera as illustrated.

1) Insert the thin part of the
wrist strap through the
strap holder.

2) Insert the other end of
the wrist strap through
the loop of the thin part
that has been inserted
through the strap holder

in Step 1.

3) Pull the wrist strap
through the loop of the
thin part until the loop
slips over the plastic part
of the strap.

1

Before You Start continued... 7/9

________________

6. Setting the menu language

You can change the language in which
messages are displayed.

SET Button I Buttons

10

MACRO/JUMP Button

LCD Panel

1) Turn the Mode Dial to the PLAY position.

2) Press and hold the SET Button, then press
MACRO/JUMP Button to display the
Language Menu.

3) Use the +/- Buttons to move between
language selections and SET Button to
execute the selection.

IBefore You Start continued... 819

7. Setting the Date and Time

Set the correct date and time with the
following procedures.

SET Button

% ^

MENU Button

.11

LCD Panel

+/- Buttons

^Mode Pi.Dial^

1) Turn the Mode Dial to the □ (Auto)

position (Auto mode).

2) Press the MENU Button to display the Ree.

Menu.

11

Before You Start continued... 919 _

3) Press the +/- Buttons to select [Setup].
Then press the SET Button to display the
Setup Menu.

4) Select the [Date/Time] with the +/- Buttons
and press the SET Button. The Date/Time
Menu will be displayed.

12

5) Press the SET Button to move between
fields and the +/- Buttons to advance

values.

6) Once the settings are adjusted to your
satisfaction, press the MENU Button to
save your selection and exit.

7) Turn the Mode Dial to the L (Lock)

position to shut off the power.

i

Taking Pictures

shutter Button Continuous/SeIf-Timer

MENU Button \ Button

LCD Button

LCD Panel

1) Turn the Mode Dial to the □ (Auto)

position (Auto mode).

2) Look through the viewfinder and frame

the subject.

Viewfinder

3) Press the shutter button halfway and wait

until the beep sounds twice.

4) After the beeps, press the shutter button
all the way. A single beep will sound, the
picture will be taken and the indicator
beside the viewfinder will flash green
until the image is finished being stored
onto the CF card.

5) After the indicator goes off and the image
is stored, if you have finished taking
pictures, return the Mode Dial to the L
(Lock) position.

13

Taking Pictures continued... 213

Two stage Shutter Button

• The camera features a two-stage
shutter button. Press the button
lightly (depress to the halfway point)
to activate the first stage, the focus
and auto exposure lock. Pressing
more firmly to the second stage will
activate the shutter, recording an
image.

To Preview an Image on the LCD
Before Shooting

• Check an image before taking the
picture by pressing the LCD button to
activate the LCD panel. Press the
button once again to turn off the
panel.

14

Reviewing an Image After
Shooting

• You can review an image after taking
the picture without turning on the
LCD panel. Turn the Review function
on with the Menu feature and
continue to depress the shutter
button after a shot has been taken.
The image will display on the LCD
panel as long as you keep the shutter
button fully depressed.

Self-Timer

• To use the Self-Timer function, set the
Mode Dial to the □ (Auto) or P
(Program) position and press the
Continuous/Self-Timer Button. The 0
mark will show in the Display Panel.

The shutter will release 10 seconds

after the shutter button is pressed.

Taking Pictures continued... 313

_______

About Power Save

• In the Auto and Program modes, the
lens cover will close and the camera
will automatically power down if left
for 3 minutes. Pressing any button
will switch the power back on. Please
refer to the Power Save sertion of the
Reference Guide for further detail on
activating or deactivating this
function.

15

I

Replaying Images

1. Replaying Images in Play Mode

To view single images on the LCD panel, set
the camera to the Play mode as shown

below.

+/- Buttons

MACRO/JUMP Button

LCD Panel

16

1) Turn the Mode Dial to the PLAY position.

2) Scroll through images by pressing the +/-

Buttons.

3) To quit, turn the Mode Dial to the L (Lock)
position.

Replaying Images continued... 213 _

I

2. Replaying Images in Multi

To view groups of nine images on the LCD

panel, set the camera to the Multi mode as

shown below.

+/- Buttons

MACRO/JUMP Button

LCD Panel

Mode

1) Turn the Mode Dial to the MULTI position.

2) Select image (green frame) by pressing

the +/- Buttons.

Display the selected image at full size
by turning the Mode Dial to the PLAY
position.
To display the next or previous
images, press the Macro/Jump Button
and +/- Buttons. To return to normal
selection menu, press the MACRO/
JUMP Button again.

3) To quit, turn the Mode Dial to the L (Lock)

position.

17

U Replaying Images continued... 313

_________

3. Displaying Images on a TV

To view your images on a TV, connect the
camera to the TV with the video cable
supplied.

TV video In

Video Cable
(Supplied)

1) Turn the Mode Dial to the L (Lock)
position and ensure that the TV power

switch is off.

18

2) Insert one end of the video cable into the
camera's VIDEO terminal and the other

into the TV's Video In jack.

3) Turn the TV on and select the video
channel.

4) Turn the camera's Mode Dial to the PLAY
or MULTI position.

5) If an image appears in the camera's LCD
panel, press the LCD button.
Pressing the LCD button switches the

display between the television and the
camera's LCD panel.

6) Use the normal replay procedures as
described on the previous pages to view
the images.

Retrieving Images .

1. Installing the Software

Install the software contained on the CD­ROMs.

Before you start installing the
software, read the software Quick
Start Guides supplied.

For a detailed explanation of how to
perform the installation, please
consult the Quick Installation Guide
included with the software.

1) start the computer.

2) Place the CD in your CD-ROM drive.

Windows®

Follow the instructions displayed on-screen to
install the software.

Macintosh

Drag and drop the folders required from the
CD onto your hard disk.

To use Adobe Photoshop software
with a camera, you must copy the
Plug-In Module into Photoshop's

Import/Export folder in the Plug-Ins

folder.

3) Reboot the computer after the installation
completes.

19

I

Retrieving Images continued... 218^

About the Software

The CD-ROMs shipped with the package

contain the following software. Install the
software from the CD-ROM onto your
computer as required.

• TWAIN Driver (Windows)

Driver software for acquiring images from a

PowerShot digital camera into a TWAIN­compliant application program.

• Photoshop Plug-In Module (Macintosh)

A plug-in module that allows Adobe

Photoshop to acquire images from a

PowerShot digital camera.

• PhotoStitch (Windows/Macintosh)

A software program that makes it easy to
merge sequential pictures taken with the

20

PowerShot A5's Stitch Assist mode into
large, high-quality panoramic scenes.

• SlideShowMaker (Windows)

A software program that draws upon the
PowerShot A5's slide show capabilities to
display images in compelling presentations.

• TimeTunnel (Macintosh)

A software program that enables you to

browse through your images on-screen in

chronological order.

• Ulead Photoimpact 4.0 (Windows)

A suite of Web-capable programs with
extensive image enhancement and file

management functions.

Retrieving Images continued... 318^—

I

Software Requirements

Your computer system will need to meet one

of the following sets of requirements to run
the software.

PGAT Compatible Computers

CPU:

RAM:

Hard Disk: At least 1 SMB for TWAIN and

Monitor: 640 X 480 resolution or higher, 256

Operating System:

Ports: Serial port (RS232-C)

486 DX2/66 MHz or higher

(Pentium recommended)
24 MB or more
(32 MB or more recommended)
(32 MB or more recommended for

Windows NT)

145 MB for TWAIN and Photoimpact 4.0

colors or more (For screens 1024 x 768 or
more, 24 bit color display recommended)

Windows 95 or Windows NT 4.0

• Macintosh Computers

CPU: 68LC040 or higher

Power Macintosh
RAM: 24 MB or more recommended
Hard Disk: 20 MB or more of free disk space

(50 MB or more recommended)
Monitor: 640 X 480 resolution or higher, 256

colors or more (For screens 1024 x 768 or

more, 24 bit color display recommended)
Operating System:

Mac OS 7.5.3 or higher

QuickTime 2.1 or higher
Ports: Serial port

• CD-ROM drive required for software installation.

Software for Windows 3.1 and
Macintosh 68K available on request.

21

I

Retrieving Images continued...

2. Connecting to a Computer and Retrieving Images

Follow the procedures below to retrieve
camera images.

Before you connect the camera to a
computer, always off the computer
and turn the camera's Mode Dial to
the L (Lock) position.

• Windows •

Connect the camera to the PC's serial port

with the PC interface cable.

DIGITAL Terminal

\

'W

.4

Serial Port '

PCI nterf ace Cable ' ‘

22

Once the camera is attached to the compu
ter, follow the procedures below to load
images and save them to the computer.

1) Turn the computer on.

2) Start your TWAIN-compliant application

program.

3) Turn the camera's Mode Dial

to the PC position.

4) Select [Canon PowerShot] from your

I'

application's input device selection menu.

5) Start the TWAIN Driver from within your

application.

6) Use the TWAIN Driver to load the images

from the camera.

1

Retrieving Images continued... 5/8

For nriofe information regarding your
TWAIN-compliant application
program or TWAIN Driver, refer to
their respective Help files or other
on-line guides.

____

Macintosh *

Connect the camera to the Macintosh
modem or printer port with the Macintosh
interface cable.

Printer Port Modem Port

Macintosh Interface Cable

23

I

Retrieving Images continued... 618—

Once the camera is attached to the computer,
follow the procedures to load images and save
them to the computer.

1) Turn the computer on.

2) Start the application program for which

you installed the Plug-In Module.

3) Turn the camera's Mode Dial

to the PC position.

4) Select [Canon PowerShot PPC...] or [Canon

PowerShot 68K...] from your application's
input device selection menu.

5) Start the Plug-In Module from within your

application.

24

6) Use the Plug-In Module to load the images

from the camera.

' For more information regarding the

Plug-In Module and the application
program for which you installed it,
refer to their respective Quick Start

Guides, help files or other on-line
guides.

Retrieving Images continued... 718.

3. Reading a CF Card with a PCMCIA (PC Card) Slot

If your computer is equipped with a PCMCIA
slot, also called a PC card slot, you can insert
a CF card directly into the slot with an
optional PCMCIA adapter.

Before you eject the CF card, always
off the computer and turn the
camera's Mode Dial to the L (Lock)
position.

1) Slide the lock of CF card slot cover to the

open position. Open the cover.

Lock
CF Card '
Slot Cover

2) Eject the CF card from the camera by

pushing the Eject button.

Eject Button

3) Place the CF card into the PCMCIA

adapter.

CF Card

PCMCIA Adapter

25

I

J

Retrieving Images continued... 818

4) Insert the adapter into the PCMCIA slot.

5) Start the application software.

6) Select the PCMCIA slot as the image

source and acquire the images.

Please read the Quick Start Guides or
help for each software program for

detailed instructions on howto
acquire images.

26

Erasing Images

Follow the procedures below to erase an
image on a CF card.

SET Button

MENU Button

LCD Panel

1) Turn the Mode Dial to the [PLAY] or

[MULTI] position.

+1- Buttons

I

Erasing Images continued... 212

2) Press the MENU Button to display the

Play Menu.

3) Press the +/- Buttons to select [Erase],

and then press the SET Button

4) If you chose [Single], press the +/- Buttons
to display the image you want to erase.
Press the SET Button to erase. If you chose
[All], all images will delete.

5) A confirmation message will be displayed.
Press the +/- Buttons to select [OK] and
press the SET Button.

If you want to caned the erase, select
[Cancel].
To display the previous menu, press
the MENU Button.

27

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