Canon HFR106, HFR16, HFR17, HFR18 User Manual

PUB. DIE-0343-000

HD Camcorder

Instruction Manual

Introduction

Important Usage Instructions

WARNING!

WARNING!

CAUTION:
TO REDUCE THE RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK AND TO REDUCE ANNOYING INTERFERENCE, USE
THE RECOMMENDED ACCESSORIES ONLY.

CAUTION:

DISCONNECT THE MAINS PLUG FROM THE SUPPLY SOCKET WHEN NOT IN USE.

To reduce the risk of electric shock, do not expose this product to dripping or splashing.

The Mains plug is used as the disconnect device. The Mains plug shall remain readily operable
to disconnect the plug in case of an accident.

While using the compact power adapter, do not wrap it or cover it with a piece of cloth, and do
not place it in confined narrow spaces. Heat may build up, the plastic case may deform and it
could result in electric shock or fire.

CA-590E identification plate is located on the bottom.

TO REDUCE THE RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK, DO NOT REMOVE COVER (OR BACK).
NO USER SERVICEABLE PARTS INSIDE. REFER SERVICING TO QUALIFIED
SERVICE PERSONNEL.

TO REDUCE THE RISK OF FIRE OR ELECTRIC SHOCK, DO NOT EXPOSE THIS
PRODUCT TO RAIN OR MOISTURE.

Using any device other than the Compact Power Adapter CA-590E may damage
the camcorder.

2

European Union (and EEA) only.

These symbols indicate that this product is not to be disposed of with
your household waste, according to the WEEE Directive (2002/96/EC),
the Battery Directive (2006/66/EC) and/or your national laws

implementing those Directives.
This product should be handed over to a designated collection point, e.g., on an
authorized one-for-one basis when you buy a new similar product or to an authorized
collection site for recycling waste electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) and batteries
and accumulators. Improper handling of this type of waste could have a possible impact
on the environment and human health due to potentially hazardous substances that are
generally associated with EEE. Your cooperation in the correct disposal of this product will
contribute to the effective usage of natural resources.
For more information about the recycling of this product, please contact your local city
office, waste authority, approved scheme or your household waste disposal service or
visit www.canon-europe.com/environment.
(EEA: Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein)

Trademark Acknowledgements

• The SD logo is a trademark. The SDHC logo is a trademark.

• Microsoft and Windows are trademarks or registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States
and/or other countries.

• Macintosh and Mac OS are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries.

•“x.v.Colour” and the “x.v.Colour” logo are trademarks.

• HDMI, the HDMI logo and High-Definition Multimedia Interface are
trademarks or registered trademarks of HDMI L icensing LLC.

•“AVCHD” and the “AVCHD” logo are trademarks of Panasonic Corporation
and Sony Corporation.

• Manufactured under license from Dolby Labora tories.
“Dolby” and the double-D symbol are trademarks of Dolby Laboratories.

• YouTube is a trademark of Google Inc.

• Other names and products not mentioned above may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their
respective companies.

• This device incorporates exFAT technology licensed from Microsoft.

• ANY USE OF THIS PRODUCT OTHER THAN CONSUMER PERSONAL USE IN ANY MANNER THAT COMPLIES WITH
THE MPEG-2 STANDARD FOR ENCODING VIDEO INFORMATION FOR PACKAGED MEDIA IS EXPRESSLY
PROHIBITED WITHOUT A LICENSE UNDER APPLICABLE PATENTS IN THE MPEG-2 PATENT PORTFOLIO, WHICH
LICENSE IS AVAILABLE FROM MPEG LA, L.L.C., 250 STEELE STREET, SUITE 300, DENVER, COLORADO 80206.

• This product is licensed under AT&T patents for the MPEG-4 standard and may be used for encoding MPEG-4
compliant video and/or decoding MPEG-4 compl iant video that was encoded only (1) for a personal and non­commercial purpose or (2) by a video provider licensed under the AT&T patents to provide MPEG-4 compliant
video. No license is granted or implied for any other use for MPEG-4 standard.

3

Exciting Features and New Functions

1

High-Definition Video

Your camcorder’s high-definition image
sensor (HD CMOS) captures video at a

1,080

lines

amazing image quality and in lifelike vibrant colors is easy and fun!

resolution of 1,920 x 1,080 pixels
are then recorded in the memory in high
definition, using AVCHD specifications
With your new HD camcorder, capturing
the special moments in your life with

2

. Videos

3

.

// Dual

Flash Memory

You can record in the built-in
memory or on commercially
available memory cards (34).

1

“Full HD 1080” refers to Canon camcorders compliant with high-definition video
composed of 1,080 vertical pixels (scanning lines).

2

Video is recorded at th is resolution only when the recording mode is set to FXP
mode. In other recording modes, the picture is recorded at 1,440 x 1,080 pixels.

3

AVCHD is a standard for recording high-definition video. W ith AVCHD specifica-
tions, the video signal is recorded using MPEG-4 AVC/H.264 compression and
the audio signal is recorded in Dolby Digital.

Pre-recording

(56)

When pre-recording is activated,
the camcorder starts recording
video continuously into a
temporary 3-second memory.
When you press the
button, the scene recorded will
have started 3 seconds before you
started shooting.

START/STOP

4

Smart AUTO

(24)

Smart AUTO automatically selects the best
settings for the scene you want to shoot.

Yo u g et spectacular recordings every time
without worrying about settings.

Video Snapshot

(55)

Shoot or capture short scenes
and arrange them into a video
clip set to your favorite
background music.

Just point the camcorder
and it will automatically
select the best settings for
your subject

Face Detection

(59)

The camcorder automatically
detects people’s faces and
adjusts the focus and other
settings accordingly for beautiful
results.

Image Stabilization

( 126)

Dynamic IS compensates for
camcorder shake when you
shoot video while walking. This
gives you more freedom and
mobility when recording movies.

5

Enjoying your Recordings on Other Devices

Connect the camcorder to

Connect the camcorder

to an HDTV ( 103)

the optional DW-100 DVD

Burner ( 106, 108)

AVCHD discs

Photo DVDs

SD

Play video directly

AVCHD-compatible HDTVs and

digital recorders with an SD

memory card slot

*

from your recorded

memory card

Eye-Fi

Save or upload

to the Web

Use an Eye-Fi card ( 120) to

wirelessly upload recordings to your

computer or a video sharing Web site

High Definition

AVCHD

Convert your HD movies, in the

MPEG-2

Standard Definition

SD-Video

Use the supplied software

ImageMixer 3 SE ( 104, 116)

Standard DVDs

camcorder itself, to standard definition

files ( 109, 117)

* Refer to the instruction manual of the device. Depending on the device used, cor-

rect playback may not be possible even if the device is AVCHD-compatible. In
such case, play back the recordings on the memory card using the camcorder.

6

Table of contents

 Introduction

4 Exciting Features and New Functions
11 About this Manual

13 Getting to Know the Camcorder

13 Supplied Accessories and CD-ROMs
15 Names of Parts

 Preparations

18 Getting Started

18 Charging the Battery Pack
21 Preparing the Accessories
22 Adjusting the Position and Brightness of the LCD

24 Basic Operation of the Camcorder

24 Operating Modes
27 Joystick and Joystick Guide
28 Using the Menus

30 First Time Settings

30 Setting the Date and Time
31 Changing the Language
31 Changing the Time Zone

32 Using a Memory Card

32 Memory Cards Compatible for Use with the Camcorder
33 Inserting and Removing a Memory Card
34 // Selecting the Memory for the

35 Initializing the Built-in Memory ( // only)

Screen

Recordings

or Memory Card

Table of contents  7

 Video

37 Basic Recording

37 Shooting Video
38 Selecting the Video Quality (Recording Mode)
39 Zooming
40 Quick Start Function

42 Basic Playback

42 Playing Back the Video
44 Selecting what Recordings to Play Back
46 Searching for Scenes
49 Pre-selecting Recordings from the Index Screen
50 Deleting Scenes

52 Advanced Functions

52 Programmed AE and Special Scene Recording

54 Cinema Mode: Giving a Cinematic Look to Your

55 Video Snapshot
56 Pre-recording Function
56 Self Timer
57 Manual Exposure Adjustment
58 Manual Focus Adjustment
59 Face Detection
60 White Balance
62 Image Effects
62 Digital Effects
64 On-Screen Displays and Data Code
65 Audio Recording Level
66 Selecting the Playback Starting Point

69 Scene and Playlist Operations

69 Playing Back Recordings Set to Background Music
71 Dividing Scenes
72 Editing the Playlist: Adding, Deleting, Moving and

75 Capturing Video Snapshot Scenes from a Movie
76 // Copying Scenes to a Memory Card

Programs

Recordings

Playing Back

8  Table of contents

 Photos

79 Basic Recording

79 Taking Photos
80 Selecting Photo Size and Quality

82 Basic Playback

82 Viewing Photos
83 Deleting Photos
85 Magnifying Photos during Playback

86 Additional Functions

86 Slideshow
87 Rotating Photos
87 Histogram Display
88 Capturing Photos from a Movie
89 Protecting Photos
90 // Copying Photos to a Memory Card

93 Printing Photos

93 Printing Photos (Direct Print)
96 Print Orders

 External Connections

99 Terminals on the Camcorder

100 Connection Diagrams
103 Playback on a TV Screen

104 Saving and Sharing Your Recordings

104 Saving Recordings on a Computer
106 Saving Movies onto High-Definition Discs

108 // Saving Movies onto Standard-

113 Creating Photo DVDs
114 Playing Back Discs Using the DW-100 DVD Burner
115 Copying Your Recordings to an External Video

116 Uploading Movies to Video Sharing Web Sites

(AVCHD/Blu-ray Discs)

Definition Discs (DVD)

Recorder

Table of contents  9

 Additional Information

122 Appendix: Menu Options Lists

122 FUNC. Menu
125 Setup Menus
135 Onscreen Icons and Displays

139 Trouble?

139 Troubleshooting
145 List of Messages

155 Do’s and Don’ts

155 Handling Precautions
159 Maintenance/Others
160 Using the Camcorder Abroad

161 General Information

161 Accessories
162 Optional Accessories
165 Specifications
169 Index

10  Table of contents

About this Manual

Thank you for purchasing the Canon LEGRIA HF R18 / LEGRIA HF R17 /
LEGRIA HF R16 / LEGRIA HF R106. Please read this manual carefully
before you use the camcorder and retain it for future reference. Should
your camcorder fail to operate correctly, refer to Tr oubleshooting
(139).

Conventions Used in this Manual

• IMPORTANT: Precautions related to the camcorder’s operation.

•NOTES: Additional topics that complement the basic operating

procedures.

•POINTS TO CHECK: Restrictions or requirements regarding the

function described.

• : Reference page number within this manual.

To c o m p le t e some operation
instruction manuals. This will be indicated with the following icons:

PHOTO

DW-100

• : Text that applies only to the model(s) shown in the icon.

• The following terms are used in this manual:

•The photos included in this manual are simulated pictures taken with

Refer to the

included as a PDF file in the supplied Camcorder
Supplemental Disc.

Refer to the instruction manual of the optional DW-100

DVD Burner.

When not specified as “memory card” or “built-in memory”, the term
“memory” by itself refers to both.
“Scene” refers to one movie unit from the point you press the

START/STOP

the recording.

a still camera. Unless indicated otherwise, illustrations and menu
icons refer to the .

button to start recording until you press again to pause

s you will need to refer also to other

‘Photo Application’ instruction manual,

Introduction  11

Selecting the Video Quality (Recording Mode)

The camcorder offers 4 recording modes. Changing the recording
mode will change the recording time available on the memory. Select
FXP or XP+ mode for better movie quality; select LP mode for longer
recording tim es. The following table gives approximate recording
times.

NOTES

• The camcorder uses a variable bit rate (VBR) to encode video so the
actual recording times will vary depending on the content of the scenes.

•The camcorder retains the last setting used even if you set the cam-
corder to mode.

Operating modes:

[ Standard Play 7 Mbps] Desired record ing

mode

FUNC.

FUNC.

Brackets [ ] are used to refer to
menu options as they are
displayed on screen.

The names of most buttons and
switches are indicated within a
“button” frame.
For example .

The arrow is used to abbreviate menu selections. For a detailed
explanation on how to use the menus, refer to Using the Menus
( 28). For a concise summary of all available menu options and
settings, refer to the appendix Menu Options Lists ( 122).

refer to Operating Modes ( 24).

12  Introduction

FUNC.

indicates that a function is available in the operating mode indicated and
indicates that the function is not available. For a detailed explanation

Getting to Know the Camcorder

Supplied Accessories and CD-ROMs

The following accessories are supplied with the camcorder:

XCA-590E Compact Power

Adapter (incl. power cord)

BP-2L5 Battery PackW

XIFC-300PCU USB Cable

STV-250N Stereo Video CableW

Yellow • Red • White plugs

XCTC-100/S Component Cable

Red • Green • Blue plugs

Quick GuideW

Introduction  13

The following CD-ROMs and software are supplied with the camcorder:

• PIXELA Application - Disc 1 CD-ROM* and ‘PIXELA Applications’

Installation Guide

- ImageMixer 3 SE Transfer Utilities - Software for saving and
transferring movies and music files you can use as background music.

• PIXELA Application - Disc 2 CD-ROM*

- ImageMixer 3 SE Video Tools - Software for managing, editing, and
playing back movies.

Instruction Manual/Photo Applications Ver.34.0*/Music Data

•
CD-ROM (referred to in this manual as “Camcorder Supplemental Disc”)

-Instruction Manual - The full-version instruction manual of the

camcorder (this PDF file).

- Photo Application - Software for saving, managing, and printing

photos.

-Music data - Music files that can be used as background music during

playback. These music files are for exclusive use with the supplied
software ImageMixer 3 SE. The disc cannot be played back on CD
players. For more details, refer to ‘ImageMixer 3 SE Software Guide’.

* The CD-ROM includes the instruction manual of the software (on PDF file).

14  Introduction

Names of Parts

Left side view

Right side view

Front view

1 (camera/play) button ( 26)
2 VIDEO SNAP (video snapshot) button

(55)

3 // WEB button

( 116)

4 button ( 24)/

// INDEX SEL.

(index selection) button (

5

6 ACCESS indicator ( 37, 79 )
7 Strap mount ( 21)
8 Speaker ( 42)
9 Grip belt ( 21)
Aq Stereo microphone ( 65)
Aa Instant AF sensor ( 126)

PLAYLIST button (

DISP. ( o n -screen display) button
(64)

44)/

44)

Introduction  15

Top vie w

LCD panel

Back view

As

Zoom lever ( 39)

Ad PHOTO button ( 79)
Af POWER button
Ag ON/OFF (CHG) (charge) indicator:

Green – On
Orange – Standby ( 40)
Red – Charging ( 18)

Ah LCD screen ( 22)
Aj Joystick (27)
Ak FUNC. button ( 28, 122)
Al USB terminal ( 99, 102)
Sq HDMI OUT terminal ( 99, 100)
Sa COMPONENT OUT terminal

( 99, 101)

Ss AV OUT terminal ( 99, 101)
Sd DC IN terminal ( 18)
Sf START/ STOP button ( 37)

16  Introduction

Bottom view

Sg Tri po d socket ( 155)
Sh Memory card slot (33)

Battery compartment

Sj
Sk Battery release latch
Sl Battery compartment cover/Memory

card slot cover

Dq Serial number

The serial number label is located on
the battery compartment cover.

Introduction  17

Preparations

This chapter describes basic operations, such as navigating the
menus, and first time settings to help you learn more about your
camcorder.

Getting Started

Charging the Battery Pack

The camcorder can be powered with a
battery pack or directly using the com­pact power adapter. Charge the battery
pack before use.
For approximate charging times and
recording/playback times with a fully
charged battery pack, refer to the tables
on pages 162-163.

1 Connect the power cord to the

compact power adapter.

2 Plug the compact power adapter

into a power outlet.

3 Connect the compact power

adapter to the camcorder’s DC IN
terminal.

• When connecting the compact
power adapter’s cable to the
camcorder (3), make sure to align
the triangle marks on the cable’s
connector and on the camcorder’s
terminal ( ).

18  Preparations

DC IN

terminal

ON/OFF (CHG)
(charge) indicator

4 Slide the battery compartment cover

away from the lens and open it.

5 Remove the battery terminal cover

from the battery pack.

6 Insert the battery pack all the way

into the compartment and press
gently until it clicks.

7 Close the cover and slide it toward

the lens until you hear a click.

8 Charging will start when the

camcorder is turned off.

•If the camcorder was on, the green
ON/OFF (CHG) indicator will go out
when you turn off the camcorder.
After a moment, the ON/OFF (CHG)
indicator will start flashing in red
(battery pack charging). The red ON/
OFF (CHG) indicator will go out when
the battery pack is fully charged.

• If the indicator flashes quickly, refer to

Tro ub le shooting

( 139).

4

6

7

Preparations  19

To remove the battery pack

1 Slide the battery compartment

cover away from the lens and
open it.

2Press the battery release latch

and pull out the battery pack.

3Close the cover and slide it

toward the lens until you hear a
click.

Battery release latch

IMPORTANT

• Turn off the camcorder before connecting or disconnecting the com­pact power adapter. After pressing to turn off the camcorder,

POWER

important data is updated in the memory. Be sure to wait until the green
ON/OFF (CHG) indicator goes out.

•The first time you use a battery pack, fully charge it and then use the
camcorder until the battery pack is completely exhausted.

• Do not connect to the camcorder’s DC IN terminal or to the compact
power adapter any electrical equipment that is not expressly recom­mended for use with this camcorder.

• To prevent equipment breakdowns and excessive heating, do not con­nect the supplied compact power adapter to voltage converters for
overseas travels or special power sources such as those on aircraft and
ships, DC-AC inverters, etc.

NOTES

• The battery pack will be charged only when the camcorder is off.

• We recommend charging the battery pack in temperatures between
10 °C and 30 °C. Outside the temperature range of 0 °C to 40 °C,
charging will not start.

• If remaining battery time is an issue, you can power the camcorder
using the compact power adapter so the battery pack will not be con­sumed.

• Charged battery packs continue to discharge naturally. Therefore,
charge them on the day of use, or the day before, to ensure a full
charge.

20  Preparations

• We recommend that you prepare battery packs to last 2 to 3 times
longer than you think you might need.

Preparing the Accessories

Fasten the grip belt.

Adjust the grip belt so that you can reach
the zoom lever with your index finger, and

START/STOP

the button with your thumb.

To remove the grip belt

1 Lift the padded handgrip’s flap and detach the strap from the

Velcro pad.

2 Pull the strap to remove it first from the front bracket on the

camcorder, then to unthread it from the handgrip and finally to
remove it from the rear bracket on the camcorder.

Preparations  21

To attach an optional wrist strap

Pass the attaching end of the wrist strap
through the rear bracket on the cam­corder, thread the wrist strap through
the loop and fasten.

You can also attach the wrist strap to the
strap mount on the grip belt to use both

for extra convenience and protection.

To attach an optional shoulder strap

Pass the ends of the shoulder strap through the s trap mount on the grip
belt and adjust the length of the strap.

Adjusting the Position and Brightness of the LCD Screen

Rotating the LCD Panel

Open the LCD panel 90 degrees.

• You can rotate the panel 90 degrees downward.

• You can rotate the panel 180 degrees toward the lens. Rotating the
LCD panel 180 degrees can be useful when you wish to include yourself
in the picture when recording with the self timer.

180°

90°

22  Preparations

180°

Subject can monitor the LCD screen

NOTES

• About the LCD screen: The screen is produced using extremely high-pre­cision manufacturing techniques, with more than 99.99% of the pixels
operating to specification. Less than 0.01% of the pixels may occasion-
ally misfire or appear as black, red, blue or green dots. This has no
effect on the recorded image and does not constitute a malfunction.

LCD Backlight

When recording in bright places it may be difficult to use the LCD
screen. Turn on the LCD backlight to make it brighter.

With the camcorder on, hold pressed down for more than

DISP.

2 seconds.

• Repeat this action to switch the LCD backlight between off (normal) and
on (bright).

• If [LCD Screen Dimmer] is set to [ On], pressing for

DISP.

more than 2 seconds will turn off the screen dimmer and return the LCD
screen to its previous brightness setting.

NOTES

• The LCD backlight does not affect the brightness of the recordings.

•Using the bright setting will shorten the effective usage time of the bat-
tery pack.

• You can further adjust the brightness of the LCD screen with the
[LCD Brightness] setting, or dim it with the [LCD Screen Dim­mer] setting to use in places where the light from the LCD screen can
be a nuisance.

Preparations  23

Basic Operation of the Camcorder

Operating Modes

Recording

The camcorder offers two basic modes for recording video and photos:
Smart AUTO ( ) mode for beginners or if you just prefer not to

bother with detailed camcorder settings, and flexible recording ( )
mode, which lets you change the camcorder’s settings to your prefer­ence. Press the button to switch the camcorder to mode
and press the button again to switch back to mode. In either
mode, you can record movies by pressing or take photos
by pressing .

PHOTO

START/STOP

Operating

mode

* The mode icon displayed will change according to the optimal mode selected by

the Smart AUTO function.

Onscreen

icon

*

Operation

Easy recording of movies and photos.

Recording of movies and photos while enjoying full
access to the menus and advanced functions.

About the Smart AUTO mode

• Only the following buttons/functions are available in this mode.

START/STOP

- for recording movies

PHOTO

- for recording photos

- Zoom lever

- Quick Start ( 40)

VIDEO SNAP

- for video snapshot ( 55)

24  Preparations

•When shooting in mode, the camcorder will automatically
detect certain characteristics of the subject, background, lighting
conditions, etc. It will then adjust various settings (focus, exposure,
color, image stabilization, image quality, among others), selecting the
best settings for the scene you want to shoot. The Smart AUTO
mode icon will change to one of the following icons.

Smart AUTO icons

Background →
(color of the icon)

Subject ↓

Bright
(grey)

Blue skies

(light blue)

Vivid colors
(green/red)

Sunsets
(orange)

People (stationary)

() () ()

People (moving)

() () ()

Subjects other than people,
such as landscapes

() () ()

Close objects

() () ()

The icon in parentheses appears under backlight conditions.

Background →
(color of the icon)

Subject ↓

Dark (dark blue)

Spotlight

Night scene

People (stationary) – –

People (moving) – –

Subjects other than people,
such as landscapes

Close objects – –

–

–

–

Preparations  25

NOTES

• In mode, menus cannot be accessed but the following settings
can be changed in advance.

- Recording mode of movies

- Size/quality of photos

- // You r selection of recording media for movies/

photos

-Video snapshot length

-Auto slow shutter

-All settings under the setup menu’s , and tabs .

• Even in flexible recording mode, the camcorder can help you with the
settings. For example, you can use the Special Scene recording pro­grams ( 52) to set at once all the optimal settings to match special
recording conditions.

• Under certain conditions, the Smart AUTO icon that appears on the
screen may not match the actual scene. Especially when shooting
against orange or blue backgrounds, the Sunset or one of the Blue
skies icons may appear and the colors may not look natural. In such
case, we recommend recording in [ Programmed AE] mode ( 52).

Playback

Press the (camera/play) button to switch the camcorder
between camera (recording) mode and playback mode. You can press

when the camcorder is off to turn it on directly in playback

mode.

Operating

mode

26  Preparations

Onscreen

icon

Press

Operation

Playing back movies.

Viewing photos.

NOTES

• // When switching to a playback mode, the memory

selected for playback will be the same currently used for recording.

Joystick and Joystick Guide

Use the joystick to operate the camcorder’s menus.

Push the joystick up, down, left or right
( , ) to select an item or
change settings.

Press the joystick itself ( ) to save
the settings or confirm an action. On
menu screens, this is indicated by the
icon .

If the joystick guide does not appear on the screen, press or push
the joystick (, ) to display it. The functions that appear depend
on the operating mode.

• or mode: Select ( ) a function and press to change
the setting. With some functions, you will need to make further
adjustments ().

• mode: First, select ( ) a “row” of functions; then, press to
operate the function in the middle or push the joystick ( or ) to
operate the function on the left or right, respectively.

The joystick guide will minimize after 2 seconds. When the joystick
guide is minimized, you can still adjust or turn on/off the selected func­tion; you can also maximize ( ) the joystick

guide to select another

function or hide ( ) it altogether.

Preparations  27

Using the Menus

Many of the camcorder’s functions can
be adjusted from the menus that open
after pressing . In mode,
menus cannot be accessed and, except
in a few cases, most menu settings will
return to their default values.
For details about the available menu
options and settings, refer to the appen­dix Menu Options Lists ( 122).

Selecting an Option from the FUNC. Menu

The following is an example of selecting a FUNC. menu option in
mode. In playback modes, the operation varies depending on the func­tion selected so refer to the relevant chapter as necessary.

1Press .

2 Select ( ) the icon of the function

you want to change from the left
side column.

Menu items not available will appear
grayed out.

3 Select ( ) the desired setting from the available options at the

bottom bar.

•The selected option will be highlighted in orange.

•With some settings you will need to make further selections and/or
press . Follow the additional operation guides that will appear on
the screen (such as the icon, small arrows, etc.).

4 Press to save the settings and close the menu.

You can press to close the menu at any time.

FUNC.

FUNC.

FUNC.

FUNC.

28  Preparations

Selecting an Option from the Setup Menus

1Press .

2 Select ( , ) [ Menu] and

3 Select ( ) the tab of the desired menu.

4 Select ( ) the setting you want to change and press .

5 Select ( , ) the desired option and press to save the

6Press .

FUNC.

press to open the setup
menus.

You can also hold pressed

FUNC.

down for more than 1 second to
open directly the setup menus
screen.

• The orange selection bar indicates the menu setting currently
selected. Menu items not available appear grayed out.

• Move ( ) the orange selection bar to the tabs at the top of the
screen to select a different menu (step 3).

setting.

FUNC.

You can press to close the menu at any time.

FUNC.

Preparations  29

First Time Settings

Setting the Date and Time

You will need to set the date and time of
the camcorder before you can start
using it. The [Date/Time] screen will
appear automatically when the cam­corder’s clock is not set.
When the [Date/Time] screen appears,
the year will be selected.

1 Change ( ) the year and move ( ) to the month.

2 Change the rest of the fields (month, day, hour and minutes) in the

same way.

3 Select ( ) [OK] and press to start the clock and close the

setup screen.

NOTES

• When you do not use the camcorder for about 3 months, the built-in
rechargeable lithium battery may discharge completely and the date
and time setting may be lost. In such cas e, recharge the built-in lithium
battery ( 158) and set the time zone, date and time again.

•The date appears in a year-month-day format only in the first setup
screen. In subsequent screen displays the date and time will appear as
day-month-year (for example, [1.Jan.2010 12:00 AM]). You can change
the date format and the clock format (12/24 hours) with the
[Date Format] setting.

•You can also change the date and time later on (not during the initial
setup). Open the [Date/Time] screen from the setup menus:

FUNC.

[ Menu] [Date/Time]

30  Preparations

Changing the Language

The default language of the camcorder
is English. You can set it to one of 23
other languages.

Operating modes:

FUNC.

[ Menu] [Language ]

Desired language

FUNC.

NOTES

•The displays and that appear in some menu screens refer to
the name of buttons on the camcorder and will not change, regardless
of the language selected.

Changing the Time Zone

Change the time zone to match your location. The default setting is
Paris.

Operating modes:

To set the home time zone

FUNC.

* When you travel, select the icon and select the time zone that matches the

local time at your destination.

** To adjust for daylight saving time, select the area name marked with a .

[ Menu] [Time Zone/DST] *

Your local time zone**

FUNC.

Preparations  31

Using a Memory Card

Memory Cards Compatible for Use with the Camcorder

You can use commercially available SDHC (SD high capacity)
memory cards and SD memory cards with this camcorder. How­ever, depending on the memory card, you may not be able to record
movies. Refer to the table below.
As of October 2009, the movie recording function has been tested
using SD/SDHC memory cards made by Panasonic, Toshiba and
SanDisk.

Memory card Capacity SD Speed Class Recording movies

64 MB or less – –

SD

memory cards

SDHC

memory cards

* Depending on the memory card used, it may not be possible to record mo vies .

128 MB or more

Over 2 GB

–

, ,

,

, ,

,

About the SD Speed Class:

The SD Speed Class is a standard that indicates the minimum guaran­teed data transfer speed of SD/SDHC memory cards. When you buy a
new memory card, look for the Speed Class logo on the package.
We recommend using memory cards rated Speed Class 4, 6 or 10.

Eye-Fi cards

This product is not guaranteed to support Eye-Fi card functions
(including wireless transfer). In case of an issue with an Eye-Fi card,
please check with the card manufacturer. Also note that an approval is
required to use Eye-Fi cards in many countries or regions. Without
approval, use of the card is not permitted. If it is unclear whether the
card has been approved for use in the area, please check with the card
manufacturer.

*

32  Preparations

Inserting and Removing a Memory Card

Make sure to initialize ( 35) all memory cards before using them with
this camcorder.

1 Turn off the camcorder.

Make sure the
indicator is off.

2 Slide the memory card slot cover

away from the lens and open it.

3 Insert the memory card straight,

with the label facing away from the
lens, all the way into the memory
card slot until it clicks.

4 Close the cover and slide it toward

the lens until you hear a click.

Do not force the cover closed if the
memory card is not correctly
inserted.

To remove the memory card

Push the memory card once to release
it. When the memory card springs out,
pull it all the way out.

IMPORTANT

•Memory cards have front and back
sides that are not interchangeable.

Inserting a memory card facing the
wrong direction can cause a malfunc­tion of the camcorder. Be sure to
insert the memory card as described
in step 3.

ON/OFF (CHG)

Preparations  33

// Selecting the Memory for the Recordings

You can select to record your movies and photos in the built-in mem­ory or on a memory card. The built-in memory is the default memory
for recording both.

Operating modes:

POINTS TO CHECK

•Be sure you understand the information provided in

Eye-Fi cards

( 32) before using an Eye-Fi card.

FUNC.

[ Menu]

[Rec Media for Movies] or [Rec Media for Photos]
Select the built-in memory or memory card*

*When selecting the memory, you can check the total, used and approximate avail-

able recording time/number of photos (estimated based on the recording mode
(movies) or photo size/quality (photos) currently in use).

FUNC.

NOTES

• Select the built-in memory for recording movies if you intend to convert
high-definition scenes to standard definition for Web upload ( 116) or
creating standard DVDs ( 108).

Relay Recording

If the memory becomes full while you are recording a movie, relay
recording allows the camcorder to automatically continue recording on
to the memory card.

Operating modes:

1 Insert a memory card that does not contain any movies.

2 Activate relay recording.

34  Preparations

FUNC.

[ Menu] [Relay Recording ]

[On]*

* The approximate available recording time will now reflect the combined space in

the built-in memory and memory card.

FUNC.

NOTES

• Any of the following actions will deactivate the relay recording function.

- Turning off the camcorder

- Opening the memory card slot cover

- Changing the camcorder’s operating mode

- Setting

[Rec Media for Movies] to [Mem. Card]

Initializing the Built-in Memory ( // only) or Memory
Card

Initialize memory cards when you use them with this camcorder for the
first time. You can also initialize a memory card or the built-in memory
( // only) to permanently delete all the recordings it con­tains.

// At the time of purchase, the built-in memory comes
pre-initialized and contains music files for use as background music
during playback.

Operating modes:

POINTS TO CHECK

• Power the camcorder using the compact power adapter before initializ-

ing the memory. While the initialization is in progress, do not disconnect
the power source or turn off the camcorder.

//

FUNC.

[ Menu] [Initialize / ]

[Built-in Mem.] or [Mem. Card] Initialization method

[Yes]* [OK]

FUNC.

Preparations  35

FUNC.

[ Menu] [Initialize ]

Initialization method [Yes]* [OK]

*Press to cancel the complete initialization while it is in progress. All recordings

will be erased and the memory can be used without any problem.

FUNC.

Options

[Quick Initialization] Clears the file allocation table but does not

physically erase the s tored data.

[Complete Initialization] Erases all data completely.

IMPORTANT

• Initializing the memory will permanently erase all recordings. Lost origi­nal recordings cannot be recovered. Make sure you save important
recordings in advance using an external device ( 104).

• Initializing a memory card will permanently erase any music files you
may have transferred to the card. // The music files
that come pre-installed in the built-in memory will be restored after it is
initialized.

•Windows users: Use the supplied software ImageMixer 3 SE to trans-
fer music files from the supplied Camcorder Supplemental Disc to the
memory card again. For details, refer to the ‘ImageMixer 3 SE Software
Guide’.

• Mac OS users: Use the Finder to transfer music files from the [MUSIC]
folder on the supplied Camcorder Supplemental Disc to the memory
card after it is initialized. Refer to

About the music files

( 168) for the

folder structure of the memory card.

• At the time of purchase, Eye-Fi cards contain the necessary network
configuration software. Be sure to install the software and complete the
required configuration setup before you initialize the Eye-Fi card prior to
using it with this camcorder.

36  Preparations

Video

This chapter covers functions related to shooting movies,
including recording, playback, advanced functions and playlist
and scene operations.

Basic Recording

Shooting Video

Operating modes:

1 Turn on the camcorder.

// By default,

movies are recorded in the built-in
memory. Alternatively, you can set
the memory card as the recording
media ( 34).

2Press to begin

When you have finished recording

1Make sure that the ACCESS indicator is off.

2 Turn off the camcorder.

3 Close the LCD panel.

START/STOP

recording.

START/STOP

Press again to pause
the recording.

IMPORTANT

•Observe the following precautions while the ACCESS indicator is on or
flashing. Failing to do so may result in permanent data loss or damage
to the memory.

- Do not open the memory card slot cover.

-Do not disconnect the power source or turn off the camcorder.

- Do not change the camcorder’s operating mode.

Video  37

•Be sure to save your recordings regularly ( 104), especially after mak-
ing important recordings. Canon shall not be liable for any loss or cor­ruption of data.

NOTES

• About the Power Save mode: If [Power Saving Mode] is set to
[ On], the camcorder will shut off automatically to save power when
it is powered by a battery pack and is left without any operation for 5
minutes. Press to turn on the camcorder.

POWER

• When recording in bright places, it may be difficult to use the LCD
screen. In such cases, you can turn on the LCD backlight ( 23) or

adjust the brightness of the LCD screen with the [LCD Bright­ness] setting.

Selecting the Video Quality (Recording Mode)

The camcorder offers 4 recording modes. Changing the recording
mode will change the recording time available on the memory. Select
FXP or XP+ mode for better movie quality; select LP mode for longer
recording times. The following table gives approximate recording
times.

Operating modes:

FUNC.

[ Standard Play 7 Mbps] Desired recording

mode

FUNC.

NOTES

•The camcorder uses a variable bit rate (VBR) to encode video so the
actual recording times will vary depending on the content of the scenes.

•The camcorder retains the last setting used even if you set the cam-
corder to mode.

38  Video



1 hr.

10 min.

2 hr.

20 min.

4 hr.

45 min.

9 hr.

35 min.



Default value

LP

1 hr.

30 min.

3 hr.

6 hr.

5 min.

12 hr.

15 min.

Approximate recording times

Recording mode
Memory ↓

→

FXP

1

XP+ SP

4 GB memory card 30 min. 40 min.

/ Built-in

2

/8 GB memory card

memory

16 GB memory card

Built-in memory2/

32 GB memory card

1

Recorded in 1,920 x 1,080 resolution. Movies recorded using other recording
modes are recorded in 1,440 x 1,080 resolution.

2

// At the time of purchase, the built-in memory contains

about 75 MB of music files.

1 hr.

2 hr.

5 min.

4 hr.

10 min.

1 hr.

25 min.

2 hr.

50 min.

5 hr.

45 min.

Zooming

The camcorder offers optical (20x) and digital ( // :
400x, : 800x) zoom. You can turn on the digital zoom with the

[Digital Zoom] setting.

Operating modes:

Move the zoom lever toward W (wide
angle ) to zoom out. Move it toward T
(telephoto) to zoom in.

By default, the zoom lever operates at a
variable speed – press gently for a slow
zoom; press harder for faster zooms.

NOTES

• Keep at least 1 m away from the sub-
ject. At full wide angle, you can focus
on a subject as close as 1cm.

W Zoom out

T Zoom in

Video  39

• In mode, you can also set [Zoom Speed] to one of three
constant speeds (3 is the fastest, 1 the slowest).

• When [Zoom Speed] is set to [ Variable], the zoom speed will be
faster in record pause mode than when actually recording, except when
pre-recording ( 56) is activated.

Quick Start Function

When you close the LCD panel with the camcorder on, the camcorder
enters the standby mode. In standby mode the camcorder consumes
only about 1/3 the power used when recording, saving energy when
you are using a battery pack. Additionally, when you open the LCD
panel, the camcorder is ready to start recording in approximately
1 second*, allowing you to record the subject right away.

* The actual time required varies depending on the shooting conditions.

Operating modes:

1 With the camcorder on and in a recording mode, close the LCD

panel.

A beep will sound and the green ON/OFF (CHG) indicator will change
to orange to indicate the camcorder entered standby mode.

2 When you wish to resume recording, open the LCD panel.

The ON/OFF (CHG) indicator turns back green and the camcorder is
ready to record.

IMPORTANT

•Do not disconnect the power source during standby mode (while the
ON/OFF (CHG) indicator is lit in orange).

NOTES

• The camcorder will not enter standby mode if the LCD panel is closed
while the ACCESS indicator is on or flashing, while a menu is being dis-
played, or while the PHOTO button is pressed down halfway. The cam­corder may also not enter standby mode if the LCD panel is closed
while the memory card slot cover is open or when the battery charge is
too low. Check that the ON/OFF (CHG) indicator changes to orange.

40  Video

• The camcorder will shut off if left in standby mode for 10 minutes,
regardless of the [Power Saving Mode] setting. Press to

POWER

turn on the camcorder.

•You can select the length of time until shut-off or turn off the Quick Start
function altogether with the [Quick Start] setting.

• When the camcorder exits standby mode, it will return to the operating
mode previously selected.

Video  41

Basic Playback

Playing Back the Video

Operating modes:

1Press .

• The original movies index screen
will appear in most cases.

• If a photo appears in single photo
view, move the zoom lever toward
W to open the photo index screen.
Switch to the original movies index
screen ( 44).

2 Move ( , ) the selection frame to the scene you want to play

back.

When you have recorded a large number of scenes, you can display
() a slidebar below the scene thumbnails and browse ( ) through
index pages; then, return ( ) to select the desired scene.

3 Press to begin the playback.

Playback will start from the scene selected and continue until the end
of the last scene recorded.

To pause/stop the playback

1During playback, open ( ) the joystick guide.

2 Select ( ) to pause the playback or to stop the playback.

To adjust the volume

1During playback, open ( ) the joystick

guide.

2 Select ( ) the top row ( ).

3Adjust ( ) the volume.

42  Video

IMPORTANT

•Observe the following precautions while the ACCESS indicator is on or

flashing. Failing to do so may result in permanent data loss.

- Do not open the memory card slot cover.

-Do not disconnect the power source or turn off the camcorder.

- Do not change the camcorder’s operating mode.

• You may not be able to play back with this camcorder movies recorded

on a memory card using another device.

NOTES

• Depending on the recording conditions, you may notice brief stops in

video or sound playback between scenes.

Special playback modes

To enter the special playback modes, use the joystick guide. There is
no sound during the special playback modes.

Fast playback

Perform the following operation during
normal playback. Repeat to increase the
playback speed to approximately 5x

→

60x the normal speed.
Open ( ) the joystick guide Select ( ) the bottom row Push
the joystick ( ) toward or .

Slow playback

Perform the following operation during
playback pause. Repeat to increase the

→

playback speed 1/8

1/4 the normal speed.
Open ( ) the joystick guide Select ( ) the bottom row Push
the joystick () toward * or .

*Slow reverse playback will look the same as continuous frame reverse.

→

15x

Video  43

Skipping scenes

Open ( ) the joystick guide Select ( )
the middle row Push the joystick ()
toward * to skip to the beginning of the
current scene or to skip to the next scene.

*Push the joystick/press the button twice to skip to the beginning of the previous

scene.

Ending special playback modes

During any special playback mode, press . The camcorder will
return to its initial mode (playback or playback pause).

NOTES

•During some special playback modes, you may notice some anomalies
(blocky video artifacts, banding, etc.) in the playback picture.

•The speed indicated on the screen is approximate.

Selecting what Recordings to Play Back

From the index screen, you can use the tabs on the top of the screen to
select whether to play back your original movies or photos. You can

also select the memory from which you want to play back your record­ings ( // only). In addition, you can switch to the index

screens that contain scenes used by other functions in this camcorder,
such as video snapshot and the playlist.

Operating modes:

//

44  Video

Movies
Photos
Recordings in the built-in memory
Recordings on the memory card

Movies
Photos

1 In the index screen, move ( ) the orange selection frame to the

tabs on the top of the screen.

2 Select ( ) the tab corresponding to the recordings you want to

play back.

3 Return ( ) to the index screen to select a scene or photo.

By default, the index screen will show up to 6 items (scenes or photos).
Move the zoom lever toward W to show up to 15 items per screen.
Move it toward T to return to the default index screen display.

W 15 scenes/photos

To open the video snapshot index screen

You can open an index screen that contains
only your video snapshot scenes ( 55).
In the original movies index screen, press

VIDEO SNAP

.

To open the playlist index screen

Open the playlist index screen to play back the
scenes you added to the playlist ( 72). First,

open the original movies index screen and
then follow the procedure below.

T 6 scenes/photos

Video  45

//
For scenes in the built-in memory: press
For scenes on the memory card: press and then select

INDEX SEL.

INDEX SEL.

[Playlist].

Press .

PLAYLIST

To open the index screen for scenes converted into standard
definition ( / / only)

You can also open the index screen for scenes
converted into standard definition for Web
upload ( 117) or DVD authoring ( 109).
Open the original movies index screen on the
memory card. Press and then
select [For Web (MPEG-2)] or [For DVD (SD­VIDEO)].

INDEX SEL.

[For DVD (SD-VIDEO)]

index screen

NOTES

• When you open the original movies index screen on the memory card,

[No scenes] will be displayed if there are no high-definition scenes on
the memory card. However, you can still open the other index screens
on the memory card.

• Special playback modes are not available for scenes converted to stan-

dard definition. Standard definition scenes can be played back only at
normal speed.

Searching for Scenes

From the original movies index screen, you can search for recordings
you made on a particular date (for example, to find all the movies you
shot during a special event). You can also search for scenes in which
people’s faces were detected.

Operating modes:

Selecting from the Calendar Screen

1 Open the original movies index screen.

46  Video

• // You can select the original movies in the built-in

memory or on the memory card.

•You can press to open the index screen for video

VIDEO SNAP

snapshot scenes.

2 Open the calendar screen.

FUNC.

[ Scene Search] [Calendar Screen]

• The calendar screen appears.

•Dates that contain scenes (that is, movies were recorded on that
date) appear in white. Dates without recordings appear in black.

3 Move ( , ) the cursor to the desired date.

• When you move the cursor to a date displayed in white, a thumbnail
showing a still image from the first scene recorded on that date will
be displayed next to the calendar. Below it will appear the number of
scenes recorded ( ) and the total recording time for the same day.

•You can select ( ) the year or month field and change ( ) the
year or month to move faster between calendar months.

4 Press to return to the index screen.

The orange selection frame will appear on the first scene recorded on
the selected date.

NOTES

• You can change on what day to start the week for the calendar display
with the [Calendar Start Day] setting.

•You can press to return to the index screen at any time.

FUNC.

Selecting from the List of Recordings

1 Open the original movies index screen.

• // You can select the original movies in the built-in

memory or on the memory card.

•You can press to open the index screen for video
snapshot scenes.

2 Open the list of recordings.

VIDEO SNAP

Video  47

FUNC.

[ Scene Search] [Date Selection]

•The list of recordings displays all dates in which recordings were
made. An orange selection frame appears on the day.

• The thumbnail shows a still image from the first scene recorded on
that day. Below it will appear the number of scenes recorded ( )
and the total recording time for the same day.

3 Select ( ) the date, month or year and move ( ) between

recording dates.

4 After selecting the desired date, press .

The index screen will appear with the selection frame on the first scene
recorded on the selected date.

NOTES

•You can press to return to the index screen at any time.

FUNC.

Selecting Only Scenes in which People’s Faces Were Detected

If you recorded movies with the Face Detection function ( 59) acti­vated, the camcorder can narrow down the scenes shown in the index
screen, leaving only those scenes where a face was detected. This
function is not available from the index screen for video snapshot
scenes.

1 Open the original movies index screen.

// You can select the original movies in the built-in

memory or on the memory card.

2 Narrow down the scenes displayed in the index screen.

FUNC.

[ Scene Search] [Scenes with Faces]

•The index screen will display only those scenes that contain people’s
faces.

3 Select ( , ) the scene you want to play back.

48  Video

NOTES

•You can press to return to the normal index screen at any time.

FUNC.

Pre-selecting Recordings from the Index Screen

You can select in advance a number of original movies or photos from
the index screen in order to perform certain actions on them collec­tively, all at once.

mode: Delete, copy* or add the selected scenes to the playlist.
mode: Delete, copy* or protect the selected photos or mark all

of them with print orders.

* // only

Operating modes:

1 Open the movie or photo index screen.

• mode: Move the zoom lever toward W to display the index
screen.

• // You can select the original movies or photos in
the built-in memory or on the memory card.

•You can press to open the index screen for video
snapshot scenes.

2 Open the selection screen.

VIDEO SNAP

FUNC.

[ Select] [Individual Scenes] or

[Individual Photos]

•The selection screen appears.

3 Move ( , ) between the scenes or photos in the index

screen and press to select an individual scene/photo.

• A checkmark will appear on the selected scenes/photos. Press

again to remove the checkmark.

• Repeat this step to add all the scenes/photos you want to include in
your selection (up to 100).

Video  49

Total number of scenes selected

Selected scenes

4 Press twice to close the menu.

FUNC.

To cancel all the selections

FUNC.

[ Select] [Remove All Selections] [Yes]

[OK]

FUNC.

NOTES

•The pre-selection of scenes/photos will be canceled if you turn off the
camcorder or change the operating mode.

•Scenes in the playlist cannot be included in the pre-selection.

Deleting Scenes

You can delete those scenes that you are not interested in keeping.
Deleting scenes allows you also to free up space on the memory. See

Deleting Scenes from the Playlist

also

Operating modes:

1 Open the original movies index screen.

• // Yo u can select the original movies in the built-in

memory or on the memory card.

•You can press to open the index screen for video

VIDEO SNAP

snapshot scenes.

•To select in advance multiple scenes to delete, refer to

Recordings from the Index Screen

2 Select ( , ) the scene you want to delete, or a scene

recorded on the date you want to delete.

( 73).

Pre-selecting

( 49).

50  Video

This step is not necessary to delete all scenes or previously selected
scenes.

3 Delete the scene(s).

FUNC.

*If you selected any option other than [This Scene], you can press to inter-

rupt the operation while it is in progress. Some scenes will be deleted neverthe­less.

[ Delete] Desired option [Yes]* [OK]

FUNC.

Options

[All Scenes] Deletes all the scenes.
[All Scenes (this date)] Deletes all the scenes recorded on the

same day as the selected scene.

[This Scene] Deletes only the scene marked with the orange selec-

tion frame.

[Selected Scenes] Deletes all the scenes selected in advance

(marked with a checkmark). Refer to

from the Index Screen

( 49).

Pre-selecting Recordings

IMPORTANT

• Be careful when deleting original recordings. Once deleted, original
scenes cannot be recovered.

• Save copies of important scenes before deleting them ( 104).

•Observe the following precautions while the ACCESS indicator is on or
flashing (while scenes are being deleted).

- Do not open the memory card slot cover.

-Do not disconnect the power source or turn off the camcorder.

- Do not change the camcorder’s operating mode.

NOTES

• Deleting a scene from the original index screen also deletes that scene
from the playlist.

•To delete all movies and make all recordable space available again you
may prefer to initialize the memory ( 35).

• You may not be able to delete scenes recorded or edited using another
device.

Video  51

Advanced Functions

Programmed AE and Special Scene Recording Programs

The recording program determines how much control you have over
the camcorder’s recording-related settings. Select the [ Programmed
AE] recording program to give you full control over functions like the
white balance or image effects. Alternatively, give the camcorder more
control by selecting a Special Scene recording program.

Operating modes:

Using [ Programmed AE]

When you use the [ Programmed AE] recording program, the cam­corder automatically adjusts the aperture and shutter speed to obtain
the optimal exposure for the subject.

FUNC. FUNC.

[ Programmed AE]

Special Scene Recording Programs

Select a Special Scene recording program to easily make recordings in
a variety of situations by letting the camcorder take control of various
settings.

FUNC.

[ Programmed AE] [ Portrait] Press to
display the Special Scene (SCN) recording programs
Desired recording program

Options

( Default value)

[ Portrait]



ture, to achieve a sharp focus on the subject
while blurring the background.

The camcorder uses a large aper-

FUNC.

52  Video

[Sports]To record sports scenes such as

tennis or golf.

[Snow]To record in bright ski resorts without

the subject being underexposed.

[ Beach] To record on a sunny beach without

the subject being underexposed.

[Sunset]To record sunsets in vibrant colors.

[ Night Scene]To record nightscapes with

lower noise.

[ Low Light] To record in low-light situations.

[ Spotlight] To record s potlit scenes.

[ Fireworks] To record fireworks.

Video  53

NOTES

• [ Portrait]/[ Sports]/[ Snow]/[ Beach]: The picture may not
appear smooth during playback.

• [ Portrait]: The blur effect of the background increases the more you
zoom in (T).

• [ Snow]/[ Beach]: The subject may become overexposed on
cloudy days or in shaded places. Check the image on the screen.

•[ Low Light]:

- Moving subjects may leave a trailing afterimage.

- Picture quality may not be as good as in other modes.

-White points may appear on the screen.

- Autofocus may not work as well as in other modes. In such case,

adjust the focus manually (for movies only).

•[ Fireworks ]:

- To avoid camcorder blur (blur due to the camcorder moving) we

recommend us ing a tripod.

- When you take photos, slower shutter speeds are used so blur is

more likely to occur. Stabilize the camcorder, for example, by
mounting it on a tripod.

Cinema Mode: Giving a Cinematic Look to Your Recordings

Give your recordings a cinematic look by using
the [ Cine Mode] recording program. Combine
this recording program with the 25 fps progressive
frame rate [ PF25] to get the enhanced effect
of the 25p Cinema Mode.

Operating modes:

To set the [ Cine Mode] recording program

FUNC. FUNC.

[ Programmed AE] [ Cine Mode]

54  Video

To change the frame rate

FUNC.

[ Menu] [Frame Rate] [ PF25]

FUNC.

Video Snapshot

Record a series of short scenes. Play your video snapshot scenes set
to your favorite music ( 69) to create your own fun music video. You
will be surprised how by changing the background music, you can give
your scenes an entirely new feel.

Operating modes:

1Press .

2Press .

•Video snapshot is deactivated if the camcorder is switched to playback

VIDEO SNAP

• A blue border appears on the
screen.

•Press again to return

VIDEO SNAP

to flexible recording mode.

START/STOP

• The camcorder records for about 4 seconds (the blue frame serves
as a visual progress bar) and then automatically returns to record
pause mode.

• You can change the length of video snapshot scenes with the
[Video Snapshot Length] setting.

• When the camcorder stops recording, the screen will momentarily
turn black as if a camera shutter had released.

•In index s creens, video snapshot scenes are indicated with the
mark.

NOTES

mode.

Video  55

Pre-recording Function

The camcorder will start recording 3 seconds before you press

START/STOP

ties. This is especially useful when it is difficult to predict when to start
recording.

Operating modes:

, ensuring you do not miss important shooting opportuni-

1 Open ( ) the joystick guide.

2 Select ( ) [ Pre REC] and press .

Pre REC

• appears.

•Press again to turn pre-recording off.

3Press .

START/STOP

The scene recorded in the memory will start 3 seconds before

START/STOP

was pressed.

NOTES

• While pre-recording is activated, the camcorder will not emit any notifi­cation sounds.

• The camcorder will not record the full 3 seconds prior to pressing

START/STOP

if the button was pressed within 3 seconds of having

turned on pre-recording or having finished the previous recording.

• Any of the following actions will deactivate the pre-recording function.

- Leaving the camcorder without any operation for 5 minutes.

-Pressing , , or .

FUNC.

VIDEO SNAP

- Setting the camcorder to standby mode.

Self Timer

Operating modes:

FUNC.

appears.

56  Video

[ Menu] [Self Timer] [On ]

FUNC.

For movies: Press .

START/STOP

The camcorder starts recording after a 10-second countdown. The
countdown appears on the screen.

For photos: Press , first halfway to activate the autofocus

PHOTO

and then fully.

The camcorder will record the photo after a 10-second countdown. The
countdown appears on the screen.

NOTES

• Once the countdown has begun, any of the following actions will cancel
the self timer.

-Pressing (when recording movies) or fully (when

START/STOP

PHOTO

recording photos).

- Setting the camcorder to standby mode.

- Changing the camcorder’s operating mode.

- Turning off the camcorder.

Manual Exposure Adjustment

At times, backlit subjects may appear too dark (underexposed) or sub-
jects under very strong lights may appear too bright or glaring (overex­posed). To correct this, you can manually adjust the exposure.

Operating modes:

POINTS TO CHECK

• Select a recording program other than [ Fireworks].

Manual Exposure Adjustment

1 Open ( ) the joystick guide.

2 Select ( ) [ Exposure] and press

.

• The current exposure is locked.

•The exposure adjustment indicator
and the neutral value “±0” appear

on the screen.

Exposure

Video  57

•The adjustment range and the length of the exposure adjustment
indicator will vary depending on the initial brightness of the picture.

• If you operate the zoom, the brightness of the image may change.

3 Adjust the ( ) the brightness of the image as required, then

hide ( ) the joystick guide.

•The exposure adjustment indicator will change to white and the
selected exposure will be locked.

•During exposure lock, press twice to return the camcorder to
automatic exposure.

NOTES

• If the recording program is changed during exposure lock, the cam­corder will return to automatic exposure.

Manual Focus Adjustment

Autofocus may not work well on the following subjects. In such case,
focus manually.

• Reflective surfaces

• Subjects with low contrast
or without vertical lines

Operating modes:

* Available only for movies.

POINTS TO CHECK

•Adjust the zoom before you start the procedure.

1 Open ( ) the joystick guide.

2 Select ( ) [ Focus] and press .

The current focus is locked and
appears.

3 Push the joystick ( ) or ( ) once to

verify if the image is focused.

•Fast moving subjects

• Through wet windows

• Night scenes

*

[MF]

58  Video

Focus

• The center of the screen will be magnified to help you focus more
easily. You can also turn off this function with the [Focus
Assistance] setting.

4 Adjust ( ) the focus as required.

•If you wish to focus on faraway subjects such as mountains or
fireworks, push the joystick ( ) to ward and hold it pressed down
until [MF] changes to .

5 Push the joystick ( ) to hide the joystick guide.

•The selected focus will be locked.

•During focus lock, press twice to return the camcorder to
autofocus.

Face Detection

The camcorder automatically detects people’s faces and uses this
information to select the optimal settings for beautiful videos and pho-
tos. When there are a number of people in the picture, one person (with
the white face frame) will be determined to be the main subject. You
can also select the main subject manually, so the camcorder optimizes
the settings for the person selected.

Operating modes:

POINTS TO CHECK

• Select a recording program other than [ Night Scene], [ Low Light]
or [ Fireworks].

1 Open ( ) the joystick guide.

2 Select ( ) [ Face Detection].

By default, face detection is activated ( ). If the function was turned
off, press to turn it on.

Video  59

To select the main subject

If there is more than one person in the picture, the camcorder will auto­matically select one person it determines is the main subject. The main
subject is indicated by a white face detection frame and the camcorder
will optimize the settings for that person. Other faces will have gray
frames.

Select ( ) a different face
to optimize the camcorder’s
settings for that person.

NOTES

• The camcorder may mistakenly detect the faces of non-human sub-
jects. In such case, turn face detection off.

• In certain cases, faces may not be detected correctly. Typical examples
include:

-Faces extremely small, large, dark or bright in relation to the overall

picture.

-Faces turned to the side, at a diagonal or partially hidden.

• Face detection cannot be used when the shutter speed used is slower
than 1/25 or when the digital zoom is activated at more than 80x zoom
(dark blue area on the zoom bar).

• When face detection is activated, the slowest shutter speed used by the
camcorder is 1/25.

Main subject

White Balance

The white balance function helps you to accurately reproduce colors
under different lighting conditions so that white objects will always look
truly white in your recordings.

Operating modes:

POINTS TO CHECK

• Select a recording program other than the Special Scene recording pro­grams.

60  Video

FUNC. FUNC.

[ Automatic] Desired option*

* When you select [ Custom WB], do not press and continue instead with

the following procedure.

FUNC.

To set the custom white balance

1 Point the camcorder at a white object so it fills the whole screen and

press .

When the adjustment is completed, stops flashing and stays on.
The camcorder retains the custom setting even if you turn off the
camcorder.

2Press to save the setting and close the menu.

Options

FUNC.

( Default value)

[Automatic]



The camcorder automatically sets the white bal-

ance for natural looking colors.

[ Daylight] To record outdoors on a bright day.
[ Tungsten] To record under tungsten and tungsten-type

(3-wavelength) fluorescent lighting.

[Custom WB]Use the custom white balance setting to make

white subjects appear white under colored lighting.

NOTES

• When you select the custom white balance:

- Set [Digital Zoom] to [ Off].

-Reset the white balance when you change locations or the lighting or
other conditions change.

- Depending on the light source, may keep flashing. The result will
still be better than with [ Automatic].

•Custom white balance may provide better results in the following cases:

- Changing lighting conditions

-Close-ups

-Subjects in a single color (sky, sea or forest)

-Under mercury lamps and certain types of fluorescent lights

Video  61

Image Effects

You can use the image effects to change the color saturation and con­trast to record movies and photos with special color effects.

Operating modes:

POINTS TO CHECK

• Select a recording program other than the Special Scene recording pro­grams.

FUNC. FUNC.

Options

[ Image Effect Off]

[ Image Effect Off] Desired option

( Default value)



Records with no image enhancing effects.

[ Vivid]Emphasizes the contrast and color saturation.
[ Neutral]To n e s down the contrast and color saturation.
[ Low Sharpening] Records subjects with softened outlines.
[ Soft Skin Detail] Softens the details in the skin tone area for a

more complimentary appearance. To obtain the best effect, use
this setting when recording a person in close-up. Note that areas
similar to the skin color may lack in detail.

Digital Effects

Operating modes:

FUNC.

The icon of the selected digital effect appears.

* You can preview the digital effect on the screen.

62  Video

[ Digital Effect Off] Desired fader/effect*

FUNC.

Options (



Default value)

[ Digital Effect Off]



Select this setting when you do not intend

to use the digital effects.

[ Fade Trigger], [ Wipe]Select one of the faders to begin or

end a scene with a fade from or to a black screen.

[ Black & White]* Records movies and photos in black and

white.

[ Sepia]* Records movies and photos in sepia tones for an

“old” look.

*Only these digital effects are available for photos.

Applying the Selected Digital Effect

1 Open ( ) the joystick guide.

2 Select ( ) [ Digital Effects] and

press .

• The icon of the selected digital effect turns
green.

•Press again to deactivate the digital
effect (its icon will turn white again).

To fade in/out

Activate the selected fader in record pause mode ( ), then press

START/STOP

fader while recording ( ), then press to fade out and

to start recording with a fade in. Activate the selected

START/STOP

pause the recording.

To activate an effect

For movies: Activate the selected effect while recording or in record
pause mode.
For photos: Activate the selected effect and then press to
record the photo.

Digital Effects

PHOTO

NOTES

• When you apply a fader, not only the picture but also the sound will fade
in or out. When you apply an effect, the sound will be recorded normally.

Video  63

• Faders cannot be used when recording video snapshot scenes or when
pre-recording is activated.

On-Screen Displays and Data Code

You can turn most on-screen displays on or off.

Operating modes:

Repeatedly press to turn the on-screen displays on/off in the

DISP.

following sequence:

mode:

•All displays on

•Most displays off*

mode:

•All displays on

• Data code only

•All displays off

mode:

•All displays on

• Regular displays only (removes the histogram and information icons)

•All displays off

*Pressing will turn off most of the icons and displays that appears automati-

DISP.

cally but will not remove onscreen displays that were turned on manually (for
example, onscreen markers, the audio level meter or the joystick guide).

About the Data Code

With every scene or photo recorded, the camcorder keeps a data code
(date/time of recording, information about the camera setup, etc.). In

mode, this information is displayed on the bottom bar and as
information icons; in mode, you can select the information to be
displayed with the [Data Code] setting.

64  Video

Audio Recording Level

You can adjust the audio recording level of the built-in microphone. You
can display the audio level indicator while recording.

Operating modes:

Manual Adjustment of the Audio Recording Level

1 Open ( ) the joystick guide.

2 Select ( ) [ Mic. Level] and press .

• The manual adjustment icon will
appear to the left of the audio level
indicator and the manual adjustment bar
(orange) will appear below it.

•Press to return the camcorder to
automatic audio recording levels.

3 Adjust ( ) the audio level as

necessary.

Manual audio level adjustment

As a guideline, adjust the audio
recording level so that the audio level
meter will go to the right of the

Audio level adjustment bar

-12 dB mark (yellow area) only

occasionally.

4 Hide ( ) the joystick guide.

• The audio level selected will be locked and the audio level
adjustment bar will turn white.

•Press twice to return the camcorder to automatic adjustment of
the audio recording level.

Mic. Level

Audio level
indicator

To display the audio level indicator

Usually, the audio level indicator will be displayed only after activating
the manual adjustment of the audio recording level. You can choose to
display it also when the audio level is adjusted automatically.

FUNC.

[ Menu] [Audio Level Indicator] [On]

FUNC.

Video  65

NOTES

• When the audio level meter reaches the red point (0 dB mark), the
sound may be distorted.

• If the audio level is too high and the sound gets distorted, activate the
microphone attenuator with the [Microphone Attenuator] setting.

Selecting the Playback Starting Point

If you have a very long scene, you may
want to start playing back the scene
from a certain point. You can use the
movie timeline to break the scene to
segments at fixed time intervals rang­ing from 6 seconds to 6 minutes. If you recorded movies with the Face
Detection function ( 59) activated, you can display the scene divided
into segments every time the camcorder registered a change in the
main subject of the scene.

Operating modes:

Movie Timeline

1 Open the original movies or playlist index screen.

• // Yo u can select the original movies in the built-in

memory or on the memory card.

• To open the playlist index screen from the original movies index
screen:

- // For scenes in the built-in memory, press

INDEX SEL. INDEX SEL.

then select [Playlist].

- Press .

2 Select ( , ) the scene you want to view and press .

• The [Timeline] screen appears. The large thumbnail will show the first
frame of the scene. Below it, the timeline ruler shows frames taken
from the scene at fixed intervals.

•Press again to return to the index screen.

. For scenes on the memory card, press and

PLAYLIST

DISP.

DISP.

66  Video

Current scene / Total number
of scenes

Scene length

Recording date and time

Timeline ruler
Page slidebar

Frame selected for start of playback

Interval between frames

3 Select ( ) the playback starting point from the timeline ruler.

4 Press to begin the playback.

To select another scene

Move ( ) the orange selection frame to the large thumbnail and
select ( ) another scene.

To move between timeline ruler pages

Move ( ) the orange selection frame to the slidebar below the ruler
and display ( ) the previous/next 5 frames in the scene.

To change the interval between frames

FUNC. FUNC.

Desired interval

Changes in the Scene’s Main Subject

1 Open the [Scenes with Faces] index screen.

• Refer to

• // You can select the original movies in the built-in

2 Select ( , ) the scene you want to view and press .

• The [Timeline by Faces] screen appears. The large thumbnail shows

•Press to return to the [Scenes with Faces] index screen.

Selecting Only Scenes in which People’s Faces Were

Detected

( 48).

memory or on the memory card.

DISP.

the point at which a face was first detected. Below it, frames are
taken from the scene every time the main subject detected by the
camcorder changed.

DISP.

Video  67

Current scene / Total number
of scenes

Scene length
Recording date and time

Segment ruler

Page slidebar

Frame selected for start of
playback

3 Select ( ) the playback starting point from the segment ruler.

4 Press to begin the playback.

You can select another scene and move between segment ruler pages
in the same way as in the movie timeline screen ( 66).

NOTES

•For a single scene, up to 100 segments/changes in main subject will
appear in the [Timeline by Faces] screen.

68  Video

Scene and Playlist Operations

Playing Back Recordings Set to Background Music

You can play back video snapshot scenes, scenes in the playlist and
photo slideshows set to background music (instead of the original
sound) using one of the supplied tracks.

Operating modes:

Using a Supplied Music Track as Background Music

The supplied Camcorder Supplemental Disc contains three music
tracks you can use as background music. // These
music tracks come pre-installed in the built-in memory.

POINTS TO CHECK

To play back scenes or a slideshow of photos recorded on the memory
card, you will need to transfer the music tracks to the memory card in
advance. For details, refer to the ‘ImageMixer 3 SE Software Guide’.

1 Open the playlist, video snapshot or photo index screen.

• // You can select the recordings in the built-in

memory or on the memory card.

• To open the playlist index screen from the original movies index
screen:

- // For scenes in the built-in memory, press

INDEX SEL. INDEX SEL.

then select [Playlist].

- Press .

•You can press to open the index screen for video
snapshot scenes.

2 Open the list of background music tracks.

. For scenes on the me mory card, press and

PLAYLIST

VIDEO SNAP

FUNC.

3 Select ( ) a music track and press twice.

[ Select Music]

FUNC.

Video  69

•You can press to listen to the track selected. Press to stop
the playback.

• Select [Off] to play back scenes with their original sound or to play
back slideshows without any music.

4 Back in the index screen, select ( , ) the recording from

which to start playback.

5 Press to begin the playback set to the background music

selected.

•Use the joystick guide to stop the playback.

• Select [ Slideshow] to begin slideshow playback and

FUNC.

FUNC.

press to end it.

To delete a music track

After step 2 in the previous procedure, select the track you want to
delete.
1 Select ( ) the icon and press .

2 Select ( ) [Yes] and press .

3Press twice.

FUNC.

IMPORTANT

•If you use copyrighted songs and music tracks in your video creations,
remember that music under copyright may not be used without permis-
sion from the copyright holder, except for cases permitted under appli-
cable laws, such as for personal use. Make sure to follow applicable
laws when using music files.

NOTES

•You can also add to the playlist just the video snapshot scenes you
want to watch and arrange their playback order.

• Initializing a memory card will permanently erase any music files you
may have transferred to the card. The music files that come pre­installed in the built-in memory will be restored after it is initialized
( // only).

•Windows users: Use the supplied software ImageMixer 3 SE to trans-
fer music files from the supplied Camcorder Supplemental Disc to the
memory card again. For details, refer to the ‘ImageMixer 3 SE Software
Guide’.

70  Video

•Mac OS users: Use the Finder to transfer music files from the [MUSIC]
folder on the supplied Camcorder Supplemental Disc to the memory
card after it is initialized. Refer to

About the music files

( 168) for the

folder structure of the memory card.

• // The Camcorder Supplemental Disc includes also
extra music tracks that were not pre-installed in the built-in memory.

• When music files are copied to a memory card after repeatedly record­ing and deleting recordings (fragmented memory), the movies and
background music track may not be played back correctly. In such
case, we recommend saving your recordings on a computer ( 104),
initializing the memory card ( 35), copying the music files and only
then copying the video files back to the memory card.

• If the connection is interrupted while transferring music files, it may not
be possible to correctly play back those music tracks. Delete the music
tracks from the memory, and transfer the music files again.

Dividing Scenes

You can divide scenes (original scenes only) in order to leave out the
best parts and later cut out the rest.

Operating modes:

1 Open the original movies index screen.

// You can select the original movies in the built-in

memory or on the memory card ( 44).

2 Select ( , ) the scene you want to divide.

3 Press , select [ Divide] and press .

4 Select ( ) the icon and press to divide the scene.

FUNC.

•The scene selected will start playing back. Pause the playback at the
point where you want to divide the scene.

•You can use the following icons to bring the scene to a precise point.

/ : Search (fast playback) backward/forward.

/ : Skip to the beginning/end of the current scene.

: Pause playback.

: Resume playback.

/ : Frame backward/forward (during playback pause).

•Press or to stop the playback and cancel the division of the

FUNC.

scene.

Video  71

5 Select ( ) [Yes] and press .

The video from the division point to the end of the scene will appear as
a new scene in the index screen.

NOTES

• When advancing/reversing frames while dividing the scenes, the interval
will be 0.5 second.

•If the scene cannot be divided at the point where you paused the play­back, advance/reverse a frame and then divide the scene.

• During the playback of a scene that was divided, you may notice some
anomalies in the picture/sound at the point where the scene was cut.

• The following scenes cannot be divided:

-Scenes included in the scene pre-selection (marked with a

checkmark). Remove the selection mark in advance.

-Video snapshot scenes and other scenes that are too short (less than

3 seconds).

-Scenes that were edited using the supplied software ImageMixer 3

SE and were then written back to the memory.

•Scenes cannot be divided within 1 second from the beginning or the
end of the scene.

Editing the Playlist: Adding, Deleting, Moving and Playing Back

Create a playlist to play back only the scenes you prefer and in the
order of your choice. You can play back the scenes in the playlist using
your favorite song as background music ( 69).

Operating modes:

Adding Scenes to the Playlist

1 Open the original movies index screen.

• // Yo u can select the original movies in the built-in

memory or on the memory card.

•You can press to open the index screen for video
snapshot scenes.

2 Select ( , ) the scene you want to add to the playlist, or a

scene recorded on the date you want to add to the playlist.

VIDEO SNAP

72  Video

3 Add the scene(s) to the playlist.

FUNC.

[ Add to Playlist] Desired option [Yes]

Options

[All Scenes (this date)] Adds to the playlist all the scenes that were

recorded on the same day as the selected scene.

[This Scene] Adds to the playlist only the scene marked with the

orange selection frame.

[Selected Scenes] Adds to the playlist all the scenes selected in

advance (marked with a checkmark). Refer to

Recordings from the Index Screen

( 49).

Pre-selecting

• When the operation is completed [Scene(s) added to the playlist] will
be displayed.

• // Scenes are added to the playlist on the same
memory they are recorded on.

• To open the playlist index screen from the original movies index
screen:

- // For scenes in the built-in memory, press

INDEX SEL. INDEX SEL.

. For scenes on th e mem ory card, press and

then select [Playlist].

- Press .

PLAYLIST

NOTES

• Deleting or moving scenes in the playlist will not affect the original
recordings.

• You may not be able to add to the playlist scenes that were edited using
the software on the supplied software ImageMixer 3 SE and were then
written back to the memory.

• // You can copy scenes from the built-in memory to
the memory card ( 76) to include in the memory card’s playlist also
scenes that were originally recorded in the built-in memory.

Deleting Scenes from the Playlist

Deleting scenes from the playlist will not affect your original recordings.

1 Open the playlist index screen.

Video  73

• // Before opening the playlist, you can select the

original movies in the built-in memory or on the memory card to open
the playlist of the respective memory.

• To open the playlist index screen from the original movies index
screen:

- // For scenes in the built-in memory, press

INDEX SEL. INDEX SEL.

. For scenes on the memory card, press and

then select [Playlist].

- Press .

•You can press to open the playlist index screen for

PLAYLIST

VIDEO SNAP

video snapshot scenes ( 55).

2 Select ( , ) the scene you want to delete.

This step is not necessary to delete all scenes.

3 Delete the scene.

FUNC.

[ Delete] Desired option [Yes]* [OK]

FUNC.

*If you selected [All Scenes], you can press to interrupt the operation while it

is in progress. Some scenes will be deleted nevertheless.

Options

[All Scenes] Deletes all the scenes from the playlist.
[This Scene] Deletes from the playlist only the scene marked with

the orange selection frame.

Moving Scenes in the Playlist

Move the scenes in the playlist to play them back in the order of your
choice.

1 Open the playlist index screen.

• // Before opening the playlist, you can select the
original movies in the built-in memory or on the memory card to open
the playlist of the respective memory.

• To open the playlist index screen from the original movies index
screen:

- // For scenes in the built-in memory, press

INDEX SEL. INDEX SEL.

. For scenes on the memory card, press and

then select [Playlist].

74  Video

- Press .

•You can press to open the playlist index screen for

PLAYLIST

VIDEO SNAP

video snapshot scenes ( 55).

2 Select ( , ) the scene you want to move.

3 Press , select [ Move] and press .

FUNC.

4 Move ( , ) the orange marker to the desired position of the

scene and press .

The original position of the scene and the current position of the marker
are displayed at the bottom of the screen.

5 Select ( ) [Yes] and press to move the scene.

Capturing Video Snapshot Scenes from a Movie

Capture a series of video snapshot scenes from a movie you have pre­viously recorded.

Operating modes:

1 Play back the movie containing the scene you want to capture.

2 Press at the point you want to capture.

•A video snapshot scene can be captured only during playback; it can-

• // The captured video snapshot scene is saved to the

•Video snapshot scenes cannot be captured from any of the following

START/STOP

• The camcorder captures a video snapshot scene (the blue frame
serves as a visual progress bar) and then automatically changes to

playback pause mode.

• You can change the length of video snapshot scenes with the
[Video Snapshot Length] setting.

• When the camcorder finishes capturing, the screen will momentarily
turn black as if a camera shutter had released.

NOTES

not be captured during playback pause mode.

same memory that contains the movie.

types of movies.

-Movies shorter than 1 second

Video  75

-Scenes that were edited using the software on the supplied software

ImageMixer 3 SE and were then written back to the memory.

• When the source scene is itself a video snapshot scene, you may not
be able to capture a video snapshot scene depending on the length of
the source scene and the length currently selected for video snapshot
scenes.

• When you start capturing a video snapshot scene less than 1 second
from the end of the scene, the video snapshot scene will be captured
starting from the beginning of the following scene.

• During the playback of video snapshot scenes captured from a previ­ously recorded movie, you may notice some anomalies in the picture/
sound at the point where the playback switches to a new scene.

// Copying Scenes to a Memory Card

You can copy original movies or the entire playlist only from the built-in
memory to the corresponding location on the memory card. See

Photos to a Memory Card

( 90) for details on copying photos to the

Copying

memory card.

Operating modes:

Copying Original Movies

1 Open the index screen of original movies recorded in the built-in

memory.

• Select the tab under the icon.

•You can press to open the index screen for video
snapshot scenes.

2 Select ( , ) the scene you want to copy to the memory card,

or a scene recorded on the date you want to copy.

This step is not necessary to copy all scenes or previously selected
scenes.

3 Copy the scene(s).

VIDEO SNAP

FUNC.

[ Copy ( )] Desired option [Yes]*

[OK]

*Press to interrupt the operation while it is in progress.

FUNC.

76  Video

Options

[All Scenes] Copies all the scenes to the memory card.
[All Scenes (this date)] Copies to the memory card all the scenes

that were recorded on the same day as the selected scene.

[This Scene] Copies to the memory card only the scene marked

with the orange selection frame.

[Selected Scenes] Copies to the memory card all the scenes

selected in advance (marked with a checkmark). Refer to

selecting Recordings from the Index Screen

( 49).

Pre-

Copying the Entire Playlist

1 Open the index screen of the built-in memory’s playlist.

•In the original movies index screen, select the tab under the
icon, and then open the playlist index screen:

- // For scenes in the built-in memory, press

INDEX SEL. INDEX SEL.

then select [Playlist].

- Press .

•You can press to open the playlist index screen for
video snapshot scenes ( 55).

2 Copy the playlist.

FUNC. FUNC.

*Press to interrupt the operation while it is in progress.

IMPORTANT

•Observe the following precautions while the ACCESS indicator is on or
flashing. Failing to do so may result in permanent data loss.

- Do not open the memory card slot cover.

-Do not disconnect the power source or turn off the camcorder.

- Do not change the camcorder’s operating mode.

. For scenes on th e mem ory card, press and

PLAYLIST

VIDEO SNAP

[ Copy ( )] [Yes]* [OK]

Video  77

NOTES

• If the memory card slot cover is open, or the LOCK switch on the mem­ory card is set to prevent writing, you will not be able to copy movies to
the memory card.

78  Video

Photos

Refer to this chapter for details on shooting photos – taking
photos and playing them back, capturing photos from video
and printing photos.

Basic Recording

Taking Photos

Operating modes:

1 Turn on the camcorder.

• // By default,

photos are recorded in the built-in
memory. You can set the memory
card as the recording media for
photos ( 34).

•Please read the IMPORTANT
section ( 80) before using an
Eye-Fi card.

2 Press halfway.

3 Press fully.

PHOTO

Once the focus is automatically
adjusted, will turn green and one
or more AF frames will appear.

PHOTO

The ACCESS indicator will flash as the photo is being recorded.

When you have finished recording

1Make sure that the ACCESS indicator is off.

2 Turn off the camcorder.

3 Close the LCD panel.

Photos  79

IMPORTANT

•Observe the following precautions while the ACCESS indicator is on or
flashing. Failing to do so may result in permanent data loss.

- Do not open the memory card slot cover.

-Do not disconnect the power source or turn off the camcorder.

- Do not change the camcorder’s operating mode.

• When recording photos on an Eye-Fi card, photos will be uploaded
automatically if you are within the range of a configured network. Make
sure Eye-Fi cards are approved in the country or region of use.
See also

Using an Eye-Fi card

( 121).

NOTES

• You cannot take photos when

[Frame Rate] is set to [ PF25].

Also, you cannot take photos when digital zoom is activated (light blue
and dark blue area on the zoom bar).

• When [Flicker Reduction] is set to [ 50 Hz] or [ 60 Hz],
the camcorder will automatically adjust the shutter speed.

Selecting Photo Size and Quality

Photos are recorded as JPG files. As a general rule, select a larger
photo size for higher quality. Select the [ 1920x1080] size for photos
with an aspect ratio of 16:9.

Operating modes:

Options

Photo size options and the approximate number of photos that can be
recorded on memory cards of various sizes are given in the following
table.

FUNC.

[ 1600x1200] Desired photo size*

Desired photo quality*

*Press to move back and forth between size and quality selection. The number

displayed on the right corner indicates the approximate number of photos that can
be recorded with the current quality/size setting.

FUNC.

80  Photos

NOTES

• The actual number of photos that can be recorded will vary depending
on the subject and shooting conditions.

•The camcorder retains the last setting used even if you set the cam-
corder to mode.

• When printing photos, use the following guidelines as a reference for
selecting the print size.

- LW 1920x1080: To print photos with a 16:9 aspect ratio. Wide-sized

photo paper is required.

- L 1600x1200: To print photos up to L size (9 x 13 cm) or postcard size

(10 x 14.8 cm).

- S 640x480: To send photos as e-mail attachments or to post on the

Web.

Approximate number of photos available on a memory card



Default value

Memory card 128 MB 512 MB 1 GB

Photo quality1 →

  

Photo size ↓

LW 1920x1080 50 75 150 315 470 925 670 1,000 1,970

L 1600x1200

S 640x480 340 490 890 2,070 2,995 5,390 4,395 6,350

1
2

Approximate number of photos that can actually be recorded on the memory
card. (The maximum number of remaining photos displayed on the screen is

9999.)



55 80 160 340 505 995 720 1,075 2,115

: [Super Fine], : [Fine], : [Normal].

11,430

Photos  81

2

Basic Playback

Viewing Photos

Operating modes:

1Press .

• The original movies index screen
will appear in most cases.

• If a photo appears in single photo
view, move the zoom lever toward
W to open the photo index screen.
Proceed to step 3.

2 Open the photo index screen.

• // Yo u can select
the photos in the built-in memory or
on the memory card.

• Move the zoom lever toward W to
show 15 photos per page; move it
toward T to show 6 photos per page.

3 Select ( , ) a photo.

• Move the orange selection frame to the photo you want to view.

• When you have recorded a large number of photos, you can display
() a slidebar below the photo thumbnails and browse ( )
through whole index pages.

4Press .

The selected photo is displayed in single photo view.

To return to the index screen from single photo view

1Open ( ) the joystick guide.

2 Select ( ) the icon and press .

You can also move the zoom lever toward W
to open the photo index screen.

82  Photos

Photo Jump Function

When you have recorded a large number of photos, you can jump 10 or
100 photos at a time.

1 Open ( ) the joystick guide.

2 Select ( ) the icon and press .

3 Select ( ) [ Jump 10 photos] or [ Jump 100 photos].

4 Jump ( ) the number of photos selected and press .

IMPORTANT

•Observe the following precautions while the ACCESS indicator is on or

flashing. Failing to do so may result in permanent data loss.

- Do not open the memory card slot cover.

-Do not disconnect the power source or turn off the camcorder.

- Do not change the camcorder’s operating mode.

• The following image files may not be displayed correctly.

-Images not recorded with this camcorder.

-Images edited on or uploaded from a computer.

-Images whose file names have been changed.

Deleting Photos

You can delete those photos that you are not interested in keeping.

Operating modes:

Deleting a Single Photo

1 In single photo view, select ( ) the photo you want to delete.

2 Open ( ) the joystick guide.

3 Select ( ) the icon and press .

4 Select ( ) [Yes] and press .

Using the FUNC. Menu

1 In single photo view, open the photo selection screen.

Photos  83

FUNC.

[ Delete]

[ Delete] appears on the screen.

2 Select ( ) the photo you want to delete and press .

3 Select ( ) [Yes] and press to delete the photo.

4 Repeat steps 2-3 to delete additional photos or press twice

FUNC.

to close the menu.

Deleting Photos from the Index Screen

1 Open the photo index screen.

// You can select the photos in the built-in memory or

on the memory card.

2 Select ( , ) the photo you want to delete.

This step is not necessary to delete all photos or previously selected
photos.

3 Delete the photo(s).

FUNC.

[ Delete] Desired option [Yes]* [OK]

FUNC.

*If you selected an option other than [This Photo], you can press to interrupt

the operation while it is in progress. Some photos will be deleted nevertheless.

Options

[All Photos] Deletes all the photos.
[This Photo] Deletes only the photo marked with the orange selec-

tion frame.

[Selected Photos] Deletes all the photos selected in advance

(marked with a checkmark). Refer to

from the Index Screen

( 49).

Pre-selecting Recordings

IMPORTANT

• Be careful when deleting photos. Deleted photos cannot be recovered.

• Protected photos cannot be deleted.

84  Photos

Magnifying Photos during Playback

In single photo view, photos can be magnified up to 5 times. will
appear for photos that cannot be enlarged.

Operating modes:

1 Move the zoom lever toward T.

• The photo is magnified by 2 times and a
frame appears indicating the position of
the magnified area.

• To further enlarge the photo, move the
zoom lever toward T. To reduce the
magnification times, move it toward W.

2 Move ( , ) the frame to the part

of the photo you want to see enlarged.

To cancel the magnification, move the zoom lever toward W until the
frame disappears.

Photos  85

Additional Functions

Slideshow

You can play a slideshow of all the photos and even set it to music
( 69).

Operating modes:

1 Open the photo index screen.

2 Select the background music to use when playing back the photo

slideshow ( 69).

3 Back in the index screen, select first photo of the slideshow.

4 Start the slideshow set to the selected music track.

FUNC.

[ Slideshow]

• During playback, push the joystick ( ) to adjust the volume.

•Press to stop the slideshow. Hide ( ) the volume controls if

FUNC.

necessary.

To change the slideshow’s transition effects

FUNC.

[ Menu] [Slideshow Transition]

FUNC.

Options

Desired option

( Default value)

[ Off] Photos in the slideshow advance without any transition

effect.

[ Dissolve] The current photo fades out as the next photo

fades in.

[ Slide Image]



Photos slide to the left when they advance.

86  Photos

NOTES

• The background music may not be played back correctly when playing
back a slideshow from a memory card with slow transfer rates.

• When playing back a slideshow with music from an external audio
player, the slideshow will repeat until the music finishes.

Rotating Photos

You can rotate photos 90 degrees clockwise to change their orienta­tion.

Operating modes:

1 In single photo view, open the photo selection screen.

FUNC.

[ Rotate]

[ Rotate] appears on the screen.

2 Select ( ) the photo you want to rotate.

3 Press to rotate the photo.

4 Repeat steps 2-3 to change the orientation of additional photos or

FUNC.

press twice to close the menu.

Histogram Display

In single photo view, you can display the histogram and the icons of all
the functions used at the time of recording. Use the histogram as a ref­erence to verify the correct exposure of the photo.

Operating modes:

Photos  87

The area to the right of the histogram
represents highlights and the left side
represents shadows. A photo whose
histogram skews to the right is rela­tively bright; while one whose histo-
gram peaks to the left, is relatively

Pixel Count

Shadows

Highlights

dark.

Capturing Photos from a Movie

You can capture a single photo from a previously recorded scene. The
size of the captured photo will be [LW 1920x1080] and it cannot be
changed, but you can select the photo quality.

POINTS TO CHECK

•Please read the IMPORTANT section ( 89) before using an Eye-Fi
card.

Operating modes:

To select the photo capture settings

FUNC.

[ Menu] [Photo Capture Quality]

Desired photo quality*

*The number displayed at the bottom indicates the approximate number of photos

that can be recorded with the current quality setting.

To capture the photo

1Play back the scene from which you want to capture a photo.

2Pause the playback at the point you want to capture.

3Press fully.

PHOTO

FUNC.

88  Photos

IMPORTANT

• When capturing photos on an Eye-Fi card, photos will be uploaded
automatically if you are within the range of a configured network. Always
verify that Eye-Fi cards have been approved in the country/region of
use. See also

NOTES

• The data code of the photos will reflect the date and time of recording of
the original scene.

•Photos captured from a scene with a lot of fast movement may be
blurred.

• // Photos will be recorded on the memory selected for
recording photos.

Using an Eye-Fi card

( 121).

Protecting Photos

You can protect photos from accidental erasure.

Operating modes:

Protecting Single Photos

1 In single photo view, open the photo selection screen.

FUNC.

[ Protect]

[ Protect] appears on the screen.

2 Select ( ) the photo you want to protect.

3 Press to protect the photo.

appears on the bottom bar and the photo cannot be deleted. Press

again to remove the protection.

4 Repeat steps 2-3 to protect additional photos or press

twice to close the menu.

FUNC.

Protecting Photos from the Index Screen

1 Open the photo index screen.

Photos  89

// You can select the photos in the built-in memory or

on the memory card.

2 Select ( , ) the photo you want to protect.

FUNC.

[ Protect] Desired option [Yes] [OK]

FUNC.

Options

[Individual Photos] Opens the same screen described previously in

Protecting Single Photos

to protect the photo.

. Continue from step 3 of that procedure

[Selected Photos] Protects all the photos selected in advance

(marked with a checkmark). Refer to

from the Index Screen

( 49).

Pre-selecting Recordings

[Remove All] Removes the protection from all photos.

IMPORTANT

• Initializing the memory will permanently erase all recordings, including
protected photos.

// Copying Photos to a Memory Card

You can copy photos only from the built-in memory to the memory
card.

POINTS TO CHECK

•Please read the IMPORTANT section ( 92) before using an Eye-Fi
card.

Operating modes:

Copying a Single Photo

1 Select to view the photos recorded in the built-in memory.

In the index screen, select the tab under the icon and move the
zoom lever toward T to return to single photo view.

90  Photos

2 Open the photo selection screen.

FUNC.

[ Copy ( )]

[ Copy ( )] appears on the screen.

3 Select ( ) the photo you want to copy and press .

4 Select ( ) [Yes] and press to copy the photo.

5 Repeat steps 3-4 to copy additional photos or press twice

FUNC.

to close the menu.

Copying Photos from the Index Screen

1 Open the index screen of the photos recorded in the built-in

memory.

Move the zoom lever toward W and then select the tab under the

icon.

2 Select ( , ) the photo you want to copy.

This step is not necessary to copy all photos or previously selected
photos.

3 Copy the photo(s).

FUNC.

[ Copy ( )] Desired option [Yes]*

[OK]

*If you selected [Selected Photos] or [All Photos], you can press to interrupt

the operation while it is in progress.

FUNC.

Photos  91

Options

[All Photos] Copies all the photos.
[This Photo] Copies only the photo marked with the orange selec-

tion frame.

[Selected Photos] Copies all the photos selected in advance

(marked with a checkmark). Refer to

from the Index Screen

IMPORTANT

•Observe the following precautions while the ACCESS indicator is on or
flashing. Failing to do so may result in permanent data loss.

- Do not open the memory card slot cover.

-Do not disconnect the power source or turn off the camcorder.

- Do not change the camcorder’s operating mode.

• When copying photos onto an Eye-Fi card, photos will be uploaded
automatically if you are within the range of a configured network. Always
verify that Eye-Fi cards have been approved in the country/region of
use. See also

NOTES

• If the memory card slot cover is open, or the LOCK switch on the mem­ory card is set to prevent writing, you will not be able to copy photos to
the memory card.

• You cannot copy scenes that were edited using the supplied software
ImageMixer 3 SE and were then written back to the memory.

• If there is not enough space on the memory card, as many photos as
possible will be copied before stopping the operation.

Using an Eye-Fi card

( 49).

( 121).

Pre-selecting Recordings

92  Photos

Printing Photos

Printing Photos (Direct Print)

The camcorder can be connected to any PictBridge-compatible
printer. You can mark in advance the photos you want to print and set
the desired number of copies as a print order ( 96).

Canon printers: SELPHY printers of the CP, DS and ES series and inkjet
printers marked with the PictBridge logo.

Operating modes:

Connecting the Camcorder to the Printer

1 Set the camcorder to mode, single photo view.

// You can select the photos in the built-in memory or

on the memory card. Afterwards, move the zoom lever toward T to
return to single photo view.

2 Turn on the printer.

3 Connect the camcorder to the printer using the supplied USB

cable.

• Connection . Refer to

•If the device selection screen appears, select [Computer/Printer] and
press .

• appears and changes to .

IMPORTANT

•If continues to flash (for more than 1 minute) or if does not
appear, the camcorder is not correctly connected to the printer. In such
case, disconnect the USB cable and turn off the camcorder and the
printer. After a short while, turn them on again, set the camcorder to

mode and restore the connection.

• During the following operations, even if you connect a printer to the
camcorder it will not be recognized.

- Deleting all photos

4

Connection Diagrams

( 102).

Photos  93

- Removing all print orders

NOTES

• will appear for photos that cannot be printed.

• We recommend powering the camcorder using the compact power
adapter.

• Refer also to the printer’s instruction manual.

• If you have no intention to use the optional DW-100 DVD Burner, you
can set or [USB Connection Type] to [ Computer/Printer]
so the device selection screen does not appear every time you connect
the camcorder to a printer.

•For best performance, we recommend keeping the number of photos
under 100.

Selecting the Print Settings and Printing

You can select the number of copies and other settings for printing.
Setting options vary depending on your printer model.

Operating modes:

1 Select ( ) the photo you wish to print.

2 Open ( ) the joystick guide.

3 Select ( ) the icon and press .

The print settings menu appears.

Current paper settings (paper

Date printing

Print effect

Number of copies

size, paper type and page layout)

Paper settings

4 In the print settings menu, select ( , ) the setting you want

to change and press .

5 Select ( ) the desired setting option and press .

6 Select ( , ) [Print] and press .

•Printing starts. The print settings menu disappears when the print job
is completed.

• To continue printing, select ( ) another photo.

94  Photos

Options

[Paper Size]*Available paper sizes vary depending on the printer

model.

[Paper Type]*Select [Photo], [Fast Photo], [Plain] or [Default].
[ Page Layout]* Select [Default], [Bordered] or one of the follow-

ing page layouts.

[Borderless]: The photo is enlarged and may be slightly cropped
at the edges to fit the paper.

[x photos/sheet]: Refer to the following sidebar.

[ ] (Date print) Select [On], [Off] or [Default].
[ ] (Print effect) Available only with printers compatible with the

Image Optimize function. Select [On], [Off] or [Default].

Canon inkjet/SELPHY DS printers: You can also select [Vivid],
[NR] and [Vivid+NR].

[ ] (Number of copies) Select 1-99 copies.

* Select ( , ) [Paper Settings] and press to change all three settings

consecutively.

[x photos/sheet]: Printing multiple photos on the same sheet

When using Canon printers you can print the same photo multiple
times on the same sheet of paper. Use the following table as a guideline
for the recommended number of copies depending on the [ Paper
Size] setting.

[ Paper Size]→ [Credit Card] [9 x 13 cm]

Canon printer ↓

Inkjet printers
SELPHY DS

SELPHY CP/ES 2, 4 or 8

1

You can also use the special sticker sheets.

2

SELPHY CP series only:

-With the [8 photos/sheet] setting, you can also use the special sticker sheets.

-You can use [2 photos/sheet] or [4 photos/sheet] also when using wide-sized
photo paper with [Default] settings.

– – 2, 4, 9 or 16

2

2 or 4 2 or 4 –

[10 x 14.8 cm]

[A4]

1

4

Photos  95

NOTES

•Print setting options and [Default] settings vary depending on the printer
model. For details, refer to the printer’s instruction manual.

To cancel a print job

1Press ([Stop]) while printing.

2 Select ( ) [OK] and press .

When you have finished printing

Disconnect the USB cable from the camcorder and printer and turn off
the camcorder.

Print errors

If an error occurs while printing, an error message (for example, [No
paper]) will appear on the camcorder’s screen. Solve the problem refer-
ring to the error message list ( 153) and to the printer’s instruction
manual.

• Canon’s PictBridge-compatible printers: If printing does not resume auto­matically after you solved the problem, select [Continue] and press
to resume printing. If that option is not available, select [Stop] and press

and then restart printing from the beginning.

• Other printers or if the error still persists with a Canon printer: If printing
does not resume automatically, disconnect the USB cable and turn off
the camcorder. After a short while, turn on the camcorder and restore
the USB connection.

Print Orders

You can mark in advance photos you want to print from those recorded
on the memory card, and set the desired number of copies as a print
order. Later, you can easily print out the print orders by inserting the
memory card into the SD memory card slot of DPOF-compatible print­ers or self-serviced digital photo kiosks. You can set print orders for up
to 998 photos.

Operating modes:

96  Photos

POINTS TO CHECK

•Only photos on the memory card can be set for print orders.

Marking Single Photos with Print Orders

1 In single photo view, open the photo selection screen.

FUNC.

[ Print Orders]

appears on the screen.

2 Select ( ) the photo you want to mark with a print order.

3 Press to set the print order.

The number of copies appears in orange.

4 Set ( ) the number of copies desired and press .

To cancel the print order, set the number of copies to 0.

5 Repeat steps 2-4 to mark additional photos with print orders or

FUNC.

press twice to close the menu.

Setting Print Orders from the Index Screen

1 Open the photo index screen.

2 Select ( , ) the photo you want to mark with a print order.

This step is not necessary to set print orders for previously selected
photos or to remove all the print orders.

3 Set the print orders.

FUNC.

[ Print Orders] Desired option* [Yes]

[OK]

FUNC.

*If you selected [Individual Photos], the same screen described previously in

Marking Single Photos with Print Orders

procedure.

will open. Continue from step 3 of that

Photos  97

Options

[Individual Photos] Set print orders for individual photos.
[Selected Photos (1 copy each)] Sets a print order of 1 copy of each

of the photos selected in advance (marked with a checkmark).
Refer to

Pre-selecting Recordings from the Index Screen

( 49).

[Remove All] Removes all the print orders.

NOTES

• // To set print orders set for photos recorded in the
built-in memory, copy the photos to the memory card in advance.

98  Photos

External Connections

This chapter explains how to connect your camcorder to an
external device such as a TV, VCR, or computer.

Term inal s on the Camcorder

USB Terminal

Access: Open the left rear terminal cover.

HDMI OUT Terminal*

Access: Open the left rear terminal cover.
The HDMI OUT terminal offers a high-quality
digital connection that combines audio and
video in a single convenient cable.

AV OUT Terminal

Access: Open the right rear terminal cover.
Sound from the built-in speaker will be muted
while the STV-250N Stereo Video Cable is
connected to the camcorder. Adjust the volume
on the connected TV.

COMPONENT OUT Terminal*

Access: Open the left rear terminal cover.
The component video terminal is for video only.
When you use connection do not forget the
audio connections using the AV OUT terminal.

* When connecting a cable to the camcorder, make sure to align the triangle marks

on the cable’s connector and on the camcorder’s terminal ( ).

2

External Connections  99

Connection Diagrams

In the following connection diagrams, the left side shows the terminals
on the camcorder and the right side shows (for reference only) an
example of terminals on a connected device.

Type: Digital Quality: High definition Output only

Connection

(HDMI mini connector) (standard HDMI

About the HDMITM connection

The HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) connection ( ) is a
convenient all-digital connection using a single cable for both video
and audio. When you connect the camcorder to an HDTV equipped
with an HDMI terminal, you can enjoy video and audio playback at
the highest quality.

- The HDMI OUT terminal on the camcorder is for output only. Do not

- While the camcorder is connected to an HDTV using connection , there

- Correct operation cannot be guaranteed when connecting the

- Depending on the HDTV, correct playback of personal video content may

1

Connect to a high-definition TV (HDTV) with an HDMI input terminal.

HTC-100 HDMI Cable

(optional)

connect it to an HDMI output terminal on an external device, as this
may damage the camcorder.

will be no video output from other terminals.

camcorder to DVI monitors.

not be possible using connection . Try one of the other connections.

1

connector)

1

1

100  External Connections