Instruction Manual
12MP HD Video Camera
/ GVA559HD
Important Safety Instructions 3
Parts List 6
Quick Start Guide
• Power supply 9
• Inserting a memory (SD/MMC) card 9
• Powering ON and OFF 9
• Basic operations 10
Operating Instructions
• Picture taking/recording mode 13
• Playback mode 19
• Transferring photos/videos to your computer 20
• Using the camera as a PC camera (webcam) 21
• Installing the driver software 22
• System requirements 22
FAQs 23
Specifications 24
Contents
2
Before first use, read this manual carefully and keep it in a safe place for future
reference. The safety instructions reduce the risk of fire or electric shock when
correctly adhered to.
• Exposure to sunlight Never leave the HD Video Camera exposed to direct
sunlight, never direct the lens toward the sun. Otherwise, the image sensor may
be damaged.
• At the beach Take special care of the HD Video Camera when using it at a
sandy beach or near water. Drops of water, grains of sand, dust or salt particles
may damage to the HD Video Camera, so take care to prevent these substances
entering the housing.
• Protect from water To prevent fire or shock hazard, do not expose the unit to
rain or moisture.
• Protect from electromagnetic fields At specific frequencies, electromagnetic
fields may influence the picture quality of the image.
• Protect from falls Do not shake or strike the HD Video Camera. This may cause
it to malfunction, render it incapable of recording moving images and render the
SD card unusable for image data breakdown.
• Taking care of the lens To prevent scratching the lens, never wipe sand off the
lens with a cloth. Blow any loose sand or dirt particles off the lens. Then, if required,
use a soft cloth or tissue suitable for cleaning optical equipment to wipe the
lens lightly, adding a little lens cleaner, if required. Never use organic solvent for
cleaning the lens. Never touch the lens with fingers.
• Cleaning Remove any dirt or stains from the housing with a soft, dry cloth. Do
not use inappropriate liquid or aerosol cleaners or corrosive solvents, which may
damage the housing and leak inside, causing permanent damage.
• Storage When the HD Video Camera is not in use, always take out the batteries.
Then store it in a cool, dry and well ventilated place, away from dust and
chemicals. Never store it in areas with excessive heat, humidity or dust to prevent
failure.
• Long-term storage During long-term storage, we recommend operating the
HD Video Camera on occasion and checking whether it operates normally before
using it regularly again.
3
Important Safety Instructions
• Other equipment use Playback on other equipment of video footage recorded
with your HD Video Camera, and playback on your HD Video Camera of video
footage recorded or edited with other equipment, are not guaranteed.
• Backup To avoid the potential risk of data loss, always copy (back up) important
files to a computer hard drive or removable or compact disc.
• Adjustment Your new HD Video Camera has been fully adjusted prior to
shipment from the factory. Never open your HD Video Camera or adjust the
settings inside the device. Only have it serviced by authorised personnel.
• Usage restriction This device is not intended for use by persons (including
children) with reduced physical, sensory or mental capabilities, or lack of
experience and knowledge, unless they have been given supervision or
instruction concerning use of the device by a person responsible for their safety.
• Children Young children should be supervised to ensure they do not play with
the device.
• Memory card formatting It is not recommended to use a memory card that
has been formatted in another digital camera or card reader. If you are using a
memory card with stored data, make sure to back up the data on the card first
before formatting the card for the HD Video Camera .
• Write-protection Multimedia (SD/MMC) memory cards have a write-protect
switch, which can prevent deleting or formatting the image files unintentionally.
Metal pins of the memory card
Write-protect switch
To write-protect the card, push the switch on the SD card to the bottom and the
data in the card will be protected. To cancel the write-protection, push the switch
to the top. Before taking pictures, please push the switch to the top.
Important Safety Instructions (Cont.)
4
Important Safety Instructions (Cont.)
• Memory card protection The memory card is a precision electronic device.
Handle it with care and protect it accordingly as inappropriate usage may cause
data loss or damage.
• Do not bend, drop or impact the memory card.
• Do not put the memory card in an environment with strong electric or
magnetic fields, such as near speakers or near a TV receiver.
• Do not expose it to extreme temperatures, humidity or direct sunlight.
• Do not take out the memory card or interfere with the HD Video Camera
power supply when the HD Video Camera or computer is accessing the
memory card (i.e. reading, writing, formatting, etc.).
• Do not touch the card’s metal contact surface with a finger or metal object.
• Keep the memory card clean. When it is not in use, store it in its cover, away
from any liquid. Wipe it with soft cloth if the memory card comes into contact
with liquid.
• Do not use the memory card past its service life.
• Memory card performance Memory card performance will decrease after
repeated usage over a long time; in this case, please replace the old with a new
memory card.
• It is normal that the memory card becomes hot after long time operation.
5
Parts List
1 Display screen
2 Menu button
3 Power button
4 Camera button
5 Zoom button
6 Working indicator light
7 Direction buttons: Up, Down, Right/Self-timer, Left/LED switch
8 OK button
9 Recording button
10 Playback button
11 Shortcut/Delete button
12 HDMI interface (covered)
13 TV interface (covered)
14 USB port (covered)
1 2 3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
HD Video Camera buttons and indicators
12
1314
(See page 8 for descriptions of the functions.)
6
Parts List (Cont.)
19
20
21
15
16
17
18
15 Speaker
16 Self-timer indicator
17 LED fill light
18 Camera lens
19 Wrist sling hook
20 Wrist sling
21 Microphone
Other accessories, not pictured:
USB connection cable
AV connection cable
Installation CD
(See page 8 for descriptions of the functions.)
7
Buttons and indicator functions
Button Function(s)
Power button Power on and off the camera
Recording button Record video footage
Camera button Take photos
Zoom button
Digital zoom, zoom in/out in the photo (playback
mode)
Menu button Open/close the menu
Playback button Enter/exit playback mode
Up button
Select menu and move photos (when the photo is
enlarged), pause playback
Down button
Select menu and move photos (when the photo is
enlarged), close the screen
Left button
Select file and menu, move photos (when the photo is
enlarged), switch the fill light on/off
Right button
Select file and menu, move photos (when the photo is
enlarged), self-timer
OK button Confirm, play and stop playback
Shortcut /delete
button
Enter shortcut / delete state
Working indicator light
Illuminates once when a picture is being taken;
remains illuminated when the disc is being moved
while connected to a computer
Self-timer indicator
light
Illuminates during the countdown process in selftimer mode
Parts List
8
Quick Start Guide
Inserting a memory (SD/MMC) card
This HD Video Camera has 128MB internal memory. To record longer video footage,
we recommend using an external memory (SD or MMC) card (not supplied). To
install a memory card, follow the simple steps below:
• Before inserting a memory card, make sure the power switch is set to OFF.
• Open the battery compartment cover as described above.
• Push the SD card into the slot, following the marking for insertion direction.
Insert the card fully, but do not force it into the slot. If the card cannot be
inserted, check and ensure you have inserted it in the correct direction.
• Lightly press the card end inwards and the SD card will eject.
NOTE:
• When the memory card is used for the first time, or has been used in other video
equipment, it shall be formatted first.
• See also the notes on pages 4-5 on memory card formatting and protection.
Power supply
This HD Video Camera can be run on the original rechargeable lithium battery
(supplied) or on four (4) AAA alkaline batteries (not included). Both types are
housed in the battery compartment underneath the camera.
Before battery replacement/recharging, make sure the power switch is set to OFF.
• To recharge the lithium battery, use the supplied USB cable to connect the
camera to a computer or USB charger.
• To run it on alkaline batteries, open the display screen and push the batter
compartment cover in arrow direction to open the compartment. Insert four (4)
AAA batteries according to the polarity markings (+ / -) inside. Then close battery
compartment until the cover locks into place.
Powering ON and OFF
Power on: Press and hold the POWER button for a few seconds: the screen
lights up and a signal sounds to indicate that the HD Video
Camera is turned on.
Power off: Press and hold the POWER button for a few seconds to power off.
Auto power off: When the HD Video Camera is idle for a certain time, it will briefly
sound a signal and then power off automatically. You can set the
automatic power off time to 1, 3 or 5 minutes.
9
Basic operations
Opening the screen
Open the screen outward so the LED display screen faces you.
Changing modes
In picture taking/recording mode, press the PLAYBACK button to change to
playback mode. In playback mode, press the PLAYBACK button to exit playback
mode and return to recording/picture taking mode.
Recording video footage
In recording mode, press the REC button to start recording; press it again to stop
recording.
Taking photos
In picture taking mode, press the CAMERA button to take photos.
Playback
Press the PLAYBACK button to enter playback mode to browse photos and play the
video shot by the camera.
Browsing photos
Use the LEFT or RIGHT button to select the photos for viewing. Use the ZOOM
button to enlarge the photo. After the photo is enlarged, press the UP/DOWN/LEFT/
RIGHT button to move within the photo.
Playing video footage
Use the LEFT or RIGHT button to select the footage you want to play. Press the OK
button to start playback; press it again to stop playback.
To pause playback during the process, press the UP button; press it again to
continue playback.
Quick Start Guide (Cont.)
10
HDMI output
To output the photos/video footage and sound recorded with the camera on an
HDMI TV, connect the camera to the TV with an HDMI cable (not supplied), using the
HDMI interface of the camera.
NOTE: Before connecting or disconnecting the HDMI cable, make sure to stop video
and/or sound recording or playback.
TV output
To output the photos/video footage and sound recorded with the camera on
your TV, connect the camera to the TV with the supplied TV cable, using the TV
interface of the camera. (The yellow port connects with the video input port of the
video equipment and the red/white port with the audio input port of the video
equipment.)
NOTE: Before connecting or disconnecting the TV cable, make sure to stop video
and/or sound recording or playback.
Menu setting
In picture taking/recording or playback mode, press the MENU button to open the
menu, press the UP/DOWN/LEFT/RIGHT button to select the menu, then press the
OK button to enter the submenu. When selecting a menu, the background of the
selected menu option will be highlighted, as pictured below.
Recording/picture taking menu
Quick Start Guide (Cont.)
11
Date and time setting
Press the MENU button to open the menu, then press the LEFT or RIGHT button to
enter the setting menu. Press the DOWN button to select the “Date and Time” menu
option, as illustrated below left, then press OK to enter the setting window.
In the setting window (see above right), press the LEFT and RIGHT button to select
the item to be adjusted: date (month/date/year) and time (hours/minutes). When
the relevant number appears in yellow, use the UP or DOWN button to adjust the
value. After the date/time adjustment is completed, press the OK button to confirm
or press the MENU button to cancel the setting and exit. Finally press the MENU
button to exit the setting mode.
Connecting to the computer
Before connecting the camera to a computer for use as a webcam, you must install
the driver program (on the supplied CD) — see page 22 for instructions.
For transferring photos/video footage to a computer, first connect the power supply
of the video camera. Then use the supplied USB cable to connect the camera to a
USB port of your computer. The video camera will automatically enter movable disk
mode and will appear as a “Removable Disk Drive”.
Quick Start Guide (Cont.)
12
Picture taking/recording mode
• After pressing the POWER button, the camera will automatically enter picture
taking/recording mode.
• To take photos, press the CAMERA button.
NOTE: After pressing the CAMERA button to take a photo, the BUSY light will
illuminate. Do not move the camera after this moment, otherwise your
photos will be blurry. You can move the camera again when the BUSY
light is off.
• To take video footage, press the REC button; press it again to stop recording.
NOTE: Keep the camera steady when recording. For best results, use a tripod or
other support.
• To zoom closer into the picture, move the ZOOM button towards [ T ].
To zoom back out into normal view, move the ZOOM button towards [ W ].
• To turn on the LED light, press the LEFT button and switch on the LED fill light;
press the button again to switch off the light (the light cannot be used in playback
mode).
• To activate the self-timer, press the RIGHT button; the self-timer icon will display
the 2 seconds delay mode. Press the CAMERA button; the self-timer will start
counting down and after two seconds, the camera will take a single picture. Press
the RIGHT button again to change to 10 seconds delay mode, and again to take
three pictures in close succession.
• When the video camera is in idle state, press the DOWN button to shift among
the three screen display states: close icon display, close screen and normal display.
The icons that appear on the screen in normal display mode (pictured below) are
explained on the following page.
6
7
14
13
15
11
3
2
12
8
9
10
1
5
4
Operating Instructions
13
No Icon Description
1
Camera/picture
taking mode
Indicates that you can press the CAMERA button to
take pictures
2 White balance Indicates the current white balance setting
3 Photometry mode Indicates the current photometry mode
4 Exposure Indicates the currently selected exposure value
5 Image dimension Indicates the current image resolution
6 Image quality Indicates the currently selected image quality
7
Possible number
of photos
Indicates the remaining number of photos
8 SD card
Indicates that a memory card is inserted;
indicates that the card is write-protected
9 Face detection Open face detection
10
Self-timer mode/
countdown
Indicates the selected self-timer mode (2 or 10 second
countdown, or multiple shots in succession)
11 Focus indication Indicates current digital zoom level
12 Battery status
Indicates battery status. When if it is in red, the battery
is used up and the camera will turn off automatically.
13
Video/recording
mode
Indicates that you can press the REC button to record
video footage
14 Recording time
When idle, displays the time remaining for recording;
when recording, displays the time of the current
recording
15 Video format Indicates the resolution of the current video
Navigating the recording/picture taking menu
Press the MENU button to enter menu setting mode.
Press the LEFT/RIGHT button to select the main recording/picture taking menu (the
other option is the settings menu, see pages 17-18), then press OK to enter.
Press the DOWN/UP button to select the menu option, then press OK to enter.
In the submenu, press the UP/DOWN button to select an option, then press OK to
confirm.
Press the MENU button to return to the main menu; press it again to exit the menu.
During menu selection, the selected menu option will be highlighted.
Normal screen display
Operating Instructions (Cont.)
14
Recording/picture taking menu options
Main menu Submenu Description
Resolution
4000 x 3000 Resolution: 12-million pixels
3264 x 2448 Resolution: 8–million pixels
2592 x 1944 Resolution: 5-million pixels
2048 x 1536 Resolution: 3-million pixels
Movie Size
1280 x 720 Video resolution: 720p
640 x 480 Video resolution: 480p
Quality
Superfine Best image quality
Fine Good image quality
Normal Normal image quality
Metering
Centre
Photometry depends on the central
area
Multi Photometry depends on multi-spot
Spot Photometry depends on one spot
White
balance
Auto
Automatic white balance, suitable for
most situations
Daylight Suitable for use in sunny conditions
Cloudy Suitable for use in cloudy conditions
Fluorescent
Suitable for use under fluorescent
light
Tungsten
Suitable for use under normal
(incandescent) indoor light
Exposure /
Use the LEFT/RIGHT button to adjust
exposure compensation
Driver mode
Off Normal mode to take single photos
2s Self-timer mode with 2 seconds delay
10s Self-timer mode with 10 seconds delay
Burst
Takes three photos automatically in
close succession
Operating Instructions (Cont.)
15
Operating Instructions (Cont.)
Effect
Normal Normal effect
B&W Black and white effect
Sepia Retro effect
Negative Negative effect
Red Reddish effect
Green Greenish effect
Blue Bluish effect
Date stamp
Off Date/time will not be printed on file
Date Date will be printed on file
Date&time Date and time will be printed on file
Face detect
On Indicates on the screen
Off Close face detect
Smile
capture
On
Captures the smile, taking photos
automatically
Off Close smile capture
16
Operating Instructions (Cont.)
Navigating the settings menu
In picture taking/recording or playback mode, press the MENU button to open the
menu, then press the LEFT/RIGHT button to enter the main settings menu.
In the main settings menu, press the UP/DOWN button to select the menu, then
press OK to enter the submenu.
When selecting a menu, the background of the selected menu option will be
highlighted, as pictured below.
In the submenu, press the MENU or OK button to return to the main menu.
Press the LEFT/RIGHT button to make your selection, then press OK to confirm.
After returning to the main menu, press the MENU button to exit the menu.
During menu selection, the selected menu option will be highlighted.
17
NOTES:
* See page 12 for date and time setting instructions.
Main menu Submenu Description
Sound
Shutter Open/close
Start-up None/1/2/3
Beep Open/close
Volume 0/1/2/3
Auto review
Off No playback after picture taking
1 second Playback for 1 second after picture taking
3 seconds Playback for 3 seconds after picture taking
Power
frequency
50Hz Set the frequency of light source as 50 Hz
60Hz Set the frequency of light source as 60 Hz
Power save
1 minute Automatic close after 1 minute of idle state
3 minutes Automatic close after 3 minutes of idle state
5 minutes Automatic close after 5 minutes of idle state
Off Cancel the automatic close
Date and time / Set date and time and format of the date *
Language English Menu language is set as English
TV out
NTSC The TV model is set as NTSC
PAL The TV model is set as PAL
Format Yes/no Format memory card
Reset All Yes/no Restore factory settings
Settings menu options
Operating Instructions (Cont.)
18
Playback mode
• Press the PLAYBACK button to enter playback mode.
• In playback mode, press the LEFT button to select the previous file or the RIGHT
button to select the next file.
• When a recording is selected: press the OK button to start the playback, the play
timekeeper will appear in the right upper corner on the screen.
• During the playback, press the UP button to pause the play, press it again to
resume playback. Press the MENU button to stop playback altogether.
• When photo viewing is selected: push the ZOOM button towards the [ T ] to
enlarge the photo; press the OK button to confirm and then use the UP/DOWN
buttons to move within the photo.
Navigating the playback menu
• When in playback mode, press the MENU button to open the main playback
menu, press the UP/DOWN button to select the menu, then press OK to enter the
submenu.
• When selecting a menu, the background of the selected menu option will be
highlighted, as pictured below.
Playback menu
• In the submenu, press the UP/DOWN button to select an option, then press
OK to confirm.
• To return to the main menu, press MENU.
• Your options (OK to enter, MENU to return) will be displayed on the bottom of the
screen.
• After returning to the main menu, , press the MENU button to exit the menu.
Operating Instructions (Cont.)
19
Photo viewing menu options
Main menu Submenu Description
Lock ...
Lock/unlock one Lock/unlock the current file
Lock all Lock all files
Unlock all Unlock all files
Delete ...
One Delete the current file ... yes / no
All Delete all files ... yes / no
Slide show ...
Start Start slide show
Interval adjustable from 1sec to 10sec
Repeat Yes / no
Voice memo
Add Add a voice memo on the picture
Delete Delete the voice memo on the picture
NOTE: A voice memo (of 30s duration) can be added to your recorded photos. To
add a voice memo, press the OK button to start recording. In playback mode,
the picture will show . Press the PLAYBACK button to play back the voice
memo; other playback options will appear on the bottom of the screen.
Transferring photos/video footage to your computer
Turn on your camera and connect it correctly to your computer with the supplied
USB cable: “MSDC” will be displayed on the LCD screen and a “Removable Disk”
window will appear on your computer screen (in the “my computer” window). Your
photos and video footage will be saved in the “DCIM\100MEDIA” directory. After
entering this directory, the files can be copied to your computer’s hard disk.
NOTE: To prevent data loss, do not disconnect the USB cable during the transfer
process. Do not remove the memory card when connected to a computer.
Operating Instructions (Cont.)
20
Using the camera as a PC camera (webcam)
Before connecting the HD Video Camera to a computer for use as a PC camera
(webcam), you must install the camera driver program (on the supplied CD) —
see page 22 for instructions.
After the driver is installed, the list of programs under the “Start - All Programs”
menu will now include the “SPCA 1528 PC Driver” menu which has the shortcut icon
. After the HD Video Camera has been connected with the computer
and has entered PC camera (webcam) mode, click this shortcut icon to open the
AMCAP window. All images captured with the webcam will be displayed in the
AMCAP window. When the AMCAP software is not opened, the webcam can send
video images by network.
Make sure to select the
Preview in option menu.
Operating Instructions (Cont.)
21
Operating System Microsoft Windows 7, Vista, XP, 2000
Central Processing Unit Above Intel Pentium III 667 MHz or CPU of equal
performance
Memory Above 128MB
Sound Card, Display Card The sound card and the display card shall support
DirectX8 or higher version.
CD-ROM 4 times of speed or above
Hard Disk Surplus space above 1GB
Other One standard USB 1.1 interface or USB 2.0
System requirements
Installing the driver software
Insert the supplied CD into the CD-ROM slot on your computer. The installation
guide program will run automatically. An installation guide window will appear,
giving you the following four options:
Click the Install Driver button and follow the prompts to finish the installation step
by step. After finishing the installation, please restart the computer.
NOTE: Before installing the driver, do not connect the camera with the computer in
order to avoid an installation error.
Operating Instructions (Cont.)
22
Problem Possible cause and solution
Cannot turn on the
HD Video Camera
when the battery is
installed.
The battery is low — recharge the battery.
If using AAA size batteries, check to ensure any battery
packaging and wrapping is fully removed.
The battery is installed reversely — install the battery
correctly.
Cannot take picture
or record video
by pressing the
CAMERA button.
No memory card is inserted — insert a memory card.
The SD card in the camera is write-protected — turn off
the camera, take out the SD card and disable the writeprotection.
The taken pictures
are blurry.
Pictures were taken with a shaky hand — hold the camera
stable with both hands, or use a tripod or similar support.
Do not let the camera shake when taking pictures.
The taken picture
or recorded video is
dark.
The environment/ambient light is insufficient — move to
a better lit area, switch on lights or use the LED fill light to
increase light levels.
The HD Video
Camera turns off
automatically.
The battery is low — recharge the battery.
To save energy, the camera turns off automatically if it
has been left idle for a set time (1 minute, 3 or 5 minutes,
depending on the setting).
Cannot delete files
in the HD Video
Camera.
The SD card in the camera is write-protected — turn off
the camera, take out the SD card and disable the writeprotection.
FAQ
23
Image inductor 5-million pixels CMOS image inductor
Photo resolution 12M (4000 x 3000), 8M (3264 x 2448), 5M (2592 x
1944), 3M (2048 x 1536)
Internal memory SDRAM 8x16Mb (no storage function)
and 128MB flash
External memory SD/MMC/SDHC up to 32GB
File format JPEG, AVI, WAV
Video resolution HD 1280X720, VGA 640×480
Self-timer delay 2s, 10s
Digital zoom 8 times
White balance Automatic / daylight / cloudy / fluorescent lamp /
Tungsten lamp
Exposure compensation -2.0 ~ +2.0
USB interface USB 2.0
TV output NTSC / PAL
Display screen 2.7” TFT LCD (16:9)
Power source One 3.7V rechargeable lithium battery
(or four AAA alkaline batteries)
Menu language English
Focus f = 6.5mm
Diaphragm F 3.1
Automatic close 1 minute / 3 minutes / 5 minutes
Operating system required Microsoft Windows 7, Vista, XP, 2000
Size 122mm × 63mm × 55mm
Specications
24
Loading...