Congratulations on your purchase of this
Sony Handycam
Handycam, you can capture life’s precious
moments with superior picture and sound
quality. Your Handycam is loaded with
advanced features, but at the same time it is
very easy to use. You will soon be
producing home video that you can enjoy
for years to come.
To prevent fire or shock hazard, do not expose
the unit to rain or moisture.
To avoid electrical shock, do not open the
cabinet. Refer servicing to qualified personnel
only.
NOTICE ON THE SUPPLIED AC POWER
ADAPTOR FOR CUSTOMERS IN THE
UNITED KINGDOM
A moulded plug complying with BS1363 is fitted
to this equipment for your safety and
convenience.
Should the fuse in the plug supplied need to
be replaced, a 5 AMP fuse approved by ASTA
or BSI to BS1362 (i.e., marked with 2 or @
mark) must be used.
If the plug supplied with this equipment has
a detachable fuse cover, be sure to attach the
fuse cover after you change the fuse. Never
use the plug without the fuse cover. If you
should lose the fuse cover, please contact
your nearest Sony service station.
2
CCD-TR401E/TR402E 3-858-958-12(1).E,R
Table of Contents
й„О‡‚ОВМЛВ
Before You Begin
Using This Manual .................................................. 4
The instructions in this manual are for two
models listed below. Before you start reading
and operating, check your model number by
looking at the bottom of your camcorder. The
CCD-TR402E is the model used for illustration
purposes. Otherwise, the model name is
indicated in the illustrations. Any differences in
operation are clearly indicated in the text, for
example, “For CCD-TR402E only”.
As you read through this manual, buttons and
settings on the camcorder are shown in capital
letters.
e.g. Set the POWER switch to CAMERA.
As indicated with ≥ in the illustrations, you can
hear the beep sound to confirm your operation.
TV colour systems are different depending on the
countries. If you view the playback picture on a
TV, you need a PAL system based TV or a
SECAM system based TV with PAL-SECAM
transcoder (as this is a PAL system based
camcorder).
Precaution on Copyright
Television programmes, films, video tapes, and
other materials may be copyrighted.
Unauthorized recording of such materials may
be contrary to the provision of the copyright
laws.
• Do not let the camcorder get wet. Keep the
camcorder away from rain or sea water. It
may cause a malfunction and sometimes the
malfunction cannot be repaired. [a]
• Do not let sand get into the camcorder.
When you use the camcorder on a sandy
beach or in a dusty place, protect it from the
sand or dust. Sand or dust may cause the
unit to malfunction, and sometimes this
malfunction cannot be repaired. [b]
• Never leave the camcorder under
temperatures above 60°C (140°F), such as in
a car parked in the sun or under direct
sunlight. [c]
Before using your camcorder, you first need to
charge and install the battery pack. To charge the
battery pack, use the supplied AC power
adaptor.
Charging the Battery Pack
Charge the battery pack on a flat place without
vibration.
(1)Connect the AC power adaptor to the mains.
(2)Align the right side of the battery pack with
the line on the AC power adaptor, then slide
the battery pack in the direction of the arrow.
(3)Set the selector to CHARGE. The CHARGE
lamp (orange) lights up. Charging begins.
When charging is completed, the CHARGE lamp
goes out. Unplug the unit from the mains, and
then remove the battery pack and install it on the
camcorder.
you repeat recording start/stop, zooming
and turning the power on/off. The actual
battery life may be shorter.
∗∗∗ Approximate continuous recording time
indoors.
Important!
Use the battery completely before recharging!
Before you recharge the battery, make sure
the battery has been used up (discharged)
completely.
Repeated charging while some capacity
remains causes a lowering of battery capacity.
However, the original battery capacity can be
recovered if you use the battery completely
and charge it fully again.
To use up the battery, remove the cassette and
turn the POWER switch to CAMERA with the
battery attached, and leave the camcorder
until the i indicator and the red lamp flash
rapidly in the viewfinder.
•The POWER lamp will remain lit for a while
even if the battery pack is removed and the
mains lead is unplugged after charging the
battery pack. This is normal.
•If the POWER lamp does not light, set the
selector to VTR (DC OUT) and disconnect the
mains lead. After about one minute, reconnect
the mains lead cord and set the selector to
CHARGE again.
•You cannot operate the camcorder using the
AC power adaptor while charging the battery
pack.
è ËϘ‡ÌËfl ÔÓ Á‡ fl‰Í ·‡Ú‡ ÂÈÌÓ„Ó ·ÎÓ͇
•г‡ПФУ˜Н‡ POWER ·Ы‰ВЪ МВНУЪУ УВ ‚ ВПfl
Т‚ВЪЛЪ¸Тfl, ‰‡КВ, ВТОЛ ·‡Ъ‡ ВИМ˚И ·ОУН
ТМflЪ Л ТВЪВ‚УИ ¯МЫ УЪНО˛˜ВМ ФУТОВ
Б‡ fl‰НЛ ·‡Ъ‡ ВИМУ„У ·ОУН‡. щЪУ fl‚ОflВЪТfl
МУ П‡О¸М˚П.
•ЦТОЛ О‡ПФУ˜Н‡ POWER МВ Б‡„У ‡ВЪТfl,
ЫТЪ‡МУ‚ЛЪВ ТВОВНЪУ ‚ ФУОУКВМЛВ VTR (DC
OUT) Л УЪТУВ‰ЛМЛЪВ Ф У‚У‰
˝ОВНЪ УФЛЪ‡МЛfl. и ЛПВ МУ ˜В ВБ ПЛМЫЪЫ
‚МУ‚¸ ФУ‰ТУВ‰ЛМЛЪВ Ф У‚У‰
˝ОВНЪ УФЛЪ‡МЛfl Л УФflЪ¸ ЫТЪ‡МУ‚ЛЪВ
ТВОВНЪУ ‚ ФУОУКВМЛВ CHARGE.
Make sure that a power source is installed.
(1)While pressing the small blue button, slide
EJECT in the direction of the arrow. The
cassette compartment automatically opens.
(2)Insert a cassette (not supplied) with the
window facing out.
(3)Press the PUSH mark on the cassette
compartment to close it. The cassette
compartment automatically closes.
1
2
To Eject the Cassette
While pressing the small blue button, slide
EJECT in the direction of the arrow.
To Prevent Accidental Erasure
Slide the tab on the cassette to expose the red
mark. If you insert the cassette with the red mark
exposed and close the cassette compartment, the
beeps sound for a while. If you try to record with
the red mark exposed, the ˇ and 6 indicators
flash in the viewfinder, and you cannot record.
To re-record on this tape, slide the tab back out
covering the red mark.
Make sure that a power source and a cassette is
inserted.
When you use the camcorder for the first time,
power on it and reset the date and time to your
time (p. 38) before you start recording. When you
reset the date and time, the date is automatically
recorded for 10 seconds after you start recording
(AUTO DATE feature). This feature works only
once a day.
Before you record one-time events, you may
want to make a trial recording to make sure that
you are using the camcorder correctly.
(1)While pressing the small green button on the
POWER switch, slide it to CAMERA.
(2)Slide START/STOP MODE to.
(3)Turn STANDBY up. The “STBY” indicator
appears in the viewfinder.
(4)Press START/STOP (red button). The
camcorder starts recording and the “STBY”
indicator changes to the “REC” indicator.
You can also select Recording mode, SP
(standard play) mode or LP (long play) mode. Set
REC MODE (p. 34) according to the length of
your planned recording before you start.
Press START/STOP. Turn STANDBY down, and
set the POWER switch to OFF.
Then, eject the cassette and remove the battery
pack.
[a]
Note on Standby mode
If you leave the camcorder for 5 minutes or more
with a cassette inserted in Standby mode, the
camcorder goes off automatically. This prevents
wearing down the battery and wearing out the
tape. To resume Standby mode, turn STANDBY
down once and turn it up again. To start
recording, press START/STOP.
To Focus the Viewfinder Lens
If the viewfinder is not in focus at all or when
you use the camcorder after someone else has
used it, focus the viewfinder lens. Move the
viewfinder lens adjustment ring so that the
indicators in the viewfinder come into sharp
focus.
ÑÎfl ÓÍÓ̘‡ÌËfl Á‡ÔËÒË [b]
з‡КПЛЪВ НМУФНЫ START/STOP. иУ‚В МЛЪВ
ФВ ВНО˛˜‡ЪВО¸ STANDBY ‚МЛБ Л ЫТЪ‡МУ‚ЛЪВ
‚˚НО˛˜‡ЪВО¸ POWER ‚ ФУОУКВМЛВ OFF.
б‡ЪВП ‚˚ЪУОНМЛЪВ Н‡ТТВЪЫ Л Ы‰‡ОЛЪВ
The indicators appear in CAMERA mode only.
They do not appear in PLAYER mode.
Recording with the START/STOP button
depressed
You can also make recording while pressing
down the START/STOP button. To make the
START/STOP button work this way, set START/
STOP MODE to. [c]
Shooting scenery in several short takes
You can automatically make recording for about
5 seconds with the 5 SEC (p. 31). To make the
START/STOP button work this way, set START/
STOP MODE to 5 SEC. [d]
[c][d]
Note on recording
When you record from the beginning of the tape,
run the tape for about 15 seconds before actual
recording. This prevents the camcorder from
missing any start-up scenes when you play back
the tape.
Notes on recording mode
•This camcorder records and plays back in SP
(standard play) mode and in LP (long play)
mode.
The playback quality in LP mode, however, will
not be as good as that in SP mode.
•When a tape recorded on this camcorder in LP
mode is played back on other types of 8mm
camcorders or VCRs, the playback quality may
not be as good as that on this camcorder.
и ЛПВ˜‡МЛВ Н ЛМ‰ЛН‡ЪУ ‡П ‚ ‚Л‰УЛТН‡ЪВОВ
аМ‰ЛН‡ЪУ ˚ ФУfl‚Оfl˛ЪТfl ЪУО¸НУ ‚ ВКЛПВ
CAMERA. УМЛ МВ ФУfl‚Оfl˛ЪТfl ‚ ВКЛПВ
PLAYER.
•The tape counter indicates the recording time.
Use it as a guide. There will be a time lag of
several seconds from the actual time. To set the
counter to zero, press COUNTER RESET.
•If the tape is recorded in SP and LP modes
mixed, the tape counter shows incorrect
recording time. When you intend to edit the
tape using the tape counter as a guide, record in
same (SP or LP) mode.
Note on beep sound
As indicated with ≥ in the illustrations, a beep
sounds when you turn the power on or when
you start recording and two beeps sound when
you stop recording, confirming the operation.
Several beeps also sound as a warning of any
unusual condition of the camcorder (p. 67). Note
that the beep sound is not recorded on the tape. If
you do not want to hear the beep sound, set
BEEP to “OFF” (p. 34).
Note on the AUTO DATE feature
The clock is set to London for the United
Kingdom models and Paris for other European
models at the factory. You can reset the clock (p.
38).
The AUTO DATE feature shows the date
automatically once a day. However, the date may
automatically appear more than once a day
when:
– you reset the date and time.
– you eject and insert the tape again.
– you stop recording within 10 seconds.
When moving from indoors to outdoors (or
vice versa)
Turn STANDBY up and point the camcorder at a
white object for about 15 seconds so that the
white balance is properly adjusted.
Zooming is a recording technique that lets you
change the size of the subject in the scene. For
more professional-looking recordings, use the
zoom sparingly.
T side: for telephoto (subject appears closer)
W side: for wide-angle (subject appears farther
away)
Zooming Speed
Turn the power zoom lever fully for a highspeed zoom. Turn it lightly for a relatively slow
zoom.
When you shoot a subject using a telephoto
zoom
If you cannot get a sharp focus while in extreme
telephoto zoom, turn the power zoom lever
towards the W side until the focus is sharp.
You can shoot a subject that is at least about
80 cm (about 2 5/8 feet) away from the lens
surface in the telephoto position, or about 1 cm
(about 1/2 inch) in the wide-angle position.
You can select 13 x (optical) or 26 x (digital) of
zooming.
• More than 13 x zoom is performed digitally,
and the picture quality deteriorates as you go
toward the T side. If you do not want to use the
digital zoom set the ZOOM function to x13 (p.
34).
• The right side [a] in the power zoom indicator
shows the digital zooming zone, and the left
side [b] shows the optical zooming zone. If you
set the ZOOM function to x13, the [a] zone
disappears.
•Hold the camcorder firmly and secure it with
the grip strap so that you can easily manipulate
the controls with your thumb. [a] (p. 17)
•Place your right elbow against your side.
•Place your left hand under the camcorder to
support it. Do not cover the microphone with
your fingers.
•Place your eye firmly against the viewfinder
eyecup.
•Use the viewfinder frame as a guide to
determine the horizontal plane.
•You can also record in a low position to get an
interesting recording angle. Turn the
viewfinder up for recording from a low
position. [b] (p. 17)
Place the camcorder on a flat surface or use a
tripod
Try placing the camcorder on a table top or any
other flat surface of suitable height. If you have a
tripod for a still camera, you can also use it with
the camcorder.
When attaching a non-Sony tripod, make sure
the tripod screw is shorter than 6.5 mm (9/32
in.). Otherwise, the screw may damage the inner
parts of the camcorder.
Cautions on the viewfinder
•Do not pick up the camcorder by the
viewfinder. [c]
•Do not place the camcorder so as to point the
viewfinder toward the sun. The inside of the
viewfinder may be damaged. Be careful when
placing the camcorder under sunlight or by a
window. [d]
Using EDITSEARCH, you can review the last
recorded scene or check the recorded picture in
the viewfinder.
(1)While pressing the small green button on the
POWER switch, slide it to CAMERA.
(2)Turn STANDBY up.
(3)Press EDITSEARCH. Press the – (Œ) side
momentarily, the last few seconds of the
recorded portion plays back (Rec Review).
Hold down the – side of EDITSEARCH until the
camcorder goes back to the scene you want. The
last recorded portion is played back. To go
forward, hold down the + side (Edit Search).
Press START/STOP. Re-recording begins from
the point you released EDITSEARCH. Provided
you do not eject the cassette, the transition
between the last scene you recorded and the next
scene you record will be smooth.
Connect the camcorder to your VCR or TV to
watch the playback picture on the TV screen. It is
recommended to use the mains as the power
source (p. 25).
If a VCR is connected to a TV
Open the jack cover and connect the camcorder
to LINE IN on the VCR by using the supplied
A/V connecting cable. Set the input selector on
the VCR to LINE. Set the TV/VCR selector to
VCR on the TV.
: Signal flow/Ô ‰‡˜‡ Ò˄̇·
Connecting Directly to a TV
Open the jack cover and connect the camcorder
to your TV by using the supplied A/V
connecting cable. Set the TV/VCR selector to
VCR on the TV.