Using this manual 4
Checking supplied accessories 6
Getting started
Charging and installing the battery pack 7
Inserting a cassette 11
Basic operations
Camera recording 12
Using the zoom feature 16
Shooting with the LCD screen 18
Hints for better shooting 19
Checking the recorded picture 22
Playing back a tape 23
Displaying the date or time when you
recorded – data code function 26
Searching for the end of the picture 28
Advanced operations
Using alternative power sources 29
Using the mains 29
Changing the mode settings 32
—for camera recording—
Letting the subject monitor the shot 37
Recording with the date or time 39
Fade-in and fade-out 40
Enjoying picture effect 42
Using the wide mode function 44
Shooting scenery in several short takes 46
Superimposing a title 47
Making your own original titles 50
Releasing the STEADYSHOT function 52
Using the PROGRAM AE function 54
Focusing manually 56
Adjusting the exposure 58
Shooting with backlighting 60
Rerecording a picture in the middle of a recorded
tape 61
Optimizing the tape condition before recording 63
—for playing back/editing—
Watching on a TV screen 65
Searching the boundaries of recorded tape 67
Returning to a pre-registered position 69
Locating the marking position 71
Writing the RC time code on a recorded tape 77
Editing onto another tape 79
Recording from a VCR or TV 81
Additional Information
Charging the vanadium-lithium battery in the
camcorder 83
Resetting the date and time 84
Usable cassettes and playback modes 85
Tips for using the battery pack 87
Maintenance information and precautions 91
Using your camcorder abroad 95
Trouble check 96
Specifications 106
Identifying the parts 108
Warning indicators 118
Index 119
Congratulations on your purchase of this
Sony Handycam® camcorder. With your
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.
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.
Note on TV colour systems
TV colour systems differ from country to
country. To view your recordings on a TV, you
need a PAL system-based TV.
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 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 [a].
• Do not let the camcorder get wet. Keep the
camcorder away from rain and sea water.
Letting the camcorder get wet may cause
the unit to malfunction, and sometimes this
malfunction cannot be repaired [b].
• Never leave the camcorder exposed to
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.
This camcorder operates with the InfoLITHIUM
battery pack such as the NP-F530. If you use any
other battery pack to operate your camcorder, the
camcorder may not operate or battery life may be
shorten.
“InfoLITHIUM” is a trademark of Sony
Corporation.
Charging the battery pack
(1)Connect the mains lead to the AC power
adaptor.
(2)Align the surface of the battery pack indicated
by the z mark with the edge of the terminal
shutter of the AC power adaptor. Then fit
and slide the battery pack in the direction of
the arrow.
(3)Connect the AC power cord to mains. The
CHARGE lamp (orange) lights up. Charging
begins.
When the CHARGE lamp goes out, normal
charge is completed (Normal charge). For a full
charge, which allows you to use the battery
longer than usual, leave the battery pack in place
for approximately one hour (Full charge).
Unplug the cord from the mains, then remove the
battery pack and install it into the camcorder.
You can also use the battery pack before it is
completely charged.
Numbers in parentheses indicate the time for a
normal charge. (Normal charge)
* Approximate number of minutes to charge an
empty battery pack fully using the supplied AC
power adaptor. (Full charge) (Lower
temperatures require a longer charging time.)
Battery life (using the viewfinder)
Battery
pack
NP-F530
(supplied)
Continuous
recording time
**
135 (120)
Typical
recording time
***
80 (70)
Battery life (using the LCD screen)
Battery
pack
NP-F530
(supplied)
Numbers in parentheses indicate the time when
you use a normal charged battery pack.
** Approximate number of minutes to record
*** Approximate number of minutes when
Note on remaining battery time indication
during recording
Remaining battery time is displayed in the
viewfinder or on the LCD screen. It may not be
displayed properly, however, depending on the
conditions and circumstances of use.
Continuous
recording
time **
95 (85)
continuously indoors
recording with repeated recording start/stop,
standby, zooming and turning the power on/
off. The actual battery life may be shorter.
Slide the battery pack in the direction of the
arrow.
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Getting started / иУ‰„УЪУ‚Н‡ Н ˝НТФОЫ‡Ъ‡ˆЛЛ
Notes on charging the battery pack
•The CHARGE 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 CHARGE lamp does not light, disconnect
the mains lead. After about one minute,
reconnect the mains lead again.
•You cannot charge the battery pack while
operating the camcorder using the AC power
adaptor.
•When a fully charged battery pack is installed,
the CHARGE lamp will light once, then go out.
(3) Insert the battery pack in the direction of the
arrow.
(4) Close the lid until it clicks.
R
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1
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To remove the battery pack
Open the lid of the battery compartment. Then
release the BATT release lever, and remove the
battery pack. When removing the batterypack,
keep the lid of the battery compartment upright
so that the battery pack does not fall out.
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 L and 6 indicators flash in the viewfinder
or on the LCD screen, and you cannot record. To
re-record on this tape, slide the tab back out
covering the red mark.
Make sure that the power source is installed and
a cassette is inserted. When you use the
camcorder for the first time, power on it and
reset the date and time before you start recording
(p. 84).
Before you record one-time events, you may
want to make a trial recording to make sure that
the camcorder is working correctly.
To save battery power, the picture in the
viewfinder appears only when you bring your
face close to the viewfinder (Finder power save).
(1) Remove the lens cap.
(2) While pressing the small green button on the
POWER switch, set it to CAMERA. The
camcorder is set to Standby mode.
(3) Slide START/STOP MODE to .
(4) Press START/STOP. The camcorder starts
Press START/STOP again to stop recording. Set
the POWER switch to OFF. Then, eject the
cassette and remove the battery pack.
[a]
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0:35:20
40min
STBY
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[b]
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Basic operations / éÒÌÓ‚Ì˚ ÓÔ ‡ˆËË
To focus the viewfinder lens
If you cannot see the indicators in the viewfinder
clearly, or after someone else has used the
camcorder, focus the viewfinder lens. Move the
viewfinder lens adjustment lever so that the
indicators in the viewfinder come into sharp
focus.
Note on Standby mode
If you leave the camcorder in Standby mode for 5
minutes while the cassette is inserted, the
camcorder turns off automatically. This prevents
wearing down the battery and wearing out the
tape. To resume Standby mode, while pressing
the small green button on the POWER switch, set
it to OFF once, and then to CAMERA. To start
recording, press START/STOP.
Note on recording
When you record from the beginning of a tape,
run the tape for about 15 seconds before starting
the actual recording. This will ensure that you
will not miss any start-up scenes when you play
back the tape.
•This camcorder records and plays back in SP
(standard play) mode and in LP (long play)
mode. Select SP or LP in the menu system. 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 8 mm
camcorders or VCRs, the playback quality may
not be as good as that on this camcorder.
Notes on the tape counter
•The tape counter indicates the recording or
playback 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, record in same (SP
or LP) mode.
Note on the 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.
Note that the beep sound is not recorded on the
tape. If you do not want to hear the beep sound,
select “OFF” in the menu system.
•The recording continues even when the picture
in the viewfinder disappears during recording.
•If you set VF PW-SAVE to OFF in the menu
system, the picture in the viewfinder does not
disappear even when you turn your face away
from the viewfinder.
•The finder power save function sometimes does
not operate due to the effects of sunlight or
fluorescent light.
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 function sparingly.
“T” side: for telephoto (subject appears closer)
“W” side: for wide-angle (subject appears farther
Zooming speed (Variable speed
zooming)
Press the power zoom lever a little for a relatively
slow zoom; press it still more for a high-speed
zoom.
When you shoot a subject using a telephoto
zoom
If you cannot get a sharp focus while in extreme
telephoto zoom, press the “W” side of the power
zoom lever until the focus is sharp. You can
shoot a subject that is at least about 100 cm away
from the lens surface in the telephoto position, or
1 cm away in the wide-angle position.
•More than 10x 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 D ZOOM function to
OFF in the menu system.
•The vertical bar in the power zoom indicator
separates the optical zooming zone (left of the
bar [a]) and the digital zooming zone (right of
the bar [b]). If you set the D ZOOM function to
OFF, the part to the right of the bar disappears.
•When using the digital zoom function, zooming
power is up to 40x.
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 that the length of the tripod
screw is less than 6.5 mm. Otherwise, the screw
may damage the inner parts of the camcorder.
If you wear glasses
You can bend back the eyecup to get a better
view of viewfinder [e].
Cautions on the viewfinder, the LCD panel
and the lens
•Do not pick up the camcorder by the
viewfinder or by the LCD panel [f].
•Do not place the camcorder so as to point the
viewfinder, the LCD screen and the lens toward
the sun. The inside of the viewfinder, the LCD
panel and the lens may be damaged. Be careful
when placing the camcorder under sunlight or
by a window [g].
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[g].
20
[e]
[f][g]
CCD-TRV101E_3-858-310-11(E,R)
Notes on the colour viewfinder and the LCD
screen
•The colour viewfinder and the LCD screen are
made with high-precision technology.
However, black points or bright points of light
(red, blue, or green) may constantly appear on
the colour viewfinder and the LCD screen.
These points are not recorded on the tape. This
is not a malfunction. (Effective dots: more than
99.99%)
•In direct sunlight, the picture in the viewfinder
looks brighter by the lighting aperture. The
colour of the picture in the viewfinder is
variable in such a case.
Using the 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, set it to CAMERA.
(2)Press the – Œ side of EDITSEARCH
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).
To go back to the last recorded point
after edit search
Press END SEARCH. The last recorded point is
played back for about 5 seconds and stops. Note
that this function does not work once you eject
the cassette after you recorded on the tape.
To begin re-recording
Press START/STOP. Re-recording begins from
the point you released EDITSEARCH. Provided
you do not eject the tape, the transition between
the last scene you recorded and the next scene
you record will be smooth.
You can monitor the playback picture on the
LCD screen.
You can also monitor a picture on a TV screen,
after connecting the camcorder to a TV or VCR.
(1) Insert the recorded tape with the window
facing out.
(2) While pressing PUSH OPEN, open the LCD
panel.
(3) While pressing the small green button on the
POWER switch, set it to VTR. The tape
transport buttons appears.
(4) Press 0 to rewind the tape.
(5) Press · to start playback.
(6) Adjust the volume using VOLUME.
You can also monitor the picture on a TV screen,
after connecting the camcorder to a TV or VCR.
You can control playback using the supplied
Remote Commander. Before using the Remote
Commander, insert the R6 (size AA) batteries .
To display the screen indicators
Press DISPLAY.
To erase the indicators, press again.
Using headphones
Connect headphones (not supplied) to the 2 jack
(p. 111). You can adjust the volume of the
headphones using VOLUME.
To view the playback picture in the viewfinder
Close the LCD panel. The viewfinder turns on
automatically. When using the viewfinder, you
can monitor the sound only by using the
headphones.
To view on the LCD screen again, open the LCD
panel. The viewfinder turns off automatically.
Various playback modes
You can enjoy noiseless pictures on the LCD
screen during still, slow and picture search.
(Crystal-clear still/slow/picture search)
To view a still picture (playback
pause)
Press P during playback. To resume playback,
press P or ·.
To locate a scene (picture search)
Keep pressing 0 or ) during playback. To
resume normal playback, release the button.
To monitor the high-speed picture
while advancing the tape or
rewinding (skip scan)
Keep pressing 0 while rewinding or ) while
advancing the tape. To resume normal
rewinding or fast-forward, release the button.
Press & on the Remote Commander during
playback. To resume normal playback, press ·.
If slow playback lasts for about 1 minute, it shifts
to normal speed automatically.
To view the picture at double speed
For double speed playback in the reverse
direction, press <, then press ×2 on the Remote
Commander during playback. For double speed
playback in the forward direction, press >, then
press ×2 during playback. To resume normal
playback, press ·.
To view the picture frame-by-frame
Press ' or 7 on the Remote Commander in
playback pause mode. If you keep pressing the
button, you can view the picture at 1/25 speed.
To resume normal playback, press ·.
To change the playback direction
Press < on the Remote Commander for reverse
direction or > on the Remote Commander for
forward direction during playback. To resume
normal playback, press ·.
To select the playback sound
Change the “HiFi SOUND” mode setting in the
menu system.
Notes on playback
•Streaks appear and the sound is muted in the
various playback modes.
•When playback pause mode lasts for 5 minutes,
the camcorder automatically enters stop mode.
•Horizontal noise appears at the center of the
screen when you play back a tape in reverse if
the RC time code or the Data Code is displayed
on the screen. This is normal.
Displaying the date or time
when you recorded – data code
function
Even if you did not record the date or time when
you were recording, you can display the date or
time when you recorded (Data Code) on the TV
during playback or editing. The Data Code is
also displayed in the viewfinder or on the LCD
screen.
To display the date when you
recorded
Press DATE on the camcorder [a], or press
DATA CODE on the Remote Commander [b].
To make the date disappear, press DATE again
or DATA CODE twice.
To display the time when you
recorded
Press TIME on the camcorder [a], or press DATA
CODE on the Remote Commander twice [b]. To
make the time disappear, press it again.
You can go to the end of the recorded portion
after you record and play back the tape. The tape
starts rewinding or fast-forwarding and the last 5
seconds (SP mode) or 10 seconds (LP mode) of
the recorded portion plays back. Then the tape
stops at the end of the recorded picture (EndSearch).
Note that End Search function does not work
once you have ejected the cassette after you
recorded on the tape.
Press END SEARCH.
This function works when the POWER switch is
set to either CAMERA or VTR.
END
SEARCH
Note on the End Search function
When you re-record continuously after using the
End Search function, you might not be able to
obtain smooth transition between the last scene
and the next scene.
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28
CCD-TRV101E_3-858-310-11(E,R)
Advanced operations
ìÒÓ‚Â ¯ÂÌÒÚ‚Ó‚‡ÌÌ˚ ÓÔ ‡ˆËË
Using alternative
power sources
You can choose any of the following power
sources for your camcorder: battery pack, mains,
and 12/24 V car battery. Choose the appropriate
power source depending on where you want to
use your camcorder.
Place
Indoors
Outdoors
In the car
Note on power sources
Disconnecting the power source or removing the
battery pack during recording or playback may
damage the inserted tape. If this happens,
restore the power supply again immediately.
Power
source
Mains
Battery
pack
12 V or
24 V car
battery
Using the mains
To use the supplied AC power adaptor:
(1) Connect the connecting plug on the
camcorder to the DC OUT jack on the AC
power adaptor using the supplied connecting
cord.
You can charge the battery pack installed in the
camcorder by connecting the AC power adaptor
to the camcorder and setting the POWER switch
to OFF. The CHARGE lamp lights up, and goes
out when normal charge is completed. For a full
charge, leave the battery pack in place for
approximately one hour. Charging time of the
supplied NP-F530 battery pack is as follows:
Full charge: approx. 3 hours and 30 minutes
Normal charge: approx. 2 hours and 30 minutes
Charging two battery packs at the same time
Install one battery pack in the camcorder and
another one on the AC power adaptor. The
CHARGE lamps on the camcorder and on the AC
power adaptor light up, and go out when normal
charge is completed. For a full charge, leave the
battery pack in place for approximately one hour.
If either of the CHARGE lamps remains lit,
charging both battery packs is not completed.
Time taken to charge two NP-F530 battery packs
simultaneously is as follows:
Full charge: approx. 4 hours
Normal charge: approx. 3 hours
Notes on the CHARGE lamp
•The CHARGE lamp will remain lit for a while
even if the unit is unplugged after use. This is
normal.
•If the CHARGE lamp does not light, disconnect
the mains lead. After about one minute,
reconnect the mains lead.
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