Sony FDR-AX40, FDR-AX53, FDR-AX55, FDR-AXP55 Instruction Manual

4-586-523-11(1)

Digital 4K Video Camera Recorder

Operating Guide

“Help Guide” (Web manual)

Refer to “Help Guide” for in-depth instructions on the many functions of the camera.

http://rd1.sony.net/help/cam/1630/h_zz/

Getting started

Recording/Playback

Saving images

Customizing your camcorder

Others

FDR-AX40/AX53/AX55/AXP55

Read this first

Before operating the unit, please read this manual thoroughly, and retain it for future reference.

Owner’s Record

The model and serial numbers are located on the bottom. Record the serial number in the space provided below. Refer to these numbers whenever you call your Sony dealer regarding this product.

Model No. FDR- ___________________ Serial No. _________________________

WARNING

To reduce the risk of fire or electric shock,

1) do not expose the unit to rain or moisture.

2) do not place objects filled with liquids, such as vases, on the apparatus.

Do not expose the batteries to excessive heat such as sunshine, fire or the like.

IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS

SAVE THESE INSTRUCTIONS. DANGER - TO REDUCE THE RISK OF FIRE OR ELECTRIC SHOCK, CAREFULLY FOLLOW THESE INSTRUCTIONS.

• Read these instructions.

• Keep these instructions.

• Heed all warnings.

• Follow all instructions.

• Do not use this apparatus near water.

• Clean only with dry cloth.

• Do not block any ventilation openings. Install in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions.

• Do not install near any heat sources such as radiators, heat registers, stoves, or other apparatus (including amplifiers) that produce heat.

• Do not defeat the safety purpose of the polarized or grounding-ty pe plug. A polarized plug has two blades with one wider than the other. A grounding type plug has two blades and a third grounding prong. The wide blade or the third prong are provided for your safety. If the provided plug does not fit into your outlet, consult an electrician

for replacement of the obsolete outlet.

• Protect the power cord from being walked on or pinched particularly at plugs, convenience receptacles, and the point where they exit from the apparatus.

• Only use attachments/accessories specified by the manufacturer.

• Use only with the cart, stand, tripod, bracket, or table specified by the manufacturer, or sold with the apparatus. When a cart is used, use caution when moving the cart/ apparatus combination to avoid injury from tip-over.

• Unplug this apparatus during lightning storms or when unused for long periods of time.

• Refer all servicing to qualified service personnel. Servicing is required when the apparatus has been damaged in any way, such as power-supply cord or plug is damaged, liquid has been spilled or objects have fallen into the apparatus, the apparatus has been exposed to rain or moisture, does not operate normally, or has been dropped.

• If the shape of the plug does not fit the power outlet, use an attachment plug adaptor of the proper configuration for the power outlet.

Representative plug of power supply cord of countries/regions around the world.

A Type

(American

Type)

The representative supply voltage and plug type are described in this chart. Depend on an area, Different type of plug and supply voltage are used. Attention: Power cord meeting demands from each country shall be used. – For only the United States

Use a supplied power cord.

B Type (British

Type)

BF Type

(British

Type)

B3 Type

(British

Type)

C Type

(CEE

Type)

SE Type

(CEE

Type)

O Type (Ocean

Europe

Countries/regions Voltage Frequency (Hz) Plug type

Austria Belgium Czech Denmark Finland France Germany Greece Hungary Iceland Ireland Italy Luxemburg Netherlands Norway Poland Portugal Romania Russia Slovak Spain Sweden Switzerland UK

230 230 220 230 230 230 230 220 220 230 230 220 230 230 230 220 230 220 220 220

127/230

230 230 240

50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50

C C C C C C C C C C

C/BF

C C C C C C C C C C C C

Type)

Asia

Countries/regions Voltage Frequency (Hz) Plug type

China Hong Kong India Indonesia Japan Korea (rep) Malaysia Philippines Singapore Taiwan Thailand Vietnam

220 200/220 230/240

127/230

100

220

240 220/230

230

110 220 220

50 50 50 50

50/60

60 50 60 50 60 50 50

C C A C

A/C

C/BF

A/C

Oceania

Countries/regions Voltage Frequency (Hz) Plug type

Australia New Zealand

240

230/240

50 50

O O

North America

Countries/regions Voltage Frequency (Hz) Plug type

Canada USA

120 120

60 60

A A

Central America

Countries/regions Voltage Frequency (Hz) Plug type

Bahamas Costa Rica Cuba Dominican (rep) El Salvador Guatemala Honduras Jamaica Mexico Nicaragua Panama

120/240

110

110/220

110

110 120

110

120/127 120/240 110/220

60 60 60 60 60 60 60 50 60 60 60

A A

A/C

A A A A A A A A

South America

Countries/regions Voltage Frequency (Hz) Plug type

Argentina Brazil Chile Colombia Peru Venezuela

220

127/220

220 120 220 120

50 60 50 60 60 60

C/BF/O

A/C

C A

A/C

Middle East

Countries/regions Voltage Frequency (Hz) Plug type

Iran Iraq Israel Saudi Arabia Turkey UAE

220 220 230

127/220

220 240

50 50 50 50 50 50

C/BF C/BF

A/C/BF

C/BF

Africa

Countries/regions Voltage Frequency (Hz) Plug type

Algeria Congo (dem) Egypt Ethiopia Kenya Nigeria South Africa Tanzania Tunisia

127/220

220 220 220 240 230

220/230

230 220

50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50

C C C

C C/BF C/BF C/BF C/BF

CAUTION

 Battery pack

If the battery pack is mishandled, the battery pack can burst, cause a fire or even chemical burns. Observe the following cautions.

• Do not disassemble.

• Do not crush and do not expose the battery pack to any shock or force such as hammering, dropping or stepping on it.

• Do not short circuit and do not allow metal objects to come into contact with the battery terminals.

• Do not expose to high temperature above 60°C (140°F) such as in direct sunlight or in a car parked in the sun.

• Do not incinerate or dispose of in fire.

• Do not handle damaged or leaking lithium ion batteries.

• Be sure to charge the battery pack using a genuine Sony battery charger or a device that can charge the battery pack.

• Keep the battery pack out of the reach of small children.

• Keep the battery pack dry.

• Replace only with the same or equivalent type recommended by Sony.

• Dispose of used battery packs promptly as described in the instructions.

 AC Adaptor

Do not use the AC Adaptor placed in a narrow space, such as betwee n a wall and furniture. Use the nearby wall outlet (wall socket) when using the AC Adaptor. Disconnect the AC Adaptor from the wall outlet (wall socket) immediately

if any malfunction occurs while using the apparatus.

 Note on the power cord

(mains lead)

The power cord (mains lead) is designed specifically for use with this camcorder only, and should not be used with other electrical equipment.

Even if your camcorder is turned off, AC power source (mains) is still supplied to it while connected to the wall outlet (wall socket) via the AC Adaptor.

For Customers in the U.S.A. and Canada

 RECYCLING LITHIUM-ION

BATTERIES

Lithium-Ion batteries are recyclable. You can help preserve our environment by returning your used rechargeable batteries to the collection and recycling location nearest you.

For more information regarding recycling of rechargeable batteries, call toll free 1-800-822-8837, or visit http:// www.call2recycle.org/

Caution: Do not handle damaged or leaking Lithium-Ion batteries.

 For supplied accessories

This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the following two conditions: (1) This device may not cause harmful interference, and (2) this device must accept any interference received, including interfer ence that may cause undesired operation.

CAN ICES-3 B/NMB-3 B

This equipment complies with FCC/IC radiation exposure limits set forth for an uncontrolled environment and meets the FCC radio frequency (RF) Exposure Guidelines and RSS-102 of the IC radio frequency (RF) Exposure rules. This equipment has very low levels of RF energy that are deemed to comply without testing of specific absorption ratio (SAR).

For Customers in the U.S.A.

If you have any questions about this product, you may call:

Sony Customer Information Center

1-800-222-SONY (7669). The number below is for the FCC related matters only.

 Regulatory Information

Declaration of Conformity

Trade Name: SONY Model No.: FDR-AX53 Responsible Party: Sony

Address: 16535 Via Esprillo,

Telephone No.: 858-942-2230

This equipment must not be colocated or operated in conjunction with any other antenna or transmitter.

Electronics Inc.

San Diego, CA 92127 U.S.A.

 CAUTION

You are cautioned that any changes or modifications not expressly approved in this manual could void your authority to operate this equipment.

 Note:

This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a residential installation. This equipment generates, uses, and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instructions, may cause harmful interference to radio communications. However, there is no guarantee that interference will

not occur in a particular installation. If

this equipment does cause harmful

interference to radio or television

reception, which can be determined

by turning the equipment off and on,

the user is encouraged to try to

correct the interference by one or

more of the following measures:

– Reorient or relocate the receiving

antenna.

– Increase the separation between

the equipment and receiver.

– Connect the equipment into an

outlet on a circuit different from that to which the receiver is connected.

– Consult the dealer or an

experienced radio/TV technician for help.

The supplied interface cable must be

used with the equipment in order to

comply with the limits for a digital

device pursuant to Subpart B of Part

15 of FCC Rules.

For Customers in Canada

This device complies with Industry

Canada licence-exempt RSS

standard(s).

Operation is subject to the following

two conditions: (1) this device may

not cause interference, and (2) this

device must accept any interference,

including interference that may cause

undesired operation of the device.

For EU product compliance: Sony Belgium, bijkantoor van Sony Europe Limited, Da Vincilaan 7-D1, 1935 Zaventem, Belgium

Hereby, Sony Corporation, declares that this equipment is in compliance with the essential requirements and other relevant provisions of Directive 1999/5/EC. For details, please access the following URL: http://www.compliance.sony.de/

 Notice

If static electricity or electromagnetism causes data transfer to discontinue midway (fail), restart the application or disconnect and connect the communication cable (USB, etc.) again.

This product has been tested and found compliant with the limits set out in the EMC regulation for using connection cables shorter than 3 meters (9.8 feet).

The electromagnetic fields at the specific frequencies may influence the picture and sound of this unit.

For Customers in Europe

 Notice for the customers in

the countries applying EU Directives

Manufacturer: S ony Corporation, 1-7-1

Konan Minato-ku Tokyo, 108-0075

Japan

 Disposal of waste batteries

and electrical and electronic equipment (applicable in the European Union and other European countries with separate collection systems)

This symbol on the product, the battery or on the packaging indicates that the product and the

treated as household waste. On certain batteries this symbol might be used in combination with a chemical symbol. The chemical symbols for mercury (Hg) or lead (Pb) are added if the battery contains more than 0.0005% mercury or 0.004% lead. By ensuring these products and batteries are disposed of correctly, you will help prevent potentially negative consequences for the environment and human health which could otherwise be caused by inappropriate waste handling. The recycling of the materials will help to conserve natural resources. In case of products that for safety, performance or data integrity reasons require a permanent connection with an incorporated battery, this battery should be replaced by qualified service staff only. To ensure that the battery and the electrical and electronic equipment will be treated properly, hand over these products at end-of-life to the applicable collection point for the recycling of electrical and electronic equipment. For all other batteries, please view the section on how to remove the battery from the product safely. Hand the battery over to the applicable

collection point for the recycling of

waste batteries. For more detailed

battery shall not be

information about recycling of this product or battery, please contact your local Civic Office, your household waste disposal service or the shop where you purchased the product or battery.

For Customers in Singapore

For Customers in U.A.E.

For Customers in Malaysia

For customers in India

 Battery Pack

Self Declaration –Conforming to IS:16046:2012, R-41022659

This manual describes 1080 60icompatible devices and 1080 50i-compatible devices. To check whether your camera is a 1080 60i-compatible device or 1080 50i-compatible device, check for the following marks on the bottom of the camera. 1080 60i-compatible device: 60i 1080 50i-compatible device: 50i

Learning more

about the

camcorder (Help

Guide)

Help Guide is an on-line manual.

Refer to it for in-depth instructions on

the many functions of the camcorder.

Access the Sony support

page.

http://rd1.sony.net/help/cam/

1630/h_zz/

You will find further information such

as the following functions in Help

Guide.

• Time-lapse Capture

• TC/UB (Time Code/User Bit)

• Highlight Movie Maker

• Live Streaming

• Multi Camera Control

• Trimming Playback

Table of Contents

Read this first ............................ 2

Learning more about the

camcorder (Help Guide) ......11

Selecting the recording format

for movies ........................... 12

Getting started ........... 14

Supplied items ......................... 14

Charging the battery pack ...... 15

Turning the power on ..............18

Inserting a memory card .........19

Recording/Playback ... 22

Recording ................................ 22

Using the manual adjustment

features .............................. 25

Playback ................................... 26

Viewing images on a TV ......... 29

Viewing images using the built-

in projector (FDR-AXP55) .. 33

Saving images ............ 34

Importing images to your

computer ............................ 34

Saving images on an external

media device ..................... 35

Using the Wi-Fi function ..........37

Customizing your

camcorder ..................42

Using the menus ..................... 42

Others ........................ 45

Precautions .............................. 45

Specifications .......................... 47

Parts and controls ................... 52

Index ........................................ 55

Selecting the recording format for movies

The camcorder is compatible with the XAVC S format.



What is XAVC S?

XAVC S is a recording format that allows high-resolution images, such as 4K, to be highly compressed with MPEG-4 AVC/H.264 and recorded in the MP4 file format. High image quality will be obtained while keeping the data size within a certain level.

Recording formats available and their features

XAVC S 4K XAVC S HD AVCHD

Pixels

3840 × 2160 1920 × 1080 1920 × 1080

Bit-rate

Features Records images in

Bit-rate indicates the quantity of data recorded in a certain period.

When recording using the high-speed recording function, select from 60 Mbps or 100 Mbps.

60 Mbps/ 100 Mbps

4K. Recording in this format is recommended even if you do not have a 4K TV so you will be able to enjoy the benefits of 4K in the future.

50 Mbps

Information volume is greater compared to AVCHD, enabling recordin g of clearer images.

Max. 28 Mbps

Compatibility with recording devices other than computers is good.

Recording format and the available shooting mode

Recording format

Shooting mode Movie Movie

• You can change the recording format by selecting  [Image Quality/Size]  [ File Format].

XAVC S 4K XAVC S HD AVCHD

High Speed REC

Movie Smth Slw REC Golf Shot

Storage method

Recording format Storage method

XAVC S 4K Computer using

XAVC S HD XAVC S HD 34

AVCHD Computer using

• See the following website for the latest storage environment. http://www.sony.net/

• You can store images by connecting to a recorder with an analog AV cable (sold separately). Movies are copied with standard definition image quality (page 36).

• You can directly copy images to an external media device with the VMCUAM2 USB Adaptor Cable (sold separately).

PlayMemories Home™ software

•External media device

PlayMemories Home software

External media device

Image quality stored at

XAVC S 4K 34

AVCHD 34

AVCHD 35

Page



To transfer images to a smartphone

You can transfer MP4 images to a smartphone connected to the camcorder via Wi-Fi (page 37). MP4 format is good for uploading to the Internet. When [Dual Video REC] is set to [On], the camcorder records movies in XAVC S 4K format, XAVC S HD format, or AVCHD format while recording movies in MP4 format at the same time.

Getting started

Supplied items

The numbers in ( ) indicate the supplied quantity.

All models

•Camcorder (1)

•AC Adaptor (1)

• Power cord (mains lead) (1)

•Micro USB cable (1)

•HDMI cable (1)

• “Operating Guide” (This manual) (1)

• Rechargeable battery pack NPFV70 (1)

Charging the battery pack

Battery pack

DC plug*

AC Adaptor

Wall outlet (wall socket)

DC IN jack

Power cord (mains lead)

Turn off your camcorder by closing the LCD monitor,

retract the viewfinder*, and attach the battery pack.

* Models with the viewfinder (FDR-AX53/AX55/AXP55) only

Connect the AC Adaptor and the power cord (mains

lead) to your camcorder and the wall outlet (wall socket).

Getting started

* Align the  mark on the DC plug with that on the DC IN jack.

• The POWER/CHG (charge) lamp turns orange.

• The POWER/CHG (charge) lamp turns off when the battery pack is fully charged. Disconnect the AC Adaptor from the DC IN jack of the camcorder.



Charging the battery using your computer

Turn off your camcorder and connect the Multi/Micro USB Terminal of the camcorder (page 52) to the USB jack of a computer using the micro USB cable.

• Change the setting of your computer so that it would not enter the sleep (hibernation) state before charging your camcorder.



Estimated time of charging the supplied battery pack (minutes)

Battery pack AC Adaptor (supplied) Computer

NP-FV70 205 555

• The charging times are measured when charging an empty battery pack to its full capacity at a room temperature of 25 °C (77 °F).



Estimated time of recording and playback using the supplied battery pack (minutes)

Battery pack

NP-FV70 150 75 250

• The recording and playback times are measured when using the camcorder at 25 °C (77 °F).

• The recording times are measured when recording movies with the default settings ([ File Format]: [ XAVC S 4K], [ REC Mode]: [60Mbps ], [Dual Video REC]: [Off]).

• Typical recording time shows the time when you repeat recording start/ stop, switching the [Shooting Mode], and zooming.

• The recording time shows the time when recording with the LCD monitor open.

Recording time

Continuous Typical

Playback time



To use your camcorder connected to the wall outlet (wall socket)

Connect the camcorder to the wall outlet (wall socket) in the same way as “Charging the battery pack.”



To remove the battery pack

Turn off your camcorder. Slide the BATT (battery) release lever () and remove the battery pack ().



To charge the battery pack abroad

You can charge the battery pack in any countries/regions using the AC Adaptor supplied with your camcorder within the AC 100 V - 240 V, 50 Hz/60 Hz range.

• Do not use an electronic voltage transformer.

Getting started

Turning the power on

Touch the button on the LCD monitor.

Open the LCD monitor of your camcorder and turn

the power on.

• You can also turn on the camcorder by pulling out the viewfinder (models with the viewfinder (FDR-AX53/AX55/AXP55) only).

Following the instructions on the LCD monitor, select

the language, the geographical area, Daylight Savings or Summer Time, date format, and the date and time.

• To go to the next page, touch [Next].

• To turn off the power, close the LCD monitor. If the viewfinder is pulled out, retract it (models with the viewfinder (FDR-AX53/AX55/AXP55) only).

• To set the date and time again, select  [Setup]  [Clock Settings]  [Date & Time Setting]. (In case you haven’t used your camcorder for several months)

• To turn off the operating sound, select  [Setup]  [General Settings]  [Beep]  [Off].

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