Sanyo VPC SX 550 manual

VPC - SX550EX VPC - SX550 INSTRUCTION MANUAL English Digital Camera MANUEL D’INSTRUCTIONS Français Appareil photo numérique MANUAL DE INSTRUCCIONES Español Cámara Digital Important notes This manual expl ains how to safel y operate the VPC-SX550E X and VPC-S X550. Any information regardi ng only one of these products will be labeled as such. [...]

Warning TO PREVENT THE RISK OF FIRE OR E LECTRIC SHOCK, DO NOT EXPOS E THIS APPLIANCE TO RA IN OR MOISTURE FOR AMERICAN USERS  This equipment has been tested and found to comply wi th the limits for a Class B digital dev ice, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules . These limits are designed to provide reasonabl e protection agains t harmful inter[...]

FOR CANADIAN USERS  This Class B digital apparatus complies wi th Canadian ICES-003. English ii[...]

BEFORE READING THE MANUAL IBM PC, PowerP C and IBM are registered trademarks of Internati onal Busines s Machines Corporation. Apple, Macintosh and Qui ckTime are registered trademarks of A pple Computer Inc. Windows and Windows NT are regi stered trademarks of Microsoft Corporati on. CompactFlash i s a trademark of SanDisk Corporati on and handed [...]

CONTENTS USING YOUR DIGITAL CAME RA SAFE LY AND CORRECTLY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 CHECKING THE INCLUDED A CCESSORIE S . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 PREPARATION USING THE HAND-STRA P AND SOFT CASE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 QUICK START FOR C[...]

USING YOUR DIGITAL CAMERA SAFELY AND CORRECTLY WARNING Concerning the Digital Camera ■ Do not use the digital camera if it makes a strange noise, emits a strange odor, or if smoke comes out from it  If the digital c amera is used under thes e conditions , it may caus e a fire or electric s hock. Immediately turn off the di gital camera, remov [...]

WARNING ■ Do not use during a storm  To avoid the risk of bei ng struck by l ightning, do not use the digi tal camera during a thunderstorm. In particul ar, if used in an open fiel d, you have an increased c hance of being struc k by lightni ng. Quickly seek refuge in a plac e that will protect you from li ghtning. ■ Do not place on an unsta[...]

WARNING ■ Concerning the Batteries Concerning the supplied nickel metal hydride batteries  Follow all the warnings indicated below to prev ent the batteries from leaking, ov erheating, exploding, c atching fire, or bec oming damaged.  Use only the suppl ied battery charger for recharging.  Do not install with the pol arities ((+ ) and (?[...]

General precautions  Use the nickel metal hydride batteries supplied with the di gital camera. Manganese batteries cannot be used, as they hav e a short battery life and may overheat, causing damage to the digital c amera.  Do not use a recharged battery together wi th a discharged battery. Do not use nickel metal hydride batteries together w[...]

WARNING Concerning the Supplied Battery Charger Warning! Do not attempt to recharge non-rechargeable batteries. For indoor use only. The appliance is not intended for use by young children or infirm per sons without supervision. Young children should be supervised to ensure that they do not play with the appliance. ■ Use with the supplied nickel [...]

■ Keep the battery charger out of the reach of children  Children may plac e the batteries or other smal l components in thei r mouth or perform some other such unforeseeable ac tion. If swallowed, consult a physician i mmediately. ■ Do not damage the power cord  Do not place heavy obj ects on the power cord. Do not pl ace the power cord [...]

CAUTION Concerning the Digital Camera ■ Cautions when carrying the digital camera  Do not walk around holding the di gital camera by the hand-strap. It may hit other objec ts and get damaged. When walking around, hol d the digital c amera in your hand or plac e it in a pocket.  Be careful not to drop the digi tal camera or subject it to str[...]

Concerning the Accessories ■ Cautions concerning the use of the AC adaptor  Use only the spec ified AC adaptor (model VA R-G4EX for the VPC-SX550EX, and model VAR-G4U for the VPC-S X550) with your digi tal camera. Do not use an AC adaptor other than the one indicted here, designed for s pecific use wi th your digital camera.  If an AC adapt[...]

CAUTION ■ Cautions when cleaning the lens  If the lens gets di rty, use a commerc ially availabl e air blower or a cleani ng cloth for photographic equipment to clean i t. ■ Cautions when not using the digital camera  Close the lens cover whenever y ou are not using the digital camera. ■ When not using the digital camera for a long peri[...]

■ Cautions concerning magnetism  Do not place credi t cards, bank c ards, floppy di sks, or other items that may be damaged by magnetic fields near the speaker. Data may be l ost or the magnetic stri ps on cards may be damaged. ■ Cautions concerning data storage  It is recommended that any i mportant data be copied onto a separate media ([...]

CHECKING THE INCLUDED ACCESSORIES Open the box and check that al l the accessories l isted below are included. The page numbers listed next to the part names are the page numbers where that part i s explained i n detail.  Hand-strap [page 14]  Soft case [page 14]  4 AA nickel metal hydride rechargeable batteries [page 21]  Nickel metal [...]

USING THE HAND-STRAP AND SOFT CASE Attach the supplied hand-s trap to the digital camera to aid in carry ing. Also, when you are not using the digital camera, put it in the s oft case for protecti on. Attaching the Hand-strap Bend the looped extremity of the strap and slip it through then strap holder on the digital camera. Using the Soft Case Slid[...]

QUICK START FOR CAPTURING IMAGES Now that you have purchas ed a new digital c amera, it is ti me to try and capture some i mages and then view them with the LCD monitor. A lthough your digital camera is packed with many us eful and convenient func tions, here is just a simpl e explanation of how to capture and view images . Afterward, carefully rea[...]

Installing the batteries and card (see pages 24, 25) 3 Insert the batteries.  Use the batteries rec harged in step 1 above.  Make sure the polari ty ((+) and (–)) of the batteries is as indicated i n the battery compartment. 1 Open battery compartment cover on di gital camera bottom. 2 Insert batteries. 3 Close battery c ompartment cover. 4[...]

QUICK START FOR CAPTURING IMAGES Capturing images (see page 56) Now that preparation is compl eted, your digital camera is ready to capture images. Here we wi ll capture still images, but your digital c amera can take sequenti al shots and even film video clips . 5 Turn the selector dial to v . 6 Set the main switch to “CAMERA.” 7 Open the lens[...]

Viewing the image (see page 79, 81) Now let’s take a l ook at the images y ou’ve captured. 11 Set the main switch to “PLAY.”  The image you captured s hows up in the LCD monitor.  Press d or c on the arrow button to display the images stored before and after the current i mage. 12 When finished, set the main switch to “MONITOR OFF?[...]

PARTS NAMES The page numbers listed next to the part names are the page numbers where that part is explained i n detail. Shutter release button [pages 28, 56, 57, 78] Flash [page 64] Microphone [pages 66, 96] Self-timer indicator [page 67] Tripod stand hole [page 67] Card slot cover [pages 25, 26] Viewfinder [page 56] Lens cover [pages 27, 28] Batt[...]

Main switch [pages 56, 57, 79] Stand-by indicator [pages 27, 56, 65] info button [page 37] Selector dial [page 29] MODE button [page 30] Viewfinder [page 56] Arrow button [page 40] LCD monitor [pages 31, 57, 81] Accessing indicator [page 26] SET button [page 40] Hand-strap holder [page 14] Rear Indications in the Viewfinder * During use, the area a[...]

PREPARATION OF BATTERIES Use the supplied (or s old separately) AA nickel metal hy dride batteries to power the di gital camera. You can also us e AA Ni-Cd batteries , but they will not last as long as the A A nickel metal hydride rechargeabl e batteries. However, i f you do not have acces s to these batteries, y ou may use alkaline batteri es and [...]

4 When finished (the recharge indicator turns off), unplug the power cord from the power outlet. 5 Remove the batteries from the battery charger . Recharge indicator English 22[...]

PREPARATION OF BATTERIES Using the Nickel Metal Hydride Batteries Properly  Periodically clean with a dry cloth the terminals of the nickel metal hydride batter ies ((+) and (–)) and the terminals located in the battery compartment of the digital camera. Do not touch the battery terminal s or the terminals in the battery compartment of the dig[...]

Installing the Batteries 1 Set the main switch to “MONITOR OFF” or “CAMERA.” 2 Close the lens cover. 3 Open the battery compartment cover on the bottom of the digital camera.  Push the button on the compartment cover and slide it outward to open it. 4 Insert two recharged nickel metal hydride batteries in the battery compartment.  Mak[...]

INSTALLING AND REMOVING THE CARDS The images and audio rec ordings recorded by your digital camera are stored on the data storage card installed in the di gital camera. You must instal l a card before you can c apture images. For more information on handling the c ards, see “Cautions when handling the CompactFlas h or microdrive” on page 12 and[...]

Removing a Card 1 Set the main switch to “MONITOR OFF” or “CAMERA.” 2 Close the lens cover. 3 Make sure the accessing indicator is not flashing, then open the card slot cover on the bottom of the digital camera.  If the accessing indi cator is lit or fl ashing, then the digital c amera is writi ng to the card. Never remove the card at th[...]

TURNING THE POWER ON/OFF Turning the Power On Follow the steps i ndicated below when capturi ng images or when play back images on the LCD monitor. To capture images 1 Set the main switch to “MONITOR OFF” or “CAMERA.” “MONITOR OFF”: To not use the LCD monitor. “CAMERA”: To use the LCD monitor. 2 Open the lens cover.  The power is[...]

Turning the Power Off 1 Set the main switch to “MONITOR OFF” or “CAMERA.” 2 Close the lens cover.  The power turns off.  The stand-by indi cator turns off.  If the main switch was set to “CAMERA ,” the LCD monitor turns off. Turning the Power On when the Power Save Function is Active In order to save the battery power, the powe[...]

DISPLAYING THE SETTING SCREEN AND OPTION SETTING SCREEN For both shooting and play back, there is a Setti ng Screen and an Option S etting Screen. These screens allow you to perform v arious setti ngs and operations (see pages 31 to 36). Displaying the Setting and Option Setting Screens 1 Set the main switch to “CAMERA” or “PLAY.” CAMERA: T[...]

4 Press the MODE button.  The setting screen s e lected in step 3 appears.  When the selector dial is set to W for playback, then the S till Image Playbac k Setting Screen appears. When the s e lector dial is set to Y or X , a 9-image display appears for image selecti on of steps 3 (see page 80). If thi s screen appears, press the S ET button[...]

SHOOTING SETTING SCREENS Still Image Shooting Setting Screen * All the icons nev er appear at the same time. 1 Resolution menu [page 51] : : 1360 x 1024-pixel res olution ic on ] : 1024 x 768-pixel res olution ic on 4 : 640 x 480-pixel res olution ic on 2 Compression menu [page 53] D : FINE icon (low c ompression) G : NORM icon (moderate compressio[...]

Sequential Shot Shooting Setting Screen * All the icons nev er appear at the same time. 1 Resolution menu [page 51] : : 1360 x 1024-pixel res olution ic on ] : 1024 x 768-pixel res olution ic on 4 : 640 x 480-pixel res olution ic on 2 Compression menu [page 53] D : FINE icon (low c ompression) G : NORM icon (moderate compression) 3 Sequential shot [...]

SHOOTING SETTING SCREENS Video Clip Shooting Setting Screen * All the icons nev er appear at the same time. 1 Resolution menu [page 51] 4 : 640 x 480-pixel res olution ic on 2 : 320 x 240-pixel res olution ic on 0 : 160 x 120-pixel res olution ic on 2 Compression menu [page 53] D : FINE icon (low c ompression) Only appears when the resol ution is s[...]

Shooting Status Display Area After you exit the S hooting Setting Sc reen, the status of the digi tal camera and card are displayed in this shooting s tatus display area. For a more detailed view of the setti ng status, change to the Information Screen (see pages 37 to 39). * All the icons nev er appear at the same time. 1 Remaining recording time [...]

PLAYBACK SETTING SCREEN Still Image, Sequential Shot, and Video Clip Playback Setting Screens * All the icons nev er appear at the same time. 1 9-image display icon [pages 83, 84, 85] 2 Playback zoom icon [page 87] 3 Protect mode icon [page 105] 4 Erase mode icon [page 106] 5 Edit mode icon r : Edit still i mage icon [pages 91, 95, 97] s : Edit vid[...]

OPTION SETTING SCREEN Shooting Option Setting Screen 1 Audio recording [page 77] 2 Date and time setting [page 41] 3 Operational sound setting [page 70] 4 Battery discharge function [page 120] 5 Language selection [page 121] 6 Card reformatting [page 118] 7 Main switch setting Red when the main switch i s set to “CAMERA.” Playback Option Settin[...]

INFORMATION DISPLAY (info BUTTON) The Information Screen allows you to check the current settings whi le shooting. Also, duri ng playback, y ou can check what the s ettings were during s hooting. Information Screen During Shooting 1 Put the digital camera in the shooting/recording status. For still image shooti ng, see page 57. For sequential s hot[...]

Sequential Shot and Video Clip Shooting Information Screen * All the icons nev er appear at the same time. 1 Resolution setting [page 51] 2 Sequential shot speed setting (only appears for sequential shot shooting) [page 58] 3 Shutter operation setting [pages 58, 60] 4 Auto/manual shooting setting [page 55] For manual shooting E , the s e ttings for[...]

INFORMATION DISPLAY (info BUTTON) Information Screen During Playback Displaying the shooting settings during playback. 1 Display the image or audio file for playback. For still images, s ee page 81. For sequential s hots, see page 84. For video clips, s ee page 85. For audio recordings , see page 88. 2 Press the info button.  The Information Scr[...]

SETTING SCREEN BASIC OPERATIONS At the setting sc reens, use the arrow button and SET button to perform the des ired settings. The selected menu or icon wi ll change to reverse v ideo or turn orange in color. To enter or exit the setting screens, s ee “DISPLAYING THE SETTING SCREE N AND OPTION SETTING S CREEN” on page 29. Basic Button Operation[...]

SETTING THE DATE AND TIME The digital c amera will record the date and time an i mage or audio recording i s taken so that you can display them duri ng playback. Therefore, before c apturing images, mak e sure the correct date and time are set. Example: To set the c lock to August 28, 2001 at 7:30 p.m. 1 Display the Shooting Option Setting Screen ([...]

3 Set whether to display the date during playback. 1 Press the SET button.  The current setting turns orange. 2 Press j or l to select “ON” or “OFF.” DISP [ON]: Displays the date duri ng playback. DISP [OFF]: Does not display the date during playbac k. 3 Press the SET button.  Setting of whether to display the date during playback i s[...]

SETTING THE DATE AND TIME 5 Set the desired date display format. 1 Press l to select the di splay format. 2 Press the SET button.  The date format turns orange. 3 Press j or l to select the des ired display format. Y/M/D: Year/month/day M/D/Y: Month/day/year D/M/Y: Day/month/year 4 Press the SET button.  This completes the date display format[...]

REMAINING BATTERY CHARGE INDICATION When using the nickel metal hydride batteries , the remaining battery c harge can be checked on the LCD monitor. Make sure to c heck this indicator before c apturing an image. For an indication of the possible length of ti me for battery operation, see “Battery Operation” on page 128. 1 Set the main switch to[...]

REMAINING BATTERY CHARGE INDICATION NOTE  The remaining battery c harge indicator will gi ve an accurate indication of the remai ning charge only when the supplied ni ckel metal hydri de batteries are used. The indi cation will not be accurate if you are us ing Ni-Cd batteries.  For optimum performance, only us e Sanyo nickel metal hydride ba[...]

CHECKING THE REMAINING NUMBER OF IMAGES, VIDEO RECORDING TIME, AND AUDIO RECORDING TIME The images, video c lips, and audio recordings you take are s tored on the card installed in the digital c amera. If a card is not l oaded into the digital camera or if the card i s full, capturi ng or playing back i mages will not be possibl e. Make sure to che[...]

CHECKING THE REMAINING NUMBER OF IMAGES, VIDEO RECORDING TIME, AND AUDIO RECORDING TIME Checking the Remaining Audio Recording Time 1 Display the Shooting Option Setting Screen (see page 29).  Set the selector di al to P .  Select “AUDIO REC.” 2 Press the SET button.  The Audio Recordi ng Screen appears, and the remaining recordi ng ti[...]

CONCERNING IMAGE AND AUDIO DATA STORAGE Saving the Images Captured with Your Digital Camera  Saving the images to a computer Requires: Computer connecting cable (suppl ied), commercially av ailable personal computer Advantages: The images are saved as data on the computer hard disk. They can then be processed or edited, s ent over a network or t[...]

CONCERNING IMAGE AND AUDIO DATA STORAGE Video clips data Data format: QuickTime Movie format File name structure: VCLPoooo.mov The “oooo” represents a sequential number assigned automatically. Audio recording data Data format: WAVE format File name structure: SUNDoooo.wav The “oooo” represents a sequential number assigned automatically. Con[...]