Sony HDR-FX7E manual

2-887-515- 12 (1) © 2006 Sony Corporation http://www.son y.net/ Printed on 70% or more r ecycled p aper using VO C (Volatile Org anic Compou nd) -free ve getable oil base d ink. Printed in Japan Additiona l inform ation on this product and answers to frequentl y asked questions c an be found at our Custom er Support We bsite. GB Digital HD Video C[...]

2 Read this first Befo re operat ing the unit, plea se read t his manua l thoroughly , and retain i t for future refere nce. To reduce f ire or shoc k hazard , do not ex pose th e unit to ra in or moisture. Replace the battery with the specified type o nly. Otherwise, fire or injury may result. NOTICE ON THE SUPPLI ED AC ADAPTOR A moulded pl ug com[...]

3 “Memory Sti ck Duo” (This siz e can be used with your camcorder.) “Memory Sti ck” (You canno t use it in yo ur camcorder.) b Not e • You cann ot use any typ e of memory ca rd excep t “M emor y St ick Duo.” • “Memory Stick PRO ” and “M emory Stick PRO Duo” c an b e use d on ly with “Mem ory St ick PR O” comp atible eq u[...]

4 About m enu item s, LCD p anel, viewfi nder, and lens • A menu item that is gr ayed out is not availa ble under the cur rent recor ding or playback c onditions. • Th e LCD scr een and the viewfi nder are manufa ctured using ex tremel y high- precisio n technology , so over 99.99% of the pixe ls are operationa l for effecti ve use. Howe ver, t[...]

5 Abo ut the C arl Zeis s lens Your ca mcorde r is equip ped with a Carl Zeiss lens, which was developed join tly by Carl Zeiss, in Germany , and Sony Corpo ration, an d produce s superior ima ges. It ad opts the M TF measu reme nt sys tem fo r video ca meras and offe rs a quality typ ical of a Car l Zeiss lens. A lso, the lens for your camcorde r [...]

6 Table of Content s Read this fi rst ........ ....... ...... .......... ...... ....... ......... ....... ...... .......... ....... ...... .. 2 Trying out t he new HDV format! ...... ....... ...... .......... ...... ....... ......... ....... ..... 9 Features of th is camcorder ... .......... ....... ...... .......... ...... ....... ......... ......[...]

7 Chec king th e re mainin g batt ery (Ba ttery Info) ...... ........ ...... ........ ........ 45 Locating a scene on a tape ..... ....... ...... .......... ...... ....... .......... ...... ....... .... 46 Sear ching qui ckly for a de sired scene (Zero set me mory) .... ........ ..... 46 Searching for a scene by dat e of r ecording (Dat e search ) [...]

8 Troubleshootin g ....... ....... .......... ...... ....... ......... ....... ...... .......... ...... ....... ... 89 Warning indic ators and me ssages ............ ...... .......... ...... ....... .......... ...... 98 Using your camcorder abroad ......... ....... ...... ...... .......... ....... ...... ....... .... 101 HDV format and recording/pl[...]

9 Enjoyi ng picture s with high def inition quality Enjoying pictures w ith high defin ition qual ity Tryi ng out the new H DV form at! The HDV format has abo ut 2 times t he horizontal re solution of a standard TV result ing in about 4 tim es the amount of pixels prov iding high quality image s. Being HD V forma t compliant , your camco rder is re[...]

10 Featur es of this camco rder The HD V1080i specifica tion digit al HD video cam era reco rder has the foll owing feature s to enab le you to re cord beau tiful sc enery while tr avelin g, etc., i n high de finition quali ty. 1 3-Cl earVi d CMOS sens or syste m installe d This camcor der is fitt ed wi th t he 3 -Clea rVi d CMOS s enso r sys tem. [...]

11 Enjoyi ng picture s with high def inition quality Handy Func tion s for Reco rdi ng You can rec ord 1.2M sti ll images on the “ Memory Stick Duo” during recordi ng movie. Moving subjec ts can be shot in smoot h moving slow-m otion. Two settings pr ofiles, incl uding brig htness, color , etc., can be save d in your camco rder. This enables yo[...]

12 Viewin g vi deo re cord ed i n the HDV form at! Pict ures record ed in th e HDV for mat can be play ed back as crisp H D (high definiti on) pictur e on a hig h defin ition TV . • For de tails on HDV1080i specification co mpliant TVs, see page 50. Your ca mcorder ca n down con vert video re corded in th e HDV fo rmat to SD (standard defini tion[...]

13 Gettin g Started Gettin g Started Step 1: C hecki ng supp lied ite ms Make sure that you have follo wing items suppl ied with your cam corde r. The number in the par enthe ses in dicat es the numb er o f th at it em supp lied . • The cassette tape and “Memory Stick Duo” are not included. See page 23, 102 and 10 3 for compatible casse ttes [...]

14 Step 2: At tach ing the le ns hoo d with le ns cover Align th e marks on th e lens hood t o those o n the camcorder , and t urn the lens hood in t he direct ion of the arrow. T ighten the lens hoo d fi xing screw. To rem ove the Lens h ood with lens cover Loosen t he lens hood fi xing screw an d turn the len s hood in th e opposi te direct ion o[...]

15 Gettin g Started Step 3: C hargin g the batt ery pa ck You ca n char ge the batte ry by attaching the “In foLITHIUM” battery pack (L series) to your camcorder. b Not e • You cannot use batteries ot her than the “InfoLITHIUM” battery pack (L series) (p. 105). 1 Press the battery pack and slide it down. 2 With the B mark on t he DC plug [...]

16 Aft er chargi ng the b atter y The CHARGE lamp tu rns of f when th e battery is fully c harged. Disco nnect th e AC Adaptor from the DC IN jack. z Tip • You can check the remaining battery with Battery info (p. 45). To rem ove the bat tery pack Slide the POWER switch to OFF (CH G). Push the BAT T RELEASE (ba ttery re lease ) button and remove [...]

17 Gettin g Started Playin g ti me App roximat e tim e ( min.) avai lable when you use a full y charged battery pa ck. HDV fo rmat pi ctur es DV for mat pictur es * When the LCD backlight turns on . On the batte ry pack • Before changing the battery pack, s lide the POWER sw itch to OFF (CHG). • The CHARGE lamp fl ashes during charging, or Batt[...]

18 Step 4 : Turning t he powe r on and h oldin g yo ur camcor der proper ly To reco rd or play back, sl ide the POW ER switch to the res pectiv e direc tion . When us ing it for th e fir st ti me, [ CLOCK SET] scr een ap pears (p. 21). 1 While pressing the green button, set the POWER switch. CAMERA: To recor d pi ctures . VCR: T o play or edi t pic[...]

19 Gettin g Started Step 5: A djust ing the LCD panel an d view finder Open the L CD panel while pre ssing the OPEN but ton 90 degrees to the camcorde r ( 1 ), then ro tate it to th e best angle to record or pl ay ( 2 ). z Tip s • If you rotate the LCD panel 180 d egrees toward the lens from the position 1 , you can close the LCD panel with the L[...]

20 When th e pi cture in th e view finder i s hard to see If you cann ot see the pi cture in the viewfin der clea rly under brigh t circumst ances, use the supplied larg e eyecup . To at tach t he l arge e yecup , str etch it slight ly and alig n it with the eyec up groov e in the viewfi nder. You can a ttach the la rge eyecup faci ng e ither the r[...]

21 Gettin g Started Step 6: S ettin g the date and time Set th e date and tim e wh en usin g thi s camcorde r for the first time. If yo u do not set the d ate and ti me, [CLOCK SET ] scre en appear s every time yo u turn on your camcorde r or change the POWER switch position. z Tip • If you do not use your camcorder for about 3 mont hs , the buil[...]

22 z Tip • The date and time do not appear during recording, but they ar e automatically recorded on the tape, and can be displayed during playback ([DATA CODE] (p. 64)). You ca n change t he on-scree n displays to show messages in a specified language. Sele ct th e scree n langu age in [LANGUAGE] (p. 71). Changing the language setting Step 6: Se[...]

23 Gettin g Started Step 7: Ins erting a ta pe or a “Memory Sti ck Duo” You can us e mini DV cassett es onl y (p. 102). 1 Slide and hol d the OPEN/ EJECT lever in the direction of the arrow and open t he lid. The casse tte co mpart ment automa tical ly comes o ut and opens up . 2 Insert a cassett e with its window facing outwards, t hen press .[...]

24 2 Insert the “M emory Stick Duo” into the “M emory Stick Duo” sl ot in the right direction until it clicks. b Note • If you insert the “Memory Stick Duo” into the slot in the wrong direction, the “Memory Stick Duo,” the “Memory Stick Duo” slot, or image data may be damaged. To ejec t a “ Mem ory Stick Du o” Light ly pus[...]

25 Recordin g/Playback Recording/P layback Recor ding This ca mcorde r record s movie s on ta pe and st ill images o n “Memory Stick Duo”. The procedu re for recording movies is below. • This camcorder can record movies in either HDV or DV form at. The factory setting is HDV format ([REC FORMAT ] p. 6 6). 1 Open the shutter of the lens hood. [...]

26 3 Press the REC START/STOP b utton A (or B ). The Re c lam p lig hts up d uring re cording. To stop the mov ie recording , press the REC STA RT/STOP button again. z Tips • When recording in HDV format, the aspect r atio is f ixed to 16:9. When recording in DV format, you can switch the as pect ratio to 4:3 ( [DV WIDE REC] p. 67). • You can c[...]

27 Recordin g/Playback To record still imag es Press the PHOTO/EXPANDED FOCUS button. T he image is re corded on a “Memory St ick Duo.” Re cording is c omplete whe n disappears. You can also reco rd still images du ring movie r ecord ing. z Tip s • When you are not recording a movie, you will hea r the shutter click. • The still image size [...]

28 Playba ck You ca n play back mo vies as foll ows. 1 While pressing the green button, set the POWE R switch to VCR. 2 Start playing b ack. Press m (re wind ) t o go t o th e po int you w ant to vi ew, then pr ess N (play) t o sta rt playbac k. • x : Stop • X : Pause ( Press N or X again to res tart the pl aybac k) • M m : Forw ard/R ewin d [...]

29 Recordin g/Playback To sear ch for a scen e while vi ewing a mo vie Press M / m during pl ayback (Pict ure Search ). To view duri ng fast forward press and hold M and to view during rewind pre ss and hold m (Ski p Scan) . b Not e • Reverse picture search/skip scan is not possible with tapes recor ded in HDV format. To ad just th e volume Adjus[...]

30 Changi ng t he set tings of y our ca mcor der reco rding s Move the pow er zoom le ver C slig htly for a slower zo om. Move it further for a faster zoom. z Tips • The minimum dis tance required between your camcorder and the subj ect for focus is about 1 cm (about 13/32 in.) for wi de angle and about 80 cm (about 2 5/8 feet) for telephoto. •[...]

31 Recordin g/Playback You can adjust th e focus manu ally for differe nt recording c onditions. Use this funct ion in the foll owing cases. – To recor d a subject behind a window covered with raindrops. – To recor d horizontal stripes. – To record a subject with little contras t between the subject and i ts background. – When you want to f[...]

32 z Tip • The focal distance infor mation (for when it is dark and hard t o adjust t he focus) appears for about 3 seconds in the following cases. (I t will not be displayed correctly if you are using a conversion lens (optional)). – When the focu s mode is switched from autom atic to manua l. – Whe n you rota te the f ocus rin g. During sta[...]

33 Recordin g/Playback z Tip s • The range of focus, an important effect of the aperture, is called the depth of field. The dept h of field gets shallower as the aperture is opened, and deeper as the aperture is closed. Use the aperture creatively to obtain the desire d effect in your photography. • This is handy for making the background blurr[...]

34 If flashes during standby mod e, set the ND FILTER s witch F to 1 to tur n on th e indi cato r. If flas hes, s et th e ND FILTER swi tch to 2 to turn on the indica tor. If flashes, set the ND FILTER switc h to OF F to tu rn of f th e indica tor. b Notes • If you move the ND FILTER switch during recording, the picture and sound may be distorted[...]

35 Recordin g/Playback 3 Adju st th e shut ter spe ed by turnin g the SEL/PUSH EXEC dial D . You can set a shutter speed b etween 1/3 second and 1/10000 seco nd. The se lect ed sh utte r spee d ap pears on the s creen. For exampl e, if y ou sel ect 1/100 sec ond, [100] appears. Th e larger the numbe r that app ears on the scree n, the faster the sh[...]

36 The displ ay changes. A t B t (OUTDOOR) t n (INDOOR) z Tip • The white balance can be stor ed temporarily by setting the AUTO LOCK switch A to HOLD after the manual adjus tment. To sav e the adjuste d whit e ba lance value in memory A or B 1 Sele ct A or B ac cordi ng to ste p 3 of “A djusti ng to Natu ral Co lor (Whi te Balanc e).” 2 Shoo[...]

37 Recordin g/Playback 1 During standby, press the PICTU RE PROFI LE but ton C . 2 Select a picture profile number by turni ng the SEL /PUSH EXEC dial A , then press the dial. [PP1 ] t hrough [PP 6] are avai lable. You can sh oot wi th the settin gs of the selected pi cture profil e. 3 Select [ OK] by turni ng the SEL/ PUSH EXEC d ial A . To canc e[...]

38 6 Rep eat s teps 4 an d 5 to a djus t othe r items . 7 Sele ct [ R ETURN ] by turn ing the SEL/PUSH EXEC dial A , th en press the di al. 8 Select [OK] by turning the SEL/PUSH EXEC dia l A , then pr ess th e dial. A pict ure pro file in dica tor app ears. b Note • In the case of [TYPE3] o f [SKINTONE DTL] , the ef fect may al so be applied to a[...]

39 Recordin g/Playback 1 Press the PICTURE P ROFILE button C . 2 Selec t the pict ure profil e by turnin g the SEL/PUSH EXEC dial A , then press the di al. 3 Select [SETTING ] t [RESET] t [YES] t [ RETU RN] t [ OK] by the SEL/PUSH EXEC dial A . Assi gnin g th e functio ns t o the ASSI GN butto ns You may need to assign som e functions to the ASSIGN[...]

40 1 Press the MENU button A . 2 Select the (OTHERS ) t [ASSIGN BTN] by the SEL/PUSH EXEC dial B . 3 Select the number of the ASSIGN butt on (ASS IGN 1-6, [S HOT TRANS]) yo u want to assi gn the functi on by turn ing the S EL/PUSH EXEC dial B , then press the dial. • [--- ---] is displ ayed at the number that no function is assigned. • When you[...]

41 Recordin g/Playback If you make an index for a sce ne, you can easil y sea rch f or th e sce ne la ter ( p. 47) . The in dex func tion wi ll make it easi er to check t he transit ion of recor ding or edit your pi ctures u sing ind ex signals. 1 Assign [INDEX MARK] to one of the ASSIGN buttons in advance (p. 3 9). 2 Press the ASSIGN button assign[...]

42 2 Press the ASSIGN button to which [END SEARCH] is assigned. The l ast scen e of the m ost rec ent recordin g is played ba ck for about 5 seconds, and th e camcorde r enters the standby mode at the point where the last recording ha s finished. b Note • The End search function will not work corr ectly when there is a blank section between r eco[...]

43 Recordin g/Playback 3 Check the stored settings 1 Press the A SSIGN button 1 repeatedly to bring up the SHOT TR ANSITION CHECK screen . 2 Press the A SSIGN button 2 to check the SHOT-A . Press th e ASSIGN b utton 3 to check the SHOT-B. The sel ected set ting wi ll take effect on the p ictu re on th e scr een. The fo cus , zoom, and so on, are au[...]

44 Changi ng/c heck ing the se tti ngs in your camcor der You ca n turn on and off the display of the time c ode, ta pe coun ter, and other inform ation on th e screen. Press the DISPLAY /BATT INFO button C . The screen indicators tu rn on (display ed) and off (und isplayed ) as you press th e button . z Tip • You can display the screen indicator[...]

45 Recordin g/Playback Set the PO WER switch to OFF (CHG), th en press the DISPLAY/BATT INFO but ton C . The a pproxi mate record able t ime in the select ed fo rmat and b attery i nform ation appear for about 7 seco nds. You can vie w the ba ttery infor mation fo r up to 20 seconds by pressing t he button aga in while the inform ation is disp laye[...]

46 Locati ng a sc ene on a ta pe b Note • See page 120 for details on how to use the Remote Commander . 1 During playback, press ZERO SET MEMORY 4 at a point yo u want to lo cate later on. The tape counter i s reset to “0:00: 00” and appears on the sc reen. If the tape cou nter is not displ ayed, press DISPLAY 7 . 2 Press STOP 6 when you want[...]

47 Recordin g/Playback 3 Press . (pr eviou s)/ > (next) 2 on the Remote Commander to select a record ing date. You ca n select the pre vious or the ne xt date of the pre sent poin t on the tape. Playba ck starts au tomatic ally from the point wher e the d ate chang es. To ca ncel th e oper ation Press STOP 6 on the Re mote Command er. b Not es ?[...]

48 Playi ng th e pict ure on a TV Conn ection me thods and imag e qual ity differ dep ending on wh at type of T V is conne cted and connec tors used. Use the supplie d AC A daptor to obta in AC p ower ( p. 15). Refer al so to the instruction manuals supp lied with the device to be conn ected. Selecting the connection meth od according to your TV ty[...]

49 Recordin g/Playback Jacks on you r camcorder Open t he ja ck cov er an d con nect the ca ble. Connecting to a high definition TV : Signal flow Type Camcorder Cable TV Menu Setting (IN/OUT REC) menu t [VCR HDV/DV] t [AUTO] (p. 66) [COMPONENT] t [1080i /576i] (p. 67) b Not e • An A/V connecting cable is also needed to output a udio signals. Conn[...]

50 (IN/OUT REC) menu t [VCR HDV/DV] t [AUTO] (p. 66) b Notes • U se an HD MI cable with th e HDM I logo. • Picture s in the DV format are not output from the HDMI OUT jack, if copyright protection signals are recorded in th e pictures. • DV f ormat pictures input t o the camcorder via i.LINK cable (p. 73) cannot be output. • Your TVs may no[...]

51 Recordin g/Playback To se t the as pect ra tio a ccording to th e conn ected TV (16: 9/4: 3) Change [TV TYPE] setting to match your TV (p. 67) . b Not e • When you play back a tape recorded in the DV format on a 4:3 TV not compatible with the 16:9 signal, set [DV WIDE REC] t o [OFF] on your camcorder when recording a picture (p. 67). z Tip •[...]

52 * Change the se ttings according to th e TV connected. b Notes • If you connect yo ur camcorder to your TV using m ore than one type of cable to output images from a jack other than the i.LINK jack, the order of priority of the output s ignals is as follows: HDMI t component video t SV I D E O t audio/video. • See page 107 for the details of[...]

53 Usin g the Menu Using t he Menu Using th e menu i tems You can cha nge various set tings or make detail ed adju stments u sing t he menu items displayed on the screen. 1 While pressing the green button, set the PO WER switch. 2 Press the MENU b utton to display the menu index screen. 3 Select the icon of the desired me nu by tu rning t he SEL /P[...]

54 . Menu items Availab le men u items ( z ) var y de pendi ng o n t he PO WER swi tch position . Position of POWER switch: CAME RA VCR (CAMERA SET) menu (p. 56) EXPOSURE/IRIS z – SMT H SLW REC z – CNTRST ENHCR z – STEA DYSHO T z – COLOR BAR z – AF ASSI ST z – AE SH IFT z – AE RESP ONSE z – AGC L IMIT z – AT IRI S LM T z – AWB S[...]

55 Usin g the Menu (IN/OUT R EC) menu (p. 66) REC FORMAT z – VCR HDV/DV – z DV REC MODE zz DV WIDE REC z – COMPONENT zz i.LINK CONV zz TV TYPE zz (MEMORY SET) menu (p. 68) QUALIT Y zz ALL ERASE – z FOR MAT zz FILE NO. zz NEW FOLDER zz REC FOLDER zz PB FO LDER – z (OTHERS) (p. 70) CAMERA PROF. zz ASSIGN BTN zz PHOT O/EXP. FOCUS zz CLOCK SE[...]

56 (CAME RA SET) menu Setting s to adjust your ca mcorder t o the recordi ng condition s (EXPOSUR E/IRIS/ STEADYSHOT/BACK LIGHT, etc.) The defa ult set ting s are mark ed with B . The ind icators in parent heses a ppear wh en the items ar e select ed. See page 53 for details o n selecting menu items. x DIAL ASSIGN You can sel ect assign settings wi[...]

57 Usin g the Menu . Since the de fault setting is [ ON], hi gh contra st imag es, su ch as back lit scen e images , are dete cted a nd un expose d shadows of the images a re aut omatica lly redu ced b Not e • When you set [ BACK LIGHT] to [ON], [CNTRST ENHCR ] is t emporarily turned of f. x ON/OFF You can co mpens ate fo r camer a sh ake (t he d[...]

58 You ca n adjust the exposure be tween -7 (dark) an d +7 (bright ) using the SEL/PUSH EXE C dial. a nd the setting value appea r when [AE SHIFT] is set to anyt hing other tha n the de fault settin g. b Note • If you adjust all of the iris, gain, shutter speed manually, you cannot obtain the ef fect of [AE SHIFT ]. You can select the speed t o a[...]

59 Usin g the Menu Select th is setting to set the transiti on time and curve . See page 42 for det ails on using the shot transi tion functi on. x TRANS TIME Select tr ansitio n time ([3. 5 sec] to [15.0 sec] seconds, the default setting is [4 sec]). x TRANS CURVE Selec t the t rans ition curve. The t ransit ion curve ch anges as follows . * 1: pa[...]

60 • You cann ot use the back light function if 2 or more items out of iris, gain, and shutter speed are adjusted manually. • The setting retur ns to [OFF] when you set the POWER switch to OFF (CHG ) for m ore th an 12 hours. When you set [SPOTLIGHT] to [ON] ( ), you can r educe overexpo sed highlight s on faces of pe ople who ar e under strong[...]

61 Usin g the Menu (A UDIO SE T) menu Settin gs for the aud io recor ding (AU DIO REC LV/DV AU. MODE , etc.) The def ault se ttings ar e marked with B . The indic ators in parenthe ses appear whe n the i tems a re sele cted . See page 53 for details on selecting menu items. You can a djust th e reco rdin g soun d level manual ly. x AUTO/MAN UAL B A[...]

62 b Notes • You cannot adjust the balance of the sound recorded on a tape in the 16-bit DV audio mode. • The s etting automatically returns to the default setting when you set t he POWER switch OFF (CHG) for more tha n 12 hours. (DIS PLAY SET) menu Display s ettings of the display and the viewfinder (M ARKER/VF B.LIGHT/D ATA CODE, etc.) The de[...]

63 Usin g the Menu This it em is useful wh en yo u adjust expos ure. You can adju st EXPOSU RE/ IRIS while checking [ HISTOGRAM] window (p. 32). [HISTOGRAM] will not be record ed on a tape or “Mem ory Stick Duo.” z Tip s • The left area on the graph shows the darker areas of t he picture whil e the right ar ea shows the brighter areas. • If[...]

64 • The items dis played by setting [CAM DATA DSP] to [ON] are different f rom the it ems that will be displayed when [DAT A CODE] is set to [CAMERA DATA] (p. 64). Since the de fault setti ng is [ON], audio level meter i s displa yed. You ca n adjust the LCD bri ght using the SEL/PU SH EXEC dia l. Th e bri ghtne ss of record ed pic tures i s no [...]

65 Usin g the Menu A SteadyShot off B Exposure is displayed whe n shooting with au tomatic adjustme nt of iris /gain/ shutter spe ed, and is display ed when shoo ting with manua l adjust ment. C Iris is displaye d in the iris value displa y area when yo u manually set the iris valu e to t he max imum. D Gain E Shutter speed F White ba lance is disp[...]

66 (IN/OUT REC) menu Record ing settings, i nput and output settin gs ( VCR HDV /DV/D V REC MO DE/ DV WIDE RE C/ TV TYPE , etc.) The defa ult set ting s are mark ed with B . The ind icators in parent heses a ppear wh en the items ar e select ed. See page 53 for details o n selecting menu items. You c an se lect a re cordi ng fo rmat . B HDV1080i ( [...]

67 Usin g the Menu LP ( LP ) Incre ases t he reco rding time to 1.5 times the SP mode (Long Play). b Not es • If you record in the LP mode, a mosaic-like noise may appear or sound may be interrupted when you play back t he tape on other ca mcor de rs or VCR s. • When you mix recordings in the SP mode and in the LP mode on one tape, the playback[...]

68 4:3 Select to view yo ur pictures on a 4:3 standard TV. b Notes • Thi s is not effective for the i.LIN K output. • When you connect your camcorder to a TV with an i.LINK ca ble to play back the tape, [TV TYPE] cannot be set. HDV /DV (1 6:9) format pic tures DV (4:3) format pictures (MEMO RY SET) menu Sett ing s for th e “Memo ry Sti ck Duo[...]

69 Usin g the Menu Top: [FINE] is selected f or image quality. Bottom: [STANDARD] is selected for image quality. * Recording: Image size fi xed to [ 1.2M] in HDV or DV format (16:9) and [0.9M] in DV format (4:3). Playback: Image size is fixed to [ 1.2M] in HDV format, [ 0.2M] in DV format (16:9) and [VGA (0.3M)] in DV format (4:3). b Not e • The [...]

70 When you sele ct [YES ], you can crea te a new fold er (102MSDCF to 999 MSDCF) on a “Memo ry Sti ck Duo. ” When a fold er is full (a m aximum of 9, 999 images a re stored) , a new folder is automat ically create d. b Notes • You cannot delete the created folders using your camcorder. You will ha ve to format the “Memory Stick Duo” (p. [...]

71 Usin g the Menu 3 Change the profile n ame by turning th e SEL/PUSH EXEC dial. z Tip • The method of inputting the name is the same as the method of setting the name of the picture profile (p. 38). 4 Select [OK] by turni ng the SEL/PUSH EXEC di al, then press t he dial . Profile na me is change d. x To load camera profile sett ings You can loa[...]

72 When yo u set [PB ZOO M] to [ON], you can en large mo vie ima ges abou t 1.1 to 5 times ( still images a bout 1. 5 to 5 t imes). (The defau lt setting is [OFF]). You can adjust the m agnificati on with the zoom lever. T o end the zoo m, press the W side of the zoom lever. z Tip • To mov e the zoom horizontally, press the SEL/ PUSH EXEC dial, t[...]

73 Dubbin g/Editing Dubbing /Editing Dubbi ng to VCR, DVD/HD D dev ice, e tc. Connec t your camcor der to the wa ll socket using the supplied AC A daptor fo r this operatio n (p. 1 5). R efer a lso t o th e inst ruct ion ma nual s sup plied with the device s t o be c onnect ed. The connect ion method a nd the image quality will differ depending on [...]

74 Jacks on yo ur camcorder Open the ja ck cover and connec t the cabl e. Usin g an i .LIN K cable (opt ional) The dubbed format (HDV/DV) differs d ependin g on the recording fo rmat or the format supported by the VCR/ DVD device. See the table below for sel ecting th e appropriate se ttings , and perfo rm necessary menu set ting. b Note • Dis co[...]

75 Dubbin g/Editing b Not es • When [VCR HDV/DV] is set to [AUTO], and the signal switches between HDV and DV formats, the picture and sound are inter rupted temporarily. • When the recorder is HDR-FX7E, set [VCR HDV/DV] to [AUTO] (p. 66). • When the pl ayer and the recorder are both HDV1080i compati ble devices such as HDR- FX7E and connecte[...]

76 • When d ubbing to a DVD recorder from you r camcorder through an i.LINK cable, you may not operate your camcorder on your DVD recorder even if its instruction manual says you can. If you can set the input mode to HDV or DV on your DVD recorder and can input/out put pictures, follow the steps in “Dubbing to another device.” z Tips • To r[...]

77 Dubbin g/Editing * An i.LINK jack which is compatible with HDV1080i specification is required. 1 Set the POW ER switch to VC R. 2 Set the input sign al of your camcorder. Set [VCR HDV/DV] to [AUTO] when recording from an HDV for mat compat ible d evice. Set [VCR HDV/DV] to [DV] or [AUTO] wh en recordi ng from a DV format comp atible d evice (p. [...]

78 6 Start playing the ca ssette on your VCR. The pict ure playe d on the VC R appear s on the LCD sc reen of your ca mcorde r. 7 Press X (PAUSE) again at the point you want t o start recording. 8 Press x (STOP ) to stop recording. b Notes • You cann ot record TV programs from the HDV/DV interface (i.LINK). • You can record pictures from DV dev[...]

79 Dubbin g/Editing Copyi ng movi es fr om tape to “ Memor y Stick D uo” as sti ll images You can re cord still imag es on a “Me mory Stick Duo. ” Be sure to inser t a recorded tape an d a “Mem ory Stick D uo” in your camcorder, and set [PHOTO /EXP.FOCUS] to [PHOT O] (the default set ting) (p. 71) beforehand . 1 Set th e POWER switch to[...]

80 b Note • Pictures cannot be deleted when a “Memory Stick Duo” with the write -protect tab is set to the write-protect pos ition (p. 104), or when the selected picture is protected (p. 91). z Tips • To delete images from the index screen, use the VOLUME/MEMORY button to move the B mark to the images you want to and perform step s 3 and 4.[...]

81 Dubbin g/Editing One of th e image s stor ed on the “Memory Stick Duo” will be displa yed. 1 Select the image yo u want to print with the V OLUME/MEMORY button. 2 Set the numbe r of copi es you want to print if necessary. If you do not wan t to set the number, go to step 3 (the num ber will be automat ically se t to 1). 1 Select [SET] t [COP[...]

82 z Tip • PictBr idge is an industry standard established by the Ca mera & Imagin g Products Asso ciation (CIPA). Yo u can print stil l images without using a computer by connec ting a printer directly to a digital video camera or digital stil l camera, regardless of model or manufactu rer. Printi ng recor ded i mages (PictBridge c ompliant [...]

83 Using a Computer Using a Compute r Connec ting t o a comput er When co nnecti ng your cam corder to a comput er, the fo llowing opera tions are availa ble: Copying the still imag es on a “Memory Stick Duo” to the comp uter t p. 83 Copying th e movie on a tape in t he HDV form at to the com puter t p. 86 Copying th e movie on a tape in t he D[...]

84 • Do not connect your camcorder to the computer at this poi nt. • The computer m ay not recognize the camcorder if you connect them with the USB cable before turning on your camcorder. • See page 86 for the recommended connection. 1 Turn on the computer. Close down al l applications run ning on the co mputer. For Windows 2000/Windows XP Lo[...]

85 Using a Computer A Folder c ontaini ng image files reco rded by other ca mcorder s with out the f older crea tion func ti on (f or pla ybac k on ly). B Folder c ontaini ng image files reco rded by your c amcord er when no n ew folders have be en created, onl y [101MSDCF] is displayed. C Fold er containi ng movie data recorde d by other ca mcorde[...]

86 b Notes • If you are using Mac OS X, turn off the computer before disconnecting the USB cable and ejecting the “Memory Stick Duo.” • Do n ot disconnect the USB cable while the access lamp is lit. • Mak e sur e to di scon nec t the USB cabl e bef ore turning off your camcorder. Recomm ended con necti on Observe the following po ints whe[...]

87 Using a Computer * See page 53 for menu se ttings. z Tip s • To copy HDV format images a s they are without changing their format, an HDV compatible environment is required. For details , refer to you r software in struct ion manual or contact t he software manufacturer. • To play movies by a regular DVD player, you need to create DVD video [...]

88 z Tips • Check the specs, features and latest informat ion of your software on the software manufacturer's website. • When i mages recorded in HDV format are copied to a compute r, the file size is about 2GB (almost the s ame as a DV file) for a 10-minute movie if the video compression format is MPEG2. When c opyin g the m ovie in the H[...]

89 Troubles hooting Troubleshoo ting Trou blesho oting If you run into any problems using your camc order, use the fo llowing tabl e to troublesho ot the problem. If the problem persists, d isconnec t the p ower sourc e and contact your Sony dealer. • Pow er sour ces// LCD scre en/Remo te Comman der ···p. 8 9 • Cas set te tape s/“Memor y S[...]

90 The battery pack discharges too quickly. • Am bient temper ature is too high or low, or the battery pack has not been charged enoug h. This is not a malfu nctio n. • F ully charg e the battery ag ain. If the problem pe rsists, the battery ma y be worn-ou t. Replac e it with a new one (p. 15, 105). The picture remains on the LCD screen. • T[...]

91 Troubles hooting The cassette is noisier during rewinding o r fast-forwarding. • Whe n using the AC Adaptor, rewind/ fast forward spee d increases (compared with batt ery operati on) and th erefore increase s noise. This i s not a malfunc tion. You cannot de lete pict ures or form at the “Memor y Stick Duo.” • R elease the lock on th e w[...]

92 The shutter sound is not heard when you record a still image. • Set [BEEP] to [ ON] (p . 72). • T here is no shutter sound while during movie shooti ng. End search does not work. • Do not ejec t the casset te af ter re cording (p . 41) . • T here is nothing r ecorded o n the c assette. • T here is a blank sect ion betwee n recorde d se[...]

93 Troubles hooting The subjects p assing by the frame very fast appear c rooked. • Th is is called th e focal pla ne phenomenon. This is not a m alfuncti on. Because of the way that the imag e device (CMOS sens or) reads out im age signals , the subjects pas sing by the fra me rapidly mi ght appear cro oked dependin g on the recording conditions[...]

94 Horizontal lines appear on the picture. The displayed pictures are n ot clear or do not appear . • Vi deo head is dirty. Clean the head using the cleaning cassette (opt ional) (p. 109). You cannot hear the sound recorded with 4CH MIC REC on another camcorder. • Set [DV AUDIO MIX] (p. 61). No sound or onl y a lo w sound is hea rd. • T urn u[...]

95 Troubles hooting New sound added to a recorded tape on another camcorder i s not heard. • Adjust [DV AUDIO MIX] from [ST1] (original sound) side until the sound is heard appropriat ely (p. 61). appears on the LCD screen. • Th is appears when you play back a tape recorded on oth er recording de vices using a 4ch microphon e (4CH MIC REC) . Th[...]

96 Black zone appears at top and bottom of a 4:3 TV screen. • T his happens when viewi ng a picture recorded in the 16:9 (wide) mode on a 4:3 TV. This is not a mal function. Pictures from connected devices cannot be zoomed. • Yo u cannot zoom pi ctures from conn ected devices on your c amcorder (p. 30). Time code and ot her infor mati on appear[...]

97 Troubles hooting The computer does n ot recognize your camcorde r. • Disconnect the c able from the com puter an d camco rder, t hen conn ect it again s ecurely . • Di sconnect USB device s other than the keyboa rd, the mouse, and the camcorde r from the (USB) jack on th e compute r. • Disconnect the c able fro m th e computer and ca mcord[...]

98 Warnin g in dicato rs and mes sage s If in dica tors ap pear on th e LCD scr een or in the view find er, ch eck the fo llo wing. So me sy mpto ms you c an fix b y y ourse lf. If the probl em persists ev en after you have tried a couple of ti mes, contact your Sony deal er or l ocal aut horiz ed So ny se rvice facili ty. C: (or E :) ss : ss ( Sel[...]

99 Troubles hooting Fast flashing: • The t ape ha s run out. * Z (Eject cassette warning)* Slow flashing: • Th e write-pr otect tab on the cassette is set to lock (p. 102) . Fast flashing: • M oisture cond ensation has occ urred (p. 108). • Th e self- diagnosis display code is displayed (p. 9 8). - (Warn ing indi cato r pertai ning to the w[...]

100 Cannot record s till ima ges on Memory Stick. • Yo u canno t record sti ll imag es in the following cases : – When the shutter spe ed is 1/50 o r less – While us ing [FADER ] – While using [S MTH SLW REC] – While c hecking or execut ing shot transi tion x PictBrid ge co mpliant pri nter Check the connected device. • Swi tch off the [...]

101 Additional Info rmation Addition al Informa tion Using y our camc orde r abroad Power supply You can use yo ur camco rder in any country /region using t he AC Adap tor suppl ied with your cam corde r within th e AC 100 V to 24 0 V, 50/60 Hz range . On TV colo r systems Your camcorder is PAL system, so it s picture can only be vie wed on an PAL [...]

102 HDV form at and recordi ng/pl ayback Your ca mcorde r is capable of re cording i n both HDV and DV formats. You ca n use mini DV format ca ssettes onl y. Use a c assett e with the mark. Your camc order i s not c ompatibl e with the Cassette Memory func tion. What is the HDV format? The HD V format is a video for mat devel oped to record a nd pl[...]

103 Additional Info rmation x When l abeli ng th e cass ette Be sure to place the label only on the locati ons shown in the fol lowing illust ratio n so as not to ca use a mal functio n of your camc order. x Afte r usi ng th e cass ette Rewind th e tape to the beginning to a void distortion of the picture or the sound. The cass ett e shou ld the n [...]

104 • Data read/write speed may vary depending on the combination of the “Memory St ick” and “Memory Stick” compl iant product you use. On a “ Memo ry Sti ck D uo” with a write-protect tab You can prev ent ac cide ntal eras ure o f images when you slid e the write-pr otect tab on th e “Memo ry S tick D uo” with a smal l tapered ob[...]

105 Additional Info rmation On ima ge data c ompatibili ty • Image data files recorded on a “Memory Stick Duo” by your camcorder conform to the “Design rule for Camera File system” universal standard established by the JEITA (Japan Electronics and Information Technology Industries Association). • On your camco rder, you cannot play back[...]

106 – Use a large capacity battery pack: NP-F770/ F970 (optional) . • Frequent use of the LCD screen or a frequent playback, fast forward or rewind operation wears out the battery pack faster. We recommend using a lar ge capacity battery pack: NP-F770/F970. • B e sure to set the POWER s witch to OFF (CHG) when not recording or playing back on[...]

107 Additional Info rmation About i.L INK The HDV /DV i nterf ace o n this unit is an i.LINK-compl iant i nterfac e. This secti on describes the i.L INK standard and its feature s. What i s i.L INK? i.LINK is a digit al serial inte rface for transferr ing d igital vide o, digita l audio , and other dat a to other i .LIN K-compati ble devices. You c[...]

108 Maint enance and prec autio ns On use an d care • Do not use or store the camcorder and accessories i n the following locations. – Anywhere extremely hot or cold. Never leave them exposed to temperatures above 60 °C (140 °F), such as under direct sunlight, near heaters or in a car parked in the sun. They may malfunction or become deformed[...]

109 Additional Info rmation x Note on moistur e condensa tion Moisture may condense w hen y ou bring your c amcor der f rom a col d plac e int o a warm pl ace (or vice versa) or when you use your camc ord er i n a hu mid plac e as sho wn below. • When you bring your camcorder from a ski slope into a place war med up by a heating device. • When [...]

110 x To clean the LCD screen If finger prints or dust make the LC D screen dirty, i t is re commend ed you use a soft cloth t o clean it. When you use th e LCD Clea ning Kit ( opti ona l), do not ap ply th e clea ning liquid di rectly to the LCD scre en. Use clea ning paper mo istened wi th the liqui d. On hand ling the ca sing • If the cas ing [...]

111 Additional Info rmation Removi ng dust from insi de the view finder 1 Remove th e viewfinder. While slid ing th e view find er re leas e lever to the l eft 1 , remove the viewfi nder 2 . 2 Remove d ust from inside the viewfinder and the part shown below wi th a bl ower. 3 Attach the viewfinder follo wing the reverse procedure of step 1. 2 1[...]

112 Specif ica tions System Video recording system (HDV) 2 rotary heads, Helical scanning system Video recording system (DV) 2 rotary heads, Helical scanning system Stil l image re cordi ng syste m Exif Ver . 2.2 * 1 Audio recordi ng sys tem (HDV ) Rotary heads, MP EG-1 Audio Layer -2 , Quan tization : 16 bits (Fs 48 kHz, ster eo) transfer r ate: 3[...]

113 Additional Info rmation * 3 The focal leng th figure s are actual figures resulti ng from wide angle pixel read out. Output co nnecto rs AUDIO/VIDEO output 10-pin co nnector Video sign al: 1 Vp-p, 75 Ω (o hms) Lumi nanc e sig nal: 1 Vp- p, 75 Ω (ohm s) Chromi nance signal: 0. 3 Vp-p, 75 Ω (ohms) Audio signa l: 327 mV (at load impe danc e 47 [...]

114 AC Adapto r AC-L15A Power re quireme nts AC 100 V - 240 V, 50/60 Hz Current consumption 0.35 - 0.18 A Power consumption 18 W Output v oltage DC 8.4 V * Oper ati ng temp era tur e 0 °C to 40 °C (32 ° F to 104 °F) Storage te mperature -20 °C to + 60 °C (-4 °F to + 140 °F) Dimensions (approx.) 56 × 31 × 100 mm (2 1/4 × 11 / 4 × 4 in.) [...]

115 Additional Info rmation On trad emarks • “Handycam” and are registered trademarks of Sony Corporation. • “Memor y Stick,” “ ,” “Me mory Stick Duo,” “ ,” “Memory Stick PRO Duo,” “ ,” “MagicGate,” “ , ” “MagicGate Memory S tick” and “MagicGat e Memory Stick Duo” are trademarks of Sony Corporation. ?[...]

116 Quick Reference Iden tify ing p art s an d con trols The numbe rs in ( ) are refer ence pages. A Zoom le ver (30) B Viewfinder (19 ) C Viewfinder le ns adjustmen t lever (19) D Viewfinder release l ever (1 11) E Remote senso r (back) (120 ) F Rec lamp (ba ck) (25) The rec lamp f lashes i f the remain ing tape or batt ery is low. G PHOTO/EXPANDE[...]

117 Quick Re fere nce A Hook for the shoulder strap (11 8) B EXPOSURE /IRIS button (32) C EXPOSURE /IRIS dial (32) D PUSH A UTO FOCUS butto n (31) E ND FILTER switc h (33) F ASSIGN buttons (1/ 2/3)*(39) G AUT O LOC K swit ch (33) H GAIN butto n (34) I SHUTT ER SPEED button (3 4) J WHT BA L (white bala nce) button (3 5) K MEN U button (5 3) L SEL/PU[...]

118 A BATT RELEAS E (batte ry releas e) button (16 ) B Hook for the shou lder strap (118) C OPEN/EJEC T lever (23) D Grip be lt (18) E Handl e zoom switch (H/L /OFF) (30) F Handle zo om butto n (30) G REC START /STOP bu tton (25) H MIC jack When a mic rophone is co nnecte d, it is dominantl y used for sound reco rding over the in ternal micr ophone[...]

119 Quick Re fere nce A LCD sc reen (19) B Video control b uttons (RE W, PLAY * , FF, PAUSE, STOP, SLOW, REC) (28) C ZEBRA switc h ( 34) D ASSIGN6/MEMO RY/DE LETE button (39, 79) E ASSIGN5/MEMO RY/IN DEX button (29, 39) F ASSIGN4/MEMOR Y/PLAY bu tton (29, 39) G DISPLAY /BATT INFO butt on (44, 45) H VOLUME/MEMORY butt on * (29) I RESET but ton If yo[...]

120 Remove the insu lati on she et befor e usin g the Remo te Command er. A PHOTO (27) The on-screen image when you press this button will be recorded onto th e “Memory Stick Duo” a s a still image. B Memory control b uttons (I ndex, –/+, Memory/pl ayback) (2 9) C SEARCH M. (46) D . > E Video control buttons (Rewin d, Playback, Fast-forwar[...]

121 Quick Re fere nce Indica tors fo r the LCD scr een and v iewfi nder The numbe rs in ( ) are referenc e pages. The i ndicators will not be rec orded on the tape duri ng reco rding. A Recor ding forma t ( or ) (66) Recording mode ( SP or LP ) is also displayed in the DV fo rmat . B Rema ining batt ery (approx.) C Recor ding status ([STBY] (sta nd[...]

122 K Tape trans port i ndica tor Recording mode (SP or LP) appears when a tape recorded in the DV format is played back. L Data fil e name M Pictu re nu mber/ Tota l number of recor ded p icture s in the cu rrent playb ack fo lder N Playba ck fold er (70) O Prev iou s/Nex t fo lder icon The , , appear when the first or last picture of the current [...]

123 Quick Re fere nce Upper left Upper right Cent er Botto m Indicators when you made change s Indicator Mea nin g Recording f ormat (66) SP LP DV REC MODE (66) * DV WIDE REC ( 67) * QUI CK REC (7 2) ** DV FRAME REC (59) * , , ND filter (33) Indicator Mea nin g Still imag e qual ity (6 8) INDEX MARK (41) HDV input/ DV input (77) HDV output/ DV outp[...]

124 Inde x Nume ric 1080i/576i .. ........................... 67 12BIT. ...... ..... ..... ...... ..... .... .... 61 16BIT. ...... ..... ..... ...... ..... .... .... 61 16:9 (wide) or 4:3 TV ........... 4 8 21-pin adaptor. ..... .... ....... ..... . 52 3-ClearVid CMOS sensor system ...... ....... ..... .... ....... ..... . 10 576i ........ ..... ..[...]

125 Quick Re fere nce Focus r ing ... ..... ..... ...... ..... .... .31 Folder NEW FOLDER ........ .....70 PB FOLDER ( Playback folder ) ..... ....... .... ..... ...... .70 REC FOLDER ( Recording folder ) ..... ....... .... ..... ...... .70 FORMAT....... ....... .... ..... ...... .69 G Gain . ....... .... ..... ....... .... ..... .....34 GAIN butt [...]

126 P PAL ......... ..... ..... ...... .....94, 101 PB F OLDER (Playb ack fol der) ......... .... ....7 0 PB ZOOM (Playback zoom) ..... ..... .... ....... ..... .... ..... . 72 PEAKING .. .... ..... .... ..... ....... . 62 PHOTO/EXPANDED FOCUS button....... ....... ..... .... ....... ..... . 25 PHOTO/EXP.FOCUS .......... 71 PictBr idge .......... .[...]

127 Quick Re fere nce W Warning indicators................98 Warning me ssages ......... ...... .99 WB SHIFT ..... .... ....... ..... .... ...37 White b alance .... ..... .... ..... .....3 5 WHITE FADE R ....... ..... .... ...60 WHT BAL butto n ....... ....... ...35 Wide ang le ......... ..... ....... .... ...30 WIDE C ONV........ .... ..... ......[...]