Hitachi VM-E521A manual

For Your S afety - 1 - Instruction Manual 8mm Video Camcorder VM-E520A / VM-E521A Hitachi Home Electronics (A merica), Inc. HITACHI (HSC) CA NADA INC 3890 Steve Rey nolds Blvd., Norc ross, G A 30093 3300 Trans Canada Highway, Pointe Claire, Tel. 770-279- 5600 Quebec, H9R 1B1, CANADA Tel. 514-697- 9150 HITACHI SA LES CORPO RA TION OF HA WA II, INC 3[...]

For Your S afety - 2 - TA BLE OF CONTENTS For Your Safety ......................................................................................................................................... 3 Importan t Safeguar ds .............................................................................................................................. 4 [...]

For Your S afety - 3 - Recordin g Television Pro grams ....................................................................................................... 42 Attaching the Optio nal Wide or Tele Co nv er te r Lens ................................................................... 42 Attaching the Optional DC Camera Light ......................[...]

Importan t Safeguar ds - 4 - Warning: This device com plies with Part 15 of the FCC Rules. Oper ation is subjec t to the following two conditions: (1) This devic e m ay not cause harm f ul interferenc e, and (2) this devic e mus t accept any interfer ence received, inc luding interferenc e that may cause undesired oper ation. Note: This equipment h[...]

Importan t Safeguar ds - 5 - 2 Retain Instructions -- T he safety and operating instructions should be retained f or future r eference. 3 Heed Warning s -- Com ply w ith all warnings on the video product and in the operating ins tructions . 4 Polarized Plu g -- T his video product is equipped with a polarized alternating-current line plug (a plug h[...]

Importan t Safeguar ds - 6 - with a cart, stand, tripod, brac ket, or table r ecom mended by the manuf acturer, or s old with the video product. Any mounting of the product s hould follow the m anufacturer 's instruc tions, and should us e a mounting ac cessor y recom m ended by the m anufacturer . 11A An appliance and cart c om bination shoul[...]

IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUC TIONS FOR AC AD APTER/CHAR GER - 7 - e. If the video produc t has been dropped or the cabinet has been damaged. f. W hen the video product exhibits a distinct change in per form ance - this indicates a need f or servic e. 19 Replacement Parts -- W hen replacem ent parts are requir ed, have the service technic ian verify tha[...]

Before Y ou Begi n - 8 - • A quick index for the inf orm ation you use most of ten (this page). • A detailed table of contents directing you to specific inform ation quick ly (page 10). Get to know your video camcorder by using this manual, and get to k now Hitachi. W e appreciate your bus iness. Quick Index Charging the Battery .....12 Making [...]

Before Y ou Begi n - 9 - Optional RF A dapter If you wi sh to connec t this cam corder to a television that does not have audio/video input jac ks you will need to use the optional RF adapter m odel VM-RF 86A (R). The RF adapter can be purchas ed by calling the telephone num ber below. For your convenience Visa, Master Card, and Am erican Expr ess [...]

Getting Star ted - 10 - Pass the str ing through the lens cap and grip belt and attac h it as shown in the figure. Removing the lens cap Alway s attach the lens c ap to protect the lens when carr y ing or storing the c amc order. During shooting attac h the lens cap as s hown in the figure to prevent it f rom being lost. Getting Started This sec ti[...]

Getting Star ted - 11 - After c harging set the m ark switch to red so that you may quickly identify w hether the battery is charged or unc harged. Note: The m ark er switch does not guar antee the batteries charge s tatus. A dditional I nformation To us e a battery in optim um c ondition: • Use the battery until the low charge light ( ) flashes [...]

Getting Star ted - 12 - A djusting the Electronic Viewfinder The elec tronic viewfinder adj usts sim ply by pivoting it to a pos ition where it is com fortable and eas y to see through. Place the viewfinder bac k in its original position befor e storing the cam cor der in its cas e or carr y ing the cam era recor der around to avoid dam aging the v[...]

Getting Star ted - 13 - Clock Battery 1. Pull out the battery holder. 2. Insert the battery with the "+" terminal f acing up. 3. Fully insert the battery holder into the cam cor der. Remote Control Battery 1. Push the tab to the right of the r emote c ontrol and hold it, then rem ove the battery holder. 2. Press the PLAY button and hold i[...]

Getting Star ted - 14 - Before you install the batter y for the firs t time it must be fully char ged. Refer to "Charging the Battery" on page 12 for details. 1. Lift the OPEN lever and pull it up. The power supply attachm ent cover will open. 2. W ith the battery c ompar tment f acing y ou, align arrow on the battery with the arrow on th[...]

Getting Star ted - 15 - Removing the Battery Pack 1. Lift the OPEN lever and pull it up. The power supply attachm ent cover will open. 2. Push the side of the battery in the direction of the arrow. A clic k will be heard and the battery is released. 3. Remove the batter y and close the cover . Checking the Battery 's Charge A battery char ge i[...]

Getting Star ted - 16 - 2. Lift the battery holder plates at the center of the attachm ent holder. 3. Insert six alkaline batteries with the correct polarities . 4. After ins talling the batteries, close the c over. Hold the OPEN lever and align the tabs on both sides of the c over with the end of the attachm ent section. Note: Use only "AA&qu[...]

Getting Star ted - 17 - Note: Do not let the batteries or the term inals of the cam corder get dirty . If they are dirty, use a dry cloth to wipe off the dirt c omp letely . Note: It is recom m ended that you use a battery pack to power the camc order when using a DC cam era light. If a cam era light is used when the cam corder is powered by batter[...]

Getting Star ted - 18 - 1. Plug the car battery cord into the car's cigarette lighter soc ket. 2. Connect one end of the DC c ord (provided) to the DC IN jac k of the cam corder. Connect to other end of the DC cord to the DC OUT PUT of the car battery cord. Note: Only use the car battery cord with cars having 12/24 volt negative ground system [...]

Getting Star ted - 19 - slack or no dust adheres to it, etc. After m ak ing sure that there is no abnorm ality , reinsert the c assette. If TAPE reappear s, see "T roubleshooting" on page 60. Removing a Cassette Slide the EJECT switch in the direction of the arrow. The c assette door opens automatic ally . Rem ove the cassett e. Protectin[...]

Getting St arted, Id entify ing Contr ols - 20 - reference when v iewing them later. Use the following procedur e to set up the display for the c urrent date and time. Note: Be sure to inser t the clock battery before setting the date and tim e. Although the date and time c an be set without the clock battery inserted, they will disappear when the [...]

Getting St arted, Id entify ing Contr ols - 21 - 2. Viewfinder BRIGHT, COLOR and TINT controls Refer to page 56. 3. Cassette Holder Close Bu tton CA UTION: Be sur e to press this button to close the cass ette holder. Otherwise, the tape m ay become slack and may be damaged. 4. Cassette Holder A power source m ust be c onnected to the cam corder bef[...]

Basic Techniq ues - 22 - 19. Camera Light Shoe Attach the DC cam era light here. 20. OPEN Lev er Use this to open or c lose the cover of the power supply attachm ent holder ("Cam corder Batteries", p15). 21. Power Supply A ttachment S ection (Behind the cover) Attach a battery or alkaline batteries her e ("Camc order Batteries",[...]

Basic Techniq ues - 23 - This sec tion guides you through bas ic recor ding and playback . Practice the bas ic techniques of r ecording and pla yback on so meth ing u nimp ortan t such as t raffi c or a sho rt tou r of your b ackyard. Once fam iliar with how the machine works you can move to the mor e sophisticated featur es with less s tress. Let&[...]

Basic Techniq ues - 24 - 1. Connect the provided AV ster eo output cable to the AUDIO IN and VIDEO IN j acks of your VCR. Connect either the right or lef t audio plug into y our VCR if it has only one AUDIO IN jac k. Note: Som e VCRs have an S-VIDEO IN jac k. Connec t the black S- VIDEO plug to the VCR instead of the y ellow VIDEO plug. Note: If yo[...]

Basic Techniq ues - 25 - ohm to 300- ohm tr ansform er) . Connect the adapter to the 75-ohm coaxial c able of the RF output adapter and connect the f ree ends of the adapter to the VHF antenna term inals at the back of your television. 4. Connect the RF output adapter c able to the AV IN/OUT j ack of y our cam corder . 5. Turn your television on an[...]

Advanced Techniques - 26 - Note: W hen y ou engage F .F button or REW button the picture will have som e interfer ence or noise. T his is norm al during searc h mode. To Play Back a Recording at Double the Nor mal Speed Activate the video playback m ode by moving the CAM/OFF/VIDEO switch to "VIDEO". Pres s the PLAY button located on eithe[...]

Advanced Techniques - 27 -  AUTO and Date - A utomatic Date Recording This option records the date autom atic ally once a day at the beginning of recording f or ten seconds Note: The c amc order recor ds the sam e date when; - the cass ette is replaced. - you select  AUTO and date dis play again. - the recor ding is less than 10 s econds long[...]

Advanced Techniques - 28 - Note: W hen  AUTO and date display is selected, the date disappear s about 10 seconds after rec ording is started. Note: W hen  TITLE and date dis play is selec ted, the title and date disappear about 10 sec onds after recording is started. Using the Pow er Zoom The power zoom W contr ol widens the picture, mov ing [...]

Advanced Techniques - 29 - Press the INST . ZOO M button. I. ZOOM appears at the left of the viewfinder and the picture is m agnif ied 1.5 tim es. Note: To r eturn to the original zoom position, pr ess the INST . ZOOM button s o that I. ZOOM disappear s from the viewfinder. Note: This instant zoom has c ertain lim itations and m ay degradate at ext[...]

Advanced Techniques - 30 - Rapidly m oving objects Dark obj ects Note: W ith the T zoom control you can use the auto focus with subjects that are 3.3 f eet away from the lens and further away to inf inity . W ith the W zoom c ontrol y ou can use the auto f ocus with subjec ts 3/8 inches (1cm ) away from the lens and further away to infinity . Using[...]

Advanced Techniques - 31 - 1. Press the EIS button. T he EIS icon appears in the viewfinder. 2. Press the Star t/Stop button to start rec ording. W hen EIS is engaged the viewfinder image s hakes with a slight delay . Note: EIS m ay not function if you use a wi de or tele conver ter lens. Note: W hen the EIS function is engaged in the vicinity of t[...]

Advanced Techniques - 32 - Fading Out 1. W hile recording with the camc order use the FADE button to s elect a fade option. 2. Press the Star t/Stop button to stop recor ding; the fade begins autom atically and REC flashes until the f ade ends. Note: W hen fading out be sure to wait until the PAUSE indicator ( ) is visible in the viewfinder bef ore[...]

Advanced Techniques - 33 - Use quick edit to searc h for the end of previously recorded m aterial, find a particular spot on your tape, begin editing, or recor d new material. W hile the cam era is in rec ord/pause m ode hold down the F.F, REW , or PLAY button and visually search the tape. Release the button and the cam corder stops the tape at the[...]

Advanced Techniques - 34 - Note: The date s earch func tion is released when you press the ST OP button during date searc h mode. Note: If the rec orded tim e is less than 30 s econds, the date sear ch function m ay not operate normally. Using M emory The linear time counter memory stops a rewinding tape at approximately 0;00;00M. This feature help[...]

Advanced Techniques - 35 - camcorder . Aiming rem ote Illustration Note: Use the wireless r emote c ontrol within the range of the infr ared receiver of the cam corder s hown above. Note: The wireless rem ote control m ay not function in strong light s uch as direc t sunlight or very bright artific ial lighting. Note: Clear a direct path from the w[...]

Advanced Techniques - 36 - 7. Complete the title by repeating steps 5 and 6. 8. W hen y ou c omplete your title, press the T IT LE ON/OFF button on the r emote c ontrol to store the title in mem ory and rem ove the title graphics f rom the viewfinder. Note: As long as the c orrect c urrent tim e can be displayed, the title is held in mem ory. Corre[...]

Advanced Techniques - 37 - Note: If the VCR is c onnected to a television and the VCR/T V selector is set to VCR, y ou can m onitor the tape being dubbed. Using Sy nchro Edit Use sync hro edit to record s egments of a previous ly recorded tape when dubbing fr om the camcorder to a VCR. This requir es an optional sync hro edit cable. The Hitac hi VM[...]

Advanced Techniques - 38 - 1. Turn the VCR on. 2. Aim the r emote c ontrol at the infrar ed receiver on the VCR and pr ess the VCR SET button on the rem ote control and hold it, then pres s the button corr esponding to the VCR's m aker code. For ex ample, if y ou have a RCA VCR, press the VCR SET button and hold it, then press the DISPLAY butt[...]

Advanced Techniques - 39 - Note: The r emote c ontrol code is held in m em ory until it is changed or the batteries ar e replaced. Note: Point the rem ote control st raight at the VCR's infr ared receiver f or operation. Note: Use the rem ote control indoor s. W hen the infrared rec eivers of the VCR and c amc order are expos ed to direct sunl[...]

Advanced Techniques - 40 - • The c amc order autom atically searches for the beginning of the fir st segm ent and starts play back . The rec ording VCR automatic ally starts recording • After r ecording the firs t segm ent, the cam corder autom atically searches for the beginning of the next segm ent and resum es playback. T he recor ding VCR i[...]

Advanced Techniques - 41 - TV Brands Press CH ( ) and T his Button Hitachi AVX Zenith VOL ( ) Sony ZOOM .(W ) Magnavox REW Sany o PLAY Gold Star 1 F .FW D Tos hiba AV DUB Gold Star 2 STO P NEC PAUSE (START /STO P) RCA DISPLAY Panasonic T ITLE ON/OF F Mitsubishi ZOO M.(T) JVC COUNT ER RESET Sharp S.EDIT Controll i ng the TV Once progr amm ed, the ca[...]

Advanced Techniques - 42 - previously recorded tape in the c amcorder. Remote Contr ol Audio/Video Dubbing Buttons 1. Connect your camc order to the television, f ollowing "Connecting to a Television with Audio In and Video In Jack s" on page 28. 2. Turn on your television and place it in the ca mc order input m ode (consult your televisi[...]

Advanced Techniques - 43 - 2. Remove both c aps of the c onverter lens. 3. Screw the lens into the threads on the cam corder lens as sem bly . A ttaching the Optional DC Camer a Li ght You can use the DC cam era light to light subjec ts in dark ened areas or c orrect unf lattering shadows. Use the cam era light wisely as it greatly reduces the tim [...]

Advanced Techniques - 44 - Depress the light to r elease the tab from the hook and then m ove the light in the direction of the arrow as shown in the figure. Replacing the DC Camer a Li ght Bul b 1. Turn the f ront of the c ase counter- clock wise and remove it. 2. Remove the bulb by pulling it out through the opened case. 3. Install the new bulb b[...]

General Mai ntenanc e - 45 - General Maintenance Cleaning the camcorder Heads Dirt can acc umulate on the video heads on the cam era causing the playback pic ture to becom e blurred or appear as if video inf orm ation is lost. T his of ten means that the video heads are dirty. Use a video head cleaner suc h as a dry ty pe head c leaning tape to cle[...]

General Mai ntenanc e - 46 - Troubleshooti ng Quality is v ery important at Hitac hi. We ins pect and check every c amcorder car efully at the factory under the most rigid quality control and inspection systems. If problems develop pl ease check the following possible sol utions before inquiring about profess ional servic e. INSERTING OR REMOVING T[...]

General Mai ntenanc e - 47 - RECORDING TV PROGRA M S OFF THE AIR Sy mptom Check Point & Co rrection The camcorder cannot be set to the recording mode, even w hen the Start/Stop button on the camcorder i s pressed § Check the record-pr otect tab on the cassette. See page 19 for details. § Set the CAM/OFF/VIDEO switch to CAM. § Connect the cam[...]

General Mai ntenanc e - 48 - BA TTERY CONDITION Sy mptom Check Point & Co rrection The ( ) indicati on in the electronic view finder flashes to indicate battery is discharged. § Try another batter y or char ge the battery. NO OPERA TION IS A CCEPTED Sy mptom Check Point & Co rrection Power is turned on, but no button operations are accepte[...]

Accessories Add Exciteme nt - 49 - F o r m a t 8 m m Record/playback Two video recor d/play back heads Video signal EIA standard NT SC color Tape s peed 14.3mm /s ec Video input 1.0Vp-p, 75 ohm Video output 1.0Vp-p, 75 ohm Audio input -7.8dBs ( 316mVr ms ) Audio output -7.8dBs ( 316mVr ms ) Fast f orward/rewind time Less than 8 m inutes with P6-120[...]

Accessories Add Exciteme nt - 50 - To plac e an order for any of these item s c all our toll fr ee number or use the ordering f orm on page 65. 1-800-995-4500 More A vailable A ccessories Click to see M ore Available A ccessories To Order in the United States In Canada - Please use Canadian or der form in Fr ench version of this m anual - Page 65. [...]