Hitachi VM-H100LA manual

For Your Safety - 1 - Instruction Manual 8mm Video Camcorder VM-H100LA Hitachi Home Electronics (A merica), Inc. HITACHI (HSC) CA NA DA INC 3890 Steve Rey nolds Blvd., Norc ross, G A 30093 3300 Trans Canada Highway , Pointe Clair e, Tel. 770-279- 5600 Quebec, H9R 1B1, CANADA Tel. 514-697- 9150 HITACHI SA LES CORPORATION OF HAWA II, INC 3219 Koapaka[...]

For Your Safety - 2 - For Your Safety ......................................................................................................................................... 3 Importan t Safeguar ds .............................................................................................................................. 4 IMPORTANT SAFETY INS[...]

For Your Safety - 3 - Using the Tiltabl e Mon opod and Ca mera Mount ........................................................................... 42 Attaching the Optio nal Wide or Tele Co nv er te r Lens ................................................................... 43 General Mai ntenance ......................................................[...]

Important Safeguards - 4 - as colored brig ht dots. T his does not indicate a fault as the LCD panel stretches the limits of current technolog y. Warning: This device com plies with Part 15 of the FCC Rules. O peration is s ubject to the f ollowing two conditions: (1) This device m ay not cause harm ful interf erence, and ( 2) this device m us t ac[...]

Important Safeguards - 5 - 2 Retain Instructions -- T he safety and operating instruct ions should be retained f or f uture refer ence. 3 Heed Warning s -- Com ply w i th all warnings on the video produc t and in the operating instruc tions. 4 Polarized Plu g -- T his video produc t is equipped with a polarized alternating-curr ent line plug (a plu[...]

Important Safeguards - 6 - with a cart, stand, tripod, brac ket, or table recom m ended by the manufactur er, or sold with the video product. Any mounting of the product s hould follow the m anufac turer's ins tructions , and should use a m ounting acc essor y recom m ended by the manufactur er. 11A An appliance and cart c om bination should b[...]

IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS FOR AC ADAPTER/CHARGER - 7 - e. If the video produc t has been dropped or the c abinet has been dam aged. f. W hen the video product exhibits a distinct c hange in perfor manc e - this indic ates a need for service. 19 Replacement Parts -- W hen replacem ent parts are r equired, have the servic e technician verif y tha[...]

Before You Begin - 8 - • A quick index for the inform ation you use mos t often (this page). • A detailed table of contents directing you to specific inform ation quic kly (page 10). Get to know your video camcor der by using this manual, and get to know Hitachi. W e appreciate y our busines s. Quick Index Charging the Battery .....12 Making a [...]

Before You Begin - 9 - 9. Sunshade of LCD s creen 10. Connector cap 11. LCD cleaner 12. Soft car rying case 13. Tiltable m onopod 14. Camer a mount 15. 3.5m ex tension cable Optional RF Output Ad apter If you wish to connect this camcorder to a television that does not have audi o/video input jacks you w ill need to use the optional RF adapter mode[...]

Getting S ta rted - 10 - • Do not leave the cam era under warm water. Even if it is less than 3.3 f eet (1m ) deep, the warm water could enter the cam era and caus e it to m alfunction. To Prevent Condensation • W hen the camcor der is m oved f rom a cold place to a warm place, leave it f or a while until it reaches the ambient temper ature. ?[...]

Getting S ta rted - 11 - 4. Plug the AC adapter/charger power cord into an AC outlet. T he green power light of the cam c order turn on. W hen charging is finished, the light tur ns off . Note: The CHARG E light on the AC adapter/charger does not turn on. Note: The CAM/O FF/VIDEO s witch mus t be in "OFF" pos ition to charge the battery i[...]

Getting S ta rted - 12 - 1. Connect the car adapter /charger to the c ar's cigar ette lighter sock et. T he power light turns on. 2. Attach the battery to the car adapter/charger . The char ge light turns on and char ging starts. T he light turns off when charging is f inished. Note: W hen the car adapter/charger is connected to the c amc orde[...]

Getting S ta rted - 13 - A dj usti ng the Hand Str a p Adjust the hand st rap to best fit your hand. After adj ustm ent, hook the hand s trap's pad sec urely. Lens Cap Attach the lens cap to pr otect the lens when carr y ing or stor ing the cam corder. Dur ing shooting attach the lens cap as shown in the f igure to prevent it fr om being los t[...]

Getting S ta rted - 14 - Loading Batteri es Install the rem ote contr ol battery now to prevent m isplacing it. Remote Control Battery 1. Push the tab to the right of the r em ote control and hold it, then rem ove the battery holder. 2. Insert the battery with + facing up shown in figure above. 3. Replace the battery holder with battery in the rem [...]

Getting S ta rted - 15 - Removing the Battery 1. Push the BAT T. EJECT lever to open the batter y com partm ent cover . 2. Push the battery release lever in the direction of the arrow; the battery will come out. Pull the battery forward to remove it. Note: The batter y is ejec ted by the forc e of a spr ing. Be caref ul not to drop the battery. Che[...]

Getting S ta rted - 16 - 1. Plug the AC adapter/charger power cord into an AC outlet. Mak e sure that the wide blade fits into the wide slot. If it doesn' t fit try reversing it. If you still cannot m ak e it fit into the outlet either contac t an electrician to r eplace y our obsolete outlet, or use a polarized cord or outlet acc essor y . 2.[...]

Getting S ta rted - 17 - 3. Push the cas sette holder, which is em bos sed PUSH LOCK, until it "clic k s" into place. T he cam cor der automatic ally closes. Caution: Be sure that you push the cassette holder em boss ed PUSH LOCK to close the holder . Otherwise, the holder will not click into place and the tape m ay be slack which c ould [...]

Getting S ta rted - 18 - a cassette into the c am corder and c lears to 0:00:00 when the cassette is ejected. Note: Press the CO UNTER RESET button of the r em ote control to reset the linear tim e counter to 0:00:00. Note: If M is dis played beside the linear time counter , the counter value is stored in m em ory. (See "Memory Feature" o[...]

Getting Started, Identify i ng Controls - 19 - Note: Press to move the (hand) m ar k up or press  to m ove it down. The s elected option (pointed at by (hand) turns gr een. 4. Press the f ast f orward button. The date dis play changes as follows and the date setting m ode is enter ed. 5. Press the f ast f orward or rewind button to display the m[...]

Getting Started, Identify i ng Controls - 20 - A power source must be connected before cassettes can be inserted or remov ed though the CAM/OFF/VIDEO sw itch may be set to OFF ("Inserting and R emoving C assettes", p.19). 8. Powe r Indicator This lig hts red when the camcor der is turned on and l ights gr een when the battery in the camco[...]

Getting Started, Identify i ng Controls - 21 - control the volum e. 22. Infrared Receiv er The area where inf rared s ignals fr om the wireles s rem ote are rec eived. Aim the rem ote control to this area for best re sults. 23. I. ZOOM (Instant Zoom) Button Use this button to m agnif y the im age being recorded 1.5 tim es . 24. Cassette Holder a po[...]

Getting Started, Identify i ng Controls - 22 - Use this button to res et the linear tim e counter to 0:00:00. 44. Zoom Switch This switch perf orm s zoom ing electrically. W : Picture becom es wider gradually. T: Pic ture becom es teles copic gr adually . Note: The zoom switch on the rem ote contro l cannot change the zoom s peed, but provides only[...]

Basic Technique s - 23 - Using the Sunshade of the LCD Screen Attach the provided s unshade when recor ding outdoors so the LCD s creen c an be seen more easily . A ttachi ng the Opening and Closi ng Removing the Sunshade the Sunshade Sunshade Basic Techniques The batteries are in plac e and charged, the date and time are s et, and you are familiar[...]

Basic Technique s - 24 - 5. To s top recording pres s the Start/Stop button and REC dis appears fr om the LCD monitor replaced by . This places the cam c order in standby. Note: TAPE END f lashes on the LCD m onitor when about 3 m inutes or less rem ain of the tape c assette. Note: If the cam c order is lef t in recor d/pause m ode for than 5 minut[...]

Basic Technique s - 25 - Using Forw ard and Reverse Search When look ing for a particular point in your videotape us e the fast forward and rewind buttons to find the spot quickly . • Press fa st forwar d during play back to play the tape forward at approxim ately 9 times norm al s peed. Press play to return to normal playback. • Press r ewind [...]

A d vanced Techniques - 26 - Connecting to a Television w ith A udio and Video In Jacks 1. Connect the provided AV ster eo output cable to the AUDIO IN and VIDEO IN j ack s of your television. Connect either the right or lef t audio plug into your television if it has only one AUDIO IN jack. Note: Som e televisions have an S-VIDEO IN jack . Connect[...]

A d vanced Techniques - 27 - 1. Press the c am era release lever in the direction of the m ark and pull out the cam era in the direc tion of the arrow . 2. Fit the cam era in the direc tion of the m ark indicated in the cam er a m ounting pedestal and slide it along the grooves in the pedestal. Mak e sur e that there is a c lick . 3. Lift the cam e[...]

A d vanced Techniques - 28 - Connecting the Extension Cabl e (Pr ovided) 1. Turn the lever on the cam era cable c onnection ring to FREE and pull out the c am era cable connec tor in the direction of the arrow. 2. Connect the extension c able. Tur n the lever in the direction of the arrow to lock the cable. Note: Only one extension cable can be con[...]

A d vanced Techniques - 29 - Note: You may feel a slight resis tance when turning it as a waterproof pack ing is provided. Date Recording When the date has been set, the camc order will enter the automatic date recording mode automatic ally. Specify the required DATE MODE option before rec ording. 1. Press the r ed button on the CAM/OFF/VIDEO switc[...]

A d vanced Techniques - 30 - 6. Press the s tart/stop button. Rec ording will start. Note: W hen  AUTO is spec ified, the date dis appears f or about 10 seconds after r ecording is s tarted. Note: W hen  TITLE is specif ied, the title and date disappear about 10 s econds af ter recor ding is star ted. Using the Pow er Zoom The power zoom W co[...]

A d vanced Techniques - 31 - Note: This digital zoom has c ertain lim itations and m ay degradate at extrem e m agnification and am plif y cam corder's movem ent. Press and hold the power zoom T c ontrol until you find the picture you w ant. You control the zoom with the power zoom T and W controls. W hen ZOOM is not displayed on the LCD monit[...]

A d vanced Techniques - 32 - The auto f ocus will not work under the following conditions and y ou m ust f ocus m anually: Objects outside the center of the LCD m onitor Objects at diff erent distances in the center of the LCD m onitor Brightly lit objects such as a neon light, objects lit by spotlight, etc. Object s behind water dappled or dusty g[...]

A d vanced Techniques - 33 - Note: To r eturn to auto focus press F OCUS control buttons and the FOCUS disappear s fr om the LCD monitor . Camera M enu Features Setting Procedure 1. Press the CAM MENU button. T he m enu display appears on the LCD monitor . 2. Press the play or stop  button to selec t the item y ou want to change. Note: The ( han[...]

A d vanced Techniques - 34 - Note: EIS m ay not func tion if you use a wide or teleconverter lens. Note: It is recom m ended that you do not use the EIS function when using a tripod. T he sens or would detect vibrations f rom the tripod in which cas e the picture would be blurred. B.LIGHT LOCK or UNLOCK The c amc order contains an auto iris that ad[...]

A d vanced Techniques - 35 - Note: This is displayed only when the CAM/OF F/VIDEO switch is set to VIDEO. OFF: The inf orm ation on tape rem aining, tim e counter, etc . is not displayed. Note: The batter y rem aining power level is displayed when y ou use a batter y pack as a power supply. DA TE Use this item to set the date ( "Setting the Da[...]

A d vanced Techniques - 36 - the LCD monitor .  W ipe fade: The picture opens gradually from the c enter of a blac k s creen or c loses into the center to a black screen. appears in the upper lef t corner of the LCD m onitor.  Zoom fade: Fades in while zooming from a white scr een or fades out while zooming to a white screen. appears in the u[...]

A d vanced Techniques - 37 - Using Qu ick Edit Use quick edit to searc h for the end of previously recorded m aterial, f ind a particular s pot on y our tape, begin editing, or recor d new material. W hile the cam era is in re cord/pause m ode hold down the fas t forward , rewind , or play button and visually s earch the tape. Release the button an[...]

A d vanced Techniques - 38 - The linear time counter memory stops a rewinding tape at approximately 0:00:00M. This feature helps in loc ating a specific point in the tape to whic h you wish to r eturn. An example might be that you hav e recorded s ome tape that you have already watched, you continue r ecording but do not car e to watch the tape you[...]

A d vanced Techniques - 39 - 4. Use the ST OP ()button to place the c ursor where you wish to begin y our title. 5. Use the F.FW D ( ) and REW ( )buttons to select the fir st charac ter of your title. 6. Once you've selected a character press the ST OP() button to set it. 7. Complete the title by repeating steps 5 and 6. 8. W hen y ou co[...]

A d vanced Techniques - 40 - 1. Connect the cam corder to the VCR (p.30). 2. Turn on the VCR and s et it to record. Hold down the red button on the CAM/O FF/VIDEO s witch while sliding the switch to VIDEO. Pres s the play button on the remote contr ol or cam corder . 3. Press the T IT LE ON/OFF button on the rem ote control at the point on the tape[...]

A d vanced Techniques - 41 - the record m ode. Note: If the tape counter reads "0:00:00M" you cannot start recor ding. Using A udio/ Vi deo Dubbing Use audio/video dubbing to rec ord audio and video from the camc order's built- in microphone and camera onto a previously recorded tape in the c amcorder . Audio/Video dubbing hookup Ill[...]

A d vanced Techniques - 42 - Note: To m onitor the pic ture being rec orded, connect the AV s tereo output cable (pr ovided) to the VIDEO IN jack of the televis ion as shown above. If the AV s tereo output cable is c onnected to the S-VIDEO IN j ack , no color m ay appear on monitor s creen. Note: Decreas e the volume of the VM-H100LA when recor di[...]

A d vanced Techniques - 43 - 1. Fit the screw of the monopod into the tr ipod m ounting threaded sock et of the r ecorder bloc k. 2. Turn the k nob to f ix the recorder securely. 1. Loosen the tripod head retaining s crew. 2. Fit the screw on the tripod head into the tr ipod mounting thr eaded sock et of the c am era block . 3. Turn the tr ipod hea[...]

General Maintena nce - 44 - 2. Remove both c aps of the c onverter lens. 3. Screw the lens into the threads on the cam corder lens assem bly. Note: The wide and tele converter lenses (optional) are not waterproof. General Maintenance Cleaning the Camcorder Heads Dirt can acc um ulate on the video heads on the cam cor der causing the playback pic tu[...]

General Maintena nce - 45 - Troubleshooti ng Quality is v ery important at Hitac hi. W e inspect and chec k every camcor der carefully 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 TH[...]

General Maintena nce - 46 - 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 camc[...]

General Maintena nce - 47 - BA TTERY CONDI TION Sy mptom Check Point & Co rrection The ( ) indication i n the electronic view f inder flashes to indicate batter y is discharged. § Try another batter y or char ge the battery. NO OPERA TI O N I S ACCEPTED OR THE LCD SCREEN IS NOT NORMAL Sy mptom Check Point & Co rrection Power is turned on, [...]

General Maintena nce - 48 - Specifications General Specifications Power requirem ents 7.2V DC Power consum ption 8.4W (when recording) Dimens ions 7-13/16" W x 7-1/8" H x 3-1/16" D (199m m x 181m m x 77m m ) W eight 2.75 lbs (1248g) without battery pack, lens hood, lens cap or c assette Operating tem perature 32°F ~ 104°F Storage t[...]

A ccessories A dd Excitement - 49 - 3219 Koapaka St./Honolulu, HI 96819 Tel 808- 836-3621 A ccessories A dd Excitement We k now that once you dis cover how muc h your Hitachi VM-H100LA c an add to your life you will want to us e these acces sories for even more exc itement. Converter lenses , adapters for s ynchro editing, and c ar cords are just a[...]

A ccessories A dd Excitement - 50 - v Cleaning Camcorder LCD viewfinder Do not use cotton swabs, they will damage LCD. F irst use a dry lens cloth. If dry lens cloth does not do the job, spray a little W index on the cl oth and then clean the LCD. According to Hitachi t hese LCDs can be easily damaged, so this must be done with the utmost care. 10/[...]