Minolta DiMAGE Xt manual

INSTR UCTION MANU AL E 9222-2786-11 P/ME-A302[...]

2 BEFORE Y OU BEGIN Thank you f or purchasing this Minolta product. Please take the time to read through this instruction manual so you can enjo y all the features of y our new digital camera. Check the pac king list before using this product. If an y items are missing, immediately contact your camera dealer . Minolta DiMAGE Xt digital camer a Lith[...]

FOR PROPER AND SAFE USE NP-200 Lithium-ion batteries The DiMAGE Xt operates on a small, b ut powerful lithium-ion battery . Misuse or abuse of the lithium- ion battery can cause damage or injur y through fire, electric shock, or chemical leakage . Read and understand all warnings before using the battery . D ANGER • Do not shor t, disassemble, da[...]

4 FOR PROPER AND SAFE USE W ARNING • Only use the battery specified in this manual. •O nly use the specified charger or AC adapter within the v oltage range indicated on the unit. An inappropriate adapter or current may cause damage or injury through fire or electric shock. • Only use the charger power cord in the sales region f or which it w[...]

• Do not use these products in a humid environment, or operate them with w et hands. If liquid enters these products, immediately remov e the batter y or unplug the product, and discontinue use. The continued use of a product e xposed to liquids may cause damage or injury through fire or electr ic shock. • Do not use these products near inflamm[...]

6 FOR PROPER AND SAFE USE • Do not use or store these products in a hot or humid environment such as the glo ve compar tment or trunk of a car . It may damage the camera, charger , and battery which may result in b ur ns or injuries caused by heat, fire, e xplosion, or leaking batter y fluid. • If the battery is leaking, discontinue use of the [...]

This device complies with P art 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is sub- ject to the follo wing two conditions: (1) This device ma y not cause harmful interference, and (2) this de vice must accept any interf erence received, including interf erence that may cause undesired oper ation. Changes or modifications not approv ed by the par ty responsible [...]

8 T ABLE OF CONTENTS T ABLE OF CONTENTS Names of par ts .....................................................................................................................................12 Getting up and running.........................................................................................................................14 Inser ting t[...]

Special focusing situations .................................................................................................... ..27 Flash modes ............................................................................................................................28 Flash range - A utomatic operation ..........................................[...]

10 T ABLE OF CONTENTS Playbac k - advanced operation ............................................................................................................60 Playing bac k voice memos and audio captions.......................................................................60 Playing bac k movies and audio recordings ..........................[...]

Disconnecting the camera from the computer ........................................................................92 Windows 98 and 98SE ....................................................................................................92 Windows Me, 2000 Prof essional, and XP.......................................................................[...]

12 NAMES OF P AR TS * This camera is a sophisticated optical instrument. Care should be taken to k eep these surfaces clean. Please read the care and storage instr uctions in the back of this manual (p . 107). Flash (p . 28) Self-timer lamp (p . 42) Lens* Main switch Microphone AV -out-terminal/ USB-por t Tr ipod socket Battery/Card chamber door (p[...]

Viewfinder* Indicator lamp (p . 105) Mode dial Controller LCD monitor* Display b utton (p. 30, 34) Quick View / Delete b utton (p. 32, 33) Menu button Speaker Movie/A udio recording mode (p. 56) Strap ey elet (p. 17) Playbac k mode (p. 32) Flash-mode button (p . 28) Recording mode (p . 22) Setup mode (p . 74) 13[...]

14 GETTING UP AND RUNNING GETTING UP AND R UNNING INSER TING THE LITHIUM-ION BA TTER Y This digital camera uses one NP-200 lithium-ion battery . Before using the battery , read the safety w ar nings on pages 3 and 4 of this manual. When replacing the batter y , the camera should be turned off. Slide the battery-chamber door toward the front of the [...]

CHARGING THE LITHIUM-ION BA TTER Y Before the camer a can be used, the lithium-ion batter y must be charged. Before charging the battery , read the safety w ar nings on pages 3 and 4 of this manual. Only recharge the battery with the sup- plied battery charger. The battery should be recharged before each shooting session. See page 108 fo r batter y[...]

16 GETTING UP AND RUNNING BA TTER Y -CONDITION INDICA T OR Full-battery icon - the batter y is fully charged. This icon is display ed when the camera is on. Low-battery warning - batter y power is very low . The batter y should be replaced as soon as possible . This warning automatically appears and remains on the monitor until the battery is recha[...]

AC AD APTER (SOLD SEP ARA TEL Y) The AC adapter A C-4 or AC-5 allo ws the camera to be powered from a household outlet. The AC adapter is recommended when the camera is interfaced with a computer or during periods of heavy use . AC adapter model AC-4 is f or use in Nor th America, Japan, and T aiwan, and AC-5 is f or use in all other areas . The ba[...]

18 GETTING UP AND RUNNING INST ALLING AND REMO VING A MEMOR Y CARD An SD (Secure Digital) Memory card or MultiMediaCard must be inser ted for the camera to operate . If a card has not been inser ted, a no-card warning will appear on the LCD monitor ; the shutter can still be released and a single image can be captured (p . 55). Alwa ys tur n off th[...]

The response time during recording and playbac k is longer with MultiMediaCards compared with SD Memory Cards. This is not a def ect, but rather due to the specifications of the cards. When using large capacity cards, some operations lik e deletion may tak e longer. The SD Memory Card has a wr ite-protect switch to pre vent image data from being de[...]

20 GETTING UP AND RUNNING SETTING THE D A TE AND TIME After initially inser ting a memor y card and charging the batter y , the camera’ s clock and calendar m ust be set on the setup menu. When images are recorded, the image data is sav ed with the date and time of recording. Depending on the region, the menu language may also hav e to be set. T [...]

Reset default Date format Video output Tr ansfer mode – YYYY/MM/DD NTSC Data storage Use the right key to highlight the custom 2 tab at the top of the menu. Use the down k ey to highlight the date/time- set menu option. Press the central button to displa y the date/time setting screen. Use the left and right keys to select the item to be changed.[...]

1 22 RECORDING - BASIC OPERA TION RECORDING MODE - BASIC OPERA TION This section cov ers basic recording operation. T o prepare the camera f or use, read pages 14 through 21. HANDLING THE CAMERA While using the viewfinder or LCD monitor , grip the camera fir mly with your right hand while suppor ting the camera body with your left. K eep your elbow[...]

USING THE ZOOM LENS This camera is equipped with a unique 5.7 - 17.1mm zoom lens . This is equivalent to a 37 to 111mm lens on a 35mm camera. The lens is operated by the controller at the bac k of the camera. The effect of the optical zoom is visib le in both the viewfinder and LCD monitor . To z oom in on the subject, push the up ke y (T) of the c[...]

24 RECORDING - BASIC OPERA TION LCD MONIT OR DISPLA Y - BASIC If the shutter speed falls belo w the point where the camera can be hand held safely , the camera-shake w ar ning indicator will appear on the monitor and the viewfinder indicator lamp will turn green and blink slo wly . Camera shake is slight blurring caused by subtle hand motion and is[...]

BASIC RECORDING OPERA TION Press the shutter-release button partway do wn (1) to lock the focus and exposure . • The focus signals (p . 27) on the monitor and the indicator lamp next to the viewfinder will confirm that the image is in focus . If the monitor f ocus signal is red or the indicator lamp is green and blinks quic kly , the camera w as [...]

26 RECORDING - BASIC OPERA TION FOCUS LOCK The focus-loc k function is used when you want to compose the image with the subject off-center and outside the focus fr ame. F ocus lock may also be used when a special f ocusing situation prev ents the camera from f ocusing on the subject. This function is controlled with the shutter-release button. Plac[...]

FOCUS SIGNALS SPECIAL FOCUSING SITU A TIONS This digital camera has a quick, accur ate autofocusing system. The focus signal in the lo wer right corner of the LCD monitor and the indicator lamp next to the vie wfinder indicate the focus status. The shutter can be released regardless if the camera can f ocus on the subject or not. The camera ma y no[...]

28 FLASH MODES The flash can be used when taking still images. T o select the flash mode, press the flash mode b utton (1) on the back of the camera until the desired mode is display ed. Press the shutter-release button to set the mode. The active flash mode is displa yed in the top left corner of the LCD monitor. When the camera is turned off and [...]

FLASH RANGE - A UT OMA TIC OPERA TION The camera automatically controls the flash output. For well-e xposed images, the subject must be within the flash range. Because of the optical system, the flash range is not the same at the lens’ wide-angle position as it is at the telephoto position. The flash ranged can be changed with camera sensitivity [...]

30 RECORDING - BASIC OPERA TION The display b utton controls the LCD monitor display . The display cycles to the ne xt position each time the button is pressed: full display , live image only , and monitor off. If the display button is pressed and held, the LCD-brightness adjustment screen will be display ed, see page 76. Full display Live image on[...]

31 In the center of the Sakai plant in Japan is Okina bridge. In the 15th centur y , Sakai was a very prosper- ous free city , and Okina br idge spanned the moat at one of the entrances into the walled to wn. For cen- turies, this bridge carried pilgr ims on their wa y to two of Japan’ s sacred places: the mountain monaster y of Koy asan and the [...]

32 PLA YBA CK - BASIC OPERA TION PLA YBA CK - BASIC OPERA TION SINGLE-FRAME PLA YBACK DISPLA Y Images can be viewed in the Quic k View or playbac k modes. This section covers the basic oper ation in both modes. The playbac k mode has additional functions, see page 60. Mode indicator Time of recording Date of recording Lock indicator (p . 67) Magnif[...]

33 To delete a display ed file, press the flash-mode/delete button. A confirmation screen will appear. DELETING SINGLE IMA GES Delete this frame? No Ye s VIEWING IMA GES In Quick View or the playbac k mode, use the left/right keys of the controller to scroll through the images on the memory card. To retur n to the recording mode from Quick View , p[...]

34 PLA YBA CK - BASIC OPERA TION In index pla yback, the left/right and up/down k eys of the controller mov e the yellow border around the index thumbnails . When the image is highlighted with the border , the date of recording, audio-track indicator , the lock and printing status, e-mail cop y indicator and the frame number of the image are displa[...]

35 ENLARGED PLA YBACK With the image to be magnified display ed, press the up key of the controller to activate the enlarged pla yback mode. The degree of magnification is display ed on the LCD monitor. Use the left/right and up/down ke ys of the controller to scroll the image. In single-frame pla yback in both the Quick View and playbac k modes, a[...]

36 RECORDING - AD V ANCED OPERA TION LCD MONIT OR DISPLA Y - AD V ANCED Microphone indicator Exposure compensation White balance (p . 43) Digital zoom (p . 52) Image size (p . 44) Image quality (p . 44) Drive mode (p . 40) Fr ame counter (p . 45) F ocus signal (p . 27) Flash modes (p . 28) Spot-metering area (p. 48) Date-imprinting indicator (p. 51[...]

37 The LCD monitor will display the e xposure-compensation icon and va lue. The change in exposure is visible in the monitor image . Exposure compensation is set automatically after five seconds or when another camera button is pressed. Use the left/right controller keys to adjust the e xposure-compensation v alue. Sometimes the camera’ s exposur[...]

38 RECORDING - AD V ANCED OPERA TION Navigating the menu is simple . The menu b utton tur ns the menu on and off. The left/right and up/down k eys of the controller control the cursor and change settings on the menu. Pressing the cen- ter button of the controller selects menu options and sets adjustments . NA VIGA TING THE RECORDING-MODE MENU To ac[...]

39 Drive mode Single Continuous Self-timer 2048 X 1536 1600 X 1200 1280 X 960 640 X 480 TIFF Fine Standard Economy Daylight Image size Quality White balance Basic White balance Ke y func. Color Vo ice memo Date imprinting Instant playbac k Custom 2 Cloudy On Sensitivity ISO 400 A uto –2.0 ~ +2.0 Ev Multi-segment Exp . comp. Noise reduction Meteri[...]

40 RECORDING - AD V ANCED OPERA TION DRIVE MODES Single-frame adv ance - to take a single image each time the shutter-release b utton is pressed. This is the camera’ s default setting. Self-timer - to delay the release of the shutter (p . 42). Used for self-portraits. Continuous adv ance - to take multiple images when the shutter-release b utton [...]

The continuous-adv ance dr ive mode allows a series of images to be captured while holding down the shutter-release b utton. The number of images that can be captured at one time and the rate of capture depend on the image-quality and image-size setting. With the image-size setting of 2048 X 1536, the maximum r ate of capture is 1.3 fps. If the ima[...]

42 RECORDING - AD V ANCED OPERA TION Used for self-portraits, the self-timer will dela y the release of the shutter for appro ximate- ly ten seconds after the shutter-release button is pressed. The self-timer drive mode is selected in the basic section of the recording-mode menu (p . 38). With the camera on a tripod, compose the picture as describe[...]

White balance is the camera’ s ability to make diff erent types of lighting appear neutral. The effect is similar to selecting daylight or tungsten film, or using color compensating filters in con ventional pho- tograph y . One automatic and f our preset white-balance setting are availab le with still image and movie recording. White balance is s[...]

44 RECORDING - AD V ANCED OPERA TION Changing image size aff ects the number of pixels in each image. The greater the image size , the larger the file size. Choose image size based on the final use of the image - smaller images will be more suitable f or web sites whereas larger sizes will produce higher quality prints. LCD monitor 2272 1600 1280 6[...]

45 TIFF Fine Standard Economy 123 1 4 91 4 2 2 6 9 17 27 39 100 32 47 69 150 Appro ximate number of images that can be stored on a 16MB memor y card. Quality Size 2048 X 1536 1600 X 1200 1280 X 960 640 X 480 TIFF Fine Standard Economy 9.1MB 5.5MB 3.6MB 950KB 1.6MB 990KB 660KB 210KB 820KB 520KB 360KB 130KB 440KB 290KB 210KB 90KB Appro ximate file si[...]

Exposure compensation increases or decreases the exposure b y as much as 2 Ev . For inf ormation on exposure compensation, see page 37. Exposure compensation can also be set with the left/right ke ys of the controller , see above and page 36. Select the exposure compensation option in the custom 1 section of the recording mode menu. Use the up/down[...]

F our camer a sensitivity settings can be selected with a still image: Auto , 50, 100, 200, 400; the nu merical values are based on an ISO equivalent. ISO is the standard used to indicate film sensitivi- ty: the higher the number , the more sensitive the film. Sensitivity can be changed in the custom 1 section of the recording-mode menu The auto se[...]

48 RECORDING - AD V ANCED OPERA TION Spot metering: uses a small area within the image to calculate the exposure . When this mode is selected, the LCD monitor will automatically activate if off and a small circle will appear in the middle of the live image indicating the measuring area. The spot allows precise e xposure measurements of a par ticula[...]

The flash mode is reset to auto- flash with red ey e reduction if autoflash with red ey e reduction w as last set, if not the mode will be reset to autoflash. See page 28 for inf ormation on flash modes. 49 AU TO RESET Flash mode (p . 28) Drive mode (p . 40) White balance (p . 43) Camera sensitivity (p . 47) LCD monitor display (p . 30) AF area (p [...]

Vo ice memo allows an audio trac k up to fifteen second to be recorded with a still image. The function is activated in the custom 2 section of the recording-mode men u (p. 38). When the function is active , the microphone indicator is displayed on the LCD monitor . The voice memo m ust be set bef ore taking a picture. It will remain in eff ect unt[...]

51 DA TE IMPRINTING Every time a still image is recorded, it is stored with an exif tag that contains the date and time of recording as well as shooting inf or mation. This inf or mation can be viewed with the camera in the Quick View or playbac k mode, or on a computer with the DiMAGE View er software. Camera Notes The date and time are imprinted [...]

52 RECORDING - AD V ANCED OPERA TION DIGIT AL ZOOM The digital zoom is activ ated in the custom 2 section of the recording-mode menu (p. 38). The digital z oom increases the magnification of the greatest telephoto setting of the optical z oom by up to 4X in 0.1X increments. Although the images recorded with the digital zoom are interpolated to the [...]

53 INST ANT PLA YBACK After a still image is captured, it can be dis- play ed on the monitor for two seconds before being sa ved. Instant playbac k shows the last frame in the series when used with the continuous-adv ance dr ive mode (p . 41). When the LCD monitor is turned off (p. 30), it will automatically activate f or the instant playbac k peri[...]

54 RECORDING - AD V ANCED OPERA TION SPO T AF The spot AF is used for selectiv e focusing. Both focus and e xposure are determined with the spot f ocus area. When auto reset (p . 49) is active, the spot AF area will reset to the wide f ocus frame when the camera is turned off. The spot focus area can be used with mo vie recording. When used with th[...]

55 RECORDING WITHOUT A MEMOR Y CARD If no memory card is installed in the camera, a single still image can be recorded and saved in the camera’ s buff er memor y . Only the last image captured is stored; each time an image is captured, it replaces the image data sav ed in the buff er. If the mode dial is turned to another position or the cam- era[...]

56 MO VIE AND A UDIO RECORDING This camera can record digital video with sound. T otal recording time varies with the image size and the memory card capacity , see the navigating the movie menu section on page 58. In movie record- ing, some functions can be used, some are fixed, and some are disab led, see the notes section on page 59. MO VIE RECOR[...]

A udio can be recorded without an image . About 30 minutes of audio can be stored on a 16MB mem- ory card. Audio is recorded at appro ximately 8KB/s. A maximum of 180 minutes can be recorded at one time; the optional AC adapter is required f or long recordings. Tu rn the mode dial to the movie/audio recording position (1). On the movie/audio menu, [...]

58 MO VIE AND A UDIO RECORDING NA VIGA TING THE MO VIE/A UDIO RECORDING MENU Navigating the menu is simple . The menu b utton tur ns the menu on and off. The left/right and up/down k eys of the controller control the cursor and change settings on the menu. Pressing the cen- ter button of the controller selects menu options and sets adjustments . To[...]

59 Recording mode Movie A udio 320 X 240 160 X 120 Daylight Image size White balance Basic Color Cloudy Color mode B&W Sepia Aut o T ungsten Fluorescent In movie recording, some functions can be used, some are fix ed, and some are disabled,. Image size, white balance , and color mode can be selected with the movie menu. Both the wide focus fram[...]

Speaker 60 PLA YBA CK - AD V ANCED OPERA TION PLA YING BACK V OICE MEMOS AND A UDIO CAPTIONS Vo ice memos (p. 50) and audio captions (p. 66) can be play ed back in Quick View and the playbac k mode. When one of these audio tracks is attached to a still image, the audio-track indicator will be displa yed at the bottom of the monitor . Stop Press the[...]

61 Press the controller to pause the movie or audio playbac k; press the controller again to resume the playbac k. Movie clips and audio recordings are pla yed back the same w ay . Use the left/right keys of the con- troller to display the mo vie or audio file; audio files are display ed with a blue screen. Press the center of the controller to pla[...]

62 PLA YBA CK - AD V ANCED OPERA TION NA VIGA TING THE PLA YBA CK-MODE MENU Navigating the menu is simple . The menu b utton tur ns the menu on and off. The left/right and up/down k eys of the controller control the cursor and change settings on the menu. Pressing the cen- ter button of the controller selects menu options and sets adjustments . To [...]

63 Choosing “Y es” will ex ecute the operation, “No” will cancel it. Ye s No For information on frame-selection screens, see page 64. Delete This frame All frames Marked frames Lock Basic This frame All frames Marked frames Unlock all Slide show Enter 1 - 60 sec. Y es / No Duration Repeat Custom 1 DPOF set This frame All frames Marked frame[...]

64 PLA YBA CK - AD V ANCED OPERA TION FRAME-SELECTION SCREEN When a marked-frames setting is chosen on the menu, the fr ame selection screen will appear. This screen allows multiple image and audio files to be chosen. The left/right keys of the controller mov e the yellow border to select the image. The up ke y of the controller selects the frame; [...]

65 Deleting permanently erases the file. Once deleted, a file cannot be recov ered. Care should be taken when deleting images . Single, multiple , or all files on the memor y card can be deleted in the basic section of the playback- mode menu (p . 62). Bef ore a file is deleted, a confir mation screen will appear ; choosing “Y es” will ex ecute[...]

66 PLA YBA CK - AD V ANCED OPERA TION A UDIO CAPTION Basic Custom1 Custom2 Delete Aut o rotate Lock A udio caption Enter A still image can hav e a fifteen-second audio caption attached to it. This function will also replace a vo ice-memo audio track recorded with an image. Audio captions cannot be attached to mo vie clips, nor can they o ver rewrit[...]

67 LOCKING IMA GE AND A UDIO FILES Single, multiple , or all files can be locked. A locked file cannot be deleted b y either the playbac k- mode menu functions or the QV/delete button. Howe ver , the formatting function (p. 76) will erase all files on a memory card whether locked or not. Impor tant images and audio recordings should be lock ed. The[...]

68 PLA YBA CK - AD V ANCED OPERA TION The custom 1 section of the playbac k-mode menu controls the slide-show function. This function automatically displays all still images on the memory card in order . SLIDE SHO W Press the central b utton of the controller to pause and restar t the slide show presentation. To cancel the presentation, press the m[...]

69 Menu options Settings Slide show Pla yback Duration Repeat Enter All frames Marked Fr a m es 1 - 60s. Y es / No To star t the slide-show presentation. Pressing the central b utton of the controller will pause the presentation. Dur ing the slide show , press the menu button to stop the presen- tation and return to the playback-mode men u. To sele[...]

70 PLA YBA CK - AD V ANCED OPERA TION The DPOF-set menu option is used to create an order f or standard pr ints from still images on the memory card. Single, multiple, or all images can be printed. Pr int orders are created in the custom 2 section of the playbac k-mode menu (p . 62). The print menu option has four settings: ABOUT DPOF This camera i[...]

71 When the this-frame or all-frames setting is chosen, a screen will appear requesting the number of copies of each image; a maximum of nine copies can be ordered. Use the up/down ke ys of the con- troller to set the required number of copies. If the all-frames setting was used to create a print order , any additional images recorded afterwards wi[...]

Before starting the E-mail copy routine , select the image size of the copy in the custom 2 section of the playbac k menu (p . 62). T wo sizes are a vailable: 640 X 480 (VGA) or 160 X 120 (QV GA). When the image(s) to be conv er ted to an e-mail file are selected, the copy rou- tine will begin and a screen will appear indicating the name of the fol[...]

73 The copy-unsuccessful message will appear when one or all of the images could not be copied. Check the memory card to see which files were copied and then repeat the procedure for the uncopied images. Camera Notes VIEWING IMA GES ON A TELEVISION It is possible to vie w camera images on your tele vision. The camera has a video-out terminal to mak[...]

74 SETUP MODE Navigating the menu is simple . The left/right and up/down ke ys of the controller control the cursor and change settings on the menu. Pressing the center button of the controller selects menu options and sets adjustments. NA VIGA TING THE SETUP MENU When the desired menu section is displa yed, use the up/down k ey to scroll through t[...]

75 Choosing “Y es” on the confirmation screens will ex ecute the operation, “No” will cancel it. Ye s No Ye s No On the date/time setting screen, use the left/right keys of the controller to select the year , month, day , hour, or minute. The up/down keys are used to change the va lue. Press the central button of the controller to set the c[...]

The brightness of the LCD monitor can be set in elev en lev els. The brightness setting screen is opened from the basic section of the setup menu (p . 74). Use the left/right keys of the controller (1) to adjust the brightness, the monitor image will change accordingly . Press the central button of the controller (2) to set the brightness lev el. 7[...]

77 If file number memory is selected, when a new folder is created, the first file stored in the f older will hav e a number one greater than the last file sav ed. If the file number memory is disabled, the image file number will be 0001. File number memor y is activated in the custom 1 section of the setup menu. If file number memory is active and[...]

78 SETUP MODE LANGU A GE The language used in the menus can be changed. The language is selected in the basic section of the setup menu. A UDIO SIGNALS Every time a button is pressed, an audio signal will giv e a positive confirmation of the operation. The audio signals can be turn off in the custom 1 section of the setup menu (p. 74). SHUTTER FX W[...]

79 Stop V ol. Save custom recording? Ye s No To test the recording select and enter “Y es. ” During playback, the up/down controller k eys control volume and the menu b utton can- cels the playbac k. Select and enter “Ne xt” to continue. T est custom recording? Ye s Next To save the shutter sound eff ect and replace any pre vious recording,[...]

80 SETUP MODE V OLUME The volume of the audio signals and shutter FX can be increased or decreased in the custom 1 sec- tion of the setup menu (p . 74). This affects the camera’ s audio signals only and will not change the playbac k lev els of an audio track. RESET DEF A UL T This function affects all modes . When selected, a confirmation screen [...]

81 Repeat (Slide Show) LCD monitor brightness Au to-power-off period A udio signals File number memory No Normal 3 minutes On Off p. 6 8 p. 7 6 p. 8 0 p. 7 8 p. 7 7 Shutter FX 1 (custom recording erased) p . 78 F older name Standard p . 77 Vo lume 2 p . 80 Recording mode (Movie/audio menu) V oice memo Movie Off Date imprinting Instant pla yback Off[...]

82 SETUP MODE VIDEO OUTPUT Camera images can be displa yed on a television (p . 73). The video output can be changed between NTSC and P AL. Nor th America uses the NTSC standard and Europe uses the P AL standard. Check which standard is used in your region to pla y back images on your tele vision set. DA TE AND TIME It is impor tant to accurately s[...]

83 DA T A-TRANSFER MODE Read this section carefully before connecting the camer a to a computer. Details on using and installing the DiMAGE Viewer software are f ound in the supplied software manual. The DiMAGE man- uals do not cov er the basic operation of computers or their operating systems; please refer to the manual supplied with your computer[...]

84 CONNECTING THE CAMERA T O A COMPUTER A fully charged battery should be used when the camera is connected to a computer. The use of the AC adapter (sold separately) is recommended ov er the use of the batter y . For users with Windows 98 or 98SE, read the section on page 86 on how to install the necessary USB driver before connecting the camera t[...]

85 When the camera is properly connected to the computer , a drive icon, or v olume, will appear . When using Windo ws XP or Mac OS X, a window will open requesting instructions on what to do with the image data; follo w the directions in the window . If the computer does not recognize the camera, dis- connect the camera and restart the computer. R[...]

86 DA TA -TRANSFER MODE CONNECTING T O WINDOWS 98 AND 98SE The driver needs only to be installed once. If the driver cannot be installed automatically , it can be installed manually with the operating system’ s add-new-hardware wizard; see the instr uctions on the fo llowing page. Dur ing installation, if the operating system requests the Windows[...]

87 Choose the recommended search for a suitab le driver . Click “Next. ” Choose to specify the location of the driver . The browse window can be used to indicate the driv er location. The dr iver should be located in the CD- R OM drive at :Win98USB . When the location is shown in the window , click “Next. ” Manual installation To install [...]

88 DA TA -TRANSFER MODE The add new hardw are wizard will confir m the location of the driver . One of three dr ivers ma y be located: MNL VENUM.inf, USBPDR.inf , or USB- STRG.inf. The letter designating the CD-ROM drive will v ar y between computers. Click “Next” to install the driver in the system. The last window will confirm the driver has [...]

89 AU TO POWER OFF - D A T A-TRANSFER MODE If the camera does not receiv e a read or wr ite command within ten minutes, it will shut down to sa ve power . When the camera shuts down, an unsaf e-removal-of-de vice warning may appear on the com- puter monitor . Click “OK. ” Neither the camera or computer will be damaged in this operation. Unplug [...]

Once the camera is connected to the computer , image and audio files can be accessed by doub le clicking on icons. Image folders are located in the DCIM folder . T o copying images and audio recordings , simply drag and drop the file icon into a location in the computer . Files and folders on the memory card can be deleted using the computer . Nev [...]

91 Image and audio file names begin with “PICT” follow ed by a four-digit file n umber and a tif, jpg, mov , or thm extension. V oice-memo and audio caption files hav e a wav e xtension and the file name corre- sponds to their image file. Audio recordings also use the wa v extension. The thumbnail images (thm) are produced with TIFF images and [...]

92 DA TA -TRANSFER MODE DISCONNECTING THE CAMERA FROM A COMPUTER Windows Me , 2000 Professional, and XP Confirm that the access lamp is not lit. T ur n the camera off, and then disconnect the USB cab le. To disconnect the camera, click once on the unplug-or-eject-hardware icon located on the task bar . A small window will open indicating the de vic[...]

93 The hardware de vices to be stopped will be dis- play ed. Highlight the device b y clicking on it then click “Stop . ” Confirm that the access lamp is not lit and then drag the mass-storage de vice icon and drop it into the trash. T urn the camera off , and then disconnect the USB cable. A confirmation screen will appear to indi- cate the de[...]

94 DA TA -TRANSFER MODE USB DIRECT -PRINT allows still images to be printed directly from a compatib le Epson pr inter . This function prints a single image on one sheet of paper . Index prints and TIFF images cannot be printed with USB DIRECT -PRINT . T o pr int index prints, see page 97. Before each print run, check the printer settings; ref er t[...]

95 Connect the camera to the printer using the camera’ s USB cable. The larger plug on the cable is connected to the printer . Slide open the USB-por t cov er and inser t the smaller plug of the cable into the camera. T urn the camera on. The USB Direct Print screen will be display ed. Use the left/right keys of the controller to display the imag[...]

96 DA TA -TRANSFER MODE If a minor problem occurs during printing, such as the paper runs out, follow the procedure recom- mended for the printer; no action is required for the camera. If a major printer error occurs, press the center of the controller to end the routine. Refer to the printer manual f or the correct procedure for the printer proble[...]

Connect the camera to the printer using the camera’ s USB cable. The larger plug on the cable is connected to the printer . Slide open the USB-por t cover and insert the smaller plug of the cable into the camera (1). Tu rn the camera on. Open the USB DIRECT -PRINT menu. Highlight “Star t” in the DPOF-print option in the DPOF section of the me[...]

Fo r the camera to be connected directly to the computer and used as a remote imaging device , the computer must be equipped with a USB por t as a standard interface . The computer and the operating system must be guaranteed by their manuf acturers to suppor t USB inter- fa ce. See char t for system requirements. The remote-camera driver softw are [...]

99 The InstallSheild Wizard window is display ed. Click the next b utton to continue. The license agreement is displa yed. if you accept the agreement, click the y es button to continue . Read the entire agreement carefully bef ore continuing. If y ou do not agree to the terms, clic k the no button to exit the installation program. An installation [...]

100 DA TA -TRANSFER MODE CONNECTING THE REMO TE CAMERA Before the camer a can be connected to a computer, the remote camer a dr iver must be installed, see page 98. A fully charged batter y should be used when the camera is connected to a computer . The use of the AC adapter (sold separ ately) is recommended over the use of the battery . F or users[...]

Refer to the applications instruction manual on ho w the view the remote feed. With Microsoft Net messenger , simply click on the pla y button. The option dia- log box allo ws remote control over some of the camer a’s functions . By clicking on the source button in the video tab , zoom and f ocus controls can be accessed; the controls are located[...]

102 APPENDIX Problem Symptom Cause Solution The camera will not work. Nothing dis- pla yed on the monitor . The batter y is dead. The auto-power-off func- tion has turned the cam- era off . The A C adapter is not connected properly . Replace batter y (p . 14). Press the main s witch to restore power . The length of the auto-power-off period can be [...]

103 Pictures are not shar p . Make sure the subject is within the autof ocus range (p. 26). A special situation is pre- v enting the autof ocus sys- tem from f ocusing (p. 27). Use the f ocus-lock function to f ocus on an object at the same distance as the subject (p . 26). Pictures are taken indoors or in low-light situations with- out flash. Slow[...]

104 APPENDIX If the camera does not function normally , tur n it off, remo ve and reinser t the batter y , or unplug and reconnect the AC adapter . Alwa ys tur n the camera off using the main switch otherwise the memory card may be damaged and camer a settings reset. ABOUT THE LITHIUM-ION BA TTER Y CHARGER CORD The included AC cord is designed f or[...]

105 The indicator lamp next to the vie wfinder can be used to diagnose camera operations. The lamp colors change between green, red, and orange, and the lamp can glow steadily or b link at two rates. Color State Indication Green Red Orange Steady Blinking slowly Blinking quickly Camera ready to take an image . Camera-shake w ar ning - shutter speed[...]

106 APPENDIX 1. Inser t a memor y card in the camera and connect it to the computer with the USB cable . Other devices m ust not be connected to the computer dur ing this procedure. 2. Right click on the My-computer icon. Select “proper ties” from the drop-down menu. Windows XP: from the star t menu go to the control panel. Click on the perf or[...]

107 Read this section in its entirety to get the best results from your camera. With proper care, y our cam- era will provide y ears of ser vice. Camera care • Do not subject the camera to shock or impact. •T urn off the camera when transporting. • This camera is neither waterproof nor splashproof. Inser ting or removing batteries or the memo[...]

108 APPENDIX Memor y cards SD Memory Cards and MultiMediaCards are manufactured with precision electronic components. The follo wing may cause data loss or damage: •I mproper use of the card. • Bending, dropping, or subjecting the card to impact. • Heat, moisture, and direct sunlight. • Static electrical discharge or electromagnetic fields [...]

109 Operating temperatures and conditions • This camera has been designed f or use in temperatures from 0°C to 40°C (32°F to 104°F). •N ev er leav e the camera exposed to e xtreme high temperatures, such as in a car parked in the sun, or to extreme humidity . •W hen taking the camera from a cold to a warm environment, place it in a sealed[...]

110 APPENDIX Number of eff ective pix els: 3.2 million CCD: 1/2.7-type interline complementar y-color CCD with a total of 3.3 million pix els. Camera sensitivity (ISO): Automatic (between ISO 50 - 160 equiv alent), ISO50, 100, 200, 400 Aspect ratio: 4:3 Lens construction: 9 elements in 8 groups. Maximum aper ture: f/2.8 - f/3.6 F ocal length: 5.7 -[...]

111 Batter y perf or mance (recording): Appro ximately 130 frames: based on Minolta’ s stan- dard test method: NP-200 lithium-ion batter y , LCD monitor on, full-size images (2048 X 1536), standard image quality , no instant playbac k, no voice memo , flash used with 50% of the frames. Appro ximately 200 frames: based on Minolta’ s stan- dard t[...]

Minolta Customer Suppor t: www .minoltasuppor t.com ©2003 Minolta Co., Ltd. under the Berne Convention and the Univ ersal Copyright Conv ention. 0-43325-53144-6 Printed in Ger many 9222-2786-11 P/ME-A302[...]