Sony DCR-SX53E manual

4-170-099- 12 (1) Digital Video Camera Recor der Operating Guide  2010 Sony Corporation DCR-SR58E/SR68E/SR78E/ SR88E/SX33E/SX34E/SX43E/ SX44E/SX53E/SX63E T able of con tents 10 Getting started 12 Recording/Playback 20 Making good use of your camcorder 31 Saving movies and photos with a computer 33 Saving images with an external device 40 Customi[...]

2 GB Read this first Before opera ting the unit, please read this manual tho roughly , and retain i t for fu ture refer ence. WARNING T o reduce fire or shock hazard , do not expose the unit to rain or moistur e. Do not expose the batteries to ex cessive hea t such as sunshine, fire or the like. CAUTION Battery pack If the bat tery pack is mishandl[...]

3 GB A TTENTION The electromagnetic fields a t the specific frequencies ma y influence the picture an d sound of this unit. This product has been test ed and found comp liant wi th the limits set out in the EMC Directive fo r using conn ection cables shorter than 3 met ers (9.8 feet). Notice If sta tic electricity or electromagnetism causes data tr[...]

4 GB For the customers in the U .S.A. If yo u have a ny q uestions abou t this product, yo u may call: Sony C ustomer I nforma tion Center 1-800- 222-SONY (7669). The num ber below is for the FCC rela ted mat ters only . Regulatory Information Declaration of C onformity T rade Nam e: SONY Model N o .: DCR-SX43E Responsible P arty: S on y Electronic[...]

5 GB CAUTION Y ou ar e caution ed that an y chang es or modifications not exp ressl y app ro ved in this manual could v oid your a utho rity to operate this equi pmen t. Note This equip ment has been tested a nd found to com ply with the limits f or a Class B digital device, pursuan t to Pa rt 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to p ro [...]

6 GB Menu items, L CD panel, and lens A menu it em that is gray ed out is not a vailable under the current reco rding or p layback condition s. The LCD screen is man ufactured using extremely high-pr ecision technology , so over 99.99% of the pixel s are opera tional for effective use. Ho wever , t here m ay be some tiny b lack points and/o r brigh[...]

7 GB When the camcorder is connected to a computer or accessories Do not try to format the reco rding media of the camcorder u sing a comp uter . If you do so , your camcorder m ay not o perate correctly . When connecting yo ur camcorder t o another device with a cable, be sure to insert the connector pl ug in the correct way . Pushing the plug fo [...]

8 GB Notes on use Do not do an y of the follo wing, otherwise, the recordin g media may be damaged, r ecorded images ma y be impossible to pla y back or may be lost, or other malfunctions could occur . Eject the memory card when the access lam p (p . 19) is li t or flashing Remove the ba ttery pack or AC A dapt or from the camcorder , or subject th[...]

9 GB Operation flow Getting star ted (p . 12) Prepar e the power sour ce and recor ding media. Recording movies and photos (p . 20) Recording mo vies  p . 22  Changing the reco rding mode  Expected recording time (MEDI A INFO) Shooting pho tos  p . 24 Playing movies and phot os Playback on the camco rder  p . 25 Playing ima ges on a [...]

10 GB T able of contents Read this first ......................................................................................... 2 Operation flow . ...................................................................................... 9 Getting star ted Step 1: Charging the battery pack ............................................................[...]

11 T able of contents GB Customizing y our camcorder Using menus ....................................................................................... 48 Getting detailed information from the “Handycam” Handbook . ........................ 54 Additional inf ormation T roubleshooting .............................................................[...]

12 GB Getting star ted Step 1: Charg ing the battery pack DCR-S R58E/SR68E/SR78E/S R88E DCR-SX33E/SX34E/SX43E/SX44E/SX53E/SX63E Battery pack DC IN jack DC plug AC Adaptor Pow er cord (Mains lead) CHG (charge) lamp T o the wall outlet (wall socket) Battery pack DC IN jack CHG (charge) lamp DC plug AC Adaptor T o the wall outlet (wall socket) Pow er [...]

13 Getting started GB Y ou can cha rge the “I nfoLITHIUM ” bat tery pack (V ser ies) after a ttaching it t o your camcor der . Notes Y ou cannot at tach any “ InfoLITHIU M” ba ttery pack other than the V series to your camcor der . 1 T urn off your camcor der by closing the L CD screen. 2 Attach the battery pack by sliding it in the directi[...]

14 GB DCR-SX33E/SX34E/SX43E/SX44E/SX53E/SX63E T o use a wall outlet (wall socket) as a power source Make the same co nnections as “ Step 1: Char ging the battery pack. ” Even if the battery pack is attach ed, the battery pack is not dischar ged. Charging the battery pack abroad Y ou can char ge the batt ery p ack in an y coun tries/regions usin[...]

15 Getting started GB Step 2: T urning the power on, and setting the date and time 1 Open the L CD screen of y our camcorder . Y our camco rder turns o n. T o turn on your ca mcorder when the LCD screen is o pen, press PO WER. 2 Select the desired geographical area with / , then touch [NEXT ]. T o set the date and time again, t ouch (MENU)  [Sho[...]

16 GB Notes The date an d time do not ap pear during recor ding, but they ar e auto matically recor ded on the recor ding media, and can be displa yed during playback. T o display the date a nd time, touch (MENU)  [Show o thers]  [PLA YBACK S ET] (under [PLA YBACK] ca tegory)  [DA T A C ODE]  [D ATE/ TIME]    . Y ou can turn of[...]

17 Getting started GB Step 3: P reparing the r ecording media The recor ding media that can be used differs depending on y our camco rder . The following icons ar e displa yed on the screen of y our camcor der . DCR-SX33E/SX43E: Memo ry card DCR-SX34E/SX44E/SX53E/SX63E: * In ternal memory Memo ry card DCR-SR58E/SR68E/SR78E/SR88E: * In ternal hard d[...]

18 GB  T ouch [ YES]  . The recor ding medium is cha nged. T o check the recording media settings When reco rding in mo vie recordin g mode or phot o recordin g mode, the recor ding media icon is displa yed in the top right co rner of the screen. The icon displa yed on the LCD screen varies depending o n the camcorder y ou use.  Inser ting[...]

19 Getting started GB Open the cover , orient the memory card’ s notched c orner as shown in the illustration, and insert into the memor y card slot until it clicks . Close the cover after inserting the memory card. The [Creat e a new Image Da tabase File.] screen ma y appear if yo u insert a new memory card. I n that case, to uch [YES]. If yo u [...]

20 GB Recording/Playback Recording In the defa ult setting, movies a re recor ded on the follo wing recor ding media. DCR-SX33E/SX43E: M emory card DCR-SX34E/SX44E/SX53E/SX63E: I nternal memo ry DCR-S R58E/SR68E/SR78E/S R88E: In ternal hard disk Tips See page 17 on changing the r ecording media (DCR-S R58E/SR68E/SR78E/SR88E/SX34E/SX44E/SX53E/SX63E)[...]

21 Recording/Playback GB DCR-SX33E/SX34E/SX43E/SX44E/SX53E/SX63E 2 Open the L CD screen of y our camcorder . Y our camco rder turns o n. T o turn on your ca mcorder when the LCD screen is alr eady open, press PO WER (p. 15). Y ou can switch reco rding modes by p ressing MO DE. Pres s MODE to ligh t up the desired reco rding mode lamp . DCR-S R58E/S[...]

22 GB Recording movies Press ST ART/STOP to start recording. Y ou can start recordin g also by touching  in the bot tom left of the LCD scr een. T o stop recordin g, press S T ART/ST OP again. Y ou can stop reco rding also by to uching  in the botto m left of LCD screen. The icons an d indicator s on the LCD panel will be display ed for abou [...]

23 Recording/Playback GB The followin g states will be indicated if data is still being writt en onto the r ecording media after r ecording has finished. During this time, do not a pply shock o r vibratio n to the camcorder , or remo ve the batt ery or AC A dap tor . A ccess la mp (p . 19) is lit or flashing The media icon in the upper right o f th[...]

24 GB Shooting photos In the defa ult setting, phot os are r ecorded on the fo llowing reco rding media. DCR-SX33E/SX43E: M emory card DCR-SX34E/SX44E/SX53E/SX63E: I nternal memo ry DCR-S R58E/SR68E/SR78E/S R88E: In ternal hard disk Tips See page 17 on changing the r ecording media (DCR-S R58E/SR68E/SR78E/SR88E/SX34E/SX44E/SX53E/SX63E).  Press M[...]

25 Recording/Playback GB Pla yback on the camcorder In the defa ult setting, movies a nd photos tha t are r ecorded on the f ollowing r ecording m edia are pla yed. DCR-SX33E/SX43E: M emory card DCR-SX34E/SX44E/SX53E/SX63E: I nternal memo ry DCR-S R58E/SR68E/SR78E/S R88E: In ternal hard disk Tips See page 17 on changing the r ecording media (DCR-S [...]

26 GB  T o MENU s creen  Displays the scr een to select the index type ([DA TE INDEX]/[ FILM ROLL]/ [ F ACE]).  / : Displays m ovies recor ded on the pr evious/next date . *  / : Displays the p revious/next mo vie.  Returns to the reco rding screen. *  is display ed when  is touched. Y ou can scroll the display b y touchin g an[...]

27 Recording/Playback GB Viewing photos Y our camco rder displa ys the selected photo . Tips When viewing phot os recorded o n a memory card, (playback folder) a ppears on the screen.   Previous T o t he VISU AL INDEX screen T o star t/sto p slide show Next OPTION[...]

28 GB Playing images on a T V Connect your camcor der to the inp ut jack of a TV or V CR using the A/V co nnecting cable  or an A/V co nnecting cable with S VIDEO  . Connect your cam corder to the wall outlet (wall socket) u sing the sup plied A C Ada pto r for this opera tion (p . 14). Refer also to the instruction manuals su pplied with the[...]

29 Recording/Playback GB  Connect your camcorder t o a T V with the A/V connecting cable (  , supplied) or an A/V connecting cable with S VIDEO (  , sold separately). Connect your camcor der to the inp ut jack of the TV .  Play back movies and photos on y our camcorder (p . 25). T o set the aspect ratio according to the connected TV (16[...]

30 GB Tips T o check informa tion (coun ter , etc.) on the screen of the monito r , touc h (MENU)  [Show others]  [OUTPUT S ETTINGS] (under [GENERAL SET] category)  [DISP OUTPUT]  [V -OUT/P ANEL]    .  [...]

Making good use of your camcorder 31 GB Making good use of your camcorder Deleting movies and photos Y ou can free media space by deletin g movies and p hotos fro m recor ding media. Notes Y ou cannot rest ore imag es once they are deleted. Sav e important mo vies and pho tos in advance. Do not remo ve the batt ery p ack or the A C Ada ptor fro m y[...]

32 GB  T ouch / to s elect the recor ding date o f the desired movies/ph otos, then touch . T ouch the image do wn on the LCD screen to confirm the image. T ouch to return to the pr evious screen.  T ouch [YES]   . [...]

Saving movies and photos with a computer 33 GB Saving movies and photos with a c omputer Pr eparing a computer ( Windows) Y ou can perform f ollowing o perations usin g “PMB (Pictur e Mo tion Br owser). ” Im porting images to a com pu ter V iewing and editing im ported images Creating a di sc U ploading mo vies and phot os to websit es T o save[...]

34 GB  Confirm that your camcor der is not connected to the computer .  T urn on the computer . Log on as an A dministrato r for installation. Close all applicatio ns running on the comp uter befor e installing the software.  Place the supplied CD-ROM in the disc drive of your comput er . The installation screen a ppears. If the screen doe[...]

35 Saving movies and photos with a computer GB Depending on the com puter , you may need to install third party software. If the installation screen a ppears, follow the instructions to install the requir ed software. Restart the compu ter if requir ed to comp lete the installation. Connect the camcorder to the co mpu ter during the installation. W[...]

36 GB Creating a disc with one touch (One T ouch Disc Bur n) Mo vies and pho tos recor ded on your camcor der that ha ve not yet been sav ed with One T ouch Disc Burn function can be saved on a disc a uto matically . Install “PMB ” befor ehand (p . 33), however , do not start “PMB . ” Connect your camcor der to the wall outlet (wall socket)[...]

37 Saving movies and photos with a computer GB 4 F ollow the instructions on the computer screen. Notes Mo vies and phot os are not sa ved on the comp uter when you perfo rm One T ouch Disc Burn.   Impor ting movies and photos to a c omputer Mo vies and pho tos recor ded on your camcor der can be imported to a com pu ter . T urn on the compu [...]

38 GB Creating a disc Y ou can crea te a disc by selecting movies previous ly imported to yo ur com puter (p . 37). 1 T urn on your c omputer , and place an unused disc on the DVD drive. See page 33 for the type of discs you can use. If an y other software tha n “PMB ” starts aut omatically , shut i t down. 2 Start “PMB” (p. 36). 3 Click [C[...]

39 Saving movies and photos with a computer GB 5 F ollow the instructions on the screen to crea te a disc. I t may take a lon g time to create a disc. Copying a disc Y ou can cop y a recor ded disc to another disc using “V ide o Disc Copier . ” Click [Start]  [All Program s]  [PMB]  [PMB Launcher]  [Disc creatio n]  [V ideo Disc [...]

40 GB Saving images with an external device Saving images in external media (DIREC T C OPY ) Y ou can sa ve movies a nd phot os on external media (USB stora ge device), such as an external hard disk driv e. Y ou can also pla y back images on the ca mcorder o r another playback device. Notes For this o peration, you n eed the USB Ada ptor Cable VMC-[...]

41 Saving images with an external device GB have n ot yet been saved on t o external media can be saved. DCR-SX33E/SX43E: Mo vies and pho tos in the camcor der that ha ve not yet been sav ed on to external media can be saved. This screen will appear only when ther e are newly reco rded images. 6 After the operation is completed , touch on the camco[...]

42 GB  Play back the image (p . 25). Y ou can also view images on a TV connected to your ca mcorder (p . 28). Notes The Date I ndex of phot os cannot be displa yed. If your ca mcorder does not r ecognize the external media, tr y the follo wing operation s. Reconnect the USB Ada ptor Cab le to your camcorder If the external media has the A C powe[...]

43 Saving images with an external device GB T o customize a disc with DISC BURN OPTION P erform this operation in the f ollowing cases: When dub bing a desired imag e When crea ting multi ple copies o f the same disc When dub bing images in the mem ory card (DCR-S R58E/SR68E/SR78E/SR88E/SX34E/ SX44E/SX53E/SX63E)  T ouch [DISC B URN OPTION] in s [...]

44 GB T o play back a disc on the DVD writer  C onnect the A C Ada pto r and the power cord (ma ins lead) to the DC IN jack of your camco rder and the wall ou tlet (wall socket) (p . 14).  T urn on your camco rder , and connect the DVD writer to the  (US B) jack of your camco rder with the USB ca ble of the DVD writer . Y ou can play back [...]

45 Saving images with an external device GB  After the operation is completed , touch [END]  [ YES] on the camcorder screen.  Disconnect the USB cable. Creating a disc with a rec order , etc. Y ou can du b images pla yed back on yo ur camcor der on a disc or video cassette, by conn ecting your camcor der to a disc recor der , a S on y DVD [...]

46 GB  Inser t the recor ding media in the recording devic e. If your r ecording device has a n inpu t selector , set it to the in put mode.   Connect your camcorder t o the recording devic e (a disc recorder , etc.) with the A/V connecting cable  (supplied) or an A/V connecting cable with S VIDEO  (sold separately). Connect your cam[...]

47 Saving images with an external device GB When the screen size of disp lay devices (TV , etc.) is 4:3, touch (MENU)  [Sho w others]  [OUTPUT S ETTINGS] (under [GENERAL SET] categ ory)  [T V TYPE]  [4:3]    . When you co nnect a monaural device, co nnect the yellow pl ug of the A/V connecting cable to the video inpu t jack, an[...]

48 GB Customizing y our camcorder Using menus U sing the men us, you ca n perform useful functions and chang e various settings. I f you make good use of menu opera tions, yo u can enjo y using your ca mcorder . The camcor der has various men u item s under each of eight m enu cat egories. MANUAL SETTINGS (Items to adjust for scene c ondition)  [...]

49 Customizing your camc order GB Notes Y ou may not be able t o set some menu it ems, depending on the reco rding or p layback condition s. Grayed o ut menu i tems or settings a re not a vailable. Tips Depending on the menu i tems being chan ged, your camco rder switc hes between playback mode and recordin g mode (movie/phot o). Using MY MENU Y ou[...]

50 GB Using the OPTION MENU The OPTIO N MENU appears j ust like the pop-up windo w that a ppears when you righ t-click the mouse on a co mpu ter . When is displayed a t botto m-right of the screen, you ca n use the OPTION MENU . Y ou touch , and the men u items y ou can chan ge in the con text appear .  T ouch (OPTION).  T ouch the desired ta[...]

51 Customizing your camc order GB Menu lists (MANU AL SET TINGS) category SCENE SELECTION .................. Selects an ap prop riate reco rding setting accor ding to the type of scene, such as night view or beach. F ADER .................................... Fades scenes in or ou t. WHITE BAL. ................................ Ad justs the color bal[...]

52 GB (EDIT ) category DELETE DELETE ........................ Deletes movies. DELETE ........................ Deletes ph otos. PROTECT PROTECT ..................... Prot ects movies to avo id deleting. PROTECT ..................... Pr otects photos to a void deletin g. DIVIDE ................................... Divides movies. PHOT O CAPTURE * 1 * [...]

53 Customizing your camc order GB REP AIR IMG.DB F . HDD * 1 ................................ Repairs the image database file on the internal har d disk (p . 57). INT . MEMORY * 2 ............... Repairs the image database file on the internal memory (p. 57). MEMORY CARD * 1 * 2 ....... Repairs the image database file on the memory card (p . 57). ([...]

54 GB Getting detailed information fr om the “Handycam ” Handbook The “H andy cam ” Han dbook is a user guide designed to be read on a com put er screen. The “H andy cam ” Han dbook is intended to be read when you wan t to know m ore abou t operating y our camcor der . 1 T o install the “Handycam ” Handbook on a Window s computer , [...]

Additional information 55 GB Additional inf ormation T roubleshooting If yo u run into an y pr oblems using y our camcor der , follow the steps below .  Check the list (p. 55 to 57), and inspect your camcorder .  Remove the power sourc e, attach the power sourc e again after about 1 minute, and turn the camcorder on.  Press RESET (p. 64, 6[...]

56 GB The recor ding stops. The tempera ture of y our camcor der is extremely high/low . T ur n off your ca mcorder and leave i t for a while in a cool/warm place. “PMB” cannot be installed. Check the comp uter en vironmen t or installation pr ocedure requir ed to install “PMB ” (p . 33). “PMB” does not work correctly . Quit “PMB ” [...]

57 Additional information GB The Imag e Database File is damag ed. Check the data base file by touching (MENU)  [Show o thers]  [REP AIR IMG.DB F .] (under [MAN A GE MEDI A] cat egory)  the recordin g medium (DCR-S R58E/SR68E/ SR78E/SR88E/SX34E/SX44E/SX53E/SX63E). The memory card is damag ed. Forma t the memory card with your ca mcorder (p[...]

58 GB such as by p lacing anything h eavy on it. Do not use a deformed or da maged battery pack. Keep metal con tacts clean. If the bat tery elect rol ytic liquid has leaked: Consult yo ur local authorized Sony service facility . W ash off an y liquid that ma y have co ntacted your skin. If an y liquid gets in yo ur eyes, wash with plenty of wa ter[...]

59 Additional information GB Note on disposal/transfer of the camcorder (DCR-SR58E/SR68E/SR78E/ SR88E/SX34E/SX44E/SX53E/SX63E) Even if y ou delete all movies and s till images, or perform [MEDI A FORMA T], data on the internal recordin g media may not be com pletely era sed. When you tra nsfer the camcor der , it is recommended tha t you perform [E[...]

60 GB Color tempera ture: [A UTO], [ONE PUSH], [INDO OR] (3 200 K), [OUTDOOR] (5 800 K) Minimum illumina tion 3 lx (l ux) ([A UTO SL W SHUT TR] is set to [ON], shut ter speed 1/25 second) Input/Output connectors A/V Remote Connector: V ideo/audio ou tput jac k USB jack: mini-AB (DCR-S R58E/SR78E/SX33E/SX34E/SX53E: outp ut only) L CD screen Picture:[...]

61 Additional information GB Expected charging and running time for the supplied battery pack (in minute) Recording media DCR-SR58E/SR68E/ SR78E/SR88E DCR-SX33E/SX34E/ SX43E/SX44E/ SX53E/SX63E Charging time (full charge) 115 Continuo us recordin g time 100 110 T ypical recording time 45 50 Playback time 135 160 The recor dable time may va ry dep en[...]

62 GB On trademarks “H andycam ” and are registered tradema rks of Sony Corpora tion. “M emory Stick, ” “ , ” “M emory Stick Duo, ” “ , ” “M emory Stick PRO Duo , ” “ , ” “M emory Stick PRO- HG Duo , ” “ , ” “M emory Stick Micro , ” “ MagicGat e, ” “ , ” “M agicGate M emory Stick ” and “ MagicGa[...]

Quick referenc e 63 GB Quick refer ence Screen indicators Upper left Indicator Meaning MENU butt on Self-timer recording MICREF LEVEL lo w WIDE SELECT BL T-IN ZOOM MI C 60 min Remaining bat tery Recording f older of memory card VIDEO LIGHT Return but ton Center Indicator Meaning [STBY]/[REC] Re cor ding statu s Pho to size Slide show set  W arni[...]

64 GB P ar ts and contr ols Figures in ( ) a re ref erence pages. DCR-S R58E/SR68E/SR78E/S R88E  Built-in microphone  Lens (Carl Zeiss lens)  LENS COVER switch  LED VIDEO LIGHT  A/V Remote Connector (28) DCR-SX33E/SX34E/SX43E/SX44E/ SX53E/SX63E  Speaker  Lens (Carl Zeiss lens)  LENS COVER switch  LED VIDEO LIGHT  Built[...]

65 Quick referenc e GB DCR-SX33E/SX34E/SX43E/SX44E/ SX53E/SX63E  ( VIEW IMAGES) button (25)  (DISC BURN) button (36)  POWER button (19)  RESET button Press RES ET using a point ed object. Press RES ET to initialize all the settings including the clock settin g.   (Backlight) button  MODE button (21)  (movie)/ (photo) lamp (2[...]

66 GB DCR-SX33E/SX34E/SX43E/SX44E/ SX53E/SX63E  Pow er zoom lever  PHOT O button (24)  Battery pack  CHG (charge) lamp (12)  ST AR T/ST OP button (22)  Grip belt (20)  DC IN jack (12)  Memor y card slot (18)  BA T T (battery) release lever (13)  A/V Remote Connector (28)  T ripod receptacle A ttach a tripod (sold se[...]

67 GB Quick referenc e Y ou will find the menu lists on pages 51 to 53. Index Int ernal memory ......................... 17 L LANGU AGE SET ....................... 16 M Macint osh .................................... 33 Main tenance ................................ 57 MEDI A SETTINGS ....................17 Memo ry card .............................[...]

GB Addi tional informa tion on this p roduct and answers t o frequently a sked question s can be found a t our Cus tomer Su pport W ebsite. http://www.son y .net/ Printed in China[...]