Hitachi VM-8500LA manual

SA FTEY PRECA U TIONS - 1 - 777 Instruction Manual Video Camcorder VM-7500LA /VM-8500LA HITACHI HOME ELECTRONICS HITACHI (HSC) CA NA DA INC. (A M ERICA ), INC. 6740 Campobello Road 1855 Donroch Court, Mississ auga, Ontario L5N 2L8 San Diego, California 92173 CANADA Tel. 770-279-5600 Tel. 905-821-4545 Thank you for choosing the video cam corder . Fo[...]

SA FTEY PRECA U TIONS - 2 - TABLE OF CONTENTS SAFT EY PRECA UTI ONS ..................................................................................................................................................... 3 PRECAUT IONS .....................................................................................................................[...]

SA FTEY PRECA U TIONS - 3 - SA FTEY PRECA U TIONS WA RNING: T O PREVENT FIRE OR ELECT RIC SHOCK, DO NOT EXPOSE THIS APPLIANCE T O RAIN OR MOISTURE. CA UTION: T O REDUCE RISK OF ELECT RIC SHOCK, DO NOT REMOVE COVER (OR BACK). NO USER - SERVICEABLE PART S INSIDE. REFER SERVICING T O QUALIFIED SERVICE PERSO NNEL. This symbol warns the user that uninsu[...]

PRECA UTIONS - 4 - PRECA UTIONS Any problem s that occur as a result of any of the following conditions will not be covered by our warranty .  Be caref ul that no water, dust, or sand enter s the cam cor der.  W hen y ou are not us ing the cam corder, s witch off the power and attach the lens cap.  W hen y ou shoot at a s cene which contai[...]

IMPORTA NT SAFEGUA RDS - 5 - Fly ing Eras e Head No Yes • This instruc tion m anual shows the illustrations for the VM-8500LA. * This video cam corder with this m ark ing incorporates high-quality picture tec hnology and is com patible with any video cass ette recor der bearing the mark. W ith this cam corder you can view the pictur e being recor[...]

IMPORTA NT SAFEGUA RDS - 6 - 2 Retain Instruction -- T he saf ety and operating instructions should be r etained for f uture ref erence. 3 Heed Warning s -- Com ply wi th all warnings on the video pr oduct and in the operating inst ructions. 4 Polarized Plu g -- T his video pr oduct is equipped with a polarized alternating-cur rent line plug (a plu[...]

IMPORTA NT SAFEGUA RDS - 7 - 12 Outdoor A ntenna Gr ounding -- If an outside antenna or cable system is connected to the video produc t, be sure the antenna or c able system is gr ounded so as to pr ovide som e protection agains t voltage surges and built-up static c harges. Sec tion 810 of the National Elec trical Code, ANSI/NFPA No. 70, pr ovides[...]

IMPORTA NT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS FOR A C A DA PTOR/CHA RGER - 8 - c. If the video pr oduct has been expos ed to rain or water. d. If the video produc t does not operate norm ally by following the operating instr uctions. Adj ust only those controls that ar e covered by the operating instructions . Im proper adjus tm ent of other c ontrols m ay result[...]

ELECTRONIC VIEWFIN DER (EVF) - 9 - Article 820-40 of the NEC that provides guidelines for pr oper grounding and, in partic ular, spec ifies that the cable ground shall be c onnected to the grounding s y stem of the building, as clos e to the point of cable entr y as practical". ELECTRONIC VIEWFIND ER (EVF)   Set the viewfinder to the pos[...]

LCD MONITOR - 10 - Do not hold the diopter control s ide. EYEPIECE A DJU STMENT To us e the electronic viewf inder without ey eglasses on, adjust the diopter c ontrol for optim um focus adjustm ent. LCD MONITOR W hen using the LCD m onitor during rec ording and playback, you can adjust the brightness of its s creen and the angle of the m onitor. Op[...]

LCD MONITOR - 11 - NOTE: Opening or c losing the LCD m onitor switches the pic ture to appear on the LCD m onitor or in the viewfinder. A djustin g the brig htness of t he LCD screen NOTE: Even when the picture on the LCD m onitor is adj usted, the recor ded video will not change. 1. Connect the power sourc e. (See pages 10 and 11.) Pres s the red [...]

A CTIVE SCREEN - 12 - clearly. If the LCD screen becom es dirty, use a soft cloth to wipe off the dirt. • If the cam c order is us ed in a cold place and bec omes to cold, the LCD sc reen will be dim f or a while after the power is turned on. W hen the tem perature ins ide the cam corder rises, the br ightness of the picture will becom e norm al.[...]

A CTIVE SCREEN - 13 -   WHEN USING WIT H THE AC A DAPTOR/CHA RGER (Provided) 1. Plug the AC adaptor/charger power cord into AC electric al outlet. 2. Connect one end of the DC c ord (provided) to the "DC IN 9.6V" j ack of the cam cor der. Connect the other end of the DC cord to the "DC OUT PUT" of the AC adaptor/charger. N[...]

CHA RGING THE BA TTERY - 14 - CHECKING THE BA TTERY W hen the " " indication appears in the viewfinder and flashes while the cam corder is being operated with a battery (provided), it indicates that the battery charge is low. Charge it or replac e it with a charged battery. Press the "DISPL A Y" button. The r em aining battery p[...]

CHA RGING THE BA TTERY - 15 - 2. Attach the battery to the AC adaptor/charger. Align the m ark " " on the battery w ith that of AC adaptor/charger and push the battery flush with the AC adaptor/charger and slide it in the dir ection of ar row. NOTE: You must rem ove the DC c ord from the AC adaptor /charger to c harge the battery. If the [...]

INSERTING A ND REMOVI NG CA SSETTES - 16 - INSERTING A ND REMOVING CASSETTES A power source m ust be connected bef ore inserting or rem oving cass ettes. Onc e connected, cas settes c an be inserted or r em oved whether the CAM/OFF/VIDEO switch is on or of f. Inserting a casset te 1. Connect the POW ER SOURCE. (See pages 10 and 11.) 2. Press "[...]

IDENTIFICA TION A ND OPERA TION OF CONTROLS - 17 - IDENTIFICA TION A ND OPERA TION OF CONTROLS Click here for diagram . Electronic View fin der (EVF ) Displays what the camcor der lens sees . The elec tronic viewfinder also func tions as a c onvenient monitor during play back of recorded m ater ial. For VM -8500LA Diopter Control Use this contr ol [...]

IDENTIFICA TION A ND OPERA TION OF CONTROLS - 18 - NOTE: W hen y ou fade s cenes in and out, the s ound will also fade in and out with the picture. (See page 32.) "LIGHT " Swit ch (on ly for VM -8500LA) W hen this switch is s et to "A UT O" , the cam era light tur ns on or of f autom atically according to the brightnes s of the [...]

IDENTIFICA TION A ND OPERA TION OF CONTROLS - 19 - W hen the tape counter is dis play ed in the viewfinder, pr essing this button r esets the c ounter to "0000". "DISPLA Y" Bu tton If this button is pressed, the tape c ounter, rem aining battery power level, etc. appear in the viewfinder and the tape's 0000M position is s t[...]

IDENTIFICA TION A ND OPERA TION OF CONTROLS - 20 - NOTE: W hen the cam corder is in recor d/ pause (s tand-by) mode, press ing and holding this button will play the tape at norm al speed. Click here for diagram . "B A TTER Y EJ EC T" L ever Releases the battery attached to the video cam corder . Cassette Holder Press "ST OP/EJECT &qu[...]

IDENTIFICA TION A ND OPERA TION OF CONTROLS - 21 - "REC/PA USE" Butt on This button is used to contr ol the cam corder . W hen this button is pres sed with the cam corder set to the recording m ode, the tape runs to start rec ording. "REC" appears in the viewfinder . W hen this button is pres sed again, " " appears ins[...]

MA KING A SAMPLE CA MERA RECORDING - 22 - MA KING A SAMPLE CA MERA RECORDING 1. Connect the power source. ( See pages 10 and 11.) 2. Insert the cas sette. (See page 13.) 3. Unfold the extens ion shoulder pad. W hen rec ording while viewing the LCD monitor, f it the extension s houlder pad on y our s houlder; the LCD scr een will be easy to see. 4. [...]

MA KING A SAMPLE CA MERA RECORDING - 23 - • See page 8 for "EY EPIECE A DJUST M ENT" . 6. Now, press "REC/PAUSE" to start shooting the picture. T he "REC" indication appear s in the viewfinder or on the LCD monitor and you are now rec ording the picture you see through the viewfinder or LCD m onitor. 7. Press "R[...]

PLA YBA CK - 24 - 1. In record/paus e (stand-by) mode, tap "REW / REVIEW" , and the last f ew seconds of the recor ded scene is play ed back in the rever se direc tion and then play ed back in the f orward direct ion. 2. W hen the tape reaches the end of the scene you have just recor ded, the cam corder returns to the record/paus e (stand[...]

PLA YBA CK - 25 - NOT ES: • Decrease the s ound volum e od the cam corder when y ou play back a recor ding by connec ting the cam corder to y our T V. If the volum e of the cam corder is set to m axim um , the played back pict ure m ay be distor ted. Make sure that the volum e is not s et to m axim um during recor ding as it could dis tort the pl[...]

DA TE/TIME SETTING - 26 - W hen y ou pres s "F.FW D" or "REW /REVIEW" dur ing play back , the tape will be played back at a speed about 3 times fas ter than the norm al playback speed, and you can easily locate a certain spot on the tape. Pres s "PLAY" to return to norm al playback m ode or pres s "ST OP/EJECT &qu[...]

DA TE/TIME SETTING - 27 - 1. Press and hold the s m all button on "CA M/OFF/ VIDEO" , and then slide it to "CA M " position. 2. Press "DATE/T IME" . Date and time appear in the viewfinder and "'1" flas hes. 12:00 AM 1/ 1/1999 3. Press "F .FWD" to select cor rect m onth. Hold button down to adva[...]

DA TE RECORDING - 28 - 12:00 AM 11/ 5/1999 6. Press "F .FWD" or "REW/REVIEW " as m any times as may be required to select c orrect hour, and then press "STO P/EJECT" . 7. Repeat step 6 to select m inute and AM/PM. 10:30 AM 11/ 5/1999 8. After setting AM or PM, pres s "DA T E/TIM E" to c hange the display and [...]

DA TE RECORDING - 29 - " A UT O" and date - A utomatic date recor ding This option records the date autom atically once a day at the beginning of rec ording f or 10 seconds .  AUTO 11/ 5/1999 NOT ES: • The cam c order rec ords the sam e date when; -the cass ette is replac ed. -y ou select " A UT O" and date display ag[...]

A UTO FOCUS - 30 - 11/ 5/1999 No display - No da te recording The cam c order does not r ecord the date. Date and time - Date and time recording The c amc order rec ords the date and tim e with the picture all the tim e. 10:30 AM 11/ 5/1999 3. Press "REC/PAUSE" . Recording will st art. NOTES: • W hen " A UT O" and date disp[...]

A UTO FOCUS - 31 - Good No good The ran ge of ob ject w ith w hich aut o focus can be used • On "T" side: about 2.6 feet (80 c m ) fr om the lens surf ace to inf inity . • On "W" s ide: about 3/8 inch (1 cm ) f rom the lens s urfac e to infinity.  The auto f ocus will not work under the f ollowing conditions. 1. Objects n[...]

DISPLA Y BUTTON - 32 - DISPLA Y BUTTON W hen "DISPLA Y " is pres sed, the infor m ation on the shutter speed, tape r em aining, rem aining battery level, etc. is displayed. W hen "DISPLA Y " is pres sed so the dis play appears in the viewfinder or on the LCD m onitor, the s am e display appears on the sc reen of the c onnected T[...]

REMA INING TAPE - 33 - NOTE: Counter changes to 0000M when cas sette is ejec ted. MEMORY W hen the tape counter with mem or y indication appear s in the viewfinder or on the LCD m onitor , a tape that is being rewound automatic ally stops when the counter reads approx im ately "0000M " . T his is us eful if there is a section of tape you [...]

REMA INING TAPE - 34 - W hen "DISPLA Y " is pres sed so the display appears in the viewfinder or on the LCD s creen, the tape r emaining display shows the remaining length of tape that can be used f or rec ording and playback, using s even dashes. This feature is handy when recor ding since it lets you know how long y ou can rec ord on th[...]

DIGITA L ZOOM - 35 - DIGITA L ZOOM The digital zoom increases the m agnification of the power zoom by 4.5 times. You m ust place the s ubject you wish to magnif y at the center of the viewfinder or LCD m onitor. 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 c ontrols.[...]

DIGITA L EFFECTS RECORDING - 36 - Allows y ou to shoot obj ects as c lose as 3/8 inc h (1 cm ) f rom the lens tip. Press and hold "W " side of power zoom switch. An obj ect is auto f ocused. NOT ES: • Determ ine the size of the object by moving the cam er a back ward and forward. • Be caref ul as the lighting tends to be ins uff icien[...]

DIGITA L EFFECTS RECORDING - 37 - The digital proc essor in this cam c order allows you to record pictur es and add spec ial eff ects; 16x 9 record ing mode, a negative im age ( negative/positive rec ording), 240 tim es digital zoom feature ( with instant zoom), a symm etric im age, obtained by placing a mirr or at the center of the sc reen (half -[...]

DIGITA L EFFECTS RECORDING - 38 - Mo saic Mode Half-Mirror M ode  A CTIVATING DIGITAL EFFECTS RECORDING 1. Press the c am corder in the r ecord pause m ode. 2. Press "DISPL A Y" and r epeatedly press "DIGITAL EFFECT" to select the digital ef fec ts recor d m ode y ou want. "16x9": 16x9 M ode This picture f orm at ca[...]

FA DE IN/FA DE OUT - 39 - 3. Press "REC/PAUSE" to start recording. • To r elease digital eff ects recording, pr ess "DIGIT AL EFFECT" repeatedly in the record pause m ode until the norm al m ode is res tored. FA DE IN/FA DE OUT Use the fade f eature to add a prof essional touch to your recordings . Use "DIGITAL FA DE"[...]

FA DE IN/FA DE OUT - 40 - • Zoom fade: Fades in while zooming fr om a white sc reen or f ades out while zooming to a white screen. W hen "DISPLA Y " is press ed and the display appears in the viewfinder or LCD m onitor, " " appears in the upper left corner of the viewfinder or LCD m onitor. • Black-and-W hite fade: fades in [...]

INDEX SIGNAL RECORDING - 41 - • W hile y ou zoom to a dis tant subjec t. • W hile y ou approac h a sm all subjec t. • W hile y ou walk ar ound. • W hile y ou rec ord fr om inside a m oving vehicle. 1. Press "ST ABLE PIX" . W hen "DISPLAY" is press ed, the display will appear in the view f inder or on the LCD monitor , al[...]

TITLE RECORDING - 42 - NOTE: W hen "DISPLA Y " is pres sed and "INDEX" is dis play ed in the viewfinder or on the LCD m onitor, an "INDEX" signal is rec orded when recording is started, and when the "INDEX" signal has been recorded, "INDEX" disappears. QUICK EDIT (Edit Search) The quic k edit f eatu[...]

TITLE RECORDING - 43 -  Creating a ti tle 1. Attach a power sourc e to the cam corder and s lide "CA M /OFF/VIDEO" to either "CA M" or "VIDEO" pos ition. 2. Press "T IT LE" . T he flashing c ursor will appear in the viewfinder . 3. Press "SHIF T" button r epeatedly to move the flashing c ursor to[...]

TITLE RECORDING - 44 - LUCKY BOY NOTE: Character m ay flash, however it will be recorded c orrectly without flashing. 7. After c reating the title, press "TIT LE" to r emove the title gr aphics f rom the viewfinder or LCD m onitor . Now title graphics is stored in m em or y . NOTE: As long as the cor rect c urrent tim e can be dis played,[...]

A UDIO DUBBING (only for VM-8500LA ) - 45 - 4. Press "T IT LE" to eras e the display from the viewfinder.  Chart of c haracters available in the titler A B C D E F G H I J K L M N 0 P Q R S T U V W X Y Z 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 ? ' . / , - ; : < > ! A UDIO DUBBING (only for VM-8500LA ) The audio dubbing f eature lets you record [...]

A UDIO A ND VIDEO DUBBING (only for VM-8500LA) - 46 - 3. Play the tape and pres s "REC/PA USE" where you want to dub audio. • The c amc order enters the still play mode. 4. Press "DUBBING AUDIO/VIDEO" and "PLA Y" at the s am e time. • "A .DUB II" appears in the viewf inder or on the LCD m onitor. NOTE: If[...]

RECORDIN G TV PROGRA MS (only for VM-8500LA ) - 47 - 1. Insert a rec orded tape. Be sure that the record saf ety tab is not missing. 2. Place "CA M /OFF/VIDEO" in "VIDEO " position. 3. Press "DISPL A Y" to display the tape counter. 4. Press "PL A Y " and then "REW/REVIEW " or "F.F WD" to s[...]

VIEWING THE PICTURE PLAYED BA CK ON YOUR TV - 48 - 1. Connect the audio/video cable (not s upplied) to "A UDIO OUT" and "VIDEO OUT " of your TV or VCR. 2. Connect the other end to "A UDIO" and "VIDEO " of c amc order. 3. Insert the cassette. NOTE: Power source m ust be c onnected to the cam cor der. 4. Set &q[...]

VIEWING THE PICTURE PLAYED BA CK ON YOUR TV - 49 - To play back a tape rec orded on your camc order and view it on your TV receiver, you must c onnect the cam corder to the TV rec eiver using either audio/video cable (not supplied) or RF conver ter unit (optional). You also may play back the tape recorded by y our cam c order on any other VHS video[...]

CA MCORDER TO VCR DUBBING - 50 - NOT E for VM -8500LA: Make sure that the "AV OUT/IN" is in the "OUT " position. 1. Disconnect the VHF antenna leads fr om the rear of the TV rec eiver. NOTE: Leave the UHF antenna leads connec ted to the TV. 2. Connect the VHF antenna lead to "IN FRO M ANT" on the RF converter unit. If [...]

USING THE BUILT- IN CA MERA LIGHT (Only f or VM-7400A ) - 51 - If you wi sh to ex change or copy som e of your friend's f avorite hom e recor dings, the following instr uctions can be used to connect c am corder to VCR f or this pur pose. NOT E for VM -8500LA: Make sure that the "AV OUT/IN" is in the "OUT " position. 1. Con[...]

USING THE BUILT- IN CA MERA LIGHT (Only f or VM-7400A ) - 52 - W hen "LIGHT " is set to "AUTO" , the cam era light tur ns on autom atically when the camcor der is pointed at objects in a dar k plac e and turns of f when it is pointed at obj ects in a bright plac e. CA UTION: T he power consum ption of the built-in cam era light [...]

A TTA CHING THE OPTIONA L TELE OR WIDE CONVERTER LENS - 53 -  To replac e the front c ase, pass the lam p through the hole of the ref lection plate then attach the upper hooks to the cam era light, and then attach the lower hook to the cam era light. NOT ES: • Do not touch the lam p directly with y our fingers . It m ay shor ten its ser vice l[...]

TROUBLESHOOTING - 54 - HOW TO A TTACH THE SHOULDER STRA P Attach the shoulder s trap (pr ovided), as illustr ated. TROUBLESHOOTING Your camc order is a highly sophis ticated instr um ent. It has been caref ully checked and adj usted at the fac tory under the m ost rigid quality control and inspection s ystems. However, s hould problem s develop, ch[...]

TROUBLESHOOTING - 55 - S y mpt o m Check Point & Correction Picture does not appear in the viewfinder. * Remove the lens cap. * Set "CA M /OFF/VIDEO" to "CA M " position. The c amc order can not go into the recording m ode, even when "REC/PA USE" is pr essed. * The c assette has had the er ase prevention tab rem ov[...]

CLEA NING THE INSIDE OF THE ELECTRONIC VIEWFINDER - 56 - CLEA NING THE INSIDE OF THE ELECTRONIC VIEWFIN DER If dust or foreign m atter adher es inside the viewfinder, c lean it by using the f ollowing procedure. For VM -7500LA: 1. Push the tab and hold it, then open the cover. 2. Clean the picture tube f ace and lens. To prevent s cratc hing, use a[...]

HEA D CLEANING - 57 - 3. Align the (•) m ark on the eye cup with the ( - ) mark on the viewfinder, and then rotate the eye cup in the direction of the arrow until a clic k is heard. HEA D CLEA NING • Picture playback m ay become blurr ed or be interrupted. T his does not m ean that the recorded pr ogram has been erased. • Dirt accum ulated on[...]

For U.S.A . only - 58 -   Genera l Power requirem ents 9.6V DC Power cons um ption 7.5W (nom inal) Dimens ions 4-3/4" (W ) x 8- 3/8" (H) x 13-1/8" (D) 121 (W ) x 213 ( H) x 334 (D) m m W eight 4.7 lbs (2.15 kg) Operating tem perature 32°F ~ 104°F (0°C ~ 40°C) Storage tem perature -4°F ~ 140°F (- 20°C ~ 60°C)   Vid[...]

A CCESSORIES A DD EXCITEMENT - 59 - contact: Hitachi Home Electro nics (America), Inc. 1855 Dornoch Court, San Diego, California 92173 Tel 619- 661-3441 A CCESSORIES A DD EXCITEMENT W e know that once you discover how m uch your VM-7500LA/VM-8500LA can add to your life you w ill want to use these acc essor ies for even m or e excitem ent. Converter[...]