Hitachi VM-H38A manual

TABLE OF CONTENT S 1 HITA CHI Instructi on M anual 8mm Video Camer a/ Recor der VM-H38 A Hitachi Hom e El ectroni cs ( America), I n c. HITA CHI (HSC) CANA DA INC. 3890 Steve Reynolds Blvd., Norcross, G A 30093 3300 Trans Canada Hig hway, Pointe Claire, Tel. 404-279-5600 Quebec, H9R 1B1, CANADA Tel. 514-697-9150 HITA CHI SA LES CORPO RAT IO N O F H[...]

TABLE OF CONTENT S 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLE OF CONTENTS ............................................................................................................................ 2 IMPORTANT SAFEG UARDS ..................................................................................................................... 3 FEATURES ...............[...]

IMPORT ANT SAFEG UARDS 3 IMPO RTANT SA FEGUA RDS W ARNING: T O PREVENT FIRE OR SHO CK HAZARD, DO NO T EX PO SE THI S UNI T T O RAIN OR M OISTUR E. CAUTIO N: T O REDUCE THE RI SK O F ELECTRI C SHO CK, DO NO T REMOVE COVER ( OR BACK). NO USER- SERVICEABLE PART S I NSIDE. REFER SERVICING T O Q UALI FIED SERVICE PERSO NNEL. This symbol warms the user t[...]

IMPORT ANT SAFEG UARDS 4 MOIST URE Moisture may occur if t he video camera/ r ecor der is moved fr om a cold area to a warm humid area. A f lashing "DEW" indication in the viewfinder indicates that m oist ure has condensed on the recorder m echanism , which could result in tape damag e. Since condensat ion builds up gradually, the indicat[...]

FEAT URES 5 FEA TURES • Hi8 • Fade-in/Fade- out • Electronic Im ag e Stabilizer (EIS) • Auto Focus Power Zoom Lens with macro f eat ure • Digital Filt er • Flying Erase Head • Digital Zoom up t o X16 • Time and dat e • Sol id-state ca mera pickup • Titl er • Progr am AE ( Auto Exposure) • W ir eless Rem o t e Cont rol A CCES[...]

IMPORT ANT SAFEG UARDS 6 IMPO RTANT SA FEGUA RDS In addition to t he car ef ul att ent ion devoted to qualit y standar ds in t he m anuf actur e of your video product, saf ety is a major f actor in t he desig n of every instrum ent . But , saf et y is your responsibility too. This page list s import ant inf orm at ion that will help to assure your [...]

IMPORT ANT SAFEG UARDS 7 Caution: Maintain electrical saf ety. Powerline operat ed eq uipment or accessor ies connected to this unit should bear the UL list ing mar k or CSA cert if ication m ar k on the accessory itself and should not have been modified so as to def eat t he saf ety f eat ures. T his will help avoid any potential hazard fr om elec[...]

IMPORT ANT SAFEG UARDS 8 SERVICE 17 Se rvicin g -- Do not at t empt to ser vice this video product yourself as opening or removing covers may expose you to dangerous voltage or ot her hazards. Ref er all servicing t o q ualif ied service personnel. 18 Conditions Requi ri ng Service -- Unplug this video product f rom t he wall outlet and r efer serv[...]

IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCT IONS FOR AC ADAPTER/CHARGER 9 IMPO RTANT SA FETY INSTRUCTIONS FOR A C A DA PTER/CHA RGER 1. Save these instruct ions - - T his page contains im por tant saf ety and operating inst r uctions f or AC Adapter/Char g er Model VM-AC 82A. 2. Bef or e using AC Adapter/ Char g er, r ead all inst r uctions and cautionary mar k ings[...]

Hi8 10 Hi8 has realized high resolution and hig h picture q uality when compared to the standar d format.  Compatibilt y w ith conventional video camera/recorder • video cassettes are recorded in the f or m at when the swi tch of this camera/rec order is se t to " AU T O " , and recorded in the form at when it is set to " OFF &q[...]

HOW T O ATT ACH T HE SHOULDER ST RAP 11 HO W TO ATTA CH TH E SH OU LDE R STR A P Attach the shoulder st r ap (provided), as illustr at ed. LOA DING BAT TERIES FOR DAT E/TIME AND REMOTE CONTROL You may want to install the date/ time and rem ot e control bat t er ies ( pr ovided) immediately to prevent misplacing t hem .  For date/tim e 1. Pull th[...]

POW ER SOURCES 12 NOTES: • W hen r eplacing the batt eries, use 3V micro lit hium cell such as Maxell CR2025 or equivalent. • Instruct ions f or set t ing the date and t ime ar e on pag e 22. You can do that lat er if desir ed af ter you're more f amiliar with your camera/ recorder. • Dispose of bat t er y safely and in accordance with l[...]

CHECKING THE BAT TERY 13  WHEN USING W I TH THE A C A DA PTER/CHA RGER (provided) 1. Plug t he AC adapt er/charg er power cord into an AC elect r ical output; t he " POWER " indicat or on the AC adapter/ charger will come on. 2. Attach t he exter nal power adapter ( pr ovided) to t he camera/r ecor der as shown in the f igure. Align th[...]

CHECKING THE BAT TERY 14 W hen t he " " indication appears in the viewfinder and f lashes while the camera/recor der is being operat ed with a batt er y (pr ovided), it indicat es that the bat tery charg e is low. Charg e it or replace it with a charged bat tery. NOTE: W henever the linear t im e count er is present in the viewfinder, t h[...]

CHARGING THE BAT TERY 15 CHA RGING THE BAT TERY 1. Plug t he AC adapt er/char g er power cord into AC elect r ical out let. 2. Attach t he batter y to t he AC adapt er /charg er. Alig n t he " " mark on the bat t er y with that of AC adapter/char ger and push t he bat tery f lush with the AC adapter / charger and slide it in the direction[...]

INSERTIO N AND REMOVAL OF CASSET ES 16 INSERTION AND REMOVA L OF CA SSETES Befor e inser t ing or removing a casset t e, be sure to connect t he power source. W hen a power source is connected, t he casset t e can be ejected and rem oved whether the power is on or of f.  Insertion 1. Slide the " EJECT " switch. The cassett e door will [...]

MAKING A SAMPLE CAMERA RECORDING 17 MA KING A SA M PLE CAMERA RECO RDING 1. Connect the PO W ER SOURCE. (See pag es 11 and 12.) 2. Slide " EJECT " switch and insert tha casset t e so the transpar ent window is toward you and the arrow toward the cassett e holder . Slide the cassett e into cassett e holder as f ar as it will go. NOTE: If t[...]

MAKING A SAMPLE CAMERA RECORDING 18 NOTE: If you connect the camera/ recorder t o your T V, you can see the pict ur e played back on your TV. Re fer to " VIEWING THE PICTURE PLA YED BACK ON YOUR TV " on page 37. 11. Af t er playing, press " STOP " but ton. 12. Slide the power switch to " OFF " and then slide " EJE[...]

IDENTIFICAT ION AND OPERATION OF CONT ROLS 19 IDEN TIFIC A TION A ND OPE RA TION OF CONT ROLS Left sid e Illustration 1. Lens F1.4 (6~48mm) 8:1 power z oom lens features auto f ocus and auto iris functions. 2. "ZOOM MODE " Button Use this button t o switch the digital zoom f eature. Usually press t his but t on so that " ZM :1 "[...]

IDENTIFICAT ION AND OPERATION OF CONT ROLS 20 18. "A V IN/O UT" Jack (Behind t he door) Use the RF output adapt er ( provided) to connect this j ack to a T V to view the pictures played back by the camera/ r ecor der . Use the AV input cord ( pr ovided) t o connect t his jack t o a TV or VCR t o r ecor d pict ures f r om the VCR or TV. 19[...]

IDENTIFICAT ION AND OPERATION OF CONT ROLS 21 30. "RESET" Butt on W hen t he linear time counter is displayed in the viewfinder, pr essing this butt on r eset s the counter to " 0: 00: 00" . 31. "DIS PLA Y" Butto n W hen t his button is pressed, the display in the viewfinder will change in sequence. 32. "DA TE&quo[...]

DA TE/ TIM E S E TTING 22 DATE/TI ME SETTI NG 1 The date and tim e can be r ecor ded on your t apes t o act as a handy ref erence when view ing them at a later tim e. Use t he f ollowing procedure t o set up this display for t he cur r ent date and tim e. 1. Load the camer a/ r ecor der ' s date/t ime bat t ery as described on page 10. 2. Pres[...]

DA TE/ TIM E S E TTING 23 NOTE: The dat e/time g raphics will be recorded whenever they appear in the view f inder .  To record date/time graphics Press the " DATE " button repeatedly to select the r eq uired date/ t ime graphics in t he view f inder, then strat r ecor ding . • The display changes in the f ollowing order each t ime t[...]

AUTO FOCUS 24 A UTO FOCUS • You can always focus the subject aut omatically if " FO CUS M." is not displayed in the view f inder. The range of subject w ith w hich aut o focus can be used • On "T " side: about 3.6 f eet fr om t he lens surf ace t o inf inity. • On "W " side: about 3/8 inches f r om the lens surf [...]

EXPOSURE CORRECTION 25  MA NUA L FOCUSING 1. Press "F OCUS" select button to displa y "FOCUS M. " in the viewfinder. • W hen " FOCUS M . " is displayed in the view f inder , you can adjust t he focus m anually. • W hen " FOCUS" select button is pressed ag ain, "FO CUS M." disappears and camer[...]

POW ER ZOOM 26 POWER Z OOM • Press power zoom switch on the "W " side, and the picture g radually widens. • Press power zoom switch on the "T" side, and t he pict ur e gradually becomes telescopic.[...]

DIGITAL ZOOM 27 DIGIT A L ZOOM This f eature allows you to increase the mag nificat ion of t he im ag e at the cent er of t he scr een up to 2 or 8 tim es g reater t han the extreme t elephot o posit ion. 1. Press "ZOOM MODE" butto n to sele ct "ZM:1" or "ZM:2" . The display in the viewfinder will change as f ollows ea[...]

FADE-IN/FADE-OUT 28 FA DE-IN/FADE-OUT This f eature lest you add a prof essional touch to your hom e r ecor ding s. W hen you fade int o a scene, the recor ding will start with a blank scene and t he pict ur e will gradually appear. The picture g r adually disappears when fading out. T here are thr ee f ade modes. NOTE: Both pict ur e and sound wil[...]

DIGITAL F ILTER 29 DIGIT A L FILTE R This f unction changes the pict ure that is being recorded to m onochr ome, sepia and sunset f or special-ef f ect recor ding. Press the "D. FI LTER" button to select t he r eq uired recor ding mode and then star t recording . • Each time the "D. FI LTER" but t on is pr essed, the recording[...]

ELECTRO NIC IMAGE ST ABILIZER (EIS) 30 ELE CTR ONIC IMA GE ST A BILIZER (EIS) This f unction correct s slig ht shak ing of t he im age in the f ollowing record m odes. • Recording by zooming up to a dist ant subject • Recording by approaching a sm all subj ect. • Recording while walking ar ound • Recording in a vehicle or recor ding a subje[...]

MACRO 31 MA CRO It perm it s you to shoot obj ect s as close as 3/8 inch f r om the lens tip. Press and hold "W" side of power zoom switch. An object is aut o focused. NOTES: • Determine the size of the object by moving the cam er a backward and f or ward. • Be caref ul as t he lig hting t ends t o be insuff icient when shooting in t [...]

SECOND CLOCK SET TING 32 SECOND CLOCK SETTING Since the camera/ r ecor der has a dual time f eature, if you go abroad t o a count ry with a diff er ent time, you can record t he local t ime superimposed on the scene being shot. 1. Press the "DA TE " button r epeat edly to select t he second clock gr aphics in t he viewfinder. NOTE: You ca[...]

DISPLAY BUTTO N 33 DISPLA Y BUTTON Pressing t he " DISPLA Y" butt on let s you check several special display in the viewfinder. LINEA R TIME CO UNTER Shows length of t ape r un in hour s, minutes and seconds. Pr ess " DISPLA Y" button to se lect the linear time count er display. Load a cassette into t he cam er a/recorder and pe[...]

MEMORY 34 MEMORY W hen t he linear time counter with memor y indication appears in the viewfinder, a tape t hat is being rewound automat ically stops when the counter r eads approximately "0:00: 00 M " . T his is useful if there is a sect ion of t ape you want to review immediately af t er recording or if you want to return to the same p [...]

INSTANT REVIEW 35 INSTA NT REVIEW 1. In recor d/ pause ( st and-by) mode, press " REVIEW" button, and t he last f ew seconds of the recorded scene is played back in the r everse direction and then played back in t he f orward direction. 2. W hen the tape reaches t he end of t he scene you have just recor ded, the camera/ r ecor der return[...]

EYEPIECE ADJUSTMENT 36 EYEPIECE A DJUSTMENT To use the elect r onic viewfinder without eyeglasses on, adj ust the diopter control f or optim um focus adj ust m ent . TITLE RECORDING You can easily create and record personalized titles on your videos with the camera/r ecor der ' s built-in titler . T he titler will store 2 dif f erent tit le pa[...]

TIT LE RECORDING 37 NOTE: The power switch may be in either t he " C AM E R A" or "VIDEO" 2. Press "TITL E" button. T he f lashing cur s or will appear in the viewfinder. 3. Press "SHIFT " button r epeat edly to m ove the f lashing curs or t o t he place you want to begin you r title . 4. Select the first cha[...]

TIT LE RECORDING 38 NOTE: The cor r ected character m ay flash, however it will be recorded correctly without flashing .  Recording Titles on a Tape in the Camera/Recorder 1. Slide the power switch to "VIDEO " . 2. Locate the posit ion on t he tape that you wish to record the t it le. 3. Slide the power switch to " C AM E R A"[...]

W IRELESS REMOT E CONTRO LLER 39 WIRELESS REM O TE CONTROLLER You can operate the cam er a/ r ecorder with the wireless remote cont r oller ( pr ovided) f rom a distance. The butt ons on t he r em ot e controller except f or " AV DUB" button have the same f unct ions as the buttons with the sam e ident if ications on t he cam er a/ record[...]

AUDIO/VIDEO DUBBING 40 A UDIO/VIDEO DUBBING Audio/video dubbing lets you record new audio and video from anot her VCR on a previously recorded tape in t he cam er a/ r ecorder. A udio/video dubbing hookup Illustration NOTES: • If your VCR has a sing le (mono) audio out put , connect eit her t he lef t or r ight audio plug to the audio output of t[...]

RECORDING TV PROGRAMS 41 RECORDING TV PROGRAMS If your T V or VCR has video/audio out j acks, you can recor d t he T V progr am with camera/recor der. Reco rding T V prog rams Illustra tion 1. Connect the AV input cord to "A UDIO OU T" and "VID EO OUT " of your T V or VCR. 2. Connect the ot her end to "A V IN/OU T" of [...]

VIEW ING T HE PICTURE PLAYED BACK ON YOUR T V 42 VIEWI NG THE PICTURE PLA YED BACK ON YOUR TV To play back a tape r ecor ded on your camera/r ecor der and view it on your TV receiver, you must connect t he cam er a/ recorder t o t he TV receiver using eit her AV stereo out put cord (provided) or RF output adapt er (provided). Example 1: If your TV [...]

VIEW ING T HE PICTURE PLAYED BACK ON YOUR T V 43 Exam ple 3: If y our TV is a regula r TV, Camera hookup to regular TV Illustration 1. Disconnect the VHF ant enna leads f rom t he r ear of t he T V receiver. NOTE: Leave the UHF antenna leads connected t o the TV. 2. Connect the VHF ant enna lead to "IN FROM A NT " on the RF output adapt e[...]

STILL 44 STILL W hen "PA USE" butt on is pr essed during playback, a still picture can be seen. To star t ag ain press "PA USE" button and playback will be resumed. NOTES: • There will be some noise (inter f erence) in t he still picture. • If t he play-pause m ode cont inues f or m or e t han 5 m inut es, the camera/ r ecor[...]

ATT ACHING THE T ELE OR W IDE CONVERTER 45 A TTA CHING THE TELE OR WI DE CONVERTER 1. To r em ove the lens hood, t ur n it counterclock wise. 2. Remove both caps of t he tele or wide converter. 3. Screw the lens into the t hr eads on t he fr ont of video camera/ r ecor der lens assembly. CA MERA /RECO RDER TO VCR DUBBI NG If you wish to exchange or[...]

FLYING ERASE HEAD 46 FLYIN G ERA SE H EA D A rotating erase head which elminates glitches and r ainbow noise that occurs at the j oints between recorded segment s. PROGRA MME AE (A uto Exposure) Progra m m e AE aut om atically selects the shutt er speed 1/ 60, 1/100, 1/ 120 or 1/250 second that is optimum f or t he br ig htness of the subject . T h[...]

SYNCHRO EDIT 47 6. Pressing " REVIEW" button on the camer a/recorder put s t he camera/r ecor der in t he pr eview mode f or several seconds and then into the playback mode. The r ecording VCR st arts recor ding automatically. 7. Pressing "REW" , "F.FWD" , "S TOP" or "PA USE " on the camera/ recorde[...]

ATT ACHING THE OPT IONAL DC CAMERA LIGHT (VM-CP4) 48 A TTA CHING THE OPTIO NA L DC CA MERA LIG HT (VM - CP4) Use the DC camera lig ht if you wish to shoot objects in dark places. CA UTION: T he fr ont and lamp of t he DC camera lig ht becom e very hot during use of the camer a light or im m ediat ely after use. Be car eful t hat your hand or hair d[...]

ATT ACHING THE OPT IONAL DC CAMERA LIGHT (VM-CP4) 49 securely by aligning the r ecess of the lam p and t he " " mar k of t he light.  Press the lamp t hrough t he hole of the r ef lective place and re-att ach t he fr ont case t o the camera lig ht by alig ning the "-" mark s of the f ront case and cam er a lig ht, t hen t urn[...]

TROUBLES HOOTING 50 TR OUBLE SHOOT ING Your camera/ r ecor der is a hig hly sophisticated instr um ent . It has been caref ully checked and adjusted at t he fact or y under t he m ose r ig id quality control and inspect ion systems. However, should problems develop, check t he following points and t ak e necessary corrective measures. INSERTING OR [...]

HEAD CLEANING 51 DEW Symptom Check Point & Corr ection “DEW ” indication flashes in the view f inder. Condensation on the camera/r ecorder mechanism – w ait until the unit has reached normal r oom temperature and condensation has dried. “ DEW ” indication will then stop flashing. BA TTERY CONDITION Sy mptom Check Point & Co rrecti[...]

SPECIFICATIO NS 52 SPECIFICAT IONS  General Power requirem ents 6V DC Power consumption 7.2W (W hen "FOCUS M" is displayed in the viewfinder.) Dimensions 3- 1/ 8" (W ) x 4-1/8" ( H) x 9-3/ 8" ( D) 80.5 (W ) x 104 (H) x 238 (D) mm W eig ht 1.3 lbs (580 g ) ( without bat tery pack, lens hood, lens cap hand strap's pad[...]

ACCESSORY TO ADD MORE EX CITEMENT 53 A CCESSORY TO A DD MORE EXCI TEMENT You're ready to add m or e excitem ent t o your home videos, and Hit achi' s r ight t her e with you. W it h our new line of video accessories, you can go anywhere your imaginat ion t ak es you. Now that you know how much f un video recording can be, you'll want[...]