Sony DCR-HC18E manual

3-088-337- 11 (1) © 2004 Sony Corporation Camera Operations Guide Read th is first Digital Video Ca mera Recorder DCR-HC16E/HC18 E/HC20E[...]

2 Read this first Before ope rating th e unit, please r ead th is manu al thorou ghly, and r etain it for fut ure refe rence . WARNING To preve nt fire or shock haza rd, do not exp ose the un it to rain or mo istu re. To avoi d el ect ri cal sh ock , do not op en the cabinet. Refer servicing to qua lified personnel only. FOR CUSTOMERS I N THE UNITE[...]

3 camera, and thus may ap pear diffe rent from what you see. • T he illustratio ns used on this ma nual are based on the mode l DCR-HC20E. Notes on us ing the camcorder • H old your camcorde r correctly. • If the Strap Belt i s too long, fasten the Strap Belt as shown in the fol lowing ill ustration. • You can also use t he Strap Belt as a [...]

4 Read this first ............... ............. ................... .................... ................... ....... 2 Quic k Star t Gu ide Recording m ovies .. ................... ............. ................... .................... ............. 8 Recording/P laying back with ease .. .................... ................... .................. 1[...]

5 Recordin g a pictur e using va rious effects ...... .................... ................... ... 31 Fading in and out of a scene – FADER .... ................... ..................... .............. .......... 31 Searchi ng for the st arting point ......... .................... ................... ................ 32 Searching for t he last sce[...]

6 Advanced operations Customizing Y our Cam- corder Changing th e men u settings .. ........... . 43 Using the (MANUAL SET ) menu – PROGRAM AE/P EFFECT, etc. .............. ........... ........... ........... ....... 44 Using the (CAMERA SET) menu – D ZOOM/ 16:9WIDE, etc . .......... 47 Using the (PLAYER SET)/ (VCR SET) menu – HiFi SOUND/AUDI[...]

7[...]

Quick Star t Guide 8 Quick Start Guide Recording movies 1 Attach the charged batt ery pack to the camcorder. To ch arge the bat ter y, see pa ge 1 2. 2 Insert a cassett e into the camcord er. Slide the batte ry pack i n the dire ction of th e arrow u ntil it cli cks. a Slide the OPEN/ Z EJECT lever in the dir ection of the arrow to op en the li d. [...]

Qui ck S tart Guide Quick Start Guide 9 3 Start recording while chec king the subject on the LCD screen. The date and time is n ot set up in the d efault se tting. To se t the dat e and time , see page 17. 4 View the recor ded picture on the L CD screen. a Set the LENS COVER switch to OPEN. b Open the LCD pa nel. c While press ing the gree n button[...]

Quick Star t Guide 10 Recording/Playing back with ease By switchi ng to Easy Han dycam operat ion, recor ding/pla yback op eration becomes eve n easier. Easy Ha ndycam op eration al lows easy rec ording/ playba ck for eve n first time u sers by pr ovidi ng on ly the basic func tions for r ecordin g/play back. For det ails, se e instruc tions for ea[...]

Getting started Getting started 11 Getting sta rted Step 1: Checking supplied items Make su re yo u ha ve fo llowing items suppl ied with your camcorder. The nu mber in pare nthese s indicat es the numbe r of that it em supplied. AC Adaptor (1) Ma ins le ad ( 1) Wireless Remote Comma nder (1) (DCR-HC18E/HC20E) A butto n-type lith ium batter y is al[...]

Getting started 12 Step 2: Charging the battery pack You ca n charge the batt ery by attach ing the “InfoLITHI UM” battery pack (P series) to your ca mco rder . b Notes • You can not use batteries oth er than the “InfoLITHIUM” bat tery pack (P series) (p. 83). • Do not short-circui t the DC plug of the AC Adaptor or bat tery term inals [...]

Getting started Getting started 13 To remove t he bat tery pack 1 Set the P OWER switc h to OF F (CHG). 2 Sl id e the batt ery pack o ut i n th e di rect ion of the a rrow whi le pressi ng the BA TT (batte ry) release butto n down . b Note • If you do not use the battery pack f or a long time, use up th e batte ry pack co mpletely before s toring[...]

Getting started 14 When LCD BACKLIGHT is set to OFF Recording time when re cording wi th the view fin der Appr oximate nu mber of m inutes av ailable when y ou u se a full y char ged batt er y pa ck a t 25°C ( 77° F). * Approximate number of minut es when recording while y ou repea tedly re cord, s tart/s top, s lide the POWE R swi tch to ch ang [...]

Getting started Getting started 15 Step 3: Turning t he power on You need to slide the P OWER swi tch repea tedly to se lect the de sire d po wer mo de to record or p lay. When using th is camcorde r for the first time, the CLOCK SET screen ap pears (p. 17). 1 S et the LENS COVER switch to OPE N. 2 Wh ile pressing the green button, slide the POWER [...]

Getting started 16 Step 4: Adjusting the LCD panel and viewfinder Adjusti ng the LCD pan el You ca n adjust the angl e and brightness o f the LCD panel to me et various reco rding situation s. Even wh en there are obst ructions betwee n you and the subject, you can check th e subj ect on t he LC D s cre en d uri ng r eco rd ing by adjustin g the a [...]

Getting started Getting started 17 To use th e viewfi nder d uring op eration When yo u are rec ording, yo u can adj ust the expos ure ( p. 28) and fader (p. 31) whi le check ing t he i mage o n the v iew finde r. Ha ve th e LCD pa nel ro tat ed 18 0 deg ree s and cl os ed wit h the sc reen faci ng out . 1 Sl ide t he P OWER sw itc h to sele ct th [...]

Getting started 18 3 Touch to display PAGE1 . 4 Touch MENU. 5 Select (S ETUP MENU) with / , then touch EXEC. 6 Select CLOCK SET with / , then touch EXEC. 7 Set Y (year) with / , then touch . You can set a ny y ear up t o t he y ear 2079 . 8 Set M (month), D (day), H (ho ur) and M (minute) in the same way as was done in step 7, th en touc h . 0:00:0[...]

Getting started Getting started 19 Step 6: Inserting a cassette tape You can use min i DV cassettes on ly. For details on these cassette s (such as write- protec tion), see page 81. b Note • D o not forc e the ca ssette in to the com partme nt. This may caus e a malfunction of your camcorder. 1 Slide the OPEN/ Z EJECT lever in the direction of th[...]

Getting started 20 Step 7: Setting the screen language You c an select th e langua ge to be use d on the LCD screen. 1 Turn on your camco rder. 2 Op en the LCD panel. 3 Touch to display PAGE1 . 4 Touch MENU. 5 Select (SETUP MENU), then select LANGUAGE with / , then touch EXEC. 6 S elect the des ired lang uage wit h / , then touch EXEC. 7 Touch . z [...]

Recording Recording 21 Recording Recording movies Before recording, follow steps 1 to 7 in “G etting st arted” (p. 11 - p. 20). When yo u are recor ding, mov ies will be recorded alon g with stereo sou nd. z Tip • P erforming E asy Handycam operat ion, even first time u sers can recor d easily. Fo r details, s ee page 25. 1 S et the LENS COVE[...]

Recording 22 E Tape phot o record ing/Time co de or tap e counte r (hour: min ute: s econd) F Reco rding capacity o f th e ta pe (p. 54) G Function bu tton b Notes • Before c hanging t he batte ry pack, s lide the POWER switch up to OFF (CHG). • In the default setting, when you do not operate the camc order f o r m ore than about 5 min utes, th[...]

Recording Recording 23 Open the LCD panel 90 degrees to the camcord er, then rotate it 180 degrees towards the subject. A mirror-i mage of th e subj ect appears on the LCD screen, bu t the pic ture will be normal when reco rded. Using the se lf-timer With the se lf-timer, you c an start re cording after a delay of a bout 10 seconds. 1 T ouc h a nd [...]

Recording 24 Recording still images – Tape ph oto recording You can record sti ll i m ag es. B efore recording, follow st eps 1 t o 7 in “ Getting starte d” (p. 11 - p. 20 ). 1 Set the LENS COVER switch to OPEN. 2 Op en the LCD panel. 3 Sli de the POWER switch until the CAMERA lamp lights up. 4 Press and ho ld PHOTO lightl y. You wil l hea r [...]

Recording Recording 25 Recording with ease – Eas y Handy cam With this Easy Ha ndycam operatio n, most of the camera settings are set to the automatic mode , only basi c functio ns become availab le, and t he sc reen font s ize incre ases for ea sy view ing. Even f irst time us ers can en joy easy record ing. B efore recor d ing , follo w steps 1[...]

Recording 26 Adjusting the exposure The ex posure i s adj usted au tomat ica lly in t he default s etting. Adjusti ng the exposure for ba cklit subject s When y our subject ha s its back t o the sun o r other light , you can adjust the ex posure to prevent the subject from becoming sha dow ed. Press BACK LIGHT when the POWER switch is set to the CA[...]

Recording Recording 27 To return the settin g to automatic exposure Follow steps 1 to 3, t hen touch [ AUTO] in step 4. Or set [EXPOSURE] to [ AUTO ] (p. 28) . b Notes • Y ou cannot u se the Flexib le spot me ter togethe r with the Night Shot plu s function. • If you set [PROGRAM AE], [SPOT METER] is automa tica lly s et to [ AUTO ]. z Tip • [...]

Recording 28 Adjusti ng the e xposure manually You can fix the brigh tness of a pictu re at the best e xposu re. W hen recor ding indo ors on a clear day, fo r inst ance, y ou can avoid backl ight shado ws on peopl e next to the wind ow by manually f ixin g the e xposure t o that of the wall si de of the room. 1 Slid e the POWER swi tch to select t[...]

Recording Recording 29 Recording in dark places – Nig htShot plus You can record subj ects in dark places (such as when capturing t he face of yo ur baby sleeping) with this function . Set the NIGHTSHOT P LUS switch to ON. and ”NIGHTSHOT PLUS” appear. To can cel Ni ghtS hot plus , set the NIGHT SHOT PL US sw itc h to O FF. b Notes • D o not[...]

Recording 30 To adjust the focus aut omatically Follow steps 1 to 3, th en touch [ AUTO] in step 4. Or, set [FOCUS] to [ AUTO] (p. 30). b Note • You cannot use the SPOT FOCUS function together with [PROGRAM AE]. z Tip • If you set [SPOT FOCUS], [FOCUS ] is automaticall y set to [MANUAL]. Adjusti ng the focu s manually You can adjust the focus m[...]

Recording Recording 31 Recording a picture using various effects Fading in an d out of a s cene – FADER You can add the following effects to currently record ing pictures. [BLACK] (bl ack fader ) [WHITE] (white fade r) [MOSC. FADER] (mosaic fader) [MONOTONE] When f ading in , the pi ctur e gradua lly chan ges from b lack-a nd-whit e to color. Whe[...]

Recording 32 Searching for the starting point Searc hing for th e last scene of th e most rece nt reco rding – END SEARCH This func tion is ha ndy when you ha ve played back the t ape, for example, but wan t to start recording right after the most recently recorded sc ene. When you use a cassette wit hout C ass ette Me mory , the EN D SEARCH func[...]

Recording Recording 33 Reviewing t he most recently recorded sc enes – Rec review You can view a few sec onds of the sc ene record ed just be fore you stop ped the tape . 1 Slide the POWER switch to select the CAMERA mode. 2 T ouc h to di splay [P AGE1 ]. 3 T ouc h MENU. 4 S elect (CAMERA SET), then select [EDITSEARCH] with / , then touch [EXEC].[...]

Playback 34 Play back Viewing pictures recorded on a tape Make sure you have a recorded tape inserted into yo ur camcorder. When yo u wa nt to play ba ck recordi ngs on your TV, see page 39. For DCR-HC18E/HC20E: You ca n control pl ayback usin g the Remot e Command er. z Tip • Performing Ea sy Handycam operation , even first time user s can play [...]

Playback Playback 35 Indicators d i splayed during playback A Remaining b atter y time B Reco rding m ode (SP or LP) C Tape transport in dicator D Time cod e (hou r: min ute: se cond: frame ) or tap e coun ter (hour : minute : second) E Functio n button F Vid eo operati on button s Playing bac k in various mod es To fast f orward or rewind during p[...]

Playback 36 Playing back with ease – Easy Handyca m Easy Handycam operatio n allows easy playback for even first time users by providing only the basi c functi ons for playbac k. Also, th e screen font siz e increases f o r ea sy viewing. Make sur e you have a reco rded ta pe insert ed into your camc order. z Tip • When you touch and MENU durin[...]

Playback Playback 37 Various playback functions You can di splay the recorde d date and camera settin g data. Displa ying th e scree n indic ators You can choose to display the time code, ta pe counter, and other information on the screen. Press D SPL/BATT INFO. The indi cators app ear/dis appear as you press the butt on. z Tips • For DC R-HC18E/[...]

Playback 38 If you record th e pi ctur e without set ting the clock, [-- - - --- -] and [--:--:--] will appear. A SteadyS hot off B Exposure C Whi te bal anc e D Gain E Shutter speed F Apertu re value FN 0:00:00:00 60m i n AWB 100 9d B F1. 7 AUTO[...]

Playback Playback 39 Playing the picture on a TV Conne c t yo ur camcorde r to a TV us ing the supplied A/V conn ecting cabl e as sh own in the follo w ing ill ustration. Connect the supp lied AC Adaptor to the wall socket for the power supply (p. 14). Refer also to the instruc tion manuals suppl ied with the de vices to be connec ted. To copy t o [...]

Playback 40 Locating a scene on a tape for playback (DCR -HC18E/HC 20E) Searc hing quickl y for a desired scene – Ze ro set memory 1 During playback, pr ess ZERO SET MEMORY on the Remote Comman der at the po int yo u want t o locate la ter on. The tape counter is rese t to “0:00:00” and app ears on the s creen. If the tape counter is not disp[...]

Playback Playback 41 Playback sta rts aut omatically from the selected title. To cancel the operat ion Press STOP on the Remote Commander. b Notes • Y ou cannot us e Title searc h when [CM SEARCH] is set to [OFF] on the (C M SET) menu (it is set to [ON] by default) (p. 53). • Title search will n ot fun ction corr ectly when the re is a blank se[...]

Playback 42 choosi ng the re cordi ng date on t he scr een. ([C M SEARCH] is set t o [ON] by default) . When you are using a cass ette that does not hav e Cassette M emory , your cam corder searches t h e s till image au tomatically regard less of the re cording da te. 1 Sli de the POWER switch repeate dly to select the PLAY/EDIT mode. 2 Pr ess SEA[...]

Customizi ng Your C amcord er Customizing Your Camcorder 43 B Advanced op erations Cust omizin g Your Camc order Changing the menu settings You can cha nge vari ous settings or make detailed adjustments u sing the menu items disp layed on the s cre en. 1 Tu rn on the power (p. 15). 2 T ouc h to di splay [P AGE1 ]. 3 T ouc h MENU to disp lay th e me[...]

Customizing Your Camcorder 44 Using the (MANUAL SET) menu – PROGRA M AE/ P EFFEC T, etc . You can sele ct items listed be lo w on th e MANUAL SET menu. To select i tems, see “Changi ng the m enu s ettings” (p. 43) . The default s ettings a r e marked with G . The indic ator s in pare nthe ses appear when the settin g is selec ted. The s ettin[...]

Customizi ng Your C amcord er Customizing Your Camcorder 45 **Your camco rder is adju sted to fo cus only on dist ant subject s. b Note • When you set th e NIGHTSHOT PLUS switch to ON, [PROGRAM AE] does not work . (The indica tor flashes.) P EFFECT You ca n add sp ecial effe cts (such as films ) to a pi cture befo re or after rec ordi ng. appear [...]

Customizing Your Camcorder 46 FLASH LVL Note that these se ttings will not function with exte rnal flashe s that do not support the following se ttings. b Note • The sett ing returns to [NORMAL ] when you disconnec t the power source from you r camcorder for more t han 5 minutes. AUTO SHTR HIGH To make the flash (optional) leve l higher than norm[...]

Customizi ng Your C amcord er Customizing Your Camcorder 47 Using the (CAMERA SET) menu – D ZOOM/16:9 WIDE, etc. You can select items li sted below on the CAMERA SET menu. To select items, see “Cha nging the m enu sett ings” (p. 4 3). The defau lt settin gs are ma rked wit h G . Th e indicato rs in pare ntheses appear wh en the setting is sel[...]

Customizing Your Camcorder 48 * The pictur e appears in full screen whe n the wide-screen TV swit ches to full mode . **Pl ayed in 4:3 mode. When you play a pic ture in the wide mod e, it appears as you have seen on the LCD screen or in the vi ewfinder. STEADYSHOT Yo u can se lect thi s func tion to com pen sate for ca mera -sha ke. EDITSEARCH N.S.[...]

Customizi ng Your C amcord er Customizing Your Camcorder 49 Using the (PLAYER SET)/ (VCR SET) menu – HiFi SOUND/A UDIO MIX You can select items li sted below in the menu (the PLAYER SET menu for DC R-HC16E/ HC18E, the VCR SET menu for DCR-HC20E). To se lect thes e items, see “C hanging the men u setting s” (p. 43). The default settin g s are [...]

Customizing Your Camcorder 50 Using the (LCD/VF SET) menu – LCD B. L./LCD CO LOR/ VF B.L. You can select items listed below on the LCD/ VF SET menu. To se lect items , see “Changing the menu sett ings ” (p. 43) . The default setti ngs are mark ed with G . The screen shows the items yo u can oper ate at the momen t. Un availabl e items wi ll b[...]

Customizi ng Your C amcord er Customizing Your Camcorder 51 Using the (CM SET) menu – TITLE/TA PE TI TLE/ERASE ALL, etc. You can select items li sted below on the CM SET menu. To select items, se e “Changing t h e menu settings” (p. 43). The default settin g s are marked with G . The setting s you can ad just va ry depend ing on th e power mo[...]

Customizing Your Camcorder 52 Color white t yellow t violet t red t cyan t green t blue Size small y large (You can only select the small siz e when you are entering more than 13 charac ters.) Position You ca n select fr om 8 to 9 choices . 4 To uch [TITLE OK], then touch [ SAVE TITLE]. During playbac k, playback pause, or reco rding [TITLE SAVE] i[...]

Customizi ng Your C amcord er Customizing Your Camcorder 53 CM SEARCH For DCR-HC18E/HC20E: TAPE TITLE You can lab el a c assette with Cassett e Memory (u p to 10 l etters) . The labe l will be di splayed fo r approx imatel y 5 second s when you s elect the CAMER A mod e and inser t a casse tte, or wh en you se lect the P LAY/EDI T mode . Up to 4 ti[...]

Customizing Your Camcorder 54 Using the (TAPE SET) menu – RE C MODE/ FRAME REC/ INT.REC, etc. You can sele ct items listed be low on the TAPE SET men u. T o sel ect thes e items, see “Changi ng the m enu s ettings” (p. 43) . The default s ettings a r e marked with G . The indic ator s in pare nthe ses appear when the settin g is selec ted. Th[...]

Customizi ng Your C amcord er Customizing Your Camcorder 55 b Notes • When y ou use fram e recordi ng continuousl y, the rema ining ta pe time will not be in dicated correct ly. • The las t scene will be longe r than o ther scen es. INT.REC You can record p ictures on the tape at a select ed interv al. You c an ac hiev e exc elle nt record ings[...]

Customizing Your Camcorder 56 z Tips • If y ou adjust the focus manua lly, you ma y be abl e to re cord clear pictures e ven if the light changes (p. 30 ). • You can sil ence the beeps du ring recording (p. 59 ).[...]

Customizi ng Your C amcord er Customizing Your Camcorder 57 Using the (SETUP MENU) menu – CLOCK SE T/ USB STR EAM/LAN G UAGE , etc. You ca n sele ct it ems li sted belo w on the S E TUP MEN U menu . To sele ct items, see “Ch anging the m enu settings ” (p. 43). The default settin g s are marked with G . The setting s you can ad just va ry dep[...]

Customizing Your Camcorder 58 – When a mo de othe r than CAM ERA is selected . • If [A.SHUT OF F] is set to [5min] whe n the camcorder is used on th e batt ery pack , the power will be turned off after approxi mately 5 minutes (p. 59).[...]

Customizi ng Your C amcord er Customizing Your Camcorder 59 Using the (OTHERS) menu – WORLD TIME, et c. You can select items li sted below on the OTH ERS menu . To sele ct these i tems, se e “Cha nging the m enu sett ings” (p. 4 3). The default settin g s are marked with G . The setting s you can ad just va ry depend ing on th e power mode of[...]

Customizing Your Camcorder 60 b Note • The setting re turns to [ ON] when y ou have t he power sou rce disconn ected fro m your camcorder for more t han 5 minutes. DISPLAY REC LAMP VIDEO EDIT Select to make pr ograms an d dubbin g the selec ted scenes to a tape on a VCR (p. 63) . OFF Selec t to deactivate the Remote Com mander to preven t your ca[...]

Dubbing/E diting Dubbing/Editing 61 Dubbing /Edit ing Connecting to a VCR or TV You can creat e a copy of the picture record ed on your camcor der on ot her re cordin g devic e (p. 62) . For DCR-HC20E, you can also record t he pictur e from a VCR to a tape inserted into your camcord er (p. 63). Conn ect yo ur camcord er to a TV or VCR as shown in t[...]

Dubbing/Editing 62 transmitted digitally, producin g high quality pict ures. N ote th at you cannot reco rd the pictur e and soun d separate ly. For detail s, see page 84. Dubbing to another tape You can cop y and edit the pi cture play ed back o n your camcor der to ot her recor ding devices (such as VCR s). 1 Co nnect your VCR to your camco rder [...]

Dubbing/E diting Dubbing/Editing 63 Recording pictures from a VCR (DCR-HC 20E) You can record and edit pict ures from a VCR on a ta pe ins erte d in yo ur camcord er v ia a n i.LINK cable. Insert a cassette for recording in your camcorder. 1 Co nnect your VCR to your camcorder (p. 61). 2 Slide t he POWER swi tch rep eatedly to select the PLAY/EDIT [...]

Dubbing/Editing 64 • Insert a c assette for record ing. • Set the input sele ctor to input mode if your VCR ha s one. 3 Pr epare your camco rder (playing device). • Insert a casse tte for editing. • Slide the POWER switch repeatedl y to select t he PLAY/ EDIT mod e. 4 Touch to display [PAGE1]. 5 Touch MENU. 6 Sele ct (OTHERS), then select [[...]

Dubbing/E diting Dubbing/Editing 65 Go on t o “Step 2: Adjust ing the synchr onizati on of th e V CR” (p . 65). When re cording f ails t o start, sele ct an othe r [IR SETU P] code an d try again. [IR SE TUP] co de list The fo llowing [IR SETUP] codes ar e re cord ed on you r camcor der by defa ult. (It is set at “3” as the default sett ing[...]

Dubbing/Editing 66 1 Remo ve the cassette from your camcorde r. Prepare a p en and paper to take notes. 2 Set the VCR to rec ording pause mode. Skip th is step if you have selecte d i.LIN K in ste p 9 (p. 6 4). b Note • Run th e tape fo r about 10 seconds before pausin g. The starti ng scen es may not g et reco rded wh en y ou st art rec ording f[...]

Dubbing/E diting Dubbing/Editing 67 1 P repare a cassette. Inser t a tape to be played back into the camcorder, then in sert a cassett e for record ing into yo ur VCR. 2 T ouc h to di splay [P AGE1 ]. 3 T ouc h MENU. 4 Select (OT HERS ), then select [VIDEO EDIT] with / , then touch [EXE C] . 5 Sea rch for the beginnin g of the first scene th at you[...]

Dubbing/Editing 68 To save a pro g ram w ithout u sing it to record Touch [ END] in step 9. The program is stored i n memory un til the cass ette is ejec ted. To erase pr ograms 1 Follow steps 1 to 4 in “ Recording the sel ecte d scen es as prog rams” (p. 66), then to uch [UNDO]. 2 Touch [ERASE 1MARK] to dele te the last se t program. O r, touc[...]

Dubbing/E diting Dubbing/Editing 69 Dubbing sound to a recorded tape You can record a dditiona l audi o to t he origin al sound o n the tape. Yo u can add sound to a tape alre ady recorded in the 12-bi t mode with out erasing t he orig inal soun d. Preparing f or audio recording Reco rd audio in one o f th e follow ing wa ys. • U sing the i ntern[...]

Dubbing/Editing 70 4 Touch (pause) again at the point where you want to start reco rding the soun d. The pl ayback pauses. 5 Touch and select [PAGE3]. 6 Tou ch [A DUB CTRL]. 7 Tou ch [AUDIO DUB]. A gree n X mark a ppears on th e LCD scre en. 8 Touch (pl ay) and start pl aying back the au dio you wan t to record at the same time. A red mark remains [...]

Dubbing/E diting Dubbing/Editing 71 batt ery pack o r other po wer sour ces have been disconne cted. Creating DVDs or VCDs When your camc order is co nnected to a Son y VAIO s eries pers onal compu ter, you ca n easily burn the pict ure recorded on the tape to a DVD (Direct Access to “Click to DVD”). And, whe n your cam corder i s connect ed to[...]

Troubleshooting 72 Trou blesho oting Troubleshooting If you run in to any prob lem usin g your camc order, us e the followi ng table t o tro ublesho ot the pro blem. If th e probl em persi sts, rem ove the power source and contact your Son y dealer. If “C: ss : ss ” is d isplaye d on the LCD screen or the vi ewfinder, the self-diag nosis displ [...]

Troubl eshooti ng Troubleshooting 73 Cassette t apes LCD screen /viewfi nder The remaini ng battery tim e indicator does not indicate th e correc t time. • The tem perature of t he environme nt is too high or too low, or the battery pack h as not be en charge d enough. T his is not a m alfunctio n. c Fully char ge the b attery again. If the probl[...]

Troubleshooting 74 Recordin g An u nknown pictur e appears on the screen. • Th e camcor der is in [ DEMO M ODE] . ([DEMO MOD E] is au tomatic ally displa yed when you leave t he camc order for 10 minute s aft er sele cting CAME RA without insertin g a cas sette.) c T ouch o n the LCD screen or i nsert a cass ette to cancel [DEMO MODE]. You can al[...]

Troubl eshooti ng Troubleshooting 75 Playback A vertical band ap pears when recording a bright subject. • This phe nomenon is calle d the smear effect. This is not a malfunc tion. The color of the pi cture is not correct ly displayed. c Deact ivate the NightShot plu s function. (p. 29) Picture appears to o bright on the screen , and the subject d[...]

Troubleshooting 76 Dubbing/ Editing The sound bre aks off. c Clea n the head using the cl eaning cassette (optional). (p. 8 6) For DCR-HC18E/HC2 0E: Cannot pe rform Date searc h with the record ing date displaye d on the screen. c Us e a cass ette wi th Cass ette Memory . (p. 81 ) c Set [CM SEARCH] to [ON] in the (CM SET) menu. (p . 53) • There i[...]

Troubl eshooti ng Troubleshooting 77 Digital p rogram edi ting do es not function. c Set t he input s elector on the VCR correctly, th en chec k the conn ection between your cam corder and the VCR. (p. 61) c When your camcorder is conne cted to a DV device that is not a Sony product v ia an i. LINK cable, s elect [IR] in step 9 of “Ste p 1: Pr ep[...]

Troubleshooting 78 Warning indicators and messages Self-d iagnosis display /Warning indicat ors If in dicators appear on the sc reen or i n the view finder , check t he follo wing. Se e the pag e in par entheses for det ails. Indicat ion Cause and/or Corrective Actions C: ss : ss/ E: ss : ss (Se lf- diagnos is display) Some sy mptoms can be fixed b[...]

Troubl eshooti ng Troubleshooting 79 * Y ou hear a melody or beep sound when the warning indicator s appear on the screen. (Warning indi cator pertaini ng to the extern al flash) Slow flashing: • Durin g chargin g Fast fl ashing : • The self -diagnosis di splay code is displa yed (p. 78).* • There is somet hing wrong wi th the external flash [...]

Troubleshooting 80 Warning mes sages If me ssages appear on the scre en, chec k the foll owing. S ee the pag e in pare nthese s for det ails. * For DCR-HC20E Subjects Ind icatio ns Corrective Actions/References Battery Use the ”InfoLI THIUM” battery pa ck. c See pa ge 83. Batt ery level is low. c Cha rge the battery ( p. 12). Old batter y. Use [...]

Additional In formation Additional Information 81 Addition al Informatio n Using your camcorder abroad Powe r sup ply You can u se your camcorder i n any count ries/ regions using the AC Adaptor supplie d with your camco rder withi n AC 100 V to 240 V, 50/60 H z. On TV color systems Your camcorde r is a PAL sy stem- based camc order. If you want to[...]

Additional Information 82 z Tip • The memor y capacit y of the cas sette marked with is 4k bits. Your camcorde r can acco mmod ate c assett es hav ing a m emor y capa city of up t o 16k bit s. Copyrigh t signa l When yo u play back If the casse tte you play b ack on your camcorde r conta ins copyr ight signa ls, you c annot c opy it to a tape in [...]

Additional In formation Additional Information 83 About the “InfoLITHIUM” battery pack This unit i s compatible with the “Inf oLITHI UM” b att ery pack ( P series) . Your camc order op erates onl y with the “Inf oLITH IUM” b attery pack. “Inf oLITH IUM” P series battery p ack s ha ve t he mark. What is the “Inf oLITHI UM” bat te[...]

Additional Information 84 About sto rage of the bat tery pack • If the batte ry pack is not used for a l ong time , fully charge the batter y pack and use it on yo ur camcorder onc e a year to maintain the proper func tion. To store the bat tery pack, remove it from your camc orde r and put it in a dry , cool plac e. • To compl etely use up t h[...]

Additional In formation Additional Information 85 devi ce. It is als o indi cated near t he i.L INK interface on some devices. The maximum baud rate for d evice that does not hav e any indica tion (suc h as this uni t) is “S100. ” The ba ud rate may di ffer fro m the indica ted value when the unit is conn ected to devi ce with a differe n t max[...]

Additional Information 86 • Do not wrap your camcorder with a towel, for exam ple, and oper ate it. D oin g so mi ght cau se heat to build up insi de. • W hen dis connecting t h e mains lead, pull b y the plug and not the c ord. • Do not damage the mains lea d such a s by placing an ything heavy on it. • Keep met al contac ts clean. • Kee[...]

Additional In formation Additional Information 87 LCD screen • D o not add ex cessive pr essure on the LCD screen, as it may cause damage. • If your camcorde r is used in a cold pla c e, a resi dual ima ge ma y appe ar on the LCD s creen. This is not a malfunctio n. • While using yo ur camcor der, th e ba ck of the LCD screen may heat up . Th[...]

Additional Information 88 Pro cedures Connect your camcorder to a wall socket using the supplie d AC Adaptor, and leave it with th e PO WER s witc h set t o OFF (C HG) f or mo re than 2 4 hours. Specification Video camera recorder System Vide o reco rdin g syste m 2 ro tary he ads, H elica l scann ing syste m Audi o recordi ng syste m Rotary heads,[...]

Additional In formation Additional Information 89 [ AUTO], [ONE PUSH], [INDOOR] (3 200 K), [OUTDOOR] (5 800 K) Minimum ill umination 5 lx (lux) (F 1.7) 0 lx (lux) (d uring the Night Shot plus function) * * Objects una ble to be se en due to t he dark can be shot with infrared li ghting. Input/Out put conne ctors Audio/Video output 10-pin c onnecto [...]

Additional Information 90 Types of differences z Provided – Not provided DCR-HC 16E 18E 20E DV Interface OUT OUT IN/OUT Remo te sen sor – zz[...]

Quick Reference Quick Refer ence 91 Quick Refere nce Identifying parts and controls Camcorder A LCD/T ouc h pa nel scre en (p. 2 , 16) B LCD BACKLIGHT button* (p. 16) C REC START/STOP button (p. 21) D BACK LIGHT butto n* (p. 2 6) E DSPL/BATT INFO button (p. 13, 37) F EASY button (p. 25, 36) G Vie wfinder (p. 2, 16) H Batt ery pac k (p. 1 2) * T hes[...]

Quick Reference 92 A Accesso ry shoe/ Shoe cove r Remove the shoe c over and e xtend the viewfi nder wh en attaching /deta ching the accesso ry to/f rom yo ur camcor der. The acce ssor y shoe has a safety devi ce f or fixing the insta lled acc essory securely . To conne ct an access ory, pres s down an d push it to the e nd, an d the n tig hten the[...]

Quick Reference Quick Refer ence 93 A PHOTO button (p. 2 4) B Viewfinde r lens adjustment lever (p. 16) C BA TT (bat tery) r elease butto n (p. 13 ) D CHG (charge) lamp (p. 12) E REC START/STOP button (p. 21) F DC IN ja ck (p. 12) G Powe r zoom le ver H CAMERA, PLAY/EDIT mode lamps (p. 1 5) I POW ER swit ch (p. 15) J Speak er K DC IN jack cover 1 2[...]

Quick Reference 94 A OPEN/ Z EJECT lever (p. 19) B Strap Bel t C Casset te lid (p. 19) D Tripod receptacl e Make sure that the leng th of the tripod screw is less than 5.5 mm (7/32 inch). Otherw ise, you c annot attach the tripo d securel y, and the screw ma y damage yo ur camcor der. Using the Strap Belt as a wrist strap It is usef ul when you ca [...]

Quick Reference Quick Refer ence 95 Remote Commander ( DCR-HC18E/HC20E) Remove the insulation shee t before using the Remote Commander. A PHOTO button (p. 2 4) B SEARCH M. button* (p. 40) C . / > buttons* (p. 40) D Vide o co ntr ol bu ttons ( Rewi nd, Play bac k, F ast-f orward, Paus e, Stop, Slow) (p. 35) E ZERO SET ME MORY bu tton* (p . 40) F [...]

Quick Reference 96 WARNING Battery may explode if mistre ated. Do not rechar ge, disas semble o r dis pose of i n fi re. b Notes on the Remote Commander • A button- type lithium ba ttery (CR202 5) is used in the R emote Comman der. Do not us e batt eries o ther than CR2025. • Point the remot e sensor away from strong light sources such a s dire[...]

Quick Reference Quick Refer ence 97 Indicator s for the LCD scre en and viewfinder Following in dicators will app ear on the LCD scree n and view finder to indicat e the state of your c amcorder. Indicat ors var y depe nding on your c amcorder model. Indicat ors Meanings y 60 min Remainin g battery (p . 21) SP LP Recor ding mode (p. 22 ) STBY REC R[...]

Quick Reference 98 Index Numerics 16:9WIDE mode ......... ...... 47 21-pin adaptor ... ............. ... 39 A A/V c onnectin g cable .. 39, 61 AC Adaptor ....... ....... ...... ... 14 Adj usting th e viewfi nder ... 16 Audio dubbing ( A DUB CTRL)................ ......... 69 AUDIO MIX ............ ... 49, 70 AUDIO MODE . ....... ...... ... 54 Aut o[...]

Quick Refer ence Quick Reference 99 O Operation con firmation bee p See B EEP P PAL ............ ............. ....... ....81 Photo scan ............... ...........42 Photo search ............ ....... ....41 Pict ure eff ect ( P EFFECT) ......... .............. ....... .......45 Picture search .......... ...........35 Playb ack (V SPD PLA Y) Double[...]

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