Canon camcorder DC320 User Manual

							
Preparations • 21
Operating Modes
The camcorder’s operating mode is 
determined by the   switch and the 
position of the  /  switch. In this 
manual,  indicates th at a function is 
available in the o perating mode shown 
and  indicates that  the function is not 
available. When no  operating mode icons 
are given, the function is available in all 
operating modes.
Joystick and Joystick Guide
Use the joystick to operate the 
camcorder's menus. The functions assigned to the joystick 
change according to the operation 
mode and the camc
order’s settings. 
Press   to display/ hide the joystick 
guide (when recording, the joystick 
guide will appear only when the mode 
switch is set to  ). In the illustrations 
of this manual, positions other than 
those relevant to th e function explained 
are marked with a striped pattern.
Operating modeOperating mode 
indicator/ 
switchIcon displayOperation
(Red) (movies)
Recording movies 
on a disc
29
  (still images)Recording still 
images on a 
memory card
51
(Green) (movies)
Playing movies 
from a disc 
34
  (still images)Viewing still images 
from a memory card
53
Press the joystick itself ( ) to save the 
settings or confirm an action. On menu 
screens, this is indicated by the icon 
.
Push the joystick up, down, left or right 
( ,  ) to select an item or change 
settings.
NEXT
Depending on the operating mode, 
these positions may be empty or show a 
different icon than the one on the 
illustration.
When the guide contains multiple 
“pages”, [NEXT] and the page number 
icon ( ) will appear at the bottom 
position. Push the joystick ( ) toward 
[NEXT] to display the next “page” of the 
guide.
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22 • Preparations
Using the Menus
Many of the camcorder’s functions can 
be adjusted from the menus that open 
after pressing the FUNC. button 
(). 
For details about the available menu 
options and settings, refer to the Menu 
Options Lists  ( 63).
Selecting a FUNC. Menu Option
1Press .
2Select ( ) the icon of the function 
you want change from the left side 
column.
Menu items not available will appear 
grayed out.
3Select ( ) the desired setting 
from the available options at the 
bottom bar.
• The selected option will be 
highlighted in  light blue. Menu  items not available will appear 
grayed out.
• With some settings, you will need  to make further selections and/or 
press  . Follow th e additional 
operation guides that will appear 
on the screen (such as the   
icon, small arrows, etc.).
4Press   to save  the settings 
and close the menu.
You can press   to close the 
menu at any time.
Selecting an Option from the Setup Menus
1Press .
In the index screen (VIDEO mode) 
and still image index screen, the 
setup menus will open. Skip to 
step 3.
2Select ( ) the   icon and press   to open the setup menus.
• You can also hold   pressed  down for more than 1 second to 
FUNC.
FUNC.
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Preparations • 23
open directly the setup menus 
screen.
• In the index screen (DVD-RW discs  in VR mode), push the joystick 
( ) to select the   icon.
3Select ( ) the desired menu from 
the left side column and press  .
The title of the selected menu 
appears on top of the screen and 
under it the list of settings.
4Select ( ) the se tting you want 
to change and press  . 
• The orange selection bar indicates  the menu setting currently 
selected. Items not available 
appear in black.
• Push the joystick ( ) to return to 
the menu selection screen (step 3).
5Select ( ) the desired option and 
press   to save the setting.
6Press .
You can press   to close the 
menu at any time.
Abbreviation of Menu Selections in this 
Manual
In this manual, the   arrow is used to 
abbreviate menu selections. Below is 
an example of changing a setting using 
the setup menus.
 
[ MENU] [ DISPLAY SETUP] [LANGUAGE ] 
Desired language 
For selections in the FUNC. menu, the 
abbreviated form will  always show the 
initial default value. In recording mode, 
its icon will appear on the left side 
column when you first open the menu. 
If the setting was ch anged, the icon of  the currently selected option will appear 
instead.
 [ IMAGE EFFECT OFF] 
Desired image effect 
FUNC.
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24 • Preparations
First Time Settings
Setting the Date and Time
You will need to set the date and time of 
the camcorder before you can start 
using it. The [DATE/TIME] screen will 
appear automatically when the 
camcorder’s clock is not set.
When the [DATE/TIME] screen appears, 
the year will be disp layed in orange and 
indicated with up/down arrows.
1Change ( ) the year and move 
( ) to the month. 
2Change the rest of the fields 
(month, day, hour and minutes) in 
the same way.
3Move ( ) the cursor to the [OK] 
button and press   to start the 
clock and close the menu.
IMPORTANT
• When you do not use the camcorder for 
about 3 months, the built-in 
rechargeable lithium battery may 
discharge completely and the date and 
time setting may be lost. In such case, 
recharge the built-in lithium battery 
( 78) and set the time zone, date and 
time again.
• The date appears in a year-month-day  format only in the fi rst setup screen. In 
subsequent screen displays the date and 
time will appear as month-day-year (for  example, [JAN. 1, 2008 12:00 AM]). You 
can change the date format ( 69).
• You can also change  the date and time 
later on (not during the initial setup). To 
open the [DATE/TIME] screen, press   and select     [DATE/TIME 
SETUP]  [DATE/TIME].
Changing the Language
Options Default value
 
[  MENU] 
[  DISPLAY SETUP] 
[LANGUAGE ] 
Desired language 
NOTES
• If you changed the language by mistake,  follow the   mark next to the menu 
item to change the setting.
• The display   that appears in some  menu screens refers to the name of 
buttons on the camco rder and will not 
change, regardless of the language 
selected.
First Time Settings
[] [MAGYAR] []
[DEUTSCH] [MELAYU] []
[] [POLSKI] []
[ENGLISH][][]
[ESPAÑOL] [TÜRKÇE] []
[FRANÇAIS][][]
[ITALIANO] [][]
FUNC.
(22)
FUNC.
ROMANA
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Preparations • 25
Changing the Time Zone
Change the time zone to match your 
location. The defaul t setting is New 
Yo r k .
 
[ MENU] 
[ DATE/TIME SETUP] 
[T.ZONE/DST] 
 
Desired time zone* 
*  To adjust for daylight saving time, select the  area name marked with a  . 
World Time Zones
Once you have set th e time zone, date 
and time, you do not need to reset the 
clock every time you travel to another 
time zone. Select  the time zone to 
match the local  time at your 
destination, referring  to the date and 
time displayed on the screen.
1Open the date and time setup 
screen.
 
 [  MENU] 
[  DATE/TIME SETUP] 
[T.ZONE/DST]
2Move the orange selection frame 
( ) to the   time zone.
3Select ( ) the area that 
corresponds to the local time at 
your destination and press  .
• Refer to the changing date and  time displayed on the screen.
• To adjust for daylight saving time,  select the area name marked with 
a .
4Press   to close the menu.
Getting Ready to Start Recording
Opening the Lens Cover and Adjusting 
the LCD screen
Before you start recording, open the 
lens cover.
Move the lens cover switch down to 
 to open the lens cover.
Rotating the LCD Panel
Open the LCD panel 90 degrees.
You can rotate the panel 90 degrees 
downward.
You can rotate the panel 180 degrees 
toward the lens (allowing the subject to 
monitor the LCD screen while you use 
the viewfinder). This is the only case 
where you can use the viewfinder and 
the LCD screen simultaneously. 
Rotating the LCD panel 180 degrees 
can be useful when  you wish to include 
FUNC.( 22)
FUNC.
FUNC.
FUNC.
FUNC.
Getting Ready to Start 
Recording
180°
90°
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26 • Preparations
yourself in the picture when recording 
with the self timer. 
NOTES
About the LCD and viewfinder screen:
 The 
screens are produced using extremely 
high-precision manuf acturing techniques, 
with more than 99.99% of the pixels 
operating to specifi cation. Less than 
0.01% of the pixels  may occasionally 
misfire or appear as black, red, blue or 
green dots. This has no effect on the 
recorded image and does  not constitute a 
malfunction.
LCD Backlight
You can set the brightness of the LCD 
screen to normal or bright.
Hold   pressed down for more 
than 2 seconds.
Repeat this action to  toggle between the 
normal and bright settings.
NOTES
• This setting does not affect the 
brightness of the recording.
• Using the bright setting will shorten the  effective usage time of the battery pack.
Inserting and Removing a Disc
Inserting the Disc
1Turn the   switch to ON to set 
the camcorder in   
mode.
2Slide   fully in the direction of 
the arrow and gently open the disc 
cover completely until it stops.
180°
Subject can monitor the LCD screen
DISP.
Use only 8 cm (3 in.) mini DVD discs 
marked with the DVD-R   logo 
(including DVD-R DL ) or the DVD-RW 
 logo. Refer also to  Discs that 
have been tested  (6).
Before inserting the disc be sure to 
check that the recording surface is 
clean. If necessary, use a soft lens-
cleaning cloth to remove any 
fingerprints, dirt  buildup or smudges 
from the disc surface.
( 21)
 Pick up lens
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Preparations • 27
Retract the grip belt under the 
camcorder so it will not get in the 
way of the disc cover.
3Insert the disc and press its center 
firmly until it clicks in place.
• Insert the disc with the recording side facing down  (single sided 
discs – label side facing out).
• Be careful not to touch the 
recording surface of the disc or the 
pick up lens.
4Close the disc cover.
Do not force the cover closed if the 
disc is not correctly inserted and 
firmly set in place.
NOTES
The process of recognizing a disc may 
take a moment. The   display will move 
while the disc is being  read. Wait until the 
camcorder finishes r ecognizing the disc 
before you start recording.
You can start recording movies once 
the record pause   indicator 
appears.
You need to initiali ze new discs before 
you can start recording. The disc  initialization screen will appear when a 
new DVD-RW disc is first inserted if the 
/  switch is set to   (movies). If 
the disc is already initialized, you can 
start recording movies once the record 
pause   indicator appears. 
Otherwise, perform the following steps 
to initialize the disc.
Select ( ) the desired disc 
specification and press  . For a 
comparison between the VIDEO and 
VR specifications, see  How to Select 
a DVD Disc (5).
A confirmation message will appear 
on the screen. Select ( ) [YES] and 
press   to start the disc 
initialization, or select [NO] and 
press   to return and select a 
different disc specification.
• The disc initialization will take  approximately one minute. Avoid 
moving the camcorder while the 
operation is in progress.
• You can start recording movies 
once the record pause   
indicator appears.
Removing the Disc
1Slide   fully in the direction of 
the arrow and gently open the disc 
cover completely until it stops.
• Do not subject the camcorder to strong impacts while the DISC 
access indicator is on or flashing.
WHEN USING DVD-R/DVD-R DL DISCS
WHEN USING DVD-RW DISCS
OPEN
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28 • Preparations
• Retract the grip belt under the 
camcorder so it will not get in the 
way of the disc cover.
• It may take a moment after sliding 
 for the disc cover to open.
2Grab the edge of the disc and 
gently pull it out. 
Be careful not to touch the recording 
surface of the disc or the pick up 
lens.
3Close the disc cover.
IMPORTANT
When you slide   after making a 
recording, important file allocation data is 
updated on the disc before the disc cover 
opens. While the DISC  access indicator is 
on or flashing do  not subject the 
camcorder to shocks  such as forcefully 
laying it on a table.
Inserting and Removing a Memory Card
You can use commercially available   SDHC (SD High Capacity) memory 
cards,   SD memory cards or 
MultiMedia Cards (MMC) with this 
camcorder.
1Turn off the camcorder.
2Open the memory card slot cover.
3Insert the memory card straight all 
the way into the memory card slot.
4Close the cover.
Do not force the co ver closed if the 
memory card is not correctly inserted.
First push the memory card once to 
release it, and then pull the card 
out.
IMPORTANT
• Make sure to initiali ze all memory cards 
before using them wi th this camcorder 
(59).
• Memory cards have  front and back sides 
that are not intercha ngeable. Inserting a 
memory card facing  the wrong direction 
can cause a malfunction of the 
camcorder.
NOTES
• Compatibility with all SD, SDHC or MMC  memory cards can not be guaranteed.
• About SDHC Memory Cards:  SDHC is the 
new type of SD memory card with 
capacities over 2 GB. Please note that 
the specifications of SDHC memory 
cards are different from those of regular 
SD memory cards and you will not be 
able to use memory cards of over 2 GB 
with devices that do  not support SDHC. 
However, SDHC devices (including this 
camcorder) are backward compatible 
and support regular SD memory cards.
OPEN
OPEN
TO REMOVE THE MEMORY CARD 
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Video • 29
Video
This chapter covers functions related to shooting and playing back 
movies - from basic recording and zooming to more advanced manual 
picture adjustments.
Basic Recording
Shooting Video
1Move the  /  switch to   
(movies).
2Turn the   switch to ON to set 
the camcorder in CAMERA mode. The red CAMERA indicator will turn 
on.
3Move the lens cover switch down 
to   to open the lens cover.
4Press   to begin recording.
• The recording starts; press 
 again to pause the 
recording.
• The DISC access indicator will flash 
while recording and will stay on 
briefly after pa using while the 
scene is recorded on the disc.
1 Make sure that the DISC access  indicator is off.
2 Turn off the camcorder.
3 Close the lens cover and the LCD  panel.
4 Remove the disc.
IMPORTANT
• When recording movies, try to get a calm, 
stable picture.
Excessive camcorder movement while 
shooting and extensive use of fast 
zooms and panning can  result in jittery 
scenes. In extreme  cases, the playback 
of such scenes may result in visually 
induced motion sickness. If you 
experience such a r eaction, immediately 
stop the playback and take a rest break 
as necessary.
Basic Recording
Before You Begin Recording
Make a test recording first to check if 
the camcorder operates correctly. 
Since recordings m ade on a DVD-R or 
DVD-R DL disc cannot be deleted, we 
recommend you use a DVD-RW disc 
to make the test recordings.
( 21)
WHEN YOU HAVE FINISHED RECORDING 
Start/Stop
Start/Stop
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30 • Video
• Observe the following precautions while 
the DISC access indi cator is on or 
flashing. Failing to do so may result in 
permanent data loss.
- Do not subject the camcorder to  vibrations or strong impacts.
- Do not open the disc cover and do not  remove the disc.
- Do not disconnect  the power source or 
turn off the camcorder.
- Do not change the operating mode.
NOTES
• About the r ecording time:  By changing the 
recording mode you can change the 
recording time available on the disc 
(31).
• About the Power Save mode:  To  s a v e  p o w e r  
when the camcorder  is powered by a 
battery pack, the camcorder will 
automatically shut off if left without any 
operations for 5 minutes ( 68). To 
restore the power, turn the   switch 
toward MODE and release it, or turn the   switch to   and back to ON 
again.
• When recording in very loud places (such  as fireworks shows or concerts), sound 
may become distorted or it may not be 
recorded at the actual  levels. This is not 
a malfunction. • The following may take longer with a disc 
in VR mode than a disc in VIDEO mode.
- The time between turning on the camcorder and being  able to record.
- The time between  turning the   
switch to   and the camcorder 
shutting off.
Using the viewfinder
When recording in  bright places it 
may be difficult to use the LCD 
screen. In such case, change the 
brightness of the LCD screen ( 26) 
or use the viewfinder  instead. To use 
the viewfinder, k eep the LCD panel 
closed*.
Adjust the viewfin der as necessary 
with the dioptric adjustment lever. 
* The LCD screen and the viewfinder  can be used simultaneously when the 
LCD panel is turned 180 degrees to 
face the subject ( 26).
About the mode switch and recording programs
Set the mode switch to   to let the 
camcorder adjust all the settings for you, 
allowing you to just  point the camcorder and 
start shooting.
Set the mode switch to to select  one of the recording programs. 
The Special Scene recording programs ( 37) offer a convenient 
way to select the op timal settings to matc h special recording 
conditions. Conversely, with flexib le recording programs ( 39) you 
can set the shutter speed you want, or  enjoy the flexibility to change other 
settings.
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