Panasonic Digital Video Camera Recorder DVX100a Operating Instructions

							21
Charging the battery
Fully charge the battery using the AC adapter
before use. 
It is recommended that a spare battery be kept
on hand just in case it is needed.Charging and recording times of accessory
battery
Charging time Continuous recording time
1Place the battery flat along the  mark
on the AC adapter, and slide it into
position.
OIf the DC cable is connected to the AC
adapter, disconnect it before proceeding.
The battery cannot be charged if this cable
is connected.
2Connect the AC cable to the power outlet.
OThe “POWER” lamp and “CHARGE” lamp
on the AC adapter light up, and charging
commences.
OIf the “CHARGE” lamp fails to light when
the battery has been mounted, re-mount
the battery.
3Upon completion of the charging, the
“CHARGE” lamp on the AC adapter goes
off.
4Slide the battery out of position and
remove it.
POWER
CHARGE
Approx. 120 minutes Approx. 90 (80) minutes
OThe table above gives the approximate durations.  The
figure in parentheses is the duration when the LCD monitor
is used.
OThe durations in the above table apply when the ambient
temperature is 68°F (20°C) and the relative humidity is
60%.  Charging may take longer at other temperature and
humidity levels.
ODo not bring metal objects (such as
necklaces or hairpins) into contact with
the battery terminals.  The terminals
may short circuit and generate heat, and
touching them in this condition may
cause severe burns.
OThe battery heats up during operation and
during charging, as does the camera
recorder body.
OIf recording and stop operations are
repeated more than is necessary, the
recording time will be less than the values
given in the above table.
OStore the battery only when it is fully
discharged.  It is recommended that the
battery be charged once a year when it is
being stored long-term and that it be placed
back in storage after it has been fully
discharged using the camera recorder.
OWhen the temperature of the battery unit
has risen to an extremely high level or
dropped to an extremely low level or when
the battery is not used for prolonged
periods of time has become fully
discharged, the “CHARGE” lamp flashes
several times, and charging commences
automatically.
OIf the “CHARGE” lamp continues to flash
even though the battery temperature is
normal, consult your dealer as a problem
may have developed within the battery or
AC adapter.
OWhen the battery is warm, it takes longer
than usual for the battery to be charged.
OWhen the AC adapter is used near a radio,
the radio sound may be distorted.  Use the
adapter at a distance of at least one meter
from the radio.
ONoise may be heard while the AC adapter
is in use; however, this is normal and not
indicative of any malfunctioning.
OThe battery cannot be charged while
supplying power from the AC adapter to the
camera recorder. 
						

							CAUTION:OThis unit will operate on 110/120/220/240V
AC. An AC plug adapter may be required
for voltages other than 120V AC. 
If a conversion plug is required, consult
with your dealer as to which one is to be
purchased.
OThe rating plate is on the underside of the
AC Adapter.
ODisconnect the AC mains plug from the AC
22
Mounting the battery
1Raise the viewfinder.
2Push the battery straight in, and slide it
downward until it clicks into position.
3Return the viewfinder to its original
position.
5Return the viewfinder to its original
position.
Supplying power from the AC adapter
1Raise the viewfinder.
2Push the battery-type connector on the
DC cable straight in, and slide it
downward until it clicks into position.
3Connect the DC cable to the AC adapter.
4Connect the AC cable to the power outlet.Removing the battery
While pressing the battery eject button, slide
the battery upward to remove.
OSet the POWER switch to OFF, and check
that the CAMERA/VCR lamp has gone off
before removing the battery.
OSupport the battery with your hand to
ensure that it will not drop.
1
2
3
Battery eject button
1
34
2
Connect the AC adapter correctly as
shown in the figure.
OThe battery cannot be charged while
supplying power from the AC adapter to the
camera recorder. 
						

							4Push the part marked “” to close
the cassette holder securely.
OOperations cannot be performed while the
cassette holder is open.PUSH  CLOSE
PUSH  CLOSE
23
Cassette tapes
Inserting a cassette tape
Do not insert or eject a cassette tape by
taking hold of the cassette holder alone.
Insert or eject the tape with the camera
recorder placed on a flat and stable surface
or, alternatively, support the camera recorder
with both hands so that it will be kept in a
stable condition even if the cassette holder is
opened.
1Check that the power supply (battery or AC
adapter) is connected to the camera
recorder.
2While pressing the lock release button, slide
the EJECT switch in the direction of the
arrow to open the cassette holder.
3Insert the cassette tape as shown in the
figure below.OAlso, before removing the cassette tape,
check that the power supply is connected to
the camera recorder, then slide the EJECT
switch.
OIf the a cassette is not going to be inserted
immediately after one has been removed,
keep the cassette holder closed.
ODo not attempt this operation while
recording is in progress.  The cassette
holder will open but recording will continue,
so external light and/or dust will adversely
affect the tape.
To prevent accidental erasure of recordings
Set the cassette tab to “SAVE” in order to
prevent what has been recorded on the tape
from being erased by mistake.
REC
SAVE
$Use of the following mini DV cassette tapes
is recommended for this camera recorder:
AY-DVM30 (30 minutes in the SP mode)
AY-DVM60 (60 minutes in the SP mode)
ODo not use 80-minute mini DV cassette
tapes.
$Even when material is shot in the LP mode,
the picture quality will not deteriorate but
mosaic-type noise may occur or certain
restrictions may apply to some of the
functions.
In the following cases, mosaic-type noise
may occur and/or proper operation may not
be possible.
OWhen a tape which was shot by this
camera recorder in the LP mode is
played back in another digital video
component
OWhen a tape which was shot by another
digital video component in the LP mode
is played back in this camera recorder 
OWhen a tape which was shot by this
camera recorder in the LP mode is
played back in a digital video component
which is not equipped with the LP mode
OWhen slow or frame advance playback is
performed
OWhen the camera search function is used
$Audio dubbing is not possible in the LP
mode as the track width on the tape is
narrower than the head width.
EJECT
Lock release button 
						

							24
Adjusting the hand strap
1Open the cover, and adjust the strap length. Adjust the hand strap to match the size of your
hand.
2Return the cover to its original position.
OEnsure that the cover is closed securely
and tightly.
Attaching the shoulder strap
20 mm or
more
Fixing screwMark 20 mm or
more
Mounting the lens hood
Removing the lens hood
OLoosen the fixing screw, and turn the lens
hood counterclockwise to remove.
Mounting the lens hood
OPosition the lens hood so that its mark is
facing upward, and fit the hood onto the lens.
OTurn the lens hood clockwise, and secure it
using the fixing screw. It is recommended that the shoulder strap be
attached to ensure that you do not drop the
camera recorder. 
						

							25
Viewfinders
Using the viewfinder
1Set the POWER switch on the camera
recorder to ON, and check that an image
appears in the viewfinder.
OKeep the LCD monitor closed.
2Position the viewfinder where its screen
images can be seen most comfortably.
OThe viewfinder can be raised
perpendicularly up to angle of about 90
degrees.
3Adjust the diopter adjustment dial in such a
way that the characters on the viewfinder
screen come into sharp focus.
4Select YES as the setting for the EVF SET
item on the setting menu DISPLAY SETUP
screen.
OFor details on the menu operations, refer
to page 39.
Do not point the viewfinder’s eye-piece at
the sun.
This may damage the internal parts.
6Select the EVF BRIGHTNESS item, and tilt
the OPERATION lever in the 3or 4
direction to adjust the screen’s brightness.
(If the remote control unit is used, press the
“M” button among the SET buttons.) This camera recorder has two viewfinders: a
viewfinder that uses a small LCD, and a 3.5-
inch LCD monitor.
Use the one that better suits the application and
the shooting conditions concerned.
OThe brightness and color tones may differ
between the images in the viewfinder and on
the LCD monitor and the images on a TV
monitor.
Use the TV monitor when performing the final
check of the images.
5Select the EVF COLOR LEVEL item, tilt the
OPERATION lever in the 3or 4direction,
and adjust the color level of the screen.  (If
the remote control unit is used, press the
“M” button among the SET buttons.)
Eye-piece
Diopter adjustment
dial
[–]?
??
??
??
?––––[+]
EVF BRIGHTNESS
[–]
?
??
??
??
?––––[+]
EVF CONTRAST
[–]
?
??
??
??
?––––[+]
PUSH MENU TO RETURN
EVF COLOR LEVEL
EVF SET
EVF COLOR LEVEL
[–]?
??
??
??
?––––[+]
[–]
?
??
??
??
?––––[+]
EVF CONTRAST
[–]
?
??
??
??
?––––[+]
PUSH MENU TO RETURN
EVF BRIGHTNESS
EVF SET
7Select the EVF CONTRAST item, tilt the
OPERATION lever in the 3or 4direction,
and adjust the contrast of the screen.  (If the
remote control unit is used, press the “M”
button among the SET buttons.)
EVF COLOR LEVEL
[–]?
??
??
??
?––––[+]
EVF BRIGHTNESS
[–]
?
??
??
??
?––––[+]
[–]
?
??
??
??
?––––[+]
PUSH MENU TO RETURN
EVF CONTRAST
EVF SET 
						

							Using the LCD monitor
1Set the camera recorder’s POWER switch to
ON.
2Press the OPEN button in the direction of the
arrow 1to open the LCD monitor.
3Position the LCD monitor where its screen
images can be seen most comfortably.
OThe LCD monitor can be rotated up to 180
degrees toward the lens and up to 90
degrees toward you.
Do not allow an unreasonable amount
of force to be applied to the LCD
monitor while it is open.  Doing so may
cause the unit to malfunction.
180°90°
12
4Select YES as the setting for the LCD SET
item on the setting menu DISPLAY SETUP
screen.
OFor details on the menu operations, refer
to page 39.
26
Viewfinders
OThe setting for the EVF SET item can be
returned to the factory setting by pressing
the COUNTER RESET button when the
item concerned has been selected so that
it is possible to change the setting.
OWhen ON is selected as the setting for the
EVF MODE item on the setting menu
DISPLAY SETUP screen, images will
always appear in the viewfinder even when
the LCD monitor is opened.
OEither color or monochrome can be
selected to display the images in the
viewfinder (EVF COLOR item on the setting
menu DISPLAY SETUP screen).  The
resolution is the same with either setting.
OWhen the EVF DTL/END SEARCH button
is pressed, the outlines of the images in the
viewfinder are accentuated, and focusing is
thereby facilitated.
8Press the MENU button three times to
release the menu mode.
Attaching the eye cup
To attach the eye cup, align the projections
on the eye cup holder and eye cup, and fit the
holder and eye cup together.
OTurning the eye cup after attaching it to its
holder may cause the holder to become
disengaged.
If the eye cup holder becomes disengaged,
refer to the procedure described in
“Viewfinder maintenance” (page 68) to
reattach it.
Eye cup Eye cup holder
Projection 
						

							27
Viewfinders
8Press the MENU button three times to
release the menu mode.
OThe setting for the LCD SET item can be
returned to the factory setting by pressing
the COUNTER RESET button when the
item concerned has been selected so that it
is possible to change the setting.
OWhen closing the LCD monitor, ensure that
it is closed properly.
OWhen the LCD monitor has been turned
toward the lens (for face-to-face shooting),
both the viewfinder and LCD monitor light
up at the same time.
OWhen the EVF DTL/END SEARCH button
is pressed, the outlines of the images on
the LCD monitor are accentuated, and
focusing is thereby facilitated.5Select the LCD COLOR LEVEL item, and tilt
the OPERATION lever in the 3or 4
direction to adjust the screen’s color level.
(If the remote control unit is used, press the
“M” button among the SET buttons.)
[–]?
??
??
??
?––––[+]
LCD BRIGHTNESS
[–]
?
??
??
??
?––––[+]
LCD CONTRAST
[–]
?
??
??
??
?––––[+]
PUSH MENU TO RETURN
LCD COLOR LEVEL
LCD SET
6Select the LCD BRIGHTNESS item, and tilt
the OPERATION lever in the 3or 4
direction to adjust the screen’s brightness.
(If the remote control unit is used, press the
“M” button among the SET buttons.)
LCD COLOR LEVEL
[–]?
??
??
??
?––––[+]
[–]
?
??
??
??
?––––[+]
LCD CONTRAST
[–]
?
??
??
??
?––––[+]
PUSH MENU TO RETURN
LCD BRIGHTNESS
LCD SET
7Select the LCD CONTRAST item, tilt the
OPERATION lever in 3or 4directions, and
adjust the contrast of the screen.  (If the
remote control unit is used, press the “M”
button among the SET buttons.)
LCD COLOR LEVEL
[–]?
??
??
??
?––––[+]
LCD BRIGHTNESS
[–]
?
??
??
??
?––––[+]
[–]
?
??
??
??
?––––[+]
PUSH MENU TO RETURN
LCD CONTRAST
LCD SET 
						

							28
Setting the calendar
1Set the camera recorder’s POWER switch to
ON. Presented below is a sample setting where the
calendar is set to December 25, 2003and the
time is set to 5:20 PM.
8Press the MENU button three times to
release the menu mode.
2Select YES as the setting for the CLOCK
SET item on the setting menu OTHER
FUNCTIONS screen.
OFor details on the menu operations, refer
to page 39.
3Tilt the OPERATION lever in the 3or 4
direction and set YEAR to 2003.
(If the remote control unit is used, press the
“M” button among the SET buttons.)
2
20
00
03
3
MONTH APR
DAY    24
HOUR   13
MIN.    7
PUSH MENU TO RETURN
Y
YE
EA
AR
R
CLOCK SET
4Press “
;” of the OPERATION lever, and
move the setting item to MONTH.
(If the remote control unit is used, press the
“B” button among the SET buttons.)
YEAR 2003
A AP
PR
R
DAY    24
HOUR   13
MIN.    7
PUSH MENU TO RETURN
M
MO
ON
NT
TH
H
CLOCK SET
5Tilt the OPERATION lever in the 3or 4
direction and set MONTH to DEC.
(If the remote control unit is used, press the
“M” button among the SET buttons.)
YEAR 2003
D DE
EC
C
DAY    24
HOUR   13
MIN.    7
PUSH MENU TO RETURN
M
MO
ON
NT
TH
H
CLOCK SET
YEAR 2003
MONTH DEC
DAY    25
HOUR   17
2 20
0
PUSH MENU TO RETURN
M
MI
IN
N.
.
CLOCK SET
6In the same way, press “;” of the
OPERATION lever, and move the setting
item to DAY, HOURand MIN.
(If the remote control unit is used, press the
“B” button among the SET buttons.)
7Similarly, tilt the OPERATION lever in the 3
or 4direction and set 25for DAY, 17for
HOUR and 20for MIN.
(If the remote control unit is used, press the
“M” button among the SET buttons.)
The 24-hour system is used to display the
hours. The year can be set from 2000 to 2089.
2 20
00
00
0
MONTH APR
DAY    24
HOUR   13
MIN.    7
PUSH MENU TO RETURN
Y
YE
EA
AR
R
CLOCK SET
An error will develop in the time, so check
whether the correct time is displayed before
shooting. 
						

							29
Charging the internal battery
The date and time are stored in the memory
using the internal battery.  When the “”
display appears in the viewfinder and on the
LCD monitor screens, it means that the internal
battery has run down.
Recharge it by following the steps below.
Upon completion of charging, reset the date and
time.
1Connect the AC adapter to the camera
recorder.
3Leave the camera recorder’s POWER switch
at the OFFposition.
4Keep the camera recorder like this for about
4 hours.
OThe internal battery is charged during this
time.
1
2
34
2Return the viewfinder to its original position. 
						

							30
The luminance level of artificial lighting—
particularly that of fluorescent lights and
mercury lamps—changes in synchronization
with the power line frequency.  Especially in
areas with a power line frequency of 50 Hz, the
vertical sync frequency (approx. 60 Hz) of the
camera recorder and frequency of the lighting
(50 Hz) will interfere with each other, possibly
causing the white balance to change cyclically.
When shooting under artificial lighting or when
adjusting the white balance, set the shutter
speed as shown below.
Progressive modeShutter speed
60 Hz 50 Hz
OFF (60i) 1/100 OFF (1/60)
30P OFF (1/50) 1/60
24P/24PA OFF (1/50) 1/60
Progressive modeStandard (OFF)
shutter speedShutter speeds which can be selected using SPEED SEL button
Shutter speed settings SYNCHRO SCAN
OFF (60i) 1/60 1/100, 1/120, 1/250, 1/500, 1/1000, 1/20001/60.3 --- 1/250
30P 1/50
1/30, 1/60, 1/120, 1/250, 1/500, 1/1000
1/24, 1/60, 1/120, 1/250, 1/500, 1/1000 1/30.1 --- 1/250.0
24P/24PA 1/50 1/24.1 --- 1/250.0
Setting the electronic shutter
1Each time the SHUTTER button is pressed,
the standard (OFF) shutter speed and the
shutter speed selected by the SPEED SEL
button are selected alternately.
2After pressing the SHUTTER button, press
the SPEED SEL button to select the shutter
speed.
Each time the SPEED SEL button is
pressed, the shutter speed changes by one
setting in the following sequence.
When the progressive mode is OFF (60i)
In the progressive mode (30P, 24P or 24PA)
OThe higher the shutter speed, the lower
the sensitivity of the camera.
OWhen the iris is controlled automatically, it
opens more and more and the depth of
focus becomes shallower and shallower
as the shutter speed increases.
OEven when the SHUTTER button is
pressed while the slow shutter mode (see
page 31) is established, “INVALID”
appears in the viewfinder and on the LCD
monitor, and it is not possible to switch to
the above shutter speed.
First, release the slow shutter mode using
the USER button to which SLOWSHUT
was allocated, and then set to the above
shutter speed.
SYNCHRO
SCAN(1/24)1/30
1/500 1/1000
1/601/120
1/250
SYNCHRO
SCAN1/100
1/1000 1/2000
1/1201/250
1/500
Shutter speeds which can be set
If a setting other than OFF has been selected for the OTHER
DISPLAY item on the setting menu DISPLAY SETUP screen,
the current shutter speed setting is displayed in the viewfinder
and on the LCD monitor.  However, it is not displayed if the
standard (OFF) shutter speed has been set.
1/100