Panasonic Vdr M50pp Operating Instructions Manual

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12
Recording Movie
1
Turn the DVD Video Camera on.
Set the power switch to “ ” to turn the DVD Video 
Camera on.
After the ACCESS/PC indicator goes out, perform 
the subsequent operations:
2Check the subject on the screen (viewfinder or LCD).
If using the viewfinder, pull it out.
3Press the REC button.
The “m” mark in the viewfinder or on the LCD 
screen will change to the “n” mark, and 
recording will start.
During recording, the recording indicator on the front 
of the DVD Video Camera will light.
Pressing REC again during recording will set the 
DVD Video Camera to recording pause mode.
4When recording is finished,  turn the DVD Video 
Camera off.
Note:•See “Check 1” on page 150 when recording movie is not 
possible.
•See “Check 4” on page 150 if it takes some time before 
recording is possible.
•See “Check 5” on page 151 if the DVD Video Camera 
does not operate.
•See page 54 for on-screen information display.•It is recommended that you use DVD-RAM disc from 
which recorded contents can be deleted.
•Sound is recorded from the internal stereo microphone 
on the front of DVD Video Camera: Take care that this 
microphone is not blocked.
•You can press the REC button immediately after the DVD 
Video Camera enters recording pause mode, but no further recording can be made while “DISC ACCESS” is 
being displayed.
Recording will restart after the message disappears.
•Do not turn power off while message “DISC ACCESS” is 
being displayed.
•Take care that power is not interrupted while the 
ACCESS/PC indicator is blinking.
•The minimum recordable time of movie is approximately 
3 seconds.
•See page 93 for setting of Record LED (recording 
indicator) On/Off.
•For various functions available during recording, see 
“Setting Up Camera Functions” on page 80.
•Panasonic cannot be responsible for video and audio that 
cannot be recorded or edited because of any defect.
•The power switch can be changed even during recording, 
but the operation will not be changed.
•Each time the DVD Video Camera enters the recording 
pause mode, the counter display will be reset to 
“0:00:00”.
•When using DVD-R disc, do not perform the following, or 
data on the disc may not be read:
- Using another device, doing additional recording on 
DVD-R disc first recorded on this DVD Video Camera
- Using this DVD Video Camera, doing additional 
recording on DVD-R disc recorded on another device
•It is recommended that you set the LOCK switch to  (to 
the left) to prevent the power switch in the “ ” position 
from accidentally moving to “ ”.
Before You Begin•Insert a recordable DVD-RAM or DVD-R disc into this DVD Video Camera.
Power switch Pressing REC once will 
start recording; 
pressing it once again 
will temporarily stop 
recording.ACCESS/PC indicator
REC button 
						

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13
Recording Stills
Note:Recording of still images is possible on DVD-RAM disc and 
card.
1Turn the DVD Video Camera on.
When using DVD-RAM disc:
Set the power switch to “ ”.
When using card:
Set the power switch to “ ”.
After the ACCESS indicator goes out, perform the 
subsequent operations:
2Check the subject on the screen (viewfinder or LCD).
3Press the REC button.
The DVD Video Camera automatically focuses on 
the subject at the center of screen (when auto focus is 
selected). 
The screen will be black, and then the recorded still 
will be displayed. When the “m” mark appears, you 
can proceed with the next recording; while “DISC 
ACCESS” or “CARD ACCESS” is being displayed, 
you cannot proceed with the next recording.
4Set the power switch to “OFF” to turn the DVD Video 
Camera off.
Turn power off only after message “DISC ACCESS” 
disappears.
Note:•See “Size and Quality of Photos” on page 33 for details 
about photos on card.
•See “Check 2” on page 150 if recording photos is not 
possible.
•Do not operate the power switch or remove the card while 
the ACCESS/PC or CARD ACCESS indicator is lit or 
blinking: Doing so may damage the card or the data on 
card.
•With VDR-M70PP, the range of screen in which 
recording is possible will be different for movie and still.
•The DVD Video Camera automatically sets the shutter 
speed between 1/800 and 1/30 second (between 1/800 
and 1/10 second if Program AE has been set to Low 
Light) depending on subject brightness.
ACCESS/PC 
indicatorCARD 
ACCESS 
indicator
Power switch REC button 
						

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123
Compensating for Backlight
1
Press the BACK LIGHT button during recording.
The backlight correction icon will appear.
Note:•Pressing the BACK LIGHT button will alternate backlight 
setting between on and off.
•The backlight setting will automatically return to “off ” 
when the DVD Video Camera is turned off.
When subject is lit from behind , this function will compensate for lighting so that the subject is not too dark.
30MIN 0:00:09RECREM
FINE8:00AM
SEP 30 2004
Backlight correction icon 
						

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123
On-Screen Information
Various types of information will appear in the viewfinder or on the LCD screen during recording.
Information Display during Recording
1.Recording mode:Movie
: Still with disc
: Still with card
*
1: External input still with disc (field) 
*1: External input still with disc (frame)
*1: External input still with card (field) 
*1: External input still with card (frame)2.e Program AE
No display : Auto
b:Sportsc:Portraitd: Spotlighte: Surf & Snowf:Low Lightj White balance
No display : Auto
h:Seti: Outdoorj: Indoorn Electronic image stabilizer (EIS) 
No display : EIS OFF
n:EIS ON
o Manual focus
No display : Autofocus
o: (display in English or German): Manual 
focus 
: (display in French or Italian): 
Manual focus 
: (display in Spanish): Manual focus 
3. Backlight compensation
No display : Backlight compensation OFF
m: Backlight compensation ON4. Wind Cut (only in movie recording mode)
No display : Wind Cut OFF
:Wind Cut ON
  Wide mode*2
No display: Wide mode 4:3:Wide mode 16:9
  External flash*2 [when Video Flash (sold 
separately) is attached] (only in still recording mode)
 
A: Emits light automatically (AUTO)
: Always emits light
: No light emission
5.Self timer (only in still recording mode)
No display : Self timer OFF
q10: Self timer ON (count is from 10 seconds)6.External Input
LIN :AV input
SIN
*2:S-VIDEO input7.Recording statusn: During recordingm: During recording pause
No display*3
10
8:00AM3 0 MIN 0:00:00
FINE
REC
DISC  ACCESS
REM
LIN
FULL AUTO
SEP 30 2004
The above screen is an example for explanation: It is 
different from the actual display.123456
8
9
10
12
1314
15
16
17
18 117 
						

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8.ZoomW(Digital Zoom: Off)X(Digital Zoom: 40×)Y[Digital Zoom: 500× (VDR-M50PP), 
240× (VDR-M70PP), only in movie 
recording mode]
9.Exposure correction10. FULL AUTO indicator11. Wa r n i n g  m e s s a g e12. Disc/Card typeI: DVD-RAM K: DVD-R J: DVD-RAM (write-protected)M: DVD-R disc already finalized on this 
DVD Video Camera
N: DVD-R disc finalized on a device other 
than this DVD Video Camera
O: SD Memory Card or MultiMediaCard P: Locked SD Memory Card
No display*4
13. Movie recording quality (only when using disc)
XTRA : Image quality prioritized (only when 
using DVD-RAM disc)
LPCM : Highest audio quality (only when using 
DVD-R disc)
FINE : Standard
STD : Recording time prioritized
Still recording quality (only when using card)
FINE : High quality
NORM : Standard
ECO : Number of recordable stills is prioritized
14. Movie recording time (only in movie recording 
mode)
15. Remaining space on disc/card*5
REM XX MIN*6: Remaining recordable minutes 
during movie recording 
REM XX
*7: Number of remaining recordable 
still images during still recording 
16. Remaining battery levelw(full charge)x
y
z
(low remaining charge)17. Brightness/Color density of LCD screen or Volume
: 
The volume can be adjusted during external input 
and playback.
18. Current date/time
*1 Appears only with external input when the DVD Video Camera is in PHOTO recording mode.
*2 Not displayed on VDR-M50PP.
*3 When no disc or card is in the DVD Video Camera, or disc has not yet been initialized, a write-protected disc or 
locked card, or a disc or card with no remaining space, has been inserted.
*4 When a disc or card that cannot be used in this DVD Video Camera is inserted
*5 No remaining time or number will be displayed with a protected disc or locked card, or finalized DVD-R disc.
*6 In XTRA mode, possible recording time may be longer than the displayed time.
*7 The displayed number of recordable stills is for reference: The decreasing number may not be correct, depending 
on recording conditions (not displayed with a DVD-R disc). 
						

							56
lSwitching the information display mode
You can switch the display mode of on-screen information:
Press the DISPLAY button.
The full and minimum display modes will alternate.
•Full display mode: All types of information will appear.
•Minimum display mode: The recording mode (see 1 on page 54) and 
recording status (see 7 on page 54) will appear. If the DVD Video 
Camera has warning information, a warning message will appear. 
Note:The DVD Video Camera does not record the date and time as a part of the image. However, this information during 
recording will be recorded with image as data which can be checked on Disc Navigation screen during playback (See 
“Information Display during Playback” on page 63).
lDisplay when recording an image of yourself
When recording with the LCD screen facing the same direction as the lens, the 
operating status will appear, and in addition, the battery remaining level will blink 
when the battery pack has almost no remaining charge.
The following operating status indicator will light or blink to give a warning message 
to user. The message can be checked by returning the LCD monitor 180° to the 
original position from the position in which the LCD screen was facing the same 
direction as the lens.
*: The disc has almost no free space.
Q: Write-protected disc or locked card is loaded.
N: You are attempting to record a still on DVD-R disc.
No display : Disc or card that cannot be used has been loaded.
l: The disc or card is full, or you are attempting to 
record a copy-guarded image.
Note:•If the LCD screen is set facing the same direction as the lens, the LCD screen will display a mirror image (left and right 
reversed).
•If the LCD screen is set facing the same direction as the lens, you can also view subject image in the viewfinder.•Although you can switch to the manual focus, exposure and on-screen display modes even during recording with LCD 
screen facing the same direction as lens, they will not appear on the screen.
Operating status/
warning message
Battery remaining 
level 
						

							57
123
Zooming
This DVD Video Camera allows you to record using optical 18- (on VDR-M50PP) or 10- (on VDR-M70PP) 
power zoom and digital zoom.
If you continue to hold the zoom lever on the “T” control 
side with Dig. Zoom 40x or 240x specified, the digital 
zoom will be activated midway (when optical 18-power 
is exceeded on VDR-M50PP or optical 10-power is 
exceeded on VDR-M70PP). You can set the digital zoom 
up to 40x in photo mode, and 40x and 500x (on VDR-
M50PP) or 240x (on VDR-M70PP).
1Press the MENU button, 
choose “Dig. Zoom” on the 
“Camera Functions Setup” 
menu screen, and then press 
the A button.
2Choose the desired 
magnification, and then press the A button.
3Press the MENU button to end setting.
Moving the zoom lever will display the digital zoom 
bar.
*500x will appear on VDR-M50PP; 240x will appear 
on VDR-M70PP.
Note:•Dig. Zoom setting will be stored in memory even if the 
DVD Video Camera is turned off.
•You can also use the DIGITAL ZOOM button on remote 
controller to switch the digital zoom setting: Pressing the 
button during movie recording will switch the setting 
between “Off ”, “40×” and “500x” (on VDR-M50PP) or 
“240x” (on VDR-M70PP): Pressing the button during still 
recording will switch between “Off ” and “40×”.
•If you set zoom to 500× (VDR-M50PP), 240× (VDR-
M70PP) when recording still, digital zoom will be up to 
40×.
•When a subject is zoomed, it may be momentarily out of 
focus.
•When digital zoom is engaged, the image quality will be 
rougher.
•When using card, zooming only up to 40× is possible, 
even when “500x” (on VDR-M50PP) or “240x” (on VDR-
M70PP) or “40×” has been chosen.
•If the power switch is set to “ ” with DVD-RAM disc 
loaded, zooming only up to 40x is possible, even when 
“500x” (on VDR-M50PP) or “240x” (on VDR-M70PP) has 
been chosen.
•When you record pictures, with 10x or more of 
magnification, the DVD Video Camera is susceptible to 
shake. We recommend using a tripod (only for VDR-
M50PP).
Program AEWhi te Ba l.
Dig. Z
oomEIS
40x 240x
ENTER RETURN
RAMOf f Wind Cut Ca
mera Funct i ons Setup
Wide *
8:00AM
SEP 3 0 200430MIN 0:00:00
REMFINE
T W W
W
T
T
When Dig. Zoom is Off
When Dig. Zoom is On(40x)
Digital zoom rangeWhen Dig. Zoom is On(240x)*
Digital zoom range
(only in movie recording)
W:Recording wide area 
(wide-angle)
T: Recording enlarged 
image (telephoto) 
						

							58
Macro Recording
Use the macro function when recording a small object from close-up position: You can shoot the subject as close as 
approximately 13/16” (2 cm) from the lens surface, magnifying the image to fill the screen.
1Aim the DVD Video Camera at the subject, and press 
down the zoom lever to “W” control side.Note:•Zoom can be used, but the subject may not be focused, 
depending on the distance to the subject. In this case,  
move the zoom to “W” control side to focus.
•The amount of light tends to be insufficient during macro 
recording: If the subject image is too dark, use additional 
lighting.
Using Conversion Lens (Optional-User Provided)
Use tele-conversion lens or wide-conversion lens to record subjects for stronger telefoto or wide-angle effect. Use 
conversion lenses with the following filter diameter.
VDR-M50PP/VDR-M70PP : 37 mm
Remove the lens hood on the top surface of lens, and then attach the conversion lens over the lens.
Note:•Be careful not to lose the removed lens hood.•The four corners of screen may be dim depending on the 
conversion lens used.
(Attach) Conversion lens Lens hood
(Remove) 
						

							59
Playing Back
123
Playing Back
1Press A button in recording pause mode.
The DVD Video Camera will enter the playback 
mode, and the scene you have recorded last will be 
played back.
When playback is finished, the DVD Video Camera 
will enter pause mode at the last image on disc.
If playback pause mode continues for as long as 5 
minutes, the DVD Video Camera will automatically 
return to recording pause mode.
2Press the g button.
Playback will stop, and recording pause mode will be 
restored.
Note:•During playback of movie, playback sound will be heard 
from the speaker. Adjust the sound volume using the 
volume control buttons ((, )).
•You can play back the audio recorded in Dolby AC 3 (2ch).•To temporarily stop playback, press the A button. 
Press the A button again to restart playback.
•Even if you stop playback midway and immediately start 
recording again, the new image will be recorded after the 
last scene on disc or card (the previous images will not be 
overwritten).
•Image data edited on PC or certain types of image data 
may not be displayed on this DVD Video Camera.
•Image data recorded on another camcorder may not be 
playable on this DVD Video Camera.
•Depending on the amount of data to be played back, it 
may take some time for the playback image to appear.
•Do not operate the power switch or remove the card while 
the ACCESS/PC or CARD ACCESS indicator is lit or 
blinking: Doing so may damage the card or the data on 
card.
Before You Begin• Insert a disc or card recorded on this DVD Video Camera (P. 46, 49).
•Turn the DVD Video Camera on (P. 50). 
						

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Playback from Start of Disc or Card
Use the Go To function (P. 62) or Disc Navigation 
function (P. 95) to play back from the start of disc or card.
12
Search Playback of Movie
During playback, tilt the joystick right or left and hold it: 
Search playback will start.
Hold to right : Scenes will be visually scanned 
forward
Hold to left : Scenes will be visually scanned 
backward
Release the joystick when you find the desired image: 
Normal playback will start from that point.Note:•When you skip or search scenes from playback or 
playback pause, the screen will be dark briefly.
•See “Check 3” on page 150 if search playback does not 
operate normally.
12Frame Advance/Frame Back/Slow Playback of Movie
During playback pause, tilt the joystick: Frame advance, 
frame back or slow playback will start.
Tilt right once : Picture will advance 
one frame.
Tilt left once : Picture will go back 
one frame.
Hold right : Forward slow playback
Hold left : Reverse slow playback
After frame advance, frame back or slow playback, the 
DVD Video Camera will enter playback pause mode.Note:•In forward slow, a rapidly moving subject image may be 
distorted.
•The intervals for playing back frames in frame advance/
frame back/slow playback are as follows:
Frame advance and forward slow: Approx. 0.03 seconds
Frame back and reverse slow: Approx. 0.5 seconds
•No sound will be heard during search playback or slow 
playback.