Panasonic Vdr M53pp Operating Instructions Manual

							51
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 149 when recording movie is not 
possible.
See “Check 4” on page 149 if it takes some time before 
recording is possible.
See “Check 5” on page 150 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 94 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, as 
doing so may make the disc unusable.
- 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 upper left) to prevent the power switch in the “ ” 
position from accidentally moving to “ ”.
Do not insert an unfinalized DVD-R in any other device. 
Doing so may make the disc unusable.
Before You BeginInsert a recordable DVD-RAM or DVD-R disc into this DVD Video Camera.
Power switchPressing 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 photo shot button halfway down (half 
press).
The DVD Video Camera automatically focuses 
on the subject at the center of screen (when auto 
focus is selected). 
When the image is in focus, “m” is displayed in 
pink. 
4Press the photo shot button all the way down (full 
press).
The screen will turn 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.
5Set 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 149 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-M75PP and VDR-M95PP, 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.
If focusing is difficult, use the manual focus function 
(p.64).
ACCESS/PC 
indicator Photo shot button
CARD ACCESS 
indicator
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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 2005
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 (field) 
*1: External input (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 *3
No display : Wide mode 4:3:Wide mode 16:9
  Flash*2 [For DVD-M75PP, only when 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 (countdown is from 10 
seconds)
6.External Input
LIN :AV input
SIN
*3: S-VIDEO input7.Recording statusn: During recordingm: During recording pause
No display*4
10
8:00AM
3 0 MIN0:00:00
FINE
REC
DISC  ACCESS
REM
LIN
FULL AUTO
SEP 3 0  2005
The above screen is an example for explanation: It is 
different from the actual display.123456
8
9
10
12
1315
16
17
18 117
14
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8.ZoomW(Digital Zoom: Off)X[Digital Zoom: 40x (VDR-M75PP/
VDR-M95PP), 60x (VDR-M53PP/
VDR-M55PP)]
Y[Digital Zoom: 800x (VDR-M53PP/
VDR-M55PP), 240x (VDR-M75PP/
VDR-M95PP), only in movie 
recording mode]
9.Exposure correction10. FULL AUTO indicator11. Warning message12. 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 P: Locked SD Memory Card
No display*5
13. Movie recording quality (only when using disc)
XTRA : Image quality prioritized
FINE : Standard
STD : Recording time prioritized
Still recording quality (when using card)
FINE : High quality
NORM : Standard
ECO : Number of recordable stills is 
prioritized
14.  Volume
: 
The volume can be adjusted during external 
input and playback.
15.Movie recording time (only in movie recording 
mode)
16. Remaining space on disc/card*6
REM XX MIN*7: Remaining recordable minutes 
during movie recording 
REM XX
*8: Number of remaining 
recordable still images during 
still recording 
17. Remaining battery levelw(full charge)x
y
z
(low remaining charge)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-M53PP/VDR-M55PP.
*3 Displayed only in movie recording mode.
*4 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.
*5 When a disc or card that cannot be used in this DVD Video Camera is inserted
*6 No remaining time or number will be displayed with a protected disc or locked card, or finalized DVD-R disc.
*7 In XTRA mode, possible recording time may be longer than the displayed time.
*8 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).
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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.
When the LCD monitor is opened and turned 180° with the Program AE set to Low Light, the monitor screen will shine 
white (p.70).
Operating status/
warning message
Battery remaining 
level
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123
Zooming
This DVD Video Camera allows you to record using optical 24- (on VDR-M53PP/VDR-M55PP) or 10- (on 
VDR-M75PP/VDR-M95PP) power zoom and digital zoom.
If you continue to hold the zoom lever on the “T” 
control side with Dig. Zoom 60x or 800x specified 
(on VDR-M53PP/VDR-M55PP) or  Dig. Zoom 40x 
or 240x specified (on VDR-M75PP/VDR-M95PP), 
the digital zoom will be activated midway (when 
optical 24-power is exceeded on VDR-M53PP/
VDR-M55PP or optical 10-power is exceeded on 
VDR-M75PP/VDR-M95PP). You can set the digital 
zoom up to 60x (on VDR-M53PP/VDR-M55PP) or 
40x (on VDR-M75PP/VDR-M95PP) in photo mode, 
and 60x and 800x (on VDR-M53PP/VDR-M55PP) 
or 40x and 240x (on VDR-M75PP/VDR-M95PP) in 
movie mode.
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.
* 800x will appear on VDR-M53PP/VDR-
M55PP; 240x will appear on VDR-M75PP/
VDR-M95PP.
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 ”, “60x” and “800x” (on VDR-M53PP
/VDR-
M55PP) or “Off ”, “40x” and “240x” (on VDR-M75PP/VDR-M95PP). Pressing the button during still recording 
will switch between “Off ” and “60x” (on VDR-M53PP/VDR-M55PP) or “40x” (on VDR-M75PP/VDR-M95PP).If you set zoom to 800x (VDR-M53PP/VDR-M55PP), 
240x (VDR-M75PP/VDR-M95PP) when recording still, 
digital zoom will be up to “60x” (on VDR-M53PP
/VDR-
M55PP) or “40x” (on VDR-M75PP/VDR-M95PP).
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 “60x” (on VDR-
M53PP/VDR-M55PP) or “40x” (on VDR-M75PP/VDR-
M95PP) is possible, even when “800x” (on VDR-M53PP/VDR-M55PP) or “240x” (on VDR-M75PP/VDR-M95PP) 
has been chosen.
If the power switch is set to “ ” with DVD-RAM disc 
loaded, zooming only up to “60x” (on VDR-M53PP/VDR-
M55PP) or “40x” (on VDR-M75PP/VDR-M95PP) is 
possible, even when “800x” (on VDR-M53PP
/VDR-
M55PP) or “240x” (on VDR-M75PP/VDR-M95PP) has 
been chosen.
When you record pictures, with “24x” (on VDR-M53PP/VDR-M55PP) or “10x” (on VDR-M75PP/VDR-M95PP) 
or more magnification, the DVD Video Camera is 
susceptible to shake. We recommend using a tripod (only 
for VDR-M53PP/VDR-M55PP).
Program AE
White Bal.
Dig.Zoom EIS
40x
240x
ENTER RETURN
RAMOff Wind Cut Camera Functions Setup*
8:00AM
SEP 30 20050:00:00
3 0 MIN 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)
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							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.
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Playing Back
123
Playing Back
1Press the A button in recording pause mode.
The DVD Video Camera will enter the playback 
mode, and the scene you 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 Digital 
(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).
RIGHTLEFT
UP
DOWN
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123
Playback from Start of Disc or Card
Use the Go To function (P. 62) or Disc Navigation 
function (P. 96) to play back from the start of disc or 
card.
12
Search Playback of Movie
During playback, press one of the following buttons 
and hold it: Search playback will start.
Hold the c button: Scenes will be visually 
scanned forward
Hold the d button: Scenes will be visually 
scanned backward
Release the control buttons when you find the 
desired image: Normal playback will start from that 
point.Note:See “Check 3” on page 149 if search playback does not 
operate normally.
12Frame Advance/Frame Back/Slow Playback of Movie
During playback pause, press the following buttons: 
Frame advance, frame back or slow playback will 
start.
Press the c button : Picture will advance 
one frame.
Press the d button : Picture will go back 
one frame.
Hold the c button : Forward slow playback
Hold the d button : 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.
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