Vivitar Vivicam V15 Users Manual

							 30 PhoTags application select the “Show Me How” or the 
“?” Help Guide button found on the top right of the 
screen. 
 
Express Copy Method
  
Select the “Express” copy radial button if you want to 
have all the images transferred to the PC without the 
option to select which photos you want to transfer.  
In this mode you will not see a preview of the images 
transferred. For more information please refer to the 
Help Guide in PhoTags Express. 
 
Viewing Videos 
Make sure that your camera is connected to your 
computer with the USB cable. Open any application 
that will enable you to view video files (for example 
Windows Media Player).  
 
Videos created and downloaded should be sitting in 
the C:\My Documents\My Pictures\{date} folder. 
Videos are saved in AVI format. Double click on a 
video with the avi extension. 
The video will begin to play automatically. To replay 
the video, use the media controls.   
  
Once all the Photos and Videos have been 
downloaded to the computer it is recommended that 
you delete them from the camera thereby preparing 
your camera to take more photos and videos.  
						

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Using your Camera as a Webcam 
Connect your camera to your computer using the 
USB cable attached.  
 
Capturing AVI with WebCam Express 
Now that you have WebCam Express software 
installed, you can use it to capture short movies 
called AVI video files or take JPEG snapshots. The 
length of time you can record an AVI while the  
camera is connected to your computer will vary, 
depending on how much hard drive space you will 
use to save the file. This is done through the 
PhoTags WebCam Express program. Please note 
that these AVI video files take up a lot of hard drive 
space. This next section will walk you though 
capturing an AVI file. 
   
1.  Double-click the “WebCam Express” icon that is 
on your desktop to launch the “WebCam 
Express” program. A webcam icon will appear 
on the LCD screen of your camera. 
 
2.  Your camera now begins to function as a 
webcam 
3.  Adjust your Camera/Webcam to the desired 
position. The computer screen will display what 
the Webcam “sees”. 
4.  To add audio to your video, plug a microphone   
into your computer.   
						

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5.  Click the “Capture” button to start recording the 
video. The recording elapse time will appear 
under the video. 
 
6.  Click the “Pause” button to hold the recording.   
To continue recording click the “Capture” button 
again. 
7.  To finish recording click the “Stop” button. 
8.  The videos will be automatically saved into a 
default directory (My Documents/ My Pictures/ 
My WebCam).  
 
         
						

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 Capturing Photos: 
 
You can also take snapshots with your Webcam. 
Your Webcam NEEDS to be connected at all times to 
the computer in order to capture the photos. 
 
There are 2 methods to capture and save photos 
taken with your WebCam Express software. 
 
Method 1 – Capture Mode: 
1.  Position the Webcam so that it is pointing in the 
direction of the object you wish to photograph. 
2.  The “image” appears in the application’s view 
screen. 
3.  Select the “Capture” mode button at the top of 
the application screen 
4.  Click the “Snapshot” button on the top left of 
the view screen. 
5.  The photo will be saved automatically as a jpeg 
picture in the My Documents/ My Pictures/ My 
WebCam folder on your computer. 
6.  You may now edit this photo by opening the 
Photags Express application.  
From the Main Menu, select the “Select Photos” 
mode, and from the directory tree on the left of 
the thumbnails screen, select the My WebCam 
folder where the photo has been saved. 
  
						

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Method 2 – Playback Mode: 
1.  After capturing an AVI video with your Webcam 
as explained above, select the “Playback” mode 
button at the top of the application screen. 
2.  Select the AVI video you wish to view from the 
view screen on the left.  
3.  Run the video by pressing the “Play Video” 
button. 
4.  While the video is running select the 
“Snapshot” button to take photo snapshots that 
are now saved as jpeg pictures. 
5.  The photo will be saved automatically as a jpeg 
picture in the My Documents/ My Pictures/ My 
WebCam folder on your computer. 
6.  You may now edit your photos with the 
“Photags Express” software application by 
selecting the Photags Express icon on the 
desktop, and from Main Menu that appears 
select the “Select Photos” mode. 
7.  From the directory tree on the left of the 
thumbnails screen open the “My WebCam”  
						

							 35 folder and select the photos you wish to edit 
using the software. 
To learn more on how to capture JPEG snapshots 
from your Webcam or from your existing AVI movies, 
go to the “Take Snapshots” section in the Help Guide 
in the application. 
To learn how to change the User Settings, go to the 
“Set User Preferences” section in the Help Guide. 
 
 
PC Webcam: 
You can use this Webcam to chat with friends and 
family, sending live video feeds straight to them.  
 
 
Maintenance of Your Digital 
Camera  
Digital Camera is a delicate instrument- please 
handle it with care. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
						

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Sakar Warranty Card 
This warranty covers for the original consumer 
purchaser only and is not transferable. Products that fail 
to function properly UNDER NORMAL USAGE, due to 
defects in material or workmanship. Your product will be 
repaired at no charge for parts or labor for a period of 
one year. 
 
What Is Not Covered By Warranty: 
Damages or malfunctions not resulting from defects in 
material or workmanship and damages or malfunctions 
from other than normal use, including but limited to, 
repair by unauthorized parties, tampering, modification 
or accident. 
 
What To Do When Service Is Required: 
When returning your defective product (postage pre-
paid) for service, your package should include: 
Copy of original bill of sale 
A detailed written description of the problem. 
Your return address and telephone number (Daytime) 
 
MAIL TO ADDRESS BELOW: 
Sakar International 
Attention: Service Department 
195 Carter Drive 
Edison, NJ 08817 
 
You may also visit www.sakarhelp.com
 for further 
assistance if necessary or call our tech support 
department toll free at (877) 397-8200.  
						

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Appendix A: Technical 
Specifications 
 
 
Image Sensor 1.3M Pixels (1280X1024) 
SXGA 
Image Resolution1280x1024, 640x480, 
320x240  
Focus f=8.3mm 
Image Variation  0.5m - Infinity 
Lens Non-spherical Lens 
Aperture 1: 3.0 
Illumination  100 – 16000 (lux) 
File Format  JPEG / AVI 
File Storage  8 MB 
Resolution Hi Lo 
(1280x1024) 15 30 
(640x480) 46 70 Storage capability
(320x240) 100 138 
Interface USB 1.1 
Power Supply  2 AAA Battery or USB cable 
Operating 
Systems Windows XP and Vista  
						

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Appendix B:  Troubleshooting 
Q: I have taken photos, but my computer says No 
photos in camera.  What do I do? 
 
First, ensure that you have taken photos with your 
camera. Press the shutter button a few times to take 
some sample photos and try again. If you still get a no 
photos error, this indicates that the software was not 
installed correctly or your computer may not meet the 
minimum system requirements.   
 
System Requirements: 
 
First, ensure that you have at least a Pentium III 300 
MHz, AMD Athlon 300 MHz, or a Celeron 400 MHz or 
higher as well as at least 128MB of RAM. Please note 
that the older AMD K6 processors will not work. More 
information about determining your computers 
specifications can be found in the General Computer 
Information section. If you have determined that you 
have pictures in your camera and you meet the system 
requirements, follow the steps below to reinstall the 
software.  
 
Software Re-installation 
 
First install the software. Click on Start, Settings, 
Control Panel and Add/Remove programs. 
You will need to remove PhoTags Express. After 
removing it, restart your computer. If your camera is 
connected, disconnect it. 
  
						

							 39 Now reinstall the software. Insert the CD that came with 
your camera.  It should automatically run the installation. 
 
Restart the computer.  
 
Once your computer is back up, plug the camera into 
your computers USB port. 
 
Right-click on the My Computer icon. Select 
Properties.  
Click on hardware and then Device Manager.  
If the camera is installed correctly, there will be a 
category listed for Imaging Devices and clicking on 
the + next to it should reveal your camera. If not, you 
will likely see Digital Still Camera under Other 
Devices with a brightly colored marking next to it 
indicating it is not functioning correctly.  
If you are running Windows XP: Right click on the non-
functioning device and select uninstall. If a warning 
pops up, press OK.  
Restart your computer again. Your camera is now 
successfully installed. 
 
Q: How do I make sure I dont lose important 
pictures? 
Your camera uses SDRAM memory, which 
requires a constant electric current to store your 
photos.  
Should your camera lose power (for instance if 
the battery dies or run out of power) all stored 
pictures will be lost. We recommend always 
downloading your photos to your computer as 
soon as possible to prevent unintentional data