Canon PowerShot A5 User manual

Please read this guide before using of the PowerShot A5.
You will find instructions on how to use basic camera functions.

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Thank you for purchasing a Canon PowerShot
A5, the easy-to-use, compact digital camera
with a large range of functions incorporated
into a card-sized body.
Please read this guide and the Reference
Guide to gain maximum benefit from the
high-quality digital imaging made possible with
the PowerShot A5.
Please read the Handling and
Safety Precautions section of the
Reference Guide before attempt-
ing to use the camera.
Copyright © 1998 Canon Inc. All rights reserved.
Disclaimer
While every effort has been made to ensure that the
information contained in this manual is accurate and
complete, no liability can be accepted for any errors or
omissions. Canon Inc. reserves the right to change the
specifications of the hardware and software described
here in at any time without prior notice.
Introduction
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No part of this manual may be reproduced, transmit-
ted, transcribed, stored in a retrieval system, or
translated into any language in any form, by any
means without prior written permission of Canon Inc.
Canon Inc. makes no warranties for damages resulting
from corrupted or lost data due to a mistaken
operation or malfunction of the camera, the
CompactFlash
TM
cards (CF cards), personal computers,
peripheral devices or use of non-Canon CF cards.
Trademark Acknowledgement
Canon and PowerShot are trademarks of Canon Inc.
Adobe and Adobe Photoshop are trademarks of Adobe
Systems Incorporated.
Apple, Macintosh and Power Macintosh are trademarks of
Apple Computer, Inc.
CompactFlash is a trademark of SanDisk Corporation.
IBM is a registered trademark of International Business
Machines Corporation.
Microsoft, Windows are registered trademarks of Microsoft
Corporation in the U.S. and other countries.
Ulead Systems, Inc. and PhotoImpact are trademarks of
Ulead Systems, Inc.
Other names and products not mentioned above may be
trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective
companies.

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The camera is shipped with the items listed below. Please check your package now to confirm
that it is complete. Contact your camera distributor if anything is missing.
Unpacking
• PowerShot A5
• Wrist Strap WS-100
• Video Cable VC-100
• PC Interface Cable IFC-100PC
• Macintosh Interface Cable IFC-100MC
• Compact Power Adapter CA-PS100E
• AC Power Cord
• DC Coupler DR-100
• Battery Pack NB-5H
• Battery Case
• Button-sized CR2016 Lithium Battery
(fitted)
• CompactFlashTM Card
• PowerShot Solution CD-ROM
• PowerShot Solution Users Manual
• Ulead PhotoImpact 4.0 CD-ROM
• Ulead PhotoImpact 4.0 Users Manual
• Quick Start Guide (this publication)
• Reference Guide
• System Map
• Instructions for CF Card
• Instructions for Battery Pack
• Instructions for Compact Power Adapter
• Warranty Card for PowerShot A5
• Software license agreement
• Guarantee/Registration card

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Before You Start
1. Charge the Battery Pack
Follow the instructions below to charge
Battery Pack NB-5H before installing it in the
camera.
1) Attach the AC Power Cord to the Compact
Power Adapter CA-PS100E and plug it into
a wall socket.
Battery Pack NB-5H
Compact Power Adapter
CA-PS100E
Charging Indicator
To AC Power Outlet
• While charging, the indicator on
the charger will flash green.
Once the battery pack has charged,
the indicator will stop flashing and
shine steadily.
• A full charge takes approximately 90
minutes.
2) Place the battery pack into the compact
power adapter as shown below.

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1) Ensure that the Mode Dial is
turned to the L (lock)
position (power off).
2) Slide the battery cover lock to the release
position and open the battery cover.
2. Install the Batteries into the Camera
The following describes how to insert
Battery Pack NB-5H into the camera.
3) Install Battery Pack NB-5H into the battery
chamber with the terminals oriented in
the direction shown below.
4) Close the battery cover and slide the
battery cover lock into the closed position.
Battery Terminals
3) Install Battery Pack NB-5H into the battery
chamber with the terminals oriented in
the direction shown below.
4) Close the battery cover and slide the
battery cover lock into the closed position.
Before You Start continued... 2/9

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• Check to make sure that the battery
cover lock is firmly in the lock
position. The camera will not operate
unless the battery cover lock is
secured.
• Remove the battery pack from the
camera whenever you will not use it
for an extended period. Do not
remove the button-sized lithium
battery because it is used as the
reserve power source for the date/
time settings.
• You can also use a 2CR5 Lithium
Battery (sold separately) instead of
Battery Pack NB-5H.
Before You Start continued... 3/9
• When removing Battery Pack NB-5H
from the camera, it is helpful to slip
your fingernail or fingertip into the
indent on the bottom of the battery
pack before you gently pull it out.
Indent

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3. Using the Camera with an AC Power Source
To power the camera with an AC power
source, connect DC Coupler DR-100 to
Compact Power Adapter CA-PS100E as
shown below and replace Battery Pack NB-
5H with the other end of the DC coupler.
• Please note that the compact power
adapter will not charge a battery pack
while in use as a DC power source for
the camera.
• The DC output indicator on the
compact power adapter will shine red
while in use as a DC power source for
the camera.
Compact Power
Adapter
CA-PS100E
DC Terminal
DC
Indicator
DC Coupler
DR-100
Cable Cover
Before You Start continued... 4/9

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3) Close the CF card slot cover.
• The CF Card can only be fitted when
correctly oriented. Do not use undue
force to insert the CF Card.
Before You Start continued... 5/9
4. Inserting a CF Card
Follow the procedures below to insert a CF
card into the camera.
1) Slide the lock for the CF card slot cover to
the open position and open the cover.
2) As shown below, orient the card with its
label side facing up and insert it into the
slot until it is firmly seated.
Label Side
Arrow Mark
The CF card eject
button will pop up
when a card is inserted.
Use this button to eject a card.

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CF Cards and Image Capacities
Small/N Small/F Large/N Large/F CCD RAW
FC-4M 118 63 45 22 4
FC-8M 236 125 89 44 8
FC-15M 442 235 169 81 15
• Small (512 x 384 pixels); Large (1024 x 768 pixels);
CCD RAW (Uncompressed)
• N refers to Normal quality, F to Fine quality.
• Figures noted herein reflect standard shooting
conditions established by Canon.
• Actual totals may vary according to the characteris-
tics of the photographic subject.
A wrist strap is shipped with the camera.
Attach the strap to the camera as illustrated.
5. Fitting the Wrist Strap
1) Insert the thin part of the
wrist strap through the
strap holder.
2) Insert the other end of
the wrist strap through
the loop of the thin part
that has been inserted
through the strap holder
in Step 1.
3) Pull the wrist strap
through the loop of the
thin part until the loop
slips over the plastic part
of the strap.
Before You Start continued... 6/9

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6. Setting the menu language
Before You Start continued... 7/9
You can change the language in which
messages are displayed.
1) Turn the Mode Dial to the PLAY position.
2) Press and hold the SET Button, then press
MACRO/JUMP Button to display the
Language Menu.
3) Use the +/- Buttons to move between
language selections and SET Button to
execute the selection.
SET Button MACRO/JUMP Button +/- Buttons
LCD Panel
Mode Dial

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7. Setting the Date and Time
SET Button MENU Button +/- Buttons
LCD Panel
1) Turn the Mode Dial to the (Auto)
position (Auto mode).
2) Press the MENU Button to display the Rec.
Menu.
Set the correct date and time with the
following procedures.
Mode Dial
Before You Start continued... 8/9

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3) Press the +/- Buttons to select [Setup].
Then press the SET Button to display the
Setup Menu.
4) Select the [Date/Time] with the +/- Buttons
and press the SET Button. The Date/Time
Menu will be displayed.
5) Press the SET Button to move between
fields and the +/- Buttons to advance
values.
6) Once the settings are adjusted to your
satisfaction, press the MENU Button to
save your selection and exit.
7) Turn the Mode Dial to the L (Lock)
position to shut off the power.
Before You Start continued... 9/9

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Taking Pictures
Shutter Button
MENU Button
Continuous/Self-Timer
Button
Flash Button
LCD Button
Viewfinder
LCD Panel
1) Turn the Mode Dial to the (Auto)
position (Auto mode).
2) Look through the viewfinder and frame
the subject.
3) Press the shutter button halfway and wait
until the beep sounds twice.
4) After the beeps, press the shutter button
all the way. A single beep will sound, the
picture will be taken and the indicator
beside the viewfinder will flash green
until the image is finished being stored
onto the CF card.
5) After the indicator goes off and the image
is stored, if you have finished taking
pictures, return the Mode Dial to the L
(Lock) position.
Mode Dial

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Taking Pictures continued... 2/3
Two stage Shutter Button
• The camera features a two-stage
shutter button. Press the button
lightly (depress to the halfway point)
to activate the first stage, the focus
and auto exposure lock. Pressing
more firmly to the second stage will
activate the shutter, recording an
image.
To Preview an Image on the LCD
Before Shooting
• Check an image before taking the
picture by pressing the LCD button to
activate the LCD panel. Press the
button once again to turn off the
panel.
Reviewing an Image After
Shooting
• You can review an image after taking
the picture without turning on the
LCD panel. Turn the Review function
on with the Menu feature and
continue to depress the shutter
button after a shot has been taken.
The image will display on the LCD
panel as long as you keep the shutter
button fully depressed.
Self-Timer
• To use the Self-Timer function, set the
Mode Dial to the (Auto) or P
(Program) position and press the
Continuous/Self-Timer Button. The
mark will show in the Display Panel.
The shutter will release 10 seconds
after the shutter button is pressed.

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About Power Save
• In the Auto and Program modes, the
lens cover will close and the camera
will automatically power down if left
for 3 minutes. Pressing any button
will switch the power back on. Please
refer to the Power Save section of the
Reference Guide for further detail on
activating or deactivating this
function.
Taking Pictures continued... 3/3

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Replaying Images
1) Turn the Mode Dial to the PLAY position.
2) Scroll through images by pressing the +/-
Buttons.
3) To quit, turn the Mode Dial to the L (Lock)
position.
1. Replaying Images in Play Mode
LCD Panel
+/- Buttons
MACRO/JUMP Button
To view single images on the LCD panel, set
the camera to the Play mode as shown
below.
Mode Dial

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1) Turn the Mode Dial to the MULTI position.
2) Select image (green frame) by pressing
the +/- Buttons.
• Display the selected image at full size
by turning the Mode Dial to the PLAY
position.
• To display the next or previous
images, press the Macro/Jump Button
and +/- Buttons. To return to normal
selection menu, press the MACRO/
JUMP Button again.
3) To quit, turn the Mode Dial to the L (Lock)
position.
2. Replaying Images in Multi Mode
LCD Panel
+/- Buttons
MACRO/JUMP Button
To view groups of nine images on the LCD
panel, set the camera to the Multi mode as
shown below.
Mode Dial
Replaying Images continued... 2/3

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Replaying Images continued... 3/3
3. Displaying Images on a TV
1) Turn the Mode Dial to the L (Lock)
position and ensure that the TV power
switch is off.
2) Insert one end of the video cable into the
camera’s VIDEO terminal and the other
into the TV’s Video In jack.
3) Turn the TV on and select the video
channel.
4) Turn the camera’s Mode Dial to the PLAY
or MULTI position.
5) If an image appears in the camera’s LCD
panel, press the LCD button.
Pressing the LCD button switches the
display between the television and the
camera’s LCD panel.
6) Use the normal replay procedures as
described on the previous pages to view
the images.
TV Video In
VIDEO Terminal
Video Cable
(Supplied)
To view your images on a TV, connect the
camera to the TV with the video cable
supplied.

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Retrieving Images
1. Installing the Software
1) Start the computer.
2) Place the CD in your CD-ROM drive.
Windows®
Follow the instructions displayed on-screen to
install the software.
Macintosh
Drag and drop the folders required from the
CD onto your hard disk.
• To use Adobe Photoshop software
with a camera, you must copy the
Plug-In Module into Photoshop’s
Import/Export folder in the Plug-Ins
folder.
3) Reboot the computer after the installation
completes.
Install the software contained on the CD-
ROMs.
• Before you start installing the
software, read the software Quick
Start Guides supplied.
• For a detailed explanation of how to
perform the installation, please
consult the Quick Installation Guide
included with the software.

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Retrieving Images continued... 2/8
About the Software
The CD-ROMs shipped with the package
contain the following software. Install the
software from the CD-ROM onto your
computer as required.
• TWAIN Driver (Windows)
Driver software for acquiring images from a
PowerShot digital camera into a TWAIN-
compliant application program.
• Photoshop Plug-In Module (Macintosh)
A plug-in module that allows Adobe
Photoshop to acquire images from a
PowerShot digital camera.
• PhotoStitch (Windows/Macintosh)
A software program that makes it easy to
merge sequential pictures taken with the
PowerShot A5’s Stitch Assist mode into
large, high-quality panoramic scenes.
• SlideShowMaker (Windows)
A software program that draws upon the
PowerShot A5’s slide show capabilities to
display images in compelling presentations.
•␣ TimeTunnel (Macintosh)
A software program that enables you to
browse through your images on-screen in
chronological order.
• Ulead PhotoImpact 4.0 (Windows)
A suite of Web-capable programs with
extensive image enhancement and file
management functions.