HP PhotoSmart C500 User manual

HP PhotoSmart C500 Digital Camera User’s Guide 3
Chapter2- GettingStarted
Thischaptershowsyouhowto setupyour newHP PhotoSmartC500DigitalCamera,includinginstalling the
batteries,usinganACpoweradapter,installingthememorycard,settingthedateandtime,changingthelanguage,
turning the camera on and off, and using the camera modes, color LCD and menus.
CameraParts
ThefollowingillustrationsshowthepartsoftheHPPhotoSmartC500DigitalCamera.Toviewaglossaryof camera
partsandterminology,see “Glossary”onpage136.
StatusLCD Shutterbutton
Cameramode dialFlashbutton PhotoQuality
button Share button
On/off button
Top
Main battery
compartmentdoor Tripod mount Coinbattery
compartment cover
Bottom

CameraParts
HP PhotoSmart C500 Digital Camera User’s Guide 4
Side
Self-timer light Flash
Lens
Infrared sensors
Automatic
flash sensor
Front
Serial/USB computer
connection
VideoOut
AC power
adapter
connection
Automaticfocusand
exposuresensors
Zoomcontrol
Memory card
door latch Memory
carddoor
Wriststrap
attachment
Softkeys
ColorLCD
Back
Color LCD
on/offbutton
4-wayarrow
button
Eye Start
sensors
Viewfinder Overlay
button
Menu
button
Viewfinderindicator
light

SettingUp YourCamera
HP PhotoSmart C500 Digital Camera User’s Guide 5
Setting Up Your Camera
Attaching theWristStrap and Lens Cover Leash
TheHPPhotoSmartC500DigitalCameracomeswith awriststrapand lenscoverleash.Thewrist strapandlens
coverleashhasthreeloops:
1. Ashortloopto attachtothe camera.
2. Alongthinlooptoattachto thelenscover.
3. The mainwriststraploop.
1
2
3

SettingUp YourCamera
HP PhotoSmart C500 Digital Camera User’s Guide 6
To attach the wrist strap:
1. Usingthe wrist strapand lens cover leashincluded in the box with
yourcamera,threadtheshortloopthroughthecameraattachment.
Youmightneedtouseapenciltopullthe endoftheloop through.
2. Pullthestrapandthelenscoverleashthroughtheloop,and then
pull the knot tight.
To attach the lens cover leash:
1. Removethe lens coverfromthecamera.
2. Thread the long, thin loop through the hole in the lens cover.
3. Pullthelenscoverthroughtheloop, andthenpullthe knottight.
4. Replacethelenscoveron thecamera.
4
2
3

SettingUp YourCamera
HP PhotoSmart C500 Digital Camera User’s Guide 7
Installing the Batteries
TheHPPhotoSmartC500DigitalCamerausesthreeAANiMH(NickelMetalHydride)batteries.It alsousesacoin
batteryforretainingthedateand timeinformation. Thecameracomeswithacoinbattery(alreadyinstalled),three
NiMHbatteries,and anNiMHbatterycharger.
Installing the Main Batteries
Caution: UseonlyAA NiMHbatteries.Replaceallthreebatteriesat thesame time.Donotreplace thebatteries
individually.Alwaysfollowinstructionson thebatterypackagewhen handlingor disposingof batteries.
To install the main batteries:
1. Makesure the camera power is off.
2. Openthemainbatterycompartmentdoorbyslidingthe latchin
thedirectionofthe wordOPEN.
3. Insertthreebatteries,makingsurethe +/-electrodesarefacing
theproperdirection(seethe diagraminsidethe battery
compartment).
4. Closethemainbatterycompartmentdoor.
Mainbattery
compartmentdoor

SettingUp YourCamera
HP PhotoSmart C500 Digital Camera User’s Guide 8
Installing a New Coin Battery
Whenyoubuy thecamera,acoinbatteryis alreadyinstalled.Followthesedirectionsifyou needtoinstalla new
coinbattery.
Caution: Useonlya CR2025or equivalent3 volt coinbattery.Alwaysfollowinstructionsonthe batterypackage
when handling or disposing of batteries.
To install a coin battery:
1. Makesure the camera power is off.
2. Removethecoinbatterycompartmentcoverbyplacingtheedge
ofacoininthegrooveandturningitcounter-clockwiseuntilit
stops.
3. Insertthecoinbattery,so youseethe positive(+)side facingup.
4. Replacethecoinbatterycompartmentcoverandturnitclockwise
untilitstops.

SettingUp YourCamera
HP PhotoSmart C500 Digital Camera User’s Guide 9
Checking theBattery Level
Thebatteryicononthe camera’sstatusLCD indicatesthe chargelevelforthe mainNiMHbatteries.Thereare three
levelsofbatterycharge:fullycharged,partiallycharged,andempty.Youcan purchaseadditionalNiMHbatteries
fromHP’sShoppingVillageat www.hpshopping.com,or fromyourlocalcameraorelectronics store.
Battery lifedependsonseveralfactors.Theseinclude:
•How often and how long you use the color LCD.
•Howoftenyou usetheflashand zoom.
•Thenumberofphotosyou take.
•Temperatureconditions(operatingthecameraat coldertemperaturesresultsinshorterbatterylife).
To preserve battery life:
•Whenusingthe camerawitha computerortelevisionor whenusingthe colorLCDforextendedperiodsoftime,
useanACpoweradapterthatHPhasapprovedforuse withtheHPPhotoSmartC500DigitalCamera.
•Limit youruse of thecolorLCD, except when using anAC power adapter.
•Donot leavebatteriesinthe chargerforanextendedperiodoftime(suchas severaldays).

SettingUp YourCamera
HP PhotoSmart C500 Digital Camera User’s Guide 10
To check the main battery level:
•Pressthe on/offbuttonto turnthecameraon.
ThestatusLCDdisplaysthebatterystatusicon.
Note: If the batteries are low when you first turn on the camera, the camera beeps 5 times, theempty battery icon
flashesonthestatusLCD,thelensretracts,andthe status LCD goesblankasthecameraturnsitselfoff.
To check the coin battery level:
1. Turnthe cameraonandturnthe cameramodedialto Rec.
2. Press the color LCD on/off buttontoturn thecolorLCDon.
3. Ifyoudonotseetheoverlaybars,presstheOverlaybuttontoturnthem
on.
4. Pressthe Status button(rightsoftkey)tosee thecamerastatus.
Thecoinbatteryicon appearsonthe colorLCDonlyifthe batterylevel
is low, or if there is no coin battery installed in the camera.
5. Pressthe Exit button(right softkey)to exittheStatusscreen.
Fully charged
Partially charged
Empty
On/offbuttonStatusLCDBattery status icon
Coinbatteryiconindicateslowcharge
or no battery installed

SettingUp YourCamera
HP PhotoSmart C500 Digital Camera User’s Guide 11
Charging the Batteries
TomakesureyourNiMHbatteriesarechargedwhenyouneedthem,werecommendchargingthemovernightusing
thebatterychargerincludedin thecamerapackage.Oncethebatteriesarefully charged,removethem fromthe
charger.
Note: Thebatteries reachoptimumchargecapacityforthefirsttime after theyhave beendrainedandcharged
fourtimes.
Installing the Memory Card
The“film”usedinthe HPPhotoSmart C500DigitalCameraisa removable,reusableCompactFlashmemorycard.
To install the memory card:
1. Slidethememorycarddoor latchdowntoopenthe memorycarddoor.
Memorycard
doorlatch

SettingUp YourCamera
HP PhotoSmart C500 Digital Camera User’s Guide 12
2. Ifyou are removinganexistingcard:
Caution: Beforeyouremove amemorycardfromthecamera,makesurethe memorycardaccesslightisoff
(seethepicture below).
•Pressthememorycardreleasebuttontoreleasethe card fromtheslot.
•Removethecard.
3. Insertthenewmemorycardsothatthefrontofthecardfacesthefrontofthecameraandtheedgewithpinholes
is placed into the camera first.
4. Gently push the memory cardall the wayinto the camera until it stops.
5. Closethememorycarddoor.
Tip: Ifyoucannotclosethe memorycarddoor,you maynothave insertedthe memorycard correctly.
CompactFlash
memory card
Memory card door
Memorycard
accesslight
Memory card
release button

SettingUp YourCamera
HP PhotoSmart C500 Digital Camera User’s Guide 13
Checking the Memory CardStatus
Thememorycardiconon thecamera’sstatus LCD indicatesthestatusof thememorycard.If there is
notamemorycardinstalledinthecamera,thememorycardiconhasaflashingXoverit,thenumberof
photosremainingis000, andaredlightappears tothe left ofthe viewfinder.
•Pressthe on/off buttonto turnthecameraon.
ThestatusLCDdisplaysthememorycardstatusiconandthe numberofphotosremaining.The Statusmenu
displaysthe memorycardinsertediconon thecolorLCD.(See“Using theColorLCD”onpage33for more
informationabouttheStatusmenu.)
Memory card status Photos remaining Memory card
inserted

SettingUp YourCamera
HP PhotoSmart C500 Digital Camera User’s Guide 14
Thenumberofphotosa memorycard canstoredependsonthememory
card’sstorage capacityandthesettingsthatyou chooseforeachphoto.The
numberisaconservativeestimate,so youmightfindthat youcantakemore
photos thanit indicates.
You canalsocheckthestatusof thememorycardusingthe memorycard
indicatoronthecolorLCD.Forexample,youcanseefromtheindicatorinthe
graphic that the memory card is morethan half full.
FormattingaMemory Card
MostCompactFlashmemorycardsare alreadyformattedwhenyoubuy
them. But if you buy amemory card that has not been formatted, you need to format it before you can use it in the
camera.
To format a memory card:
1. Insertthe memorycardandturnthe cameraon. Thecameracanbein anymode.
Ifthememorycardisnotformatted,thecolorLCDdisplaysamessageaskingifyouwanttoformatthememory
card.
2. Press the Format button(leftsoftkey).
Thecameraformatsthe memorycard.
Memorycard indicator

Camera Basics
HP PhotoSmart C500 Digital Camera User’s Guide 15
CameraBasics
Turning theCamera On and Off
To turn the camera power on:
•Pressthe on/offbuttonto turnthecamerapoweron.
The camera lens automatically extends, and the status LCD displays
the status of the camera.
Tip: Remembertoremovethe lenscoverbefore takinga photo.To
remindyourself,alwaysreplacethe lenscoverwith theleash
attachmentpointingupsothatyou seeitwhen youlook
throughtheviewfinder.
To turn the camera power off:
•Pressthe on/off buttonto turnthecamerapoweroff.
The camera lens automatically retracts and the status LCD goes blank.
On/off button
Status LCD

Camera Basics
HP PhotoSmart C500 Digital Camera User’s Guide 16
SleepMode
Toconservebatterypower,theHP PhotoSmartC500DigitalCameraautomatically“sleeps”afteraperiodofno
activity.Thisperiodoftime differsdependingonthecameramode andthepowersource.Forexample,if youare
usingbattery powerandyou donotpressanycamerabuttonsfor30seconds,thecolorLCDturnsitselfoffandthe
camerasleeps.Thecameraalsoturnsitselfoffandretractsthelensafter10minuteswithbatterypower,andafter30
minuteswithACadapterpower.Formoreinformation about the sleepandshutofftimes,see“SettingAutoShutoff”
on page 64.
To “wake up” the camera:
•Pressanybutton.

Camera Basics
HP PhotoSmart C500 Digital Camera User’s Guide 17
UsingtheCameraModes
The HP PhotoSmart C500 Digital Camera has four modes. The camera
modedetermineswhich featuresandmenuoptionsare active.
Usethe camera mode dial toselectthemode.
Mode Functions
Rec (Record) •Takephotos
•Previewphotosonthecamera’scolorLCDoratelevision
Rev (Review) •View thumbnails of your photos
•Mark,categorize,group,protect,anddeletephotos
•Viewphotosonthe camera’scolorLCD oratelevision
•Transmitphotosvia infrared
Play •Viewone photoatatime, usingthe entirecolorLCD
•PlaybackBurst,Timelapse,and groupedphotosequences
•Createslideshows
•Viewphotosonthe camera’scolorLCD oratelevision
PC •Viewphotoson acomputermonitor whenthecamerais connectedtoacomputer
•Share,print,and downloadphotos
Cameramode dial

Camera Basics
HP PhotoSmart C500 Digital Camera User’s Guide 18
Understanding theViewfinder Indicator Light
Theindicatorlightappearstothe leftofthe viewfinder.
The color of the light changes depending on the camera mode and at
differentstagesinthephotographyprocess.Iftheflashinglightindicates
a camera error, a message also displays on the status or color LCD.
Light color Meaning
Red(flashing) •Memory cardproblem
•No memory card
•Fullmemorycard
•Internal memory full (only for burst photos)
•Batterieslow
•Cameraerror
Red(solid) •Flashcharging
Orange(flashing) •Camera initializing from Sleep mode
Orange(solid) •AutoFocusfailedor photounderexposurewill
occur(flashoff andinsufficientlight)
•Slowshutter(notenoughlightor tripodneeded)
Green(flashing) •Sendinga photoviaJetSend
Viewfinderindicatorlight

Camera Basics
HP PhotoSmart C500 Digital Camera User’s Guide 19
UsingtheColorLCD
ThecolorLCDislocatedon thebackofthe HPPhotoSmartC500
DigitalCamera.Use thecolorLCDtoframeor viewyourphotosandto
accessthecamera’smenus.You canadjustthebrightnessof thecolor
LCDtosuit lightingconditions.Forexample,if youareusingthecamera
outside in bright sunlight, you can make the color LCD brighter (see
below).
Thedisplayonthe colorLCDvarieswitheachcameramode. The
following table indicateswhether thecolorLCD is on or off in each
mode,andthedefaultdisplay.
Green(solid) •Cameraisreadyto takeaphoto(Auto Exposure
andAutoFocushavebeen completed)
•Continuous Auto Exposure activated
Light color Meaning
Color LCD

Camera Basics
HP PhotoSmart C500 Digital Camera User’s Guide 20
Tip: ThecolorLCDusesa lotof batterypower.Ifyou arenotusingan ACpoweradapter,you maywantto limit
your useof the color LCD.
To adjust the brightness ofthe color LCD:
1. Turnthecameraonandturnthecameramodedialto
Rec.
2. Press the Menubutton.
3. Usethe4-wayarrowbuttontoscrolltothe
Preferences menu.LCDBrightness ishighlighted.
4. Pressthe Edit button(leftsoftkey).
Mode Status Display
Rec (Record) Off.You canturnthecolorLCDonby
pressingthecolor LCD on/offbutton. Nodisplayunlessyouturnthe colorLCD on.
Rev (Review) Turns on automatically.
Turns off automatically after 30 seconds if
you areusingbatterypower.
Displays thumbnailsof photos storedon
thememorycard.
Play Turns on automatically.
Turns off automatically after 30 seconds if
you areusingbatterypower.
Displays photos storedon thememory
cardusingtheentire color LCDscreen.
PC Off. Nodisplay.
Softkeys
Menu
button
4-way arrow
button

Camera Basics
HP PhotoSmart C500 Digital Camera User’s Guide 21
5. Usethe4-way arrowbuttontoadjustthecolorLCDbrightness.A higher
number gives abrighter display.
6. PresstheExit button(rightsoftkey)twiceto activate andsavethenew
settings,and exitthemenus.
Tip: Thebrightnessof thecolorLCDaffectsbatterylife;the brighter
thecolorLCD,themore powerituses. Youmay wantto lowerthe
brightness level if youuse the color LCDoften.
Overlay Bars
Overlay barsappearatthetopandbottomofthe colorLCD.Theyprovideyou withinformationaboutthecamera
settings,suchas thetypeofphoto(Still,BurstorTimelapse).Theyalsoindicatethefunctionsof thesoftkeys.
Thenumberofoverlaybarsand theinformationtheyprovidevarieswitheachcameramode.InRev (Review)mode,
the lower overlay bar is always visible. In Rec (Record) mode you can choose whether or not to see the overlay bars.
InPlaymode youcanchoosetosee bothoverlaybars,justthelowerbar,or neitherofthebars.Youcan find
informationabouttheiconsthatappearon theoverlaybarsthroughoutthisguide.
ColorLCD
on/off button
Overlay
button
Overlay bars

Camera Basics
HP PhotoSmart C500 Digital Camera User’s Guide 22
To turn the overlay bars on or off in Rec (Record) mode:
1. Turnthecameraon andturnthe cameramodedial toRec.
2. Press the color LCD on/offbutton.
Bydefaultboththeoverlaybarsappear.
3. PresstheOverlay buttontoturnthe overlaybarsoff andon.
To turn the overlay bars on or off in Play mode:
1. Turnthecameraon andturnthe cameramodedial toPlay.
Bydefaultonlytheloweroverlaybarappears.
2. Press the Overlay buttononceto turnofftheoverlay bar.Pressthebuttonagainto seeboththe overlay bars.
You can continuepressing the Overlaybuttontotoggle betweenthe threeoptions.
Loweroverlaybar Nooverlaybars Bothoverlaybars