Panasonic AG-HMC150 User manual

PANASONIC
AG-HMC150
|b a s i c |
HOW TO
shoot like
a PRO
Is this thing on?
Easy-to-follow chart for successful sound
4
steps for
avoiding
overexposure
RULES
what’s
allowed,
what’s not
CLASS CURRICULUM FREE
Northwest Community Television
763.533.8196 www.nwct.org
over
Your best shoot ever!
A pre-production checklist
HELP!
7 common
problems
solved

2 Policies
What’s allowed,
what’s not.
3 Checkout form
Lose it. Break it.
Buy it.
4 Power
DC or AC? You can’t
shoot without it!
6 Audio setup chart
Easy to follow.
Every conceivable
setup.
9 White balancing
No matter how you
do it, it has to be
done!
13 SDHC cards
Choosing the right
one.
14 Formatting
The card. The
recording setup.
HELP!
Need to troubleshoot? Walk
through seven typical prob-
lems and their solutions.
SOUND
Everything you need to
know about selecting sound
inputs and setting and
monitoring audio levels.
Consult the easy-to-follow
chart for successful setup—
you’ll never have to ask “Is
this thing on?” again!
VIDEO IMAGE
Know how to determine
your dominant light source
and set the iris level, neu-
tral density lter, and white
balance. Zoos aren’t the
only place to nd zebras!
BETTER SHOOTING
Wonder how the pros do it?
All the basics and more are
covered.
MICROPHONES
NWCT has a variety of
microphones available for
checkout—all of which are
shown here. You’ll know
exactly which mic to use for
your taping situation.
on the cover
How to shoot like a pro 10
Is this thing on? Easy-to-
follow chart for successful
sound 6
4 steps for avoiding overex-
posure 8
Rules: what’s allowed, what’s
not 2
Your best shoot ever! A pre-
production checklist 20
Help! 7 common problems
solved 18
contents
5
8
10 18
7
15 Clips
Recording, playing,
deleting.
16 Default settings
Resetting default
menu settings just
might solve your
technical problems.
17 Quick setup
checklist
We’ve got a list
you’ll want to use!
17 Scene le settings
Pick from six scene
le presets.
20 Pre-production
checklist
Be prepared for
anything on shoot
day!
21 Talent release
Just in case—no one
likes being sued.

Portable camera policies
The purpose of these policies is to manage NWCT equipment in
a fair and equitable manner. Follow these rules and you’ll never
have to worry about losing your membership privileges!
1. Only certied members are permitted to operate equipment .
2. Members must be on time for appointments. You must call if you
are going to be more than 30 minutes late—if you are more than
60 minutes late, we will consider you a “no show” and give away
your equipment.
3. Cameras may be checked out for up to 48 hours.
4. Members may schedule cameras only two weekends per month.
5. Members may reserve only one camera at a time per event. If a
second camera is available at the time of checkout for the length
of time desired, it can be checked out.
6. Equipment may be reserved up to two months in advance.
7. NWCT staff must conrm all equipment is in proper working order
at the time of return. This takes approximately ten minutes—
members must be present.
8. Members must be 18 years of age to sign out equipment. A
parent or guardian must sign for equipment checked out to those
under age 18.
9. Members are responsible for the equipment and will be liable for
any loss or damage, normal wear and tear excepted.
10. All members using equipment and facilities will be expected to
produce a program for cablecast within two months.
x
Producing programs for
hire, advertisements,
commercials, obscene or
indecent programming,
lotteries, or personal and
family programs will not
be tolerated.
If you need to cancel your
appointment, please notify
the studio manager at least
24 hours in advance; un-
foreseen emergencies and
illnesses will be taken into
consideration. Please do not
rely on leaving a voicemail
message. Talk to a studio
manager whenever possible.
If cancellations are not made
24 hours in advance of your
scheduled time, become ex-
cessive, or if you are more
than 30 minutes late for your
appointment, you may be
subject to disciplinary ac-
tion as follows: rst offense,
verbal warning; second of-
fense, written warning; third
offense, suspension.
763.533.8196
CALL
NOW!
2

763.533.8196
Portable camera checkout form
3

Battery life
The battery should
last approximately
200–300 minutes.
Remaining battery
life can be read on
the LCD monitor.
Power DC AND AC
DC POWER
1
2
3
ò
1
2
3
õ
Removing the battery
To remove the battery, FIRST TURN OFF THE CAMERA.
Then lift up the viewnder, push in the battery release but-
ton (closeup pictured above), and pull up on the battery.
AC POWER
To use AC power,  plug the AC cable into the AC adaptor.  Plug the DC cable
into the AC adaptor and  attach the at end of the DC adaptor to the back of
the camera in the same way the battery is attached.
Attaching the battery
To attach the battery,  lift up the viewnder,  place the battery in the bat-
tery compartment toward the top, and  push down—the battery will click into
place.
4
Recharging
batteries
The battery can be
recharged using
the AC power unit
provided with the
camera. The DC
cable must be dis-
connected in order
for the battery to
charge.
Fully recharging
the battery takes
approximately 300
minutes.

5
Sound IS THIS THING ON?
Selecting sound inputs
Two sources of audio can be recorded to the camera simultaneously.
Sound can be gathered from the camera’s internal microphone, an
external microphone, a line level source such as an audio mixing
board or CD player, or any combi-
nation of two of those sources.
Routing audio signals is controlled
by two switches behind the LCD
monitor and two switches on the
front of the camera.
Setting the audio level
To set an appropriate audio level, use the AUDIO dials on the side of
the camera. The CH1 dial controls the level for the source selected
with the CH1 SELECT switch and the CH2 dial controls the level for
the source selected with the CH2 SELECT switch.
Two switches behind LCD panel Two switches on front of camera
Monitoring the audio level
Use the audio meter on the bottom of the LCD monitor to view the
audio levels. Adjust the AUDIO dials so that the loudest sounds reg-
ister just below the white hash marks. If the audio is bouncing above
the white hash marks or you see the red slash on the meters, adjust
the AUDIO dials to lower the input level.
Easy-to-follow audio setup chart on next page
To monitor audio quality, plug headphones into the headphone jack
on the back of the camera. You can control the headphone volume by
pushing the - AUDIO MON/ADV + buttons. NOTE: Changing your
headphone volume will not change the audio levels being recorded.
Always use the audio meter to judge appropriate levels.

6
Audio setup chart
INPUT jacks and CH 1 SELECT and CH 2
Audio source INPUT settings SELECT settings Audio records on
Internal microphone N/A CH 1 SELECT: INT(L)
CH 2 SELECT: INT(R)
CH 1: Built in mic
CH 2: Built in mic
External microphone
External line level source
Two external sources
One external source and
built in microphone on
camera
INPUT 2 jack
INPUT 2: MIC
INPUT 2 jack
INPUT 2: LINE
INPUT 1 and INPUT 2 jacks
INPUT 1: LINE or MIC
INPUT 2: LINE or MIC
INPUT 2 jack
INPUT 2: LINE or MIC
CH 1 SELECT: INPUT 2
CH 2 SELECT: INPUT 2
CH 1 SELECT: INPUT 2
CH 2 SELECT: INPUT 2
CH 1 SELECT: INPUT 1
CH 2 SELECT: INPUT 2
CH 1 SELECT: INPUT 2
CH 2 SELECT: INT(R)
CH 1: External mic
CH 2: External mic
CH 1: Line level source
CH 2: Line level source
CH 1: Input 1
CH 2: Input 2
CH 1: Input 2
CH 2: Built in mic

7
Microphone selection
Northwest Community Television has several different types of mics available.
Desktop and oor mic stands are available for checkout.
OTHER MICS
Electro-Voice 635A
handheld
Omnidirectional, good
for inexperienced inter-
viewers, ne for music
and ambient sound
gathering
Shure SM58 handheld
Unidirectional vocal mi-
crophone
Sennheiser wireless
lavalier and handheld
Variable frequency UHF
receiver works with ei-
ther lavalier or handheld
transmitter, range of
50+ feet, good for pro-
ductions requiring free-
dom of movement
Realistic PZM
(Pressure Zone Mic)
Surface mount mic,
omnidirectional, very
low prole, excellent for
pianos, drums, large
vocal or instrumental
groups, or stage perfor-
mances
Shotgun
Directional, great for
capturing sound at a
distance, also available
with boom pole and
Zeppelin
STANDARD ISSUE
These three microphones come standard with every
portable camera.
Electro-Voice RE10 handheld
Unidirectional, excellent for music or interviews,
slightly better bass response than 635A
Sony ECM 44 or Sony ECM 30 lavalier or lapel
Directional, excellent for interviews, clips directly to
clothing, small enough to easily hide on location
Panasonic AG-MC200 shotgun (see below)
P
I
C
K
U
P
P
A
T
T
E
R
N
S
OMNI-
UNI-

1
8
Video image 4 STEPS FOR AVOIDING OVEREXPOSURE
Determining the
dominant light
source
Before shooting,
determine whether
most of the light in
the scene is com-
ing from the sun or
from articial lights.
For best color re-
sults, try to reduce
the light com-
ing from the less
dominant source.
You can do this by
covering windows (if
your primary light
source is articial)
or by turning off
incandescent and
uorescent lights
and placing your
subject close to
a window (if your
primary light source
is sunlight).
It’s also possible
to match articial
lights to sunlight by
covering the lights
with blue color con-
version gels which
can be found in the
light kits.
Matching the light
using one of these
methods will pro-
vide better color for
your scene.
FIRST THINGS
FIRST
2
Now
you see
me . . .
now
you
don’t!
Setting an appropriate iris
The iris controls the amount of light entering the camera which deter-
mines how bright the image will be (exposure of the image).
To set the iris appropriately, you must monitor the zebra stripes in
the LCD monitor of the camera. Zebra stripes appear on areas of the
image that are overexposed. In those areas, no detail is recorded
because the light is too intense. A picture is properly exposed when
there are no, or very few, zebra striped areas in the image.
There may be times when you want to overexpose an image, if you
are shooting into a strong backlight, for instance, but generally the
rule applies: minimize the zebra stripes.
IMPORTANT: Do not rely on how the image “looks” in the LCD moni-
tor to determine correct exposure because the LCD monitor shows
brightness inaccurately. Always use zebra stripes.
To set the iris:
Push the ZEBRA button until ZE-
BRA2 100% appears in the LCD
monitor.
To use the AUTO IRIS mode:
Set the AUTO MANUAL
switch to AUTO. AUTO IRIS
appears in the LCD monitor.
The camera will adjust the
exposure automatically.
To use the MANUAL IRIS mode:
Set the AUTO MANUAL switch to MANUAL. MANUAL IRIS appears in the LCD
monitor. Rotate the iris dial until the image is properly exposed. Adjust the dial
and set a new exposure every time the shot changes.

3
4
GAIN
If you
followed
the setup
procedure and your
video looks dark, we
recommend adding
lights rst. If after
doing this the video
still looks dark, you
can move the GAIN
switch from L(low)
to M(medium) or H
(high). Only do this
as a last measure
because as gain is
increased, so is the
graininess of the
video.
SCENE FILES
F1: Normal
F2: FLUO.
Indoors under cool
uorescent lights
F3: SPARK
Fuller variations of
resolution, coloring
and contrast
F4: B-STR
Contrast of dark
parts broadened
(exp. sunsets)
F5: CINE V
Contrast empha-
sized in movielike
scenes
F6: CINE D
Dynamic range em-
phasized in movie-
like scenes
9
ND FILTER SETTINGS
1/64 cuts light intensity by 1/64
1/16 cuts light intensity by 1/16
1/4 cuts light intensity by 1/4
OFF ND lter is not used
Selecting the right neutral density lter
Neutral density lters allow the camera
to operate correctly outdoors in sunlight.
A neutral density lter does for the cam-
era what sunglasses do for your eyes—it
reduces the amount of light that can pass
through without changing the color of that
light.
Once the iris is set to auto or manual, the
camera will tell you if a neutral density lter
is needed with an indicator in the middle of
the LCD monitor. The indicator will also tell
you which neutral density lter you should
use.
If indoors and the scene is too dark
even with the iris setting on OPEN,
turn OFF the ND lter.
NOTE: If the iris is set to MANUAL
and the ND lter is changed, a
readjustment of the iris may be
necessary.
White balancing the camera
1. If the AUTO MANUAL switch is set to AUTO, the camera uses
ATW (Auto Tracking White) to white balance.
2. If the AUTO MANUAL switch is set to MANUAL, set the WHITE
BAL switch to Bor A.
3. Point the camera at a white object set in your lighting and zoom in
so that it lls as much of the frame as possible.
4. Press the AWB button on the front of the camera. Release when
AWB Bch (or Ach) ACTIVE appears in the LCD monitor. AWB Bch
(or Ach) OK appears when the white balance is complete.
5. Hold the AWB button to black balance the camera. ABB ACTIVE
ashes while black balancing; ABB OK appears when complete.
The LCD monitor will go black during this process.
If the WHITE BAL switch is set to PRST, press the AWB button to
switch between P3.2K (halogen light) and P5.6K (outdoors).
Setting a white balance
White balancing the camera guarantees that white and all other col-
ors record correctly. Though the human eye cannot perceive it, white
light coming from the sun is different than white light coming from a
light bulb.
You should white balance your camera before recording, but especially
when lighting conditions change (moving from sunlight to articial light
or vice versa).

10
Shooting better video HOW TO SHOOT LIKE A PRO
LOOK SPACE
HEAD ROOM
Critical focus
If you’re shooting with man-
ual focus, it’s important that
you get a critical focus (also
called a calibrated zoom) of
your subject every time you
get a new shot.
Here’s how to perform a criti-
cal focus:
 Zoom in all the way on
your subject,
 focus, and then
 zoom out to the framing
you want.
Doing this will ensure your
subject stays in focus, re-
gardless of how far out you
zoom.
Head room and look space
When shooting people, it’s best to follow two simple guidelines in
framing. First, allow for a bit of space between the top of the frame
and the subject’s head. Allowing too little or too much space makes
the audience feel anxious. Second, allow more room on the side of
the frame in the direction the subject is looking. If you don’t, the au-
dience will subconsciously experience claustrophobia, feeling that the
subject is running out of room.
Sequencing
In general, it will be very hard to edit your video well if you shoot
your subject the same way all the time. If you edit together two
pieces of video that are too similar, you’ll create a “jump cut.” Your
subject will change position in the scene instantly, appearing to have
jumped there (example above). Jump cuts are very distracting to a
viewer and should be avoided. It’s much better to arrange your shots
in a logical sequence. The most popular sequence consists of a wide
shot, medium shot, close-up, and cutaway. Let’s take a look at this in
a typical interview setup on the next page.

11
4
4
TYPICAL INTERVIEW SETUP SHOOTING BETTER VIDEO
We’ll begin with a wide shot
which helps the viewer under-
stand where this interview is tak-
ing place. Wide shots are often
used to establish location and are
sometimes referred to as “estab-
lishing shots.”
Next, we’ll get closer and show
the interviewer (on the left) and
the subject (on the right) togeth-
er at the table. In our example,
this would be a good shot for the
interviewer to deliver her rst
question.
Third, we’ll get a close-up of our
subject. This particular shot is
actually a “medium close-up” and
could also be called a “head and
shoulders” shot.
The bulk of action for our inter-
view will take place in the close-
up as the subject answers the
interviewer’s questions.
You may wish to cut out sections of the subject’s response that aren’t
relevant or are lled with “ums” and “ahs.” If you edit together two
close-ups of the subject, the result will be a jump cut. To avoid that,
we’ll shoot cutaways.
A cutaway is any shot used to cover jump cut edits in primary shots
or add a new dimension to a video story. In our example, we could
show the subject’s hands or the interviewer listening to keep the
video owing smoothly.
The 180 ° Rule
If you’re shooting a scene
with two subjects, imagine
there is a line connecting
them. That line is called the
“axis of action.” Don’t shoot
on both sides of the axis.
Keep all your shots on the
same side.
In our example, the axis of
action is between the inter-
viewer and the subject.
Notice that in every shot, re-
gardless of framing or angle,
the interviewer is always on
the left and the subject is al-
ways on the right. If we took
a shot or two from the other
side of the table and edited
it together, the interviewer
would be on the right and the
subject on the left in those
shots, and the viewer would
be very confused.
The 30 ° Rule
Every time you change shots
in a sequence, it’s best to
change your shooting angle
by at least 30°. Notice in our
example, each shot is not
only framed differently, but
also shot at a different angle.
Changing your shooting
angle helps eliminate jump
cuts.
ßAXIS OF ACTION à

12
SPECIALTY SHOOTING SHOOTING BETTER VIDEO
Use high and low angles
A high angle shot can make your subject appear weak and vulnerable
or it can simply add a new dimension to your scene. Conversely, a low
angle shot makes your subject appear powerful and “larger than life.”
Create depth in your shots
A television screen is a two-di-
mensional piece of glass so extra
effort needs to be made to create
depth for your audience. Try
shooting your subject with some-
thing in the foreground to give
the viewer depth cues. Shoot
buildings from the corner instead
of head-on which can make a
building look at.
Try a rack focus
“Racking focus” means shifting focus from one object in a scene to
another. It’s easy to rack focus when the camera is zoomed in all the
way because the camera’s depth of eld, the area where subjects will
be in sharp focus, is narrow.
Use Dutch angles
To use a Dutch angle, also called
a canted angle, tilt the camera so
that the horizon or oor is diago-
nal instead of at. This creates
tension in a scene and works well
for fast paced action productions
with a lot of quick editing.
Use close-ups
Television is called “the close-up medium” because a TV can’t show as
much detail as a movie screen. As a result, television videographers
shoot more close-ups than movie cinematographers. Use this to your
advantage! It’s easier to convey emotion in a close-up because the
face is seen in greater detail. Close-ups are also great for revealing
details the audience may miss in your wide shots. Don’t be afraid to
get in there and get personal!

13
CLASS APPLICATIONS
SD video recording
HD ~ Full HD video recording
Full HD video recording
HD still consecutive recording
SDHC cards EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW
CHOOSING THE RIGHT CARD
There are two things to keep in mind when purchasing SDHC (Secure Digital
High Capacity) cards: the Class (speed) of the card and the size of the card.
SPEED CLASS
SDHC cards are broken down into Class 2, Class 4, Class 6 and Class 10 cards.
Class 2 cards offer a minimum sustained data rate of 2 megabytes per second
(MBps), Class 4 4MBps, Class 6 6MBps and Class 10 10MBps. Although Class 4
is the minimum speed class required to record, Class 6 (or higher) is recom-
mended for high denition (HD) camcorders.
Record inhibit
switch
Before recording,
check that the
record inhibit switch
is set to the un-
locked position. If
the switch is set to
the LOCK position,
recording on the SD
card will be impos-
sible.
NOT ACTUAL SIZE
CARD SIZE/CAPACITY
SDHC cards come in a variety of sizes. The most commonly used sizes are list-
ed below. The amount of time that can be recorded on a card is dependent not
only on the size of the card, but the record format selected (see page 6).
CARD SIZE RECORD FORMAT
Capacity PH (Highest) HA (High) HG (Standard) HE (Lowest)
4G 21 min 30 min 40 min 90 min
8G 45 min 60 min 80 min 180 min
16G 90 min 120 min 160 min 360 min
32G 180 min 240 min 320 min 720 min
CARD CHECKLIST
1. HC (high capacity)
appears after SD
2. 6or 10 (class num-
ber inside big C)
3. #GB (card capacity)
NOTE: Micro SD cards
with adaptors do not
work.
INSERTING THE CARD
To insert the card into the camera, open the card slot cover located under the
viewnder. Press the OPEN button on the cover’s right side to ip down the
cover. Gently insert the card into its slot, then close the cover.

1080
720
60
24 30
iP
14
CHOOSING A RECORD FORMAT
There are four high denition (HD) record for-
mats—PH, HA, HG and HE. Although each format
offers higher quality than standard denition (SD),
each has its own setting(s) for quality/performance.
The higher the quality, the larger the le size.
Note: Though you are shooting in HD, NWCT does
not cablecast in HD. While you can edit in HD and
have HD movie les, you will most likely need an
external hard drive to provide adequate space. Any
of the formats are acceptable for cablecast.
To choose the best record format for your situation,
press the MENU button, then select RECORDING
SETUP. Make your selection under REC FORMAT.
FORMATTING THE CARD
To format the card in the camera, press the MENU button, then, using the op-
eration lever, scroll down and select CARD FUNCTIONS (screen 2 of 3). In the
submenu, select CARD FORMAT, then select YES. Select YES again. It will
take a moment or two, but then the card will be formatted and ready to go!
NOTE: Formatting does delete everything previously recorded on the card.
BY THE LETTER
(AND NUMBER!)
Let’s say I’m re-
cording in the PH
1080/60i format—
PH is the highest
record quality I can
select.
HA is high,
HG is standard, and
HE is lowest.
1080 is the height
of my image mea-
sured in pixels. The
largest HD screen
is 1080 pixels high.
At 1920 pixels wide,
the image I see
on screen displays
2,073,600 pixels!
720 is the smallest
HD screen’s height
(720 x 1280). The
more pixels, the
sharper the image!
60 is the number of
frames recorded per
second (fps). Other
choices include:
30 fps
24 fps
iis “interlaced”
scanning—every
other line of video
is taken from two
frames to create
one frame.
P“Progressive”
scanning uses every
single line from one
frame of video.
RECORD FORMAT (Quality) RESOLUTION USE
PH (Highest) 1080/60i TV programming
1080/30P TV programming
1080/24P Film
720/60P Slow motion (editing required)
720/30P TV programming
720/24P Film
HA (High) 1080/60i TV programming
HG (Standard) 1080/60i TV programming
HE (Lowest) 1080/60i TV programming
1 2 3
4 5 6

15
RECORDING
Once you select a record format, all you need to do
is press the red record button—one is located with
the power switch on the back of the camera, while
the other is toward the front of the camera on the
handle. To use the record button on the handle,
move the REC selector switch on the side of the handle from OFF to ON.
NOTE: If you do not select a record format, the camera will default to the last
user’s record settings.
PLAYING CLIPS
To view clips on the camera, press the MODE but-
ton (located to the left of the battery compartment)
to switch from CAM (camera) to PB (playback).
All clips recorded on the card display in the LCD
monitor. Use the operation lever to navigate to the
clip to view—push in the lever to play the clip.
DELETING CLIPS
After viewing your recorded footage, you can delete
any clips you don’t want to use. While still in PB
mode, press the MENU button. Scroll down and se-
lect OPERATION in the PB menu. Select DELETE.
At this point, you can delete all unprotected clips
on the card or selected clips only. If you delete ALL
CLIPS, select YES when prompted by “ALL CLIPS
DELETE?”.
If you delete SELECT clips, all recorded clips display
on the LCD monitor. After pressing the EXECUTE
button, SELECT THE CLIP TO BE DELETED appears and all the clips display
again. Select the clips to be deleted using the operation lever—an orange
border appears inside the yellow when properly selected. Press EXECUTE
again, and then select YES when prompted. When you’re done deleting clips,
press the MENU button to exit.
Safety zone setup
While you only
shoot in 16:9 for
HD, you can set up
an overlay for your
LCD monitor to
ensure what you re-
cord can be seen on
a standard 4:3 TV.
In CAM mode, press
the MENU button.
Using the opera-
tion lever, move to
DISPLAY SETUP
(screen 2/3); pull
the lever toward
you to select.
Go to SAFETY
ZONE next. The
selections are 90%,
4:3, and OFF—90%
sets up a safety
overlay for 90% of
the TVs used, 4:3
for a 4:3 TV, and
OFF if you aren’t
concerned viewers
can see your full
picture.
safe!

16
Default menu settings
SCENE FILE: F1
CARD READ/WRITE NO
LOAD/SAVE/INIT NO
SYNCRO SCAN 1/48.0 (grayed out)
DETAIL LEVEL 0
V DETAIL LEVEL 0
DETAIL CORING 0
CHROMA LEVEL 0
CHROMA PHASE 0
COLOR TEMP Ach 0
COLOR TEMP Bch 0
MASTER PED 0
A.IRIS LEVEL 0
DRS OFF
GAMMA HD NORM
KNEE AUTO
MATRIX NORM1
SKIN TONE DTL OFF
NAME EDIT NO
SW MODE
MID GAIN 6dB
HIGH GAIN 12dB
ATW OFF
HANDLE ZOOM L/OFF/H
IRIS DIAL DOWN OPEN
USER1 WHITEFADE
USER2 BACKLIGHT
USER3 INDEX
FOCUS ASSIST EXPANDED
WFM WAVE
LCD LCD BL
AUTO SW
A.IRIS ON
AGC 6dB
ATW ON
AF ON
RECORDING SETUP
REC FORMAT PH 1080/60i
PREREC MODE OFF
TIME STAMP OFF
MIC ALC ON
MIC GAIN1 -50dB
MIC GAIN2 -50dB
TC/UB SETUP
TC MODE DF
TCG REC RUN
TC PRESET NO
UB PRESET NO
EXT TC LINK NO
AV OUT SETUP
HDMI OUT SEL FIX
CMPNT OUT SEL AUTO
DOWNCON MODE LETTER BOX
VIDEO SETUP 7.5%A
AUDIO OUT CH1/CH2
HP MODE RECORDING
DISPLAY SETUP
ZEBRA DETECT1 80%
ZEBRA DETECT2 100%
MARKER ON
SAFETY ZONE 90%
REC COUNTER TOTAL
VIDEO OUT OSD OFF
DATE/TIME OFF
LEVEL METER ON
ZOOM & FOCUS NUMBER
CARD & BATTERY ON
OTHER DISPLAY PARTIAL
LCD BACKLIGHT NORMAL
LCD SET NO
EVF SET NO
SELF SHOOT MIRROR
EVF COLOR ON
CARD FUNCTIONS
CARD FORMAT NO
CARD STATUS NO
USER FILE
CARD READ/WRITE NO
LOAD/SAVE/INIT NO
META DATA
CARD READ NO
RECORD OFF
USER CLIP NAME TYPE1
CLIP COUNT RESET NO
META DATA PROP NO
META INITIAL SET NO
OTHER FUNCTIONS
IR REMOTE OFF
REC LAMP OFF
BEEP SOUND OFF
CLOCK SET NO
TIME ZONE +00:00
POWER SAVE OFF
SYSTEM INFO NO
MENU INIT NO
OPERATION TIME (grayed out)
To access the various camera menus, press the MENU button. Moving the
operation lever up and down lets you scroll through all the options. To access a
menu, pull the operation lever toward you; to select an item, push in the lever.
Below is a list of all the default menu options in CAM mode with scene le F1
selected. If you’re having a problem that isn’t solved by the instructions in this booklet, go through the
menu settings and make sure they are set correctly.

17
Quick setup checklist for recording
auto
* THE FULL AUTO
Just want to power up and shoot? Here are the settings you’ll
need in order for the camera to automatically make adjustments.
£ Set SCENE FILE dial to F1 (normal lighting conditions)
£ Set FOCUS switch to A (Auto)
£ Set ND FILTER to OFF (for shooting indoors)
£ Set GAIN switch to L (Low)
£ Set AUTO/MANUAL switch to AUTO (iris and white balance)
£ Set AUDIO CH1 SELECT to INT(L) and CH2 SELECT to INT(R)
to use the camera’s internal mics
NOTE: You will still need to set audio levels—your audio
levels are not automatically adjusted by the camera.
Scene le settings
On the previous page, scene le F1 is selected—there are a total of six scene le presets. Scene les can
be “dialed” in based on your recording conditions. Below is a chart showing the factory presets for each
scene le.
MENU
F1 F2 F3 F4 F5 F6
Normal FLUO.
For recording
under cool uo-
rescent lamps
SPARK
For brighter
images with
richer colors
(receptions,
dinners, etc.)
B-STR
(Black stretch)
For scenes
with dark and
bright areas
together (sun-
sets, theatre)
CINE V
For prioritizing
contrast in
movie-like
scenes
CINE D
For prioritizing
dynamic range
in movie-like
scenes
SYNCRO SCAN 1/48.0 1/48.0 1/48.0 1/48.0 180.0d 180.0d
DETAIL LEVEL 0 0 +3 0 0 0
V DETAIL LEVEL 0 0 0 0 0 0
DETAIL CORING 0 0 +1 0 0 0
CHROMA LEVEL 0 0 +4 +3 -2 0
CHROMA PHASE 0 0 0 0 0 0
COLOR TEMP Ach 0 0 0 0 0 0
COLOR TEMP Bch 0 0 0 0 0 0
MASTER PED 0 0 -2 0 -2 -2
A.IRIS LEVEL 0 0 0 0 -7 -9
DRS OFF OFF OFF OFF OFF OFF
GAMMA HD NORM HD NORM B.PRESS HIGH CINELIKE V CINELIKE D
KNEE AUTO AUTO AUTO AUTO AUTO AUTO
MATRIX NORM1 FLUO NORM1 NORM1 CINE-LIKE CINE-LIKE
SKIN TONE DTL OFF OFF OFF OFF OFF OFF
NOTE: Recording format (REC FORMAT menu item under RECORDING SETUP) is not changed even
when F5: CINE V or F6: CINE D scene les are selected.
£ Set up camera and equipment
£ Light
£ Power on camera
£ Hook up and set audio levels
(No audio meters? Press the
DISP/MODE CHK button.)
£ Adjust iris level *
£ Set ND lter *
£ White balance *
£ Set gain *
£ Select scene le *
£ Insert SD card
£ Format SD card (do not do if
keeping what’s on your card!)
£ Choose record format
£ Set up safety zone
£ Record

18
Help! TROUBLESHOOTING SOLUTIONS TO COMMON PROBLEMS
THE PROBLEM
The LCD monitor displays a blue
screen.
THE PROBLEM
The camera won’t zoom.
THE SOLUTION
Press the MODE button until the
lamp for CAM (camera) is lit (PB
is playback).
THE SOLUTION
Set the ZOOM switch on the side
of the camera to SERVO, unless
you’re using the zoom ring, then
set the switch to MANUAL.
THE PROBLEM
The camera won’t manually
focus.
THE SOLUTION
1. Set the AUTO MANUAL
switch to MANUAL.
PUSH HERE
PUSH HERE
PUSH HERE
THE PROBLEM
The video is too dark.
THE SOLUTION
Set the ND FILTER switch to
OFF.
PUSH HERE
The video is still too dark. Set the AUTO MANUAL switch
to AUTO.
If you’re using the handle zoom,
set the ZOOM switch to SERVO
and the HANDLE ZOOM switch
to 1or 3—two menu options
designate 2as OFF (SW MODE
menu).
2. Set the RING switch to
FOCUS.
3. Set the FOCUS switch to M
(manual).

19
THE PROBLEM
The video looks choppy.
THE SOLUTION
Rotate the SCENE FILE dial to
F1.
THE PROBLEM
I’ve followed all the instructions
in the Sound section, but I still
get nothing from my microphone.
THE SOLUTION
The microphone may require
phantom power to operate—set
the MIC POWER +48V switch to
ON for the microphone input.
PUSH HERE
PUSH HERE
THE SOLUTION
If you’re outdoors, set the ND
FILTER switch to either 1/4,
1/16 or 1/64.
HELP! CONTINUED
PUSH HERE
PUSH HERE
It’s still choppy!
THE PROBLEM
The video is STILL dark . . .
IT’S STILL TOO DARK!
THE SOLUTION
Press the SHUTTER button until
SHUTTER OFF displays in the
LCD monitor.
If you’re recording in low light,
set the GAIN switch to M(me-
dium) or H(high).
THE PROBLEM
The video is too bright.
The video’s still too bright . . .
My video is still too bright.
Set the AUTO MANUAL switch
to AUTO.
Set the GAIN switch to L(low).
Press the SHUTTER button until
SHUTTER OFF appears in the
LCD monitor.