Samsung VP-M50 Owner's manual

Video Camcorder
8mm
VP-M50/M51/M51B/M52/M53/M54
Owner’s Instruction Book
Before operating the unit, please read
this instruction book thoroughly, and retain it for
future reference.
ELECTRONICS
Hi
VP-M50/M51/M51B/M52/M53
VP-M54
This product meets the intent of
Directive 89/336 CEE, 73/23 CEE, 93/68 CEE.
ENGLISH

ENGLISH
Table of Contents
2
Pr
Gett
Adjusting the Hand Strap and Shoulder Strap..............................................................................................16
Lithium Battery Installation............................................................................................................................17
Connecting the Power Source......................................................................................................................18
■ To use AC Power Adapter ....................................................................................................................18
■ To use Battery Pack .............................................................................................................................19
Using the Battery Pack .................................................................................................................................20
■ Table of continuous recording time ......................................................................................................20
■ Display of Battery Level........................................................................................................................21
Inserting and Ejecting a Cassette ................................................................................................................22
Settin
Making the First Shooting.............................................................................................................................23
Tips for Stable Image Shooting ...................................................................................................................25
■ Shooting with Viewfinder......................................................................................................................25
Adjusting Focus of the VIEWFINDER...........................................................................................................25
Playing back the tape on the CAMCORDER................................................................................................26
■ Viewing a Still Picture...........................................................................................................................27
■ Picture Search......................................................................................................................................27
Zooming In and Out......................................................................................................................................28
Digital Zoom..................................................................................................................................................29
Bas
Ad
Features..........................................................................................................................................................8
Descriptions
■ Front View/Side View/Rear View................................................................................................9, 10, 11
■ OSD (On Screen Display) ...................................................................................................................12
Accessories Supplied with Camcorder .........................................................................................................14
Remote Control.............................................................................................................................................15
■ Self Recording with the Remote Control..............................................................................................15

ENGLISH
3
Table of Contents (continued)
DIS (Digital Image Stabilizer, VP-M53/M54 only).........................................................................................31
MF/AF (Manual Focus/Auto Focus)..............................................................................................................32
XDR/BLC.......................................................................................................................................................33
Program AE (Automatic Exposure)...............................................................................................................34
DSE (Digital Special Effect) in CAMERA mode............................................................................................36
Setting and Recording the DATE/TIME ........................................................................................................38
Selecting and Recording a Title....................................................................................................................40
Fade In and Out............................................................................................................................................42
PIP ................................................................................................................................................................43
Snap Shot .....................................................................................................................................................44
White Balance...............................................................................................................................................45
Setting the Remote Control...........................................................................................................................46
Demonstration...............................................................................................................................................47
Lighting Techniques ......................................................................................................................................48
Pl
To see with TV monitor.................................................................................................................................49
Various Functions in PLAYER mode.............................................................................................................51
Setting the Remote Control...........................................................................................................................52
DSE in PLAYER mode..................................................................................................................................52
Cleaning and Taking care of the Camcorder................................................................................................52
■ Cleaning the Viewfinder ......................................................................................................................52
■ Cleaning the Video Heads ...................................................................................................................53
■ Storing the Camcorder .........................................................................................................................53
M
Self Diagnosis Display .................................................................................................................................55
Moisture Condensation.................................................................................................................................58
Troublesh
Spec
Inde
Pow
Usi

Precautions and Safety Instructions
Taking care of the battery pack
4
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✤Do not let LENS point toward the sun.
Direct sunlight can damage the CCD.
(*CCD: Charge Coupled Device)
Precautions regarding the LENS
✤Do not allow any metal objects to touch
the terminals, as this can cause a short circuit and
damage the battery pack.
Keep the terminals clean.
✤The camera, adapter or battery pack will not work properly if the terminals are dirty.
Check them before use, and wipe them with a dry cloth or tissue if necessary.

Precautions and Safety Instructions
Precautions regarding electronic viewfinder
5
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1) Do not place the camcorder so that the
viewfinder is pointing towards the sun.
Direct sunlight can damage the inside of
the viewfinder. Be careful when placing
the camcorder under sunlight or by a
window.
2) Do not pick up the camcorder by the
viewfinder.
3) Unintended rotation may cause damage
to the viewfinder.
123
1) A sudden rise in atmospheric temperature may cause condensa-
tion to form inside the camcorder.
for example:
■When you take the camcorder from cold temperature outside to
warm temperature inside during the winter.
■When you take the camcorder from cool temperature inside to hot
temperature outside during the summer.
2) If the “DEW” protection feature is activated, leave the camcorder
in the dry and warm room with the cassette compartment opened
and the battery removed.
3) If the “DEW” protection feature is activated unexpectedly, and you
want to override it, reinstall the battery pack and the lithium battery
after detaching the battery pack and lithium battery.
Please make sure that the condensation has disappeared com-
pletely. (see page 58)
Precautions regarding moisture condensation
DEW

Precautions and Safety Instructions
Precautions regarding the battery pack
6
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✤Make sure that the battery pack is charged before shooting outdoors.
✤To preserve battery power, keep your camcorder turned off when you are not operating it.
✤When your camcorder is in CAMERA mode, if it is left in STANDBY for more than 5~7 minutes without
operation, it will automatically turn off to protect against unexpected battery discharge.
✤Make sure that the battery pack is fitted firmly into place.
Dropping the battery pack might damage it.
✤When the battery reaches the end of its life please contact your local dealer. The batteries have to
be dealt as chemical waste.
Warning: Keep the LITHIUM BATTERY out of the reach of children. Should the battery be swal-
lowed, consult a doctor immediately.
✤The lithium battery maintains the clock function, title and preset contents memory; even if the battery
pack or AC power adapter is removed.
✤The lithium battery for the camcorder lasts about 8~10 months under normal operation from time of
installation.
✤When the lithium battery becomes weak or dead, the date/time indicator flashes about 5 seconds
when you set the power switch to CAMERA. In this case, replace the lithium battery with CR2025 type.
(see page 17)
Pr
*When the lithium battery
becomes weak or dead please
contact your local dealer. The
batteries have to be dealt with
as chemical waste.
WARNING:
LITHIUM BATTERY MUST BE
RECYCLED OR DISPOSED
OF PROPERLY.

Precautions and Safety Instructions
Precautions regarding the hand strap
7
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✤To protect against tape and head-drum wear, your camcorder will automatically turn off if it is left in
STANDBY mode without operation for more than 5~7 minutes.
5 minutes off timer in STANDBY mode
✤It is very important to adjust the hand strap for better
shooting. (see page 16)
✤Do not insert your hand in the hand strap forcibly,
the buckle may be damaged.
✤To ensure normal recording and clear picture, clean the video heads. When playing back the pictures ,
if they are noisy or hardly visible, the video heads may be dirty. If this happens, clean the video heads
with the dried type cassette cleaner.
✤Do not use a wet type cassette cleaner. It may damage the video heads. (see page 53)
Precautions regarding the video head cleaning

Getting to Know Your Camcorder
Features
8
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Your camcorder has many features for shooting and playing back.
Snap Shot (VP-M53/M54 only)
The Snap Shot function lets you shoot an object at a standstill for a limited time in Camera mode.
(see page 44)
PIP (VP-M53/M54 only)
The PIP function shows where the center of image is while shooting in Digital Zoom of the Camera mode.
(see page 43)
XDR/BLC
■ BLC for VP-M50/M51/M51B/M52/M53.
When you shoot a subject with the light source behind the subject or a subject with a light background,
use the XDR/BLC function. (see page 33)
■ XDR: Extended Dynamic Range
DSE (Digital Special Effects)
The DSE allows a creative look to your films by adding various special effects.(see page 36)
Program AE (Auto Exposure)
The Program AE allows the shutter speed and aperture to adjust to the type of picture to be filmed.
(see page 34)
DIS (VP-M53/M54 only)
The DIS compensates unstable images caused by hand shake, particularly at high magnification.
(see page 31)
22x High ratio zoom lens
Zooming is a recording technique that lets you change the size of the subject in the picture.
For more professional recordings, use the zoom function. (see page 28)
Digital Zoom
Higher than 22x zoom is achieved digitally. (see page 29)
Macro
The macro function allows you to shoot your subject at close range.
You have to adjust the zoom fully wide for macro shooting. (see page 28)

Getting to Know Your Camcorder
Front View
9
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3. PLAY/STILL
2. Edit/SEARCH (REW)
1. Lens
15. Remote Sensor
14. MIC
11. POWER
12. MF Dial
4. Edit/SEARCH (FF)
5. DATE/TIME(STOP)
6. TAPE EJECT
7. EVF
8. PIP(Z.RETURN)
9. FADE
10. XDR/BLC
13. MF
1. Lens (see page 59)
2. EDIT/SEARCH (REW)
EDIT/SEARCH works in STANDBY mode.
(see page 24)
REW works in PLAYER mode. (see page 51)
3. PLAY/STILL
PLAY/STILL works in PLAYER mode.
(see page 50)
4. EDIT/SEARCH (FF)
EDIT/SEARCH works in STANDBY mode.
(see page 24)
FF works in PLAYER mode. (see page 51)
5. DATE/TIME(STOP)
DATE/TIME works in CAMERA mode.
(see page 38)
STOP works in PLAYER mode. (see page 50)
.
6. TAPE EJECT
Use when ejecting the tape. (see page 22)
7. EVF(Electronic Viewfinder, see page 52)
8. PIP(Z.RETURN)
PIP works in CAMERA mode.
(VP-M53/M54 only, see page 43)
9. FADE
FADE works in CAMERA mode. (see page 42)
10. XDR/BLC
XDR/BLC works in CAMERA mode.
(BLC for VP-M50/M51/M51B/M52/M53,
see page 33)
11. POWER switch (see page 18)
- CAMERA : Select to shoot.
- OFF : Select to turn off the camcorder.
- PLAYER : Select to play back.
12. MF dial (see page 32)
MF dial works in CAMERA mode.
13. MF (see page 32)
MF works in CAMERA mode.
14. MIC
MIC works in CAMERA mode.
15. Remote Sensor (see page 15)

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Getting to Know Your Camcorder
10
22. TITLE
20. PROGRAM AE
21. DSE
17. ENTER
18. MENU Dial
19. S-VIDEO out
16. MENU ON/OFF (see page 30)
MENU ON/OFF works in CAMERA and
PLAYER mode.
17. ENTER (see page 30)
ENTER works in MENU mode.
18. MENU dial
Menu dial works in MENU mode. (see page 30)
19. S-VIDEO out (VP-M54 only, see page 50)
20. PROGRAM AE (see page 34)
PROGRAM AE (Auto Exposure) works in
CAMERA mode.
21. DSE (see page 36)
DSE works in CAMERA and PLAYER mode.
22. TITLE (see page 40)
TITLE works in CAMERA mode.
23. C. RESET (Counter Reset)
Use to reset the tape counter.
24. DISPLAY
Use to turn the OSD on or off.
25. Lithium Battery (see page 17)
16. MENU ON/OFF
23. C.RESET
24. DISPLAY
25. Lithium Battery
Side View