Sony DSLR-A700 User manual

DSLR-A700 3-216-919-11 (1)
Printed in Japan © 2007 Sony Corporation
3-216-919-11 (1)
Printed on 70% or more recycled paper using VOC
(Volatile Organic Compound)-free vegetableoil based ink.
Additional information on this product and
answers to frequently asked questions can be
found at our Customer Support Website.
DSLR-A700
Digital Single Lens Reflex Camera
Read This First
Operating Instructions
Before operating the unit, please read this manual and “User’s Guide/Troubleshooting”
(separate volume) thoroughly, and retain them for future reference.

2
Checking the accessories supplied
The number in parentheses indicates the number of pieces.
• BC-VM10 Battery charger (1) • Video cable (1)
• Power cord (mains lead) (1) • Shoulder strap with eyepiece cover and
Remote Commander clip (1)
• Rechargeable battery pack NP-FM500H (1)
• Wireless Remote Commander (Remote
Commander) (1)
• USB cable (1)
• Body cap (1) (Attached on the camera)
• Accessory shoe cap (1) (Attached on the
camera)
• Eyecup (1) (Attached on the camera)
• CD-ROM (Application Software for α
camera) (1)
• Operating instructions: “Read This First” (this
manual) (1)
• Operating instructions: “User’s Guide/
Troubleshooting” (1)

3
Composition of the operating instructions
This manual
Explains the set-up and basic operations for shooting/playback with your camera.
Prepare the camera and shoot images easily.
Checking the accessories supplied ............................................................................ 2
1 Prepare the battery pack ......................................................................................... 4
2 Attach a lens ........................................................................................................... 6
3 Insert a memory card (not supplied)....................................................................... 8
4 Turn the camera on/set the clock .......................................................................... 10
5 Shoot images easily (Auto adjustment mode) ...................................................... 12
The number of images that can be recorded.................................................. 13
Holding the camera........................................................................................ 13
Super SteadyShot function ............................................................................ 14
Focus.............................................................................................................. 15
Using the flash ............................................................................................... 16
Adjusting the diopter ..................................................................................... 17
6 View/delete images............................................................................................... 18
“User’s Guide/Troubleshooting” (separate volume)
Get more friendly with your camera
•Shoot with your favorite settings tUsing the shooting functions
•Playback with your favorite settings tUsing the viewing functions
•Enjoy various shooting/playback functions using the menu tUsing the menu
Connect your camera to a PC or a printer
•Copy your images to a computer and enjoy editing them in various ways
tUsing your computer
•Print images by connecting your camera directly to a printer
(PictBridge compliant printers only) tPrinting images

4
Prepare the battery pack
• Connect the battery charger to an easily accessible wall outlet (wall socket) close by.
• Even if the CHARGE lamp is not lit, the battery charger is not disconnected from the AC power source
(mains) as long as it is connected to the wall outlet (wall socket). If some trouble occurs while using the
battery charger, immediately shut off the power by disconnecting the plug from the wall outlet (wall
socket).
• When charging is finished, disconnect the power cord (mains lead) from the wall outlet (wall socket), and
remove the battery pack from the battery charger.
• Time required to charge a fully depleted battery pack (supplied) at a temperature of 25°C (77°F). Charging
may take longer under certain circumstances or conditions.
Full charge Normal charge
Approx. 235 min. Approx. 175 min.
1Insert the battery pack.
Push the battery pack until it clicks.
2Connect the power cord (mains lead).
Power cord (mains lead) 3To wall
outlet (wall
socket)
Battery
charger
CHARGE lamp
Light on: Charging
Light off: Completed (Normal Charge)
If you continue charging the battery pack for approximately one more hour, until it is fully
charged (Full Charge), the battery life will be slightly longer.
4Insert the charged battery pack.
While sliding the battery
cover open lever, open
the battery cover.
Firmly insert the battery pack all
the way while pressing the lock
lever with the tip of the battery.
Close the cover.
Lock lever

5
Note on the battery pack
Use only an NP-FM500H battery pack. Note that the NP-FM55H, NP-FM50 and NP-FM30
cannot be used.
Using the AC Adaptor/charger
You can connect the camera to a wall outlet (wall socket) using the AC-VQ900AM
AC Adaptor/charger (not supplied). t“User’s Guide/Troubleshooting” (page 165)
To check the remaining battery level
To remove the battery pack
Slide the lock lever in the direction of the arrow. Be careful not to drop the battery pack.
Before removing the battery pack, check that the power is turned off.
To use your camera abroad — Power sources
You can use your camera and the battery charger and the AC-VQ900AM AC Adaptor/charger
(not supplied) in any country or region where the power supply is within 100 V to 240 V AC,
50/60 Hz. Use a commercially available AC plug adaptor [a], if necessary, depending on the
design of the wall outlet (wall socket) [b].
Set the POWER switch to ON and check the level on
the LCD monitor. The level is indicated with the
percent figures.
• The displayed level may not be correct under certain
circumstances.
Battery level “Battery exhausted”
High Low You cannot shoot any more
pictures.
•Do not use an electronic transformer (travel
converter), as this may cause a malfunction.
LCD monitor
Lock lever

6
Attach a lens
1Remove the body cap from the camera and the rear cap from
the lens.
•Make sure not to leave the interior of the camera exposed to dust or water
droplets.
If dust enters the camera, perform [Cleaning mode] (t“User’s Guide/Troubleshooting” (page
125)) and brush the dust away using a commercially available blower brush.
2Attach the lens.
• When attaching a lens, do not press the lens release button.
• Do not use force when attaching a lens.
• When shooting without the flash, using a lens hood is recommended to prevent unnecessary
light from affecting your images. For details on attaching the lens hood, refer to the operating
instructions supplied with the lens.
Body cap Rear cap
Mount the lens by aligning the orange
index marks on the lens and camera.
Turn the lens clockwise until it
clicks into the locked position.
Orange index marks

7
To remove the lens
Press the lens release button all the way in and turn the lens counterclockwise until it stops.
• Replace the cap on the lens and attach the body cap (or another lens) to the camera after removing the lens.
Keep dust from getting inside the camera when changing lenses!
If dust or debris gets inside the camera and lands on the surface of the image sensor (the
part that acts as the film), it may appear on the image, depending on the shooting
environment.
The camera is equipped with an anti-dust function to prevent dust from landing on the
image sensor. However, take note of the following reminders when attaching/removing a
lens.
• Avoid changing lenses in a dusty location.
• When storing the camera, always attach a lens or the body cap.
• When attaching the body cap, remove all the dust from the cap before placing it on the camera.
If dust or debris gets inside the camera, select [Cleaning mode] in the Setup menu, and
use a commercially available blower brush to clean the image sensor. t“User’s Guide/
Troubleshooting” (page 125)
Lens release button

8
Insert a memory card (not supplied)
Available memory cards for the camera
You can use a “Memory Stick Duo”, CompactFlash card (CF card), or Microdrive as a
memory card.
• Before using a memory card, be sure to format it using this camera. Otherwise, satisfactory performance
may not be obtained. t“User’s Guide/Troubleshooting” (page 115)
• For more information about the memory card t“User’s Guide/Troubleshooting” (page 161)
Insert a memory card
• Be careful not to pinch your fingers when opening the cover.
• Straight insert a memory card by pressing the center of the memory card. Do not press the edges of the
memory card.
• Be careful about insertion direction of a memory card. Inserting a memory card in a wrong direction may
cause a malfunction.
“Memory Stick Duo” CompactFlash/
Microdrive
Insert a memory card all the way in until it
clicks.
Terminal side
Close the cover.
Front side
Open the memory card cover.
Terminal side
Insert a memory card from the terminal
side (the terminal side has a number of
small holes).
“Memory Stick Duo”
CompactFlash/Microdrive
Terminal side
Terminal side
Wrong directions

9
When shooting using a “Memory Stick Duo”
You must set [Memory card] to [Memory Stick] in the Setup menu. Follow the procedure
below after turning on the camera.
1Press MENU.
2Set up using the multi-selector.
3Press MENU to turn off the menu.
To remove the memory card
CompactFlash/Microdrive
We have checked the operations, however, we cannot guarantee proper operation of all CF
cards/Microdrives.
• The Microdrive is a compact and lightweight hard disk drive that complies with CompactFlash Type II
standards. For more information about the CompactFlash/Microdrive t“User’s Guide/
Troubleshooting” (page 162)
1Open the memory card cover.
2 “Memory Stick Duo”:
Push the “Memory Stick Duo” once.
CompactFlash/Microdrive:
Push down the CF card eject lever.
• The memory card may be hot just after it has been used. Be
careful when you handle it.
When the access lamp is lit
Never remove the memory card or the battery pack, or turn
off the power. The data may be corrupted.
Multi-selector
MENU button
Move the multi-selector to the right to select
[]t[2], then press the center.
Move the multi-selector up and set [Memory
card] to [Memory Stick], then press the
center.
Access lamp
CF card eject lever

10
Turn the camera on/set the clock
1Set the POWER
switch to ON by
sliding it in the
direction of the
arrow.
2Set the clock with the multi-
selector.
1Verify that [OK] is selected, then press the center of
the multi-selector.
2Select each item with b/Band set the numeric value
with v/V.
3Repeat Step 2 to set other items.
• [YYYY/MM/DD] represents the order of year, month, and
day. You can change this order with v/V.
4Press the center of the multi-selector.
5After checking whether [OK] is selected, press the
center of the multi-selector.
• To cancel, press MENU.
The direction in which the multi-selector is moved is
expressed as v/V/b/B.
v: Move up
V: Move down
b: Move to the left
B: Move to the right Press the center
to execute.
• If you want to set the clock
later, select [Cancel] with V,
then press the center of the
multi-selector.

11
To change the date and time
See the “User’s Guide/Troubleshooting” (page 122)
Select [Date/Time setup] in the Setup menu and perform the procedure in step 2-2 to -5.
When turning on the power
Unless you set the clock, “Set date and time?” appears each time the camera is turned on.
To turn off the power
Set the POWER switch to OFF sliding in the arrow direction. Attach the lens cap. After you
remove the lens, store the camera with the body cap attached.
Power Save (The camera nearly shuts down if it is not operated)
If you do not operate the camera for about five seconds, the recording mode display on the
LCD monitor disappears. Also, if you do not operate the camera for about three minutes, the
camera turns to power saving mode and nearly shuts down (Power Save). To cancel the power
save, operate the camera, for example, by pressing the shutter button halfway down.
• You can change the time that must elapse to activate the function (the default settings are [5 sec]/[3 min]).
t“User’s Guide/Troubleshooting” (page 120)
Changing the language setting
You can change the screen display to show messages in a specified language. To change the
language setting, follow the procedure below.
1Press MENU to display the menu.
2Select [ ] t[1] with b/Bon the multi-selector.
3Select [ Language] with v/Von the multi-selector, then press the center of the multi-
selector.
4Select the desired language with v/Von the multi-selector, then press the center of the
multi-selector.

12
Shoot images easily (Auto adjustment
mode)
The main functions of the camera are adjusted automatically in auto adjustment mode. Using
this mode, you can shoot easily, depending entirely on the camera. However, you can change
any of the settings.
1Set the mode dial to AUTO.
4Shoot with the shutter button.
• The image is not displayed on the LCD monitor before the recording is completed. Use the
viewfinder for monitoring.
• After shooting, the recorded image is displayed for two seconds on the LCD monitor. You can
change the display time. t“User’s Guide/Troubleshooting” (page 111)
• While the image is being recorded, the access lamp lights. Do not remove the memory card or turn
off the power while this lamp is lit.
Press the shutter button fully down to shoot.
The shutter sounds.
Press the shutter button
halfway down to focus.
Sensor used for focus adjustment
(Illuminated in red briefly to indicate the point of
focus.)
Focus indicator
(Indicates the status of the autofocus (page 15))
2Hold the grip and look into
the viewfinder.
The subject at the intersection of (the 11
focus area sensors) comes into focus.
3When using a zoom lens, turn
the zoom ring, then decide on
your shot.
Grip

13
Once you insert a memory card into the camera and set the POWER
switch to ON, the number of images that can be recorded (should you
continue to shoot using the current settings) is displayed on the LCD
monitor.
To identify items on the LCD monitor t“User’s Guide/
Troubleshooting” (page 20)
• The number of images that can be recorded on a memory card differs depending on the capacity of the
memory card, the image size setting, and the image quality setting. t“User’s Guide/Troubleshooting”
(page 24)
• If “0” is flashing in yellow, the memory card is full. Replace the memory card with another one, or delete
images in the current memory card (pages 8, 18).
• Since the data amount of each image is different, the remaining number of recordable images may not
change after shooting.
Hold the camera steady to avoid blurring of images due to hand movement. Turning on the
Super SteadyShot function is also recommended (page 14).
• Grip the camera firmly with your right hand, keep your elbows at your side, and support the lens with the
palm of your left hand.
• Step out with one foot to stabilize your upper body. Leaning against a wall or putting your elbow on a
table will also provide support.
• When shooting in dark light without the flash, shooting in macro, or using a telephoto lens, camera shake
that cannot be compensated for by the camera tends to occur. In such cases, turn off the Super SteadyShot
function and use something to stabilize the camera, such as a tripod.
The number of images that can be recorded
Holding the camera

14
1Make sure that the (Super SteadyShot) switch is set to ON to activate the function.
2Press the shutter button halfway down, and then press it fully down.
Super SteadyShot scale
This scale is displayed whenever the Super SteadyShot function is activated. A higher scale
indicates more pronounced camera-shake (on a scale of five).
When the Super SteadyShot function is deactivated, the scale will not be displayed.
(Camera-shake warning) indicator
This indicator flashes regardless of the status of the Super SteadyShot function. It indicates the
likelihood of camera-shake calculated from the shutter speed and focal length. If the indicator
flashes, reduce the camera-shake by setting the (Super SteadyShot) switch to ON or
using the built-in flash or a tripod.
• The Super SteadyShot function may not work optimally when the power has just been turned on, when the
subject has just entered the frame, or when the shutter button has been pressed all the way down without
stopping halfway. Wait for the Super SteadyShot scale to go down, and then press the shutter button down
slowly.
• Since the Super SteadyShot function is less effective in the following cases, mount the camera on a tripod.
–Shooting a subject that is located within a very close range.
–Shooting a moving subject
–Shooting with shutter speeds of 1/4 second or longer, which are typically used in night-time shooting.
• When using a tripod, deactivate the Super SteadyShot function as it will not be fully effective.
• This Super SteadyShot function can reduce the effect of camera-shake by the equivalent of approximately
2.5 to 4 increments of shutter speed.
Super SteadyShot function
(Camera-shake
warning) indicator
(Super
SteadyShot)
switch
Super SteadyShot
scale

15
Within the focus area, there are 11 sensors to lock the focus on the subject.
Press the shutter button halfway down, and the sensor in the focused area illuminated briefly
in red to indicate where the focus is.
Focus indicator
Holding the grip and looking into the viewfinder or pressing the shutter button halfway down
triggers the autofocus system. The focus indicator in the viewfinder indicates the status of the
autofocus system.
Focus
Focus indicator Status
zlit Focus locked. Ready to shoot.
lit Focus is confirmed. Focal point moves following a moving subject. Ready to shoot.
lit Still focusing. You cannot release the shutter.
zflashing Cannot focus. The shutter is locked.
• If the subject is closer than the minimum shooting distance of the attached lens, the
focus cannot be confirmed. Make sure you put enough distance between the subject
and the camera.
• You can manually release the shutter even when the indicator is flashing.
t“User’s Guide/Troubleshooting” (page 102)
Focus area
Focus area sensor
Focus indicator

16
• Do not hold the camera by grabbing the flash emitter.
• If you want to make sure the flash fires without fail, set the flash mode to (Fill-flash). t“User’s
Guide/Troubleshooting” (page 73)
Flash indicators in the viewfinder
flashing: The flash is being charged. When the indicator flashes, you cannot release the
shutter.
lit: The flash has been charged and is ready to fire.
The flash range
Using the flash
Pull the built-in flash up with your finger. With the flash
pulled up, the camera triggers the flash if the amount of
light is insufficient in auto adjustment mode (AUTO).
Push the flash down with your finger when not using it.
The flash range depends on the aperture value and ISO sensitivity
setting. The following chart shows the approximate flash range
when the ISO sensitivity is set to [AUTO] in auto adjustment mode
(AUTO).
ISO sensitivity t“User’s Guide/Troubleshooting” (page 64)
• The built-in flash is designed to be used with lenses with focal lengths of 16
mm or longer.
Aperture Flash range
F2.8 2 – 12 m (6.6 – 40 feet)
F4 1.4 – 8.6 m (4.6 – 28 feet)
F5.6 1 – 6 m (3.3 – 20 feet)
Aperture

17
Notes on using the built-in flash
When shooting with the built-in flash, the lens may block the flash light and a shadow may
appear on the lower part of the image. Be careful about the following:
• Shoot the subject at a distance of 1 m or longer.
• Remove the lens hood.
Adjust the diopter-adjustment dial to your eyesight until the indicators appear clearly in the
viewfinder.
• Turn the dial toward + when you are far-sighted, toward – when you are near-sighted. The direction is
indicated on the dial if you remove the eyecup. t“User’s Guide/Troubleshooting” (page 44)
• Training the camera on the light allows you to adjust the diopter easily.
Adjusting the diopter
Eyecup
Diopter-adjustment dial

18
View/delete images
To view images
To return to the recording mode
•Press (Playback) again.
•Press the shutter button halfway down.
To delete images
1Display the image you want to delete and press (Delete).
2Select [Delete] with v, then press the center of the multi-selector.
To cancel delete operation
Select [Cancel], then press the center of the multi-
selector.
Rear control dial
(Enlarge) button
(Index) button
DISP (Display) button
1Press (Playback). 2Select an image with b/Bon
the multi-selector.
• You can easily view the next/previous image by
turning the front or rear control dial.
(Delete) button
Front control dial

19
While viewing images, you can operate the following functions.
•Switching the screen display with the DISP (Display) button.
•Viewing an image list on the index screen with the (Index) button.
•Enlarging images with the (Enlarge) button.
t“User’s Guide/Troubleshooting” (pages 83, 84, 86)