Technika JA550KS User manual

JA550KS
JA550KP
JA550KB
5MP Digital Camera

IMPORTANT USER INFORMATION
Please read the following notes before operating your camera:
• This camera is a precision electronic device. Treat it with care
• Do not attempt to service this camera. Opening or removing covers may expose you to dangerous voltage points or
other risks and you will invalidate the warranty.
• Do not expose this camera to direct sunlight to avoid risk of fire.
• Any loss or damage caused by the malfunction of this product is the sole responsibility of the user .
•Avoid using or placing the camera in the following locations: Damp and dusty places. Sealed
vehicles, places exposed to direct sunlight or high temperatures. Places subject to severe vibration or physical shocks.
Locations full of smoke, fumes, dust or steam. Outdoors in rain or snow.
Before Using Your Camera
• Before taking pictures with this camera of any important occasion test the camera beforehand ensure that it is fully
functioning, that the batteries are charged and that there is sufficient space on the SD card.
• To ensure the camera photographs normally, do not drop, shake or hit the camera when taking pictures .
• Do not open the battery cover when the power is on.
• If water has entered the camera, immediately turn the power OFF and remove the batteries. Take the camera to
your dealer for examination and repair before using it again.
Good Practice
• If the lens, LCD monitor or viewfinder surface is dirty, use a lens brush or optical cloth to wipe the surface clean.
• Do NOT touch the lens with your fingers.
• Do NOT use any sharp object to avoid scratching the lens, LCD monitor or viewfinder surface.
• Clean the body only with a soft cloth. Do not use detergents, solvents or abrasive cleaners on the camera.
• Always transport and store the camera in the supplied pouch.
1

Wrist strap hook
SHUTTER Button
ON-OFF Button
TIMER Light
Flash Light
MACRO Switch
USB Socket
AV Socket
Lens
LCD Screen
BUSY Light
LEFT/DISPLAY ON-OFF-button
MENU button
MODE button
UP/ZOOM IN
OK button
RIGHT/FLASH ON-OFF
DOWN/ZOOM OUT
REPLAY button
DELETE button
Battery door
SD card slot
Tripod connector
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19
20
21
22
23

10 Sec Memory SD Card Inserted
Snapshot Mode
Flash Mode
Flash Off
Flash On
Flash Auto
Battery capacity
Full
Empty
Image Size (MP)
If you do not see the SD icon and a card is
inserted, format the card (see P28)
Macro Mode
USING THE CAMERA
Switching On and Off
• Press the ON/OFF button until the welcome screen appears. When you switch the camera on the camera will
always come on in snapshot mode so you can just switch on, take a picture and switch off.
• When the camera is on, press the ON/OFF button The camera will then shut off.
•Auto Shut Off: When the camera is powered by the battery, after a few seconds of inactivity the camera will shut
off. This time can be set up in the Menu. When the camera is connected to a PC, Auto Shut Off will not operate.
TAKING A PICTURE-BASIC
• Switch the camera on. The camera goes to Snapshot mode. The screen is overlaid with icons
(The black icons indicate the default operating mode. Icons described in grey are optional features. They will only
appear on the screen when you specifically select these modes.
5
SD
Internal Camera Memory M
Video Mode
Normal Mode
A
Date
No. of pictures left
Image Quality (Fine)
Standard
Economy
00010
25/01/2007
SD
5M
Image Centre
Selftimer Mode (if selected)
Burst Mode (if selected)
No. of pictures left

To take a picture:
• Line up the shot by looking at the image on screen.
• Keep the camera steady
• Press the shutter button gently
The camera will beep, momentarily go blank and begin to process the image. The picture
you have just taken appears on the screen. Let the camera to process the picture
before lining up the next shot. When the screen clears you can take another picture.
The ‘pictures remaining' indicator on the screen will decrease by one.
Using Flash
• Press the FLASH key to select FLASH off/on/auto.
The indicator appears on the screen
During this period the monitor screen will turn off and the"busy"light blinks.
When the light stops blinking and the screen turns on again, charging is done.
• You are now able to take a flash photograph.
When the shutter is pressed :
The FLASH ON function will always fire the flash.
The FLASH AUTO function will fire automatically as conditions require.
NOTES:
Wait for the light to go steady
before using the camera or
switching off!
BUSY
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SD
5M
READY BUSY
READY
Because the flash needs to be charged, the rate at which you take successive
pictures is reduced.
Battery life is reduced when using flash photographs.
If you are taking a photo of a distant object by night the flash has no effect.
When taking a shot of a very close object, the flash may "bounce" off the image
and the picture may be affected.
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5M
Flash Off
Flash On
Flash Auto
A

Flash Images
In daylight the camera flash should be set to OFF as this speeds up processing and extends battery life
In low light you should set the flash to ON or AUTO.
No image on screen: If you cannot see the object clearly a usable picture will be unlikely to result.
The screen will also blank when processing an image.
It may also blank out briefly when the camera is moved because the image sensor needs to adjust.
Screen Illegible: In very bright sunlight you will not see the screen clearly. Shade the screen wherever possible.
7
Taking a Close Up Picture
The MACRO mode enables you to take close-up pictures with reduced blurring.
• Line up an object about 100mm from the camera. The fine detail is blurred.
• Slide the MACRO switch up to the position.
The macro icon will appear on the screen beside the Camera icon.
Fine detail in the subject now comes up clearly.
•Keep the camera very steady. In Macro mode this is essential.
• Press the shutter button gently.
The camera processes the image and the picture you have taken appears on the screen.
After a while the screen clears and you may now take another picture. The ‘pictures
remaining' indicator on the monitor screen will decrease by one.
• Allow the camera to process the picture before lining up the next shot
• Always set the MACRO switch to OFF when you have finished.
Macro mode is especially useful for taking close up shots of flowers, insects and so on.
MACRO mode switch
OFF
ON
Taking a Timer-Delayed Picture
•See Page 14

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SD
5M
The Zoom Function
The camera has a Digital Zoom feature.
Digital Zoom may be used on single snapshots and timer snapshots.
It may also be used in Camcorder Mode
Using Zoom with single shots
• Line up the camera on the subject
• Press the buttons to increase or decrease the zoom.
The current zoom level appears on the screen.
• Press the shutter to take the picture
MN
The minimum zoom level is 1.0. The maximum Zoom is 8.0.
What is Digital Zoom?
When using digital zoom, the camera enlarges the area at the centre of the frame and discards the outside edges. The
image looks closer because it has been enlarged, however the image quality is also reduced. In effect the picture has
been expanded and cropped.
If you are unsure about using image processing software, digital zoom offers you a good method of lining up a specific
image. If you are likely to use high zoom levels, use a larger resolution. High levels of digital zoom at low resolutions
may result in grainy pictures.
Burst Photography
You can set the camera up to take rapid-fire shots in bursts of three snaps for each press of the shutter. Refer to Page 16
for details.
8
1.50

Altering the Screen Display
The screen display has three modes
When the camera is switched on the normal mode appears.
Normal Mode displays the image on screen and all the relevant icons
• Press the DISPLAY button once
The icons will clear but the picture subject will remain.
• Press the DISPLAY button once more
The screen will be blanked out but the camera is still operational.
If you press the shutter, the camera will take the picture. After processing, the
shot will briefly be displayed after which time the screen will go blank again.
This mode of operation can be useful
• When you want to preserve battery life
• When you want to leave the camera switched on so that it is ready to take a quick shot
• In very bright sunlight
• Press the DISPLAY button a third time to restore normal mode.
X2
X3
DISP
DISP
DISP
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5M
The BUSY light will come on showing the camera is operational
BUSY

OK Set
Scene Mode
EV
White Balance
Exit
Capture
Size
Quality Fine
Auto
+0.0
Auto
Setup
5M
MENU
• Press the MENU button.
• The first item on the menu sets the picture size.
Adjusting the Picture Size
•
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WHAT IMAGE SIZE IS BEST?
Large resolutions offer higher picture definition but only if you are printing large pictures! The downside is that large
formats take up more space, require more processing time which cuts down on battery life. They can also take a long
time to e-mail. A 19” monitor will typically be set to 1024 x 768 pixels, so a large picture may be larger than the screen!
Note: The NATIVE RESOLUTION of the camera is 3MP. This is the highest level the sensor in the camera can accept.
Higher settings are achieved by interpolation - an electronic process whereby the camera increases the resolution by
"borrowing" nearby pixels and inserting them into the picture to increase the size. If the picture you are taking is
complex, increasing the resolution may not necessarily give you a clearer picture.
Adjusting the Picture Quality
• Select QUALITY with the MN buttons
• Press OK to confirm
• Select the value you want with the MN buttons
•Press OK to confirm and return to the Main Menu
The QUALITY setting affects picture compression. The lower
the setting the higher the compression.
Use a high value for pictures you wish to print.
A lower value is acceptable for on-screen viewing.
Press OK to enter the SIZE menu
12M
8M
5M
3M
1.3M
VGA
The choices are arranged in two groups of three:
• Select the value you want with the MN buttons
•Press OK to confirm and return to the Main Menu
OK Set
Scene Mode
EV
White Balance
Exit
Capture
Size
Quality Fine
Auto
+0.0
Auto
Setup
5M
Fine
Standard
Economy

Adjusting the White Balance
• Select WHITE BALANCE with the MN buttons
• Press OK to confirm
• Select the value you want with the MN buttons
•Press OK to confirm and return to the Main Menu
If you are in any doubt leave the setting at AUTO.
Adjusting the ISO Number
The ISO number governs the speed of the camera response. Use a high value for low light and a low ISO for high light. A
high ISO number gives a faster response at the expense of grainy pictures. A low ISO number gives a better quality
picture but only in bright conditions.
• Select ISO with the MN buttons
• Press OK to confirm
• Select the value you want with the MN buttons
•Press OK to confirm and return to the Main Menu
If you are in any doubt leave the setting at AUTO.
Adjusting white balance ensures that objects which appear white in real life appear white in your photo. Photographing
areas of white in different lighting conditions can cause them to appear blue, yellow or even green or magenta. By
setting the appropriate WB you can optimise colour accuracy under a wide range of lighting conditions.
OK Set
Scene Mode
EV
White Balance
Exit
Capture
Size
Quality Fine
Auto
+0.0
Auto
Setup
5M
Auto
Daylight
Cloudy
Tungsten
Fluorescent
OK Set
Saturation
Sharpness
Selftimer
Exit
Capture
ISO
Color Standard
Normal
Normal
Off
Setup
Auto
Auto
100
200
13

Setting the Date
Before you can date stamp your photos or recordings you must set
up the date and time.
• Select DATE INPUT with the MN buttons
• Press OK to confirm
• Select SET with the MN buttons
•Press OK to confirm
To Set the Date and Time
• Select the Date Format with the MN buttons
You can select DD/MM/YYYY, MM/DD/YYYY; YYYY/MM/DD
• Press the OP keys to move to the Date section
• Press MN to set the Day, then press OP to move to the month.
• Set the Month and Year in the same way then press OP to move
to the time. Now set the time in the same way.
• Press OK to exit. The date will now appear in the Capture Menus.
Setting the Time Stamp
• Switch the camera on.
• When the menu screen loads press the MENU button.
• Select Time Stamp with the MN buttons
• Press OK to confirm.
• Select the type of Stamp you need
• Press OK to confirm
• Press the MENU key or O to EXIT
Off
Burst
OK Set
Exit
Capture
Date Input
Time Stamp Off
Setup
Next Menu
Off
Set
DD / MM/YY
01 / 01 / 2007
00 : 00 : 00
OK: Exit
SET
Burst
OK Set
Exit
Capture
Date Input
Time Stamp Off
Setup
Next Menu
Off
Date Only
Date and Time
15

Burst Mode
BURST Mode enables you to take photos in bursts of three. This
is useful for capturing moving objects. The camera will take
three shots in rapid succession and display all three before
reverting to Capture Mode.
• Select the parameter with the MN buttons
• Press OK to confirm
• Select On or Off with the MN buttons
•Press OK to confirm and return to the Main Menu
In Burst Mode this icon will appear on the screen
CAUTION: Burst Mode will NOT reset when you switch the camera off. Be sure to manually reset the mode to
OFF before you switch the camera off or you may get an unpleasant surprise!!
Off
Burst
OK Set
Exit
Capture
Date Input
Time Stamp Off
Setup
Next Menu
On
Off
16

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UNDERSTANDING THE CAMCORDER MENU
The CAMCORDER MENU is similar to but simpler than the Picture Menu
• Press the MODE button to enter Camcorder Mode
•
• Select the item you want to change with the buttons.
•
MN
Press the MENU button.
Press OK. A second menu will now display
• Select the value you want to change with the buttons.
MN
•Press OK to confirm and return you to the main menu
• Press the MENU or O key to exit.
OK Set
EV
White Balance
Exit
Capture
Size
+0.0
Auto
Setup
QVGA
Item in List Current Setting
• Switch the camera on by pressing the ON/OFF button.
OK Set
EV
White Balance
Exit
Capture
Size
+0.0
Auto
Setup
QVGA
VGA
QVGA
Setting the Picture Size
• Select SIZE with the MN buttons
• Press OK to confirm
• Select the value you want with the MN buttons
•Press OK to confirm and return to the Main Menu
Setting the Exposure Value (EV) and White Balance
These are set following the same procedure as for the Picture Menu.
VGA offers better picture quality but takes up more memory. QVGA
has an image size of 320 x 240 pixels.VGA is 640 x 480 pixels.