Camcorder Guide

Proficiency Required
As with any sensitive piece of equipment, care should be taken when using camcorders. They are
designed to withstand the normal wear and tear of household use. Neglect and abuse will cause them to break
and make it that much harder for you to get one when you need it.
All of our cameras use a 1/2" CCD pick-up devicea.k.a. 'chip'. The CCD is resistant to shock and
burn-in, but care must be taken not to point the camera into the sun or other bright light source. Moisture and
dirt as well as extremes of heat and cold should be avoided. Never leave the camcorder in the car! The prime
killer of camcorders is mechanical shock, especially dropping, so be careful how you handle and transport the
device. Magnetic or electrical fields such as those generated by power lines, transformers and substations can
affect the working of the camcorder.
As with any equipment you get from Media Loan, you are responsible for 100% of the cost of the replacement
of lost items or repair of any damage beyond normal wear and tear. You are required to check your equipment
before you leave Media Loan. While we do our best to be sure you receive fully functional equipment and accessories, mistakes can occur. Once you leave the premises, it is your responsibility to return all items in good condition.

The many different models of camcorder available from Media Loan can be broken down by size and
common features into two groups:

VHS
S-VHS

Group 1(large)

Group 2 (small)

Panasonic

Panasonic

AG-160,170,180

AG-186,187
Panasonic
Omnivision
PV-S770A

Panasonic

AG-450

All Media Loan Camcorders have the following features:

Power Zoom Lens

Macro Focusing
External Mike Jack
Auto white balance

Autofocus with manual capability

Built-in microphone
High-speed shutter
Date and Time stamp

Basic Operation
Powering the camcorder:
There are two ways to power the camcorder: battery or AC Adaptor.
The battery packs supplied with the cameras slide either horizontally into the rear bottom of the
camera (Group1) or vertically from the rear top (Group 2). In either case, insert the battery contacts first and
slide it in until it clicks into place. DO NOT force a battery!! To remove, press the button marked BATTERY
EJECT adjacent to the compartment. Expect an average 1 to 2 hours per charged battery.
To power the camcorder with the AC Adaptor, plug the adaptor into a working outlet, and into the
Adaptor Connector on the back of the camcorder and make sure the adaptor is turned on.

Media Loan
The Library Group
(360)867-6253
The Evergreen State College
Olympia, WA 98505
http://www.evergreen.edu/media
Recycled Recyclable

ml/ccg/1.18.01/wdc

To charge a battery, place the battery in the AC Adaptor/Charger so that the contacts on the battery
connect with the contacts on the charger (Group 2) or attach the Charging Clip (Group 1) and plug into the
adaptor. Alternately, a battery may be charged in the camera when the camera is plugged into the AC adaptor
(except AG-187). You may charge two batteries at once, one on the charger and one in the camera, but the
total charge time will be twice as long (except AG-187). For the model AG-187 cameras, the battery can only
be charged in the charger. On average, batteries charge 85- 90% in 2 hours, 100% in 3-4 hours. NEVER
leave a battery on the charger for more than 12 hours; you could damage the battery. All of Media Loan's
camcorders have a main POWER switch located on top of the camcorder, next to the tape transport buttons.
Slide the switch toward the rear of the camcorder to turn the power on. Slide it again to power off. All
camcorders have a battery conservation feature that will shut them off or put them in standby if you leave
them in record/pause mode for 5 minutes without doing anything. If the camera shuts itself off, simply slide
the switch to the "on" position again, or press the STANDBY button (Group 1 only).

Loading and Ejecting a Cassette

Among or near the tape transport controls on the top of the camera there will be a blue EJECT button.
Pressing this button opens the tape door on the camera and allows tapes to be inserted or removed. While the
POWER switch does not have to be in the "on" position for this function, viable power does need to be
connected. Tapes are always inserted with the 'window' or top of the cassette facing away from the camera,
and the label end facing up. The tape should slide down below the top edge of the tape door. To close the
door, simply press on the textured area that will be marked PRESS HERE. Pressing elsewhere will be less
effective at closing the door and may damage the mechanism. If the tape jams in the machine, DO NOT
ATTEMPT TO REMOVE IT YOURSELF!! Bring the camcorder back to Media Loan.
There is a small tab on the label end of the tape, the 'erasure prevention tab'. If this tab is removed,
the camcorder will not record on the tape, and will display 'TAPE' in the viewfinder. To record on a tape that
has had the tab removed, simply cover the hole with a piece of tape.

Camera Controls
All camcorders have two basic modes: Camera mode and VTR mode. In camera mode, the tape
transport is controlled by the red RECORD/PAUSE button, generally located on the back side of the hand
grip, where it is convenient for the thumb of the operator when the camera is shoulder mounted. Other
camera controls include white balance, shutter speed, viewfinder controls, focus and zoom controls. While
some of these may be located in different places, they are concentrated under the viewfinder on the left side of
the camcorder. In VTR mode, the tape transport is controlled by a separate panel of controls that duplicate
the controls found on any tape deck: PLAY, RECORD, FAST FORWARD, REWIND, and STOP/EJECT.
They are generally located on the top rear of the camera. All Media Loan camcorders record and play back in
SP speed only.
On Group 1 camcorders, switching between modes is accomplished by sliding a small door on top of
the camera, which is labelled VCR REC/PLAY and CAMERA/REC. This door reveals the tape transport
controls and allows their use. On Group 2 cameras, switching between modes is done using the round switch
on the left side of the camera. With the exception of the AG-187, this switch also has an 'Auto-Lock' position
which disables manual adjustment of most camera features, including focus.

The Viewfinder
The electronic viewfinder (EVF) allows you to see what the camera sees or what has been recorded
on tape. All EVF's have a Diopter Control that allows you to focus the viewfinder to your eye. This does not
affect camera focus. Group 1 EVF's have a SLIDING LEVER underneath the eyepiece. Group 2
viewfinders have a ROTATING RING. EVF's also have a brightness control that allows you to adjust the
brightness of the viewfinder image. VIEWFINDER CONTROLS DO NOT AFFECT THE IMAGE THAT
GOES ON TO THE TAPE!!
The viewfinder is also where the camera communicates with the operator. The viewfinder indicates
the various camera operating conditions you have selected. Colored lights, icons and abbreviations are
utilized, depending on the model of camcorder.

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REC: Indicates the camera is recording in all except the AG-160 which utilizes a glowing red LED
for record.
DEW: Indicates that the camera senses condensation or other moisture inside. The camera will not
operate until this condition is remedied. If you see this indicator, immediately disconnect the camera from any
power supply. A DEW condition can be caused by bringing a cold camcorder into a warm room, or from an
air conditioned car to the warm, humid outside air. You can protect the camcorder from these conditions by
storing it in a plastic bag and allowing the temperature to normalize for at least half an hour. DO NOT
attempt to dry a camera by placing it in front of a heater, hair dryer, or lamp. Such actions will only damage it.
TAPE: This indicates that the erasure prevention tab has been removed from the tape that is in the camera.
E---F: This is analogous to the fuel gauge in a car. The dashes disappear toward 'E' as the battery is
used. 'Battery' or 'batt'-begins to flash as the battery approaches empty. When both the 'Battery' and the "E"
indicator begin to flash, the battery only has seconds of life still left.
0000: The tape counter is a way to keep track of good takes, important dialogue, etc. This is not
recorded on tape and is a rough method of location at best.
PLAY, REW, FF, or DUB: Indicates which playback or dubbing function the camcorder is engaged in.
END: Indicates that the end of the tape is imminent. (170, 180, 450 only)
The AG-160 has an exposure indicator bar on the left edge of the EVF display. This bar moves up as
the light level increases and down as it decreases. The AG-160 also has an amber indicator LED on the right
top of the viewfinder that indicates that the WHITE BALANCE switch is not in 'Auto' mode.
AUTO HSS or 1/XXXX: On all cameras with the exception of the AG-160, indicates that the High
Speed shutter is active, and what speed it is currently set to. On the AG-160, the exposure indicator bar
moves to the lower left corner of the viewfinder.
None of the above indicators are recorded on tape.
Date and time: All camcorders allow a date and time stamp to be recorded on tape. If you see the date
and time in the viewfinder, it is being recorded on tape.

Recording
To record, first be sure the camcorder is powered up, turned on and in 'Camera' mode. Make
sure the lens cap is off. Frame the image, then push the red REC/PAUSE button at the rear of the right
hand grip. On some cameras there is a second button located on top of the grip for ease of use when
mounted on a tripod.
To stop recording, press the REC/PAUSE button a second time, putting the camera back in
Pause mode.

Advanced Operation
High Speed Shutter
All of our camcorders have a High-Speed Shutter function. Use this function if you intend to play
back in slow motion or use still frames on another machine. It can also be used to reduce blur of fast moving
objects or to reduce the amount of light in a scene, particularly bright outdoor light.
With the exception of the AG-160, changing the shutter speed is accomplished by pushing the HIGHSPEED SHUTTER button repeatedly. The new shutter speed will be displayed in the viewfinder.
The AG-160's HIGH SPEED SHUTTER switch has two positions: 'ON' or 'OFF'. An indicator bar
will flash in the lower left hand corner of the viewfinder to indicate that the HS shutter is on.
Some things to remember about High-Speed shutters: your subject must be brightly lit and playback
may seem overly sharp.
Earphone
The jack labelled EAR is for connection to an earphone. If stereo headphones are used, only one side
will work unless a stereo/mono adaptor is used. This is normal.
External Microphone
The jack labelled EXT on the right side of the camcorder, near the on-board mic is for connection to
an external microphone. This is a mini jack and may require adaptors.

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White Balance
With the exception of the AG-187, the camcorders have a white balance switch which allows you to
select for shooting 'Indoors' under incandescent or tungsten light or 'Outdoors' under natural light, or 'Auto'
which makes the choice for you. The 'Auto' setting will work under most conditions, and is the preferred
setting for shooting under fluorescent lights.

Focusing
All of our camcorders will allow for some variety of manual focusing. This requires setting a
FOCUS SWITCH from "Auto" to "Manual". Group 1 camcorders can then be manually focused by turning
the focus ring on the lens. DO NOT attempt to manually focus Group 1 camcorders while in auto focus
setting! Group 1 camcorders also have a SELECT button. When in AUTO mode, pressing this button
displays a box in the viewfinder that shows you how much of the scene the camera is focusing on. Pressing the button repeatedly allows you to switch between a broad focus area or a more selective area of focus.
Please note that this does NOT change the size of the shot, only the size of the area the camera focuses on.
Group 2 camcorders have a FOCUS WHEEL on the left side of the camera more or less above the
FOCUS SWITCH, just under the viewfinder. With the camera in manual focus mode, rotate this wheel to
focus the camera. This function is not available while the Camera/VTR/Auto-Lock switch is in "Auto-Lock".
Standard focus protocol with a zoom lens includes zooming in tight to your subject, setting focus,
then zooming back to frame your shot.

Tracking
When playing back tapes that have been recorded on other machines, it may be necessary to adjust
the tracking on the camcorder. On Group 1 camcorders the tracking is adjusted using the TRACKING
WHEEL or TRACKING BUTTONS which will be located on the top of the machine next to the tape transport buttons. On Group 2 camcorders tracking is set manually by using the SHIFT and SET buttons when
the camcorder is in VCR mode. Press the DISPLAY button to return to auto tracking.

Backlight
Most of our camcorders have a BACKLIGHT button, which is used when shooting a subject in front
of a strong light source, such as a window. The BACKLIGHT button causes the camera to overexpose the
image slightly, causing the dark portion (your subject) to be more properly exposed. The only exceptions are
the AG-450 and the AG-180 cameras, which use a MANUAL IRIS ADJUSTMENT.

Output to a Monitor or VCR

With the exception of the AG-187, all of our camcorders connect with the outside world via the
ADAPTOR CONNECTOR at the rear of the camera. From the ADAPTOR CONNECTOR, you can use
either the OUTPUT ADAPTOR, a small device with only A/V outputs on it, or the AC ADAPTOR, which
additionally supplies power to the camera. Using the supplied patch cord, simply connect the AUDIO and
VIDEO OUT on the adaptor of your choice to the AUDIO and VIDEO IN of the monitor or VCR.
The AG-187 camcorder does not use an adaptor, instead having A/V OUTPUTS directly on the
camera. Simply connect these outputs with the monitor or VCR using the method described above.
In the case of Group 1 camcorders, you have the additional option of using an RF cable of the sort the
cable company uses, to attach to televisions with no A/V inputs. In this case, connect the TV OUT of the AC
ADAPTOR to the ANTENNA or CABLE IN on the back of the television, using the supplied cable. You can
also attach your cable or antenna to the ANTENNA connector on the AC ADAPTOR and switch between the
camera or antenna signal using the TV/VCR selector on the front of the unit. There is also a CONV switch on
the rear of the device which allows you to select between channel 3 and 4.

Input Line Adaptor (Group 1 only)

Group 1 camcorders also use an accessory called a LINE ADAPTOR which plugs into the ADAPTOR
CONNECTOR at the rear of the camera and allows line level input from sources such as an external VCR.

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Group 1 (Large) Camcorder Types

Panasonic
AG-170
VHS
Left Side Controls
(AG-160 and 180
are similiar)

Panasonic
AG-170
Right Side Controls

Panasonic
AG-450
Main Controls (S-VHS)

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Group 2 (Small) Camcorder Types

Panasonic
AG-187U
Main Controls (VHS)
(AG-186 is similiar)

Panasonic
PV-S770-A
Omnivision
Main Controls (S-VHS)

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