Canon A-1 Manuel utilisateur

The Canon XH A1 HD camcorder 1

Quick Guide

The Canon XH A1 Camcorder – Basic Operations

CHARGING THE BATTERY

1.attach plug to charger, plug it into the wall, arrow on battery indicates which

end to put into charger first.

while chugging: one flash = no charge, two flashes = 50% charge, three flashes =

75% charged, light stays on = 100% charged

2. push button under viewfinder and battery door opens, pops open battery case

push battery in with arrow pointing to camera, until it clicks, close battery door

and it's in place

3. to get battery out: open door again, button on left side releases the battery.

4. Plug into the wall -use the charger - hook up plug, and plug connector to

charger. Then open up battery case, and same as with battery, insert the

charger/a/c into the battery case until it clicks.

Close the battery case and run the cord outside the door of the case.

Release in the same manner as with a battery

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OPERATING MODES

XH A1 modes range from fully automatic to completely manual

Using manual gives you complete control over the camera

Operating modes are selected by holding down grey button on side of camera as

you turn the large round dial (on left side of camera)

On right side of camera - standby and lock settings

Keep in lock mode - turns camera off but saves all settings.

Switch to standby - the camera turns on

Switch back to lock mode when your finished shooting particular scene, e.g, and

your settings are saved for the next time you turn on the camers

EASY RECORDING MODE

Easy recording - green box on dial

Camera controls focus, shutter speed, aperture, gain, white balance and AE shift

(auto exposure, determining amt. of light entering the lens).

Automatically varies the exposure while you shoot.

Completely automatic - remember that the camera will re-focus based on what it

thinks you are shooting - what it determines is the main subject in the frame. the

manual functions will not operate

The Canon XH A1 HD camcorder 2

Quick Guide

AUTO MODE

Auto mode - 'A' on the control dial

Just like easy recording, but you can change the variables.

It will be in easy recording mode by default, but the manual functions will also

operate.

SHUTTER PRIORITYMODE

Shutter Priority mode – Tv setting on the dial

Everything is automatic except the shutter speed. The shutter speed is controlled

by using a dial on the left hand side of the camera near the front, beside the EXP.

LOCK button.

Video shutter speed is different from film shutter speed - video cameras don't

have a shutter! But the result is the same when you change the settings.

In video, shutter speed refers to the speed of the electronic charge, i.e. how long

the camera chip codes an image in electrical current before it records it. The

shutter speed does not affect frame rate.

Higher shutter speeds enable a fast-moving subject to remain sharp.

Higher shutter speeds require more light, so the iris must be opened up to let in

more light

At lower speeds, a fast-moving subject may tend to blur.

The normal shutter speed for video is 1/60 (one sixtieth of a second), or the time

it takes to scan one field of video.

When you change the shutter speed in SHUTTER PRIORITY mode, the camera

adjusts the aperture opening to provide a correct exposure based on your shutter

speed.

CS is the Clear Scan setting, allowing you to shoot a computer screen without

getting scan lines in your image

APERTURE PRIORITY MODE

Aperture priority mode – Av setting on the dial

Camera controls everything except the aperture, i.e. the amount of light you let in.

Iris opening - the first ring on the lens (narrow ring closest to the camera body).

Up and down = more or less light.

Control of aperture gives you the most control over depth of field: narrow or wide

(large)

Depth of field refers to the range of distances from the camera at which sharp

focus can be obtained.

The smaller the aperture opening, the greater the depth of field. This means you

need more light on your subject, so the camera adjusts the aperture accordingly.

In low-light situations, where the iris is open wide, depth of field is significantly

reduced and the focal range is narrow

If you want to reduce DOF, you can close down the aperture or add a neutral

density filter.

The Canon XH A1 HD camcorder 3

Quick Guide

The camera adjusts the shutter speed automatically to provide a correct

exposure based on your aperture setting.

SPOTLIGHT MODE

Spotlight mode - Icon is triangle with a figure in it

Good for shooting someone in a spotlight. Camera manually adjusts exposure

based on the brightest object or spot in the image rather than exposing for the

entire scene. Dark areas around a highly lit area will not alter the exposure.

NIGHT MODE

Night mode - Moon icon

Camera uses automatic settings adjusted for a very low light situation, such as

nighttime. Automatically adjusts to lower shutter speeds, which will sometimes

give you a trailing afterimage. Picture quality is not as good. White points may

occur on the screen, and auto focus will have difficulty as camera attempts to find

a subject that is well-lit enough for auto focus to function properly.

This is not a Night Vision mode, i.e. your image will not record with a green hue.

MANUAL MODE

Manual mode -M

You set the exposure and shutter sped yourself and have complete control over

your picture. You can control both the iris (amt. of light you let into the camera)

and the shutter speed, as well as the focus. You also have the choice to use

autofocus if needed.

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THE MENU

The menu button is on the bottom corner, left side of the camcorder and is

navigated using the menu wheel on the back of the camcorder. Select a menu

item by sliding the wheel until that item is highlighted and confirm your selection

by pushing the wheel in, i.e. the wheel is also a button.

Use the navigation wheel to go into different menu settings.

To get out of the menu, hit the menu button again.

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The Canon XH A1 HD camcorder 4

Quick Guide

THE VIEWFINDER

To adjust the viewfinder focus, lift up the viewfinder and use the button

underneath to make adjustments. This affects only the viewfinder and does not

affect the camcorder focus on your subject.

Be careful to not let direct sunlight into the viewfinder since it could damage the

viewfinder's screen.

Viewfinder settings

Go into menu > display setup > CVF is the viewfinder

Options are for brightness, contrast, color, sharpness, & backlight -- Suggest to

leave at default settings so you can see what your camera is recording

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LCD SCREEN

To lift up the LCD screen use the release button on top of the camcorder, move

LCD screen over (it's under the handle), and it swings out and up.

It's higher than on other camcorders.

Ir can swing it all the way around and adjust the angle based on your own height

LCD menu - adjust LCD setup. Suggest adjust sharpness higher than default

setting to assist with focus

When the LCD is at an angle, the image on the LCD tends to look brighter, so

don't set your picture based on that

CVF + LCD ON - turns both viewfinder and LCD on at the same time, otherwise

when using the LCD, the viewfinder is disabled

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ZOOM OPTIONS

Rocker button indicates T for telephoto, and W for wide angle

The rocker button has a variable zoom, so how hard you press the button

determines the zoom speed.

Zoom ring on the lens is the middle ring. Use this to zoom manually. More

professional than automatic variable zoom.

It is technically a servo zoom rather than manual, but it gives you the option to

control the servo mechanism manually

Constant zoom is available using the rocker zoom button

You can set the zoom speed to a constant speed regardless of how hard you

press the rocker button

The Canon XH A1 HD camcorder 5

Quick Guide

Zoom (continued):

Go to the switch at the front of the camcorder near the rocker button:

var = variable

c = constant

Zoom speed shows up on the zoom bar on the LCD screen

higher number = higher speed

The zoom ring, on the lens, is always variable and cannot be set to constant

speed

There is an additional smaller zoom button on the handle, and this is always a

constant zoom

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FOCUS OPTIONS

Programmed modes are turned on in EASY and AUTO operating modes.

If auto focus is on, the camera will always be trying to find the focus on its own,

and sometimes it doesn't know what to focus on, so the camera will continually

try to focus. XH A1 has good auto focus in that it focuses very quickly.

The Focus switch is on side of camera - A = auto, F = manual

Manual focus gives you more control over the picture

In manual focus, you can go into a quick auto focus mode by pushing the AF

button. This will give you a quick auto focus but keeps you in the manual mode.

Auto focus will stop when you release the AF button.

The last ring on the lens is your manual focus ring

Tricks to use - Magnify button allows you to digitally zoom (without changing your

zoom settings) so that you can see a close-up of your subject, enabling you to

more easily set manual focus.

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THE ND FILTER – Neutral Density Filter

Daylight shooting in manual mode

ND filter - neutral density filter should be switched on in daylight

1/6 = shady scene

1/32 = direct sunlight

Then go to the iris ring and adjust it according to lighting conditions

Set shutter speed a little higher if you are using the ND filter

An ND filter used outdoors results in a crisper image

The Canon XH A1 HD camcorder 6

Quick Guide

ND filter continued:

Low light settings in manual mode:

Turn off the ND filter off

If you are shooting at nighttime, or indoors with available light (lamps, shooting

near windows etc. without additional lighting equipment), lower the shutter speed

- bring the number down to let more light into the picture

If using a shutter speed lower than 24, you may get afterimage trails

Open up the iris using the iris ring to let in more light

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GAIN CONTROL

As a last resort in low-light situations, use the Gain switch.

AGC (automatic gain control)

Turn off the AGC or the gain will be fluctuating all the time,

and set the gain manually.

Manual gain control is indicated by L-M-H settings

Use your viewfinder to judge the amount of gain control acceptable

Gain control allows you to digitally lighten the picture, rather than adjusting the

camera settings. You will get digital artifacting such as pixellation and graininess

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WHITE BALANCE

You tell the camera what ʻwhiteʼis in your shooting/lighting situation so it can

accurately represent color. In video, the white wavelength contains all the colors,

so when you white balance your camera, your are also setting all the colors

correctly based on your shooting situation, or on the desired effect

Two types of light:

daylight - more blue

tungsten - more yellow

The White Balance control is below the power dial

PRE = presets, used for outdoor lighting

presets are located the LCD screen – Sun icon for shooting outside, Lightbulb

icon for indoor lighting

How to white balance - setting a true white balance:

Set switch to A or B, either is ok. Having A and B options allows you to set for 2

lighting situations and white balance ahead of time

Set to A, have your subject hold a white piece of paper, and hit the WB button,

The WB icon will flash on your screen, and once it stops flashing, the camcorder

is white balanced for that particular shooting session

The Canon XH A1 HD camcorder 7

Quick Guide

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AUDIO BASICS

You have audio recording options using the on-board microphone:

Audio level button - A = automatic, M= manual

A - means the camcorder automatically adjusts the audio record levels

M - means that the channels of audio are controlled by the Ch1 and Ch2 record

levels

You can see the levels in the small viewer inside the larger dial, watching your

levels as you record, or if you are in pause

If you switch to Manual, then it is best to find the loudest sound youʼll be

recording and set your Ch1 and Ch2 levels to that sound

When you connect an external microphone to the camcorder, it will over-ride the

on-board mic.

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READING THE LCD & VIEWFINDER DISPLAYS

On LCD and Viewfinder - same icons and settings

Top left - in Manual mode, there appears a bar at the top of the display that

indicates exposure settings

In Auto mode, this bar disappears since the camera will set your exposure

automatically

The operating mode indicator is under the exposure setting – same letters and

icons as on the selection wheel

Below the operating mode icon is the shutter speed

Below the shutter speed is the F-stop setting, controlled by the iris ring

To the right, the + or – sign indicates gain control. No gain control in use = 0

HDV - video setting, and beside that, fps setting, eg 24F (frames per second)

Timecode on your tape is indicated below that

Beside the timecode, R for recordd

Hand icon shows image stabilization is on

Tape icon

Battery icon

Audio levels, bottom right

To the left the white balance preset is indicated (sun, eg)

CP 1 indicates custom preset

I.AF indicates image auto focus, which can be changed to MF, or manual focus

on the LCD –DISP button - hit it once to get rid of some of the display, hit it again

to get rid of all the display, hit it again to turn all on again

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The Canon XH A1 HD camcorder 8

Quick Guide

TAPE INSERTION

Use miniDV tape or HD tape

buy good quality tape

avoid cheap tape; avoid tape lengths longer than 60:00

HD miniDV tape is available - it is thicker than miniDV and it has twice the

recording layers, but HD can be recorded on regular miniDV tape

Insert tape: next to variable zoom rocker button

open/eject - slide the button, tape insert will pop out,

gently insert and gently close and WAIT for tape to go down into tape drive.

_____________________

HD OR SD RECORDING

How to set camcorder for HD or SD recording

Setting signal standard:

HD is 1080i

SD is 480i

Hit menu button > signal setup > signal standard > HD, SD 16:9, or SD 4:d

Frame rate -60i - 60 frames interlaced - basic video

30F is 30 frames progressive

24F is 24 frames progressive; film look but does not create smooth pans

___________________

RECORDING

Hit the record button on the right side of the camera

LCD shows R icon and timecode is running

Hit record again and you will be in record/pause mode. Hit record again to go

back into record mode

Button on the left side below the Magnify button - rewinds the tape for a few

seconds to show you the very last thing recorded.

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VIDEO PLAYBACK

Lock the camcorder (record/lock)

Use the power wheel on the left side to VCR/play mode

Playback controls are on the handle hidden behind a flip door

Use controls on the handle to play the video

Below the LCD screen - where screen folds in - press End search function

button and it will automatically find the end of the tape and play back the last few

seconds and stop at the end of the last scene. helps you get back to the end if

you've been looking at what you've shot

The Canon XH A1 HD camcorder 9

Quick Guide

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CONNECTING CAMCORDER to TV or computer

Standard RCA to mini cable: yellow, red and white cable plays SD only

If you want to see true HD use the component cable - each cable handles video

colors separately, red, blue and green

Use a firewire cable to connect to a computer

Connectors are plugged in next to battery door - HDV/DV is the firewire

connection going out to computer

Yellow RCA connector goes out to tv

Below the RCA connector is the component cable connector that goes out to HD

_____________

ONBOARD MIC

The onboard mic is an omni-directional mic that records by default in stereo

Picks up not only sounds that you want, but camera sounds, tripod sounds,

handling sounds, etc as well

Use headphones to monitor your levels - so you can hear what the mic is

recording. Get over-the-ear headphones, not earbuds

Connect headphones - open panel next to battery case and plug in mini

connector into jack where headphone icon is

Open up LCD screen and scroll wheel will act as headphone volume contol.

Set headphones as high as is comfortable so you can hear what is recording

onto tape.

SD options

menu > scroll to audio setup

DV audio - 16 bit/48kHz and 12 bit/32kH. 16 bit is a better quality sound

If you switch to HD audio recording, your setup will always be 16 bit/48kHz

3 record modes using onboard mic: normal, voice, windscreen

Menu > audio setup > mic mode

Normal - is the default setting - for recording background noise, mixed voices, or

if you're not sure what's going to happen

Voice setting - is to pick up voices over background noise. The mic tries to get rid

of background noise

WS, or wind screen - reduces background noise esp sound of wind when

recording outdoors under windy conditions

Set mic sensitivity:

The Canon XH A1 HD camcorder

Quick Guide

Menu > audio setup > mic sensitivity > Normal or High

Normal setting is for typical conditions

High setting records at +6 decibels. Don't use unless you have to. Best to set

levels higher by using the record level dials on the camcorder.

Audio Auto Levels

Auto levels vs. Manual levels

Look at levels on the Power Dial and also on the LCD screen or viewfinder

Audio levels to A for auto or M for manual

Set to A and camcorder will adjust mic levels based on audio being recorded

Set Audio levels manually

Recommended to get best audio

Audio levels at side of camera. Set to M for manual settings and use the dials

above to set your audio record levels

Set levels to a little bit above -12db. - 6db is a good audio record setting. Digital

audio will distort above 0db.

Set levels according to proper levels for the loudest thing you are recording

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EXTERNAL MICS

Lavalier mic – a clip-on mic for interview situations

Shotgun -uni-directional and picks up what is directly in front of it, good for field

recording

Cardiod - also uni-directional but picks up some of what is to the side of the mic,

good for voices, field recordings

Omni -omni-directional picks up in a 360 pick-up pattern

Dynamic mic - for recording bands and instruments

Hooking up an external mic to the mic terminal

1/8" mini plugged into mic terminal on the handle, under the mic holder. Uses

only a mini plug

If connecting external mic using a mini connector, you will need a battery-

powered mic

Turn on the mic

Record levels appear in the LCD viewfinder and on the display on the Power

wheel

Using XLR inputs rather than 1/8" mic terminal

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