Canon camcorder DC100 User Manual

							
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3
Introduction
EIn these safety instructions the word “product” 
refers to the Canon DVD Camcorder DC100 
A and all its accessories.
1. Read Instructions — All the safety and operating instructions should be read 
before the product is operated.
2. Retain Instructions — The safety and  operating instructions should be retained 
for future reference.
3. Heed Warnings — All warnings on the  product and in the operating instructions 
should be adhered to.
4. Follow Instructions — All operating and  maintenance instructions should be 
followed.
5. Cleaning — Unplug this product from the  wall outlet before cleaning. Do not use 
liquid or aerosol cleaners. The product 
should be cleaned only as recommended 
in this manual.
6. Accessories — Do not use accessories  not  recommended in this manual as they 
may be hazardous.
7. Avoid magnetic or electric fields — Do not  use the camera close to TV transmitters, 
portable communication devices or other 
sources of electric or magnetic radiation. 
They may cause picture interference, or 
permanently damage the camera.
8. Water and Moisture — Hazard of electric  shock — Do not use this product near 
water or in rainy/moist situations.
9. Placing or Moving — Do not place on an  unstable cart, stand, tripod, bracket or 
table. The  product may fall, causing 
serious injury to a child or adult, and 
serious damage to the 
product.
A product and cart 
combination should be 
moved with care. Quick 
stops, excessive force, 
and uneven surfaces may 
cause the product and 
cart combination  to overturn. 10. Power Sources — The CA-570 Compact 
Power Adapter should be operated only 
from the type of power source indicated 
on the marking label. If you are not sure of 
the type of power supply to your home, 
consult your product dealer or local power 
company. Regarding other power sources 
such as battery power, refer to instructions 
in this manual.
11. Polarization — The CA-570 Compact  Power Adapter is equipped with a 
polarized 2-prong plug (a plug having one 
blade wider than the other).
The 2-prong polarized plug will fit into the 
power outlet only one way. This is a safety 
feature. If you are unable to insert the plug 
fully into the outlet, try reversing the plug. 
If the plug still fails to fit, contact your 
electrician to replace your obsolete outlet. 
Do not defeat the safety purpose of the 
polarized plug.
12. Power Cord Protection — Power cords  should be routed so that they are not likely 
to be walked on or pinched by items 
placed upon or against them. Pay 
particular attention to plugs and the point 
from which the cords exit the product.
13. Outdoor Antenna Grounding — If an  outside antenna is connected to the 
product, be sure the antenna is grounded 
so as to provide some protection against 
voltage surges and built-up static charges. 
Section 810 of the National Electrical 
Code, ANSI / NFPA No. 70—1984, 
provides information with respect to 
proper grounding of the mast and 
supporting structure, grounding of the 
lead-in wire to an antenna discharge unit, 
size of grounding conductors, location of 
antenna discharge unit, connection to 
grounding electrodes, and requirements 
for the grounding electrode. See figure 1.
IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS  
						

							
4
14.Lightning — For added protection of this product during a lightning storm, or when it 
is left unattended and unused for long 
periods of time, disconnect it from the wall 
outlet and disconnect the antenna. This 
will prevent damage to the product due to 
lightning and power-line surges.
15.Overloading — Do not overload wall  outlets and extension cords as this can 
result in a risk of fire or electric shock.
16.Objects and Liquid Entry — Never push  objects of any kind into this product 
through openings as they may touch 
dangerous voltage points or short out parts 
that could result in a fire or electric shock. 
Be careful not to spill liquid of any kind 
onto the product.
17.Servicing — Do not attempt to service this  product yourself as opening or removing 
covers may expose you to dangerous 
voltage or other hazards. Refer all 
servicing to qualified service personnel. 18.Damage Requiring Service — Disconnect 
this product from the wall outlet and all 
power sources including battery, and refer 
servicing to qualified service personnel 
under the following conditions:
a. When the power-supply cord or plug is 
damaged.
b. If any liquid has been spilled onto, or 
objects have fallen into, the product.
c. If the product has been exposed to rain  or water.
d. If the product does not operate 
normally even if you follow the 
operating instructions. Adjust only 
those controls that are covered by the 
operation instructions. Improper 
adjustment of other controls may result 
in damage and will often require 
extensive work by a qualified technician 
to restore the product to its normal 
operation.
e. If the product has been dropped or the  cabinet has been damaged.
f. When the product exhibits a distinct 
change in performance. This indicates 
a need for service.
19.Replacement Parts — When replacement  parts are required, be sure the service 
technician has used replacement parts 
that are specified by Canon or that have 
the same characteristics as the original 
part. Unauthorized substitutions may result 
in fire, electric shock or other hazards.
20.Safety Check — Upon completion of any  service or repairs to this product, ask the 
service technician to perform safety 
checks to determine that the product is in 
safe operating order.
EXAMPLE OF ANTENNA GROUNDING AS 
PER NATIONAL ELECTRICAL CODE
ANTENNA 
LEAD IN 
WIRE
ANTENNA DISCHARGE 
UNIT (NEC SECTION 810-20)
GROUNDING
CONDUCTORS 
(NEC SECTION 810-21)
GROUND CLAMPS
POWER SERVICE GROUNDING 
ELECTRODE SYSTEM 
(NEC ART 250. PART H)
NEC - NATIONAL 
ELECTRICAL CODE
ELECTRIC 
SERVICE 
EQUIPMENT
GROUND
CLAMPFig. 1
When replacement of the power supply is required, please return it to the responsible 
nearest Canon Service Center and please replace it with the same type number CA-
570.
The Adapter can be used with a power supply between 100 and 240 V AC. For areas 
where 120 V AC power is not used, you will need a special plug adapter. Contact your 
nearest Canon Service Center for further information.
This Class B digital apparatus complies with Canadian ICES-003.  
						

							
5
The Advantages of DVDs
RECORDING
With a DVD you just press the recording start/
stop button and the camcorder will find the empty 
space on the disc ( 24). Don’t waste time fast 
forwarding and rewinding a tape to find from 
where to start a new recording.
Never worry about mistakenly 
recording over a precious memory!
PLAYING
Just select a scene from the index 
screen!
Just insert your finalized* disc into a DVD player 
and immediately find the scene you want to play 
back from the index ( 28). No need to play the 
whole thing or run the tape forward and back to 
find that scene you want.
* Finalization is a process required to make the DVD discs you recorded playable on common DVD players ( 61).  
						

							
6
An Introduction to DVDs
You have probably heard of DVD discs and they come in various types and in two sizes - 
the more common 12 cm DVDs and 8 cm Mini DVDs. This camcorder uses commercially 
available 8 cm DVD-R or DVD-RW discs.
So... what disc to choose?
DVD-RDVD-RW
Can be recorded only once. 
You cannot edit or delete the 
recordings.
You can record on it many times.
You can delete scenes or initialize the disc and start recording again.
Now that I have the 
disc... What disc 
standard do I choose 
to initialize it?
VR* mode
VIDEO mode
Once finalized, a disc recorded 
in VIDEO mode will play in most 
common DVD players. However, 
you cannot edit the recordings. You can easily edit the 
recordings. However, the disc 
can only be played back with 
DVD players compatible with  DVD-RW discs in VR mode.
* Video Recording  
						

							
7
Differences in Available 
Features Depending on the Disc
The camcorder’s features and functions available will differ depending on the type of disc 
you use and the disc specification selected when initializing it.
* You will need to unfinalize the disc first.
Disc Type/SpecificationDVD-R DVD-RW
Feature VIDEO mode VIDEO mode VR mode
Editing scenes with this camcorder 
(deleting scenes, editing the Playlist)––54
Deleting a scene or still image 
immediately after recording it
–55
59
Initializing the disc in order to use it 
again for recording–57
Giving a title to the disc 58
Finalizing the disc in order to play it 
with a DVD player61
Adding recordings to a disc already 
finalized
–* 63
Converting still images into 
Photomovie scenes60
•
Recommended Discs:  This camcorder’s performance was tested using Hitachi-
Maxell HG-series DVD discs. For use of other DVD media, contact directly the 
manufacturer’s customer support center.
• Attempting to record or play with this camcorder DVD discs that were recorded,  initialized or finalized with other digital devices can result in lost data.
• You need to initialize newly bought DVD-RW discs with this camcorder before using  them for the first time.  
						

							
8
Table of contents
Introduction
The Advantages of DVDs ................................................................................5
An Introduction to DVDs ..................................................................................6
Differences in Available Features Depending on the Disc...............................7
About this Manual ..........................................................................................10
Checking the Supplied Accessories ..............................................................12
Components Guide........................................................................................13
Screen Displays.............................................................................................15
Preparations
Getting Started...............................................................................................17Step 1: Preparing the Power Supply ......................................................17
Step 2: Preparing the Camcorder ..........................................................19
Step 3: Adjusting the LCD Screen .........................................................19
Step 4: Changing the Display Language ...............................................20
Step 5: Setting the Time Zone / Daylight Saving Time...........................20
Step 6: Setting the Date and Time .........................................................21
Step 7: Loading and Removing a Disc...................................................22
Basic Functions
RecordingRecording Movies ..........................................................................................24
Selecting the Aspect Ratio of your Recordings (16:9 Widescreen or 4:3).....25
Recording Still Images ...................................................................................26
Zooming.........................................................................................................27
Playback Playing Back Movies .....................................................................................28
Adjusting the Volume .....................................................................................29
Viewing Still Images.......................................................................................30
Magnifying the Image ....................................................................................31
Selecting the Recording Data Display ...........................................................32
Advanced Functions
Options Lists – MENU / FUNC. .....................................................................33 MENU Options .......................................................................................33Camera Setup (Digital Zoom, Image Stabilizer, etc.) ..........................33
Still Image Operations (Erase All Images)...........................................34
Disc Operations (Photomovie, Finalize, etc.) ......................................34
Display Setup (LCD Brightness, Language, etc.) ................................35
System Setup (Volume, Beep, etc.) ....................................................36
Date/Time Setup .................................................................................37
FUNC. Menu Options.............................................................................37
Recording Programs Using the Recording Programs .....................................................................39
Selecting the Recording Program..................................................................40Using the Program AE Mode .....................................................................40Using the Shutter-Priority AE Mode .........................................................41Using the Aperture-Priority AE Mode .......................................................42
More Recording Options Manually Adjusting the Exposure ..................................................................43
Changing the Metering Method .....................................................................43  
						

							
9
Introduction
E
Manually Adjusting the Focus........................................................................44
Changing the Autofocus Mode ......................................................................45
Using the Self Timer ......................................................................................46
Setting the White Balance .............................................................................47
Applying Image Enhancing Effects ................................................................49
Using the Digital Effects.................................................................................50
Selecting the Size and Quality of Still Images ...............................................53
Editing Functions
Editing the Scenes (DVD-RW in VR mode only)Adding Scenes to the Playlist ........................................................................54
Moving Scenes in the Playlist ........................................................................54
Deleting Scenes ............................................................................................55
Dividing a Scene............................................................................................56
Disc Options Protecting the Disc ........................................................................................57
Initializing the Disc .........................................................................................57
Changing the Disc Title .................................................................................58
Still Image Options Erasing Still Images .......................................................................................59
Converting Still Images into Photomovie Scenes ..........................................60
Disc Finalization
Preparing your Disc for Playing on a DVD Player – [FINALIZE] ...................61
Playing Back your Disc on a DVD Player or a Computer’s DVD Drive .........62
Recording Additional Movies on a Finalized Disc – [UNFINALIZE]...............63
External Connections
Connecting to a TV and VCRPlaying Back on a TV Screen ........................................................................64
Recording to a VCR.......................................................................................65
Trouble?
Troubleshooting .............................................................................................66
List of Messages............................................................................................69
Do’s & Don’ts
Handling Precautions ....................................................................................71
Maintenance/Others ......................................................................................73
Additional Information
System Diagram ............................................................................................75
Optional Accessories .....................................................................................76
Product Codes ...............................................................................................77
Specifications.................................................................................................78
Index ..............................................................................................................80  
						

							
10
About this Manual
Thank you for purchasing the Canon DC100. Please read this manual carefully before 
you use the camcorder and retain it for future reference. Should your camcorder fail to 
operate correctly, refer to the Troubleshooting table ( 66).
Conventions Used in the Manual
: Precautions related to the camcorder operation.
 : Additional topics that complement the basic operating procedures.
 : Reference page number.
 Buttons and switches other than the multi selector’s   are indicated as   (for 
example ).
  [ ] are used to refer to menu items displayed on the screen. Menu options in boldface 
indicate a default setting (for example  [ON], [OFF]).
 “Screen” refers to the LCD and the viewfinder screen.
 The photos included in the manual are simulated pictures taken with a still camera.
About the Multi Selector
Use the multi selector to select options in a menu and change 
settings.
Push the multi selector up, down, left or right ( / / / ) to 
select an item. In most places, press the multi selector itself ( ) 
to make a selection or change a setting.
Selecting an Option - MENU/FUNC.                                                       
Many of the camcorder’s functions can be adjusted from the menus that open after 
pressing the MENU button ( ) and the FUNC. button ( ). 
For details about the available menu options and settings, refer to  Options Lists - MENU/
FUNC . ( 33).
Selecting MENU options
1. Press .
2. Select ( ) the desired menu from the 
left side column and press ( ).
The title of the selected menu appears on top of 
the screen and under it the list of settings.
***MEN U
Buttons and switches to be operated
Menu item shown at its default position
MEN UFUN C.
M EN U