Canon Hv20 A Manual

							
 Getting Started
Preparations
21
IMPORTANT

  Make sure to initialize all memory cards 
before using them with this camcorder for the 
first time ( 65).

  Memory cards have front and back sides that 
are not interchangeable. Inserting a memory 
card facing the wrong direction can cause a 
malfunction of the camcorder.
NOTES
Proper operation cannot be guaranteed for all 
miniSD cards.
Preparing the Camcorder
1Turn on the camcorder. The lens cover will open automatically.
2Adjust the viewfinder.
Keep the LCD panel closed to use the 
viewfinder and adjust the dioptric 
adjustment lever as necessary.
3Fasten the grip belt.Adjust the grip belt so that you can 
reach the zoom lever with your index 
finger, and the START/STOP button 
with your thumb.
The Wireless Controller
Inserting the Batter y 
(Lithium Button Batter y CR2025)
1Press the tab in the direction of the 
arrow and pull out the battery 
holder.
2Place the lithium button battery with 
the + side facing up.
3Insert the battery holder.
Using the Wireless Controller
Point the controller at the camcorder’s 
remote sensor when you press the 
buttons.
NOTES

  The wireless controller may not work properly 
when the remote sensor is situated under 
strong light sources or direct sunlight.

  If the wireless controller does not work, check 
that [WL.REMOTE] is not set to [OFF  ] 
( 44). Otherwise, replace the battery.
Ta b  
						

							
Getting Started 22
Adjusting the LCD Screen
Rotating the LCD Panel
Open the LCD panel 90 degrees.
You can rotate the panel 90 degrees 
downward.
You can rotate the panel 180 degrees 
toward the lens (allowing the subject to 
monitor the LCD screen while you use the 
viewfinder). Rotating the panel 180 
degrees is also useful if you wish to 
include yourself when recording with the 
self timer.
LCD Backlight
You can set the brightness of the LCD 
screen to normal or bright.
Hold   pressed down for more 
than 2 seconds.
Repeat this action to toggle between the 
normal and bright settings. 
NOTES

  This setting does not affect the brightness of 
the recording or the viewfinder screen.

  Using the bright setting will shorten the 
effective usage time of the battery pack.

  You can also adjust the brightness of the LCD 
from the menu ( 43).
180°
90°
Subject can monitor 
the LCD screen
DISP.  
						

							
 Using the Menus
Preparations
23
Using the Menus
Many of the camcorder’s functions can be 
adjusted from the menus that open after 
pressing the FUNC. button ( ). 
For details about the available menu 
options and settings, refer to Menu 
Options Lists  (35).
Selecting an Option from the FUNC. 
Menu
1Press .
2Select ( ) the icon of the function 
you want change from the left side 
column.
3Select ( ) the desired setting 
from the available options at the 
bottom bar.
The selected option will be highlighted 
in light blue. Menu items not available 
will appear grayed out.
4Press   to save the settings 
and close the menu.
• You can press   to close the 
menu at any time.
• With some settings you will need to 
press ( ) and make further 
selections. Follow the additional 
operation guides that will appear on  the screen (such as the   icon, 
small arrows, etc.).
Selecting an Option from the Setup 
Menus
1Press .
2Select ( ) the   icon and press 
( ) to open the setup menus. 
You can also hold   pressed 
down for more than 1 second to open 
directly the setup menus screen.
3Select ( ) 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.
4Select ( ) the setting you want to 
change and press ( ). 
• An orange frame will indicate the 
menu item currently selected. Menu 
items not available will appear grayed 
out.
• To return to the menu selection 
screen, select ( ) [ RETURN] and 
press ( ).
5Select ( ) the desired option and 
press ( ) to save the setting.
6Press .You can press   to close the 
menu at any time.
Using the Menus
FUNC.
FUNC.
FUNC.
FUNC.
FUNC.
FUNC.
FUNC.FUNC.  
						

							
First Time Settings 24
First Time Settings
Changing the Language
Options
 Default value
1Press .
2Select ( ) the   icon and press 
( ) to open the setup menus. 
3Select ( ) [DISPLAY SETUP/ ] 
and press ( ).
4Select ( ) [LANGUAGE] and press 
().
5Select ( ,  ) the desired option 
and press ( ).
6Press   to close the menu.
NOTES

  If you changed the language by mistake, 
follow the   mark next to the menu item to 
change the setting.

  The displays and   that appear in 
some menu screens refer to the name of 
buttons on the camcorder and will not change, 
regardless of the language selected.
Changing the Time Zone Default value
1Press .
2Select ( ) the   icon and press 
( ) to open the setup menus. 
3Select ( ) [DATE/TIME SETUP] 
and press ( ).
4Select ( ) [T.ZONE/DST] and 
press ( ). The time zone setting appears. The 
default setting is New York.
5Select ( ) your time zone and 
press ( ).To adjust for daylight saving time, 
select the time zone with the   mark 
next to the area.
6Press   to close the menu. 
Time Zones
Once you have set the time zone, date 
and time, you do not need to reset the 
clock every time you travel to another 
time zone. Select the time zone referring 
to the date and time displayed on the 
screen.
First Time Settings
DISPLAY SETUP/
LANGUAGE 
ENGLISH
FUNC.( 23)
FUNC.
FUNC.
DATE/TIME SETUP
T. Z O N E / D S T
NEW YORK
FUNC.( 23)
FUNC.
FUNC.  
						

							
 First Time Settings
Preparations
25
Setting the Date and Time
1Press .
2Select ( ) the   icon and press 
( ) to open the setup menus. 
3Select ( ) [DATE/TIME SETUP] 
and press ( ).
4Select ( ) [DATE/TIME] and press 
().The first field of the date will be 
indicated with blinking up/down 
arrows. 
5Change ( ) each field of the date 
and time and move ( ) to the next 
field.
6Press ( ) to start the clock.
7Press   to close the menu.
IMPORTANT

  If you do not use the camcorder for about 3 
months, the built-in rechargeable lithium battery 
may discharge completely and the date and 
time setting may be lost. In such case, recharge 
the built-in lithium battery ( 93) and set the 
time zone, date and time again.

  You can also change the date format ( 44).
DATE/TIME SETUP
DATE/TIME  
JAN. 1, 2007 12:00 AM
FUNC.( 23)
FUNC.
FUNC.  
						

							
Recording 26
Basic Functions
Recording
Recording Movies
1Holding the lock button pressed 
down, set the   switch to 
CAMERA.
2Move the / switch to   
(tape). If necessary, you can change the 
recording standard (HDV or DV) 
( 38).
3Press   to begin 
recording.Press   again to pause the 
recording.
TO REVIEW THE LAST SCENE RECORDED
1Set the mode switch to  .
2If the joystick guide does not appear 
on screen, press ( ) to display it.
3Push the joystick ( ) toward  . 
• If   does not appear on the joystick 
guide, repeatedly push the joystick 
( ) toward [NEXT] to display the 
joystick guide in the illustration above.
• The camcorder will play back a few 
seconds of the last recording made 
and return to record pause mode. If the 
currently selected recording standard 
is different from that of the last 
recording, the picture may not be 
played back correctly.
WHEN YOU HAVE FINISHED RECORDING
1Close the LCD panel.
2Turn off the camcorder.
3Remove the tape.
4Disconnect the power source and 
remove the battery pack.
NOTES

  Previous recordings overwritten by a new 
recording cannot be recovered. Before you start 
recording, search for the end of the last 
recording ( 32).

  To protect the tape and video heads, the 
camcorder will enter the stop mode ( ) if left in 
record pause ( ) mode for 4 minutes 30 
seconds. To resume recording press  .

  When recording in very loud places (such as 
fireworks shows or concerts), sound may 
Recording
Before You Begin RecordingMake a test recording first to check if the 
camcorder operates correctly. If 
necessary, clean the video heads ( 94).
(10)
START/STOP
START/STOP
START/STOP  
						

							
 Recording
Basic Functions
27
become distorted or it may not be recorded at 
the actual levels. This is not a malfunction.

 
About the Power Save mode: To save power 
when the camcorder is powered by a battery 
pack, the camcorder will automatically shut off if 
left without any operations for 5 minutes 
( 44). To restore the power, turn the 
camcorder off and then on again.

 
About the LCD and viewfinder screen: The 
screens are produced using extremely high-
precision manufacturing techniques, with more 
than 99.99% of the pixels operating to 
specification. Less than 0.01% of the pixels 
may occasionally misfire or appear as black, 
red, blue or green dots. This has no effect on 
the recorded image and does not constitute a 
malfunction.

 
When using a tripod: Do not 
leave the viewfinder exposed to 
direct sunlight as it may melt 
(due to concentration of the light 
by the lens). Do not use tripods 
with fastening screws longer 
than 5.5 mm (0.2 in.). Doing so 
may damage the camcorder.

 
When recording movies, tr y to get a calm, stable 
picture.
Excessive camcorder movement while shooting 
and extensive use of fast zooms and panning 
can result in jittery scenes. In extreme cases, 
the playback of such scenes may result in 
visually induced motion sickness. If you 
experience such a reaction, immediately stop 
the playback and take a rest break as 
necessary.
Recording Still Images
1Holding the lock button pressed 
down, set the   switch to 
CAMERA.
2Move the / switch to   
(memory card).
3Press  halfway.
• Once the focus is automatically 
adjusted,   will turn green and one or 
more AF frames will appear.
• When you press   on the 
wireless controller, the still image is 
recorded immediately.
4Press  fully.
The CARD access indicator will flash 
as the image is being recorded.
Before using a memory card for the first 
time, be sure to initialize it with this 
camcorder ( 65).
( 10)
PHOTO
PHOTO
PHOTO  
						

							
Recording 28
IMPORTANT
Avoid the following actions while the card 
access display ( ) appears on screen and 
when the CARD access indicator is on or 
flashing. Failing to do so may result in 
permanent data loss.
- Do not open the memory card slot cover and 
do not remove the memory card.
- Do not disconnect the power source or turn off 
the camcorder.
- Do not change the position of the 
/switch or the operating mode.
NOTES

  If the subject is not suitable for autofocus,   
turns yellow. Adjust the focus manually ( 49).

  When the subject is too bright, “OVEREXP.” 
starts flashing. In such case, use the optional 
FS-43U II ND filter.
Zooming
POINTS TO CHECK
: In addition to the 10x optical 
zoom, the 200x digital zoom is also 
available ( 37).
10x Optical Zoom
Move the zoom lever toward Wto
zoom out (wide-angle). Move it toward 
T  to zoom in (telephoto).
You can also change the zoom speed 
( 37). You can select one of three fixed 
zoom speeds or a variable speed that 
depends on how you operate the zoom 
lever: Press gently for a slow zoom; press 
harder for faster zooms.
NOTES

  You can also use the  T and  W buttons on the 
wireless controller or the LCD panel. The zoom 
speed with these buttons will be the same as 
with the camcorder (when one of the fixed zoom 
speed levels is selected) or fixed at 
[ SPEED 3] (when [ VARIABLE] is 
selected).

  When set to [ VARIABLE], the zoom 
speed will be faster in the record pause mode.

  Keep at least 1 m (3.3 ft.) away from the 
subject. At wide-angle, you can focus on a 
subject as close as 1 cm (0.39 in.).
(10)
Zoom out
Zoom in  
						

							
 Playback
Basic Functions
29
Playback
Playing Back Movies
Play back the tape on the LCD display or 
close the LCD panel to use the 
viewfinder.
1Holding the lock button pressed 
down, set the   switch to 
PLAY.
2Move the / switch to   
(tape).
3Locate the point where you want to 
begin the playback.  Press   to rewind or   to fast 
forward the tape.
4Press   to begin the playback.
DURING PLAYBACK
5Press   again to pause the 
playback.
6Press   to stop the playback.
NOTES

  You can display the date and time of the 
recording and other camcorder data registered 
when the recording was made ( 57).

  During some special playback modes, you 
may notice some video problems (blocky video 
artifacts, banding, etc.) in the playback picture.

  During playback, you may notice some video 
problems at the point where the standard of the 
recording (HDV/DV) changes.
Playback
( 10)/
/
Special Playback Modes
To enter most special playback modes you need to operate the buttons on the wireless 
controller ( 14). There is  no sound during the special playback modes.
Special playback modeInitial modeOn the camcorder
press…On the wireless 
controller press…
Fast playback Normal playback Press and hold
 or Press and hold
 or 
Reverse playback Normal playback —
1 frame reverse/advance Playback pause —  or 
Frame-by-frame 
playback Playback pause
—Press and hold
 or 
Slow playback Normal or reverse 
playback—
Double speed playback Normal or reverse  playback—
Return to normal 
playback Special playback 
mode
REWFF
SLOW
/PLAY  
						

							
Playback 30

 During the playback of HDV recordings: Even 
though their icons will appear on screen, the 
following special playback modes are not 
available.
- Reverse slow playback
- Frame reverse
- Double speed playback (forward or reverse)

  To protect the tape and video heads, the 
camcorder will enter the stop mode ( ) if left in 
playback pause ( ) mode for 4 minutes 30 
seconds. To resume the playback press  .
Adjusting the Volume: Speaker and 
Headphones
The camcorder plays the sound with the 
built-in speaker. When you’re using the 
viewfinder for playback, you can connect 
a pair of headphones to listen to the 
sound. You can also use the headphones 
to check the audio level while recording.
Adjusting the Volume of the Speaker
1If the joystick guide does not appear 
on screen, press ( ) to display it.
2Push the joystick ( ) toward   
or   to adjust the volume.
• To turn off the volume completely, 
keep pressing ( ) until the volume 
icon changes to  .
• You can press ( ) again to hide the 
joystick guide during playback.
Using Headphones
The headphones are connected to the 
AV/  terminal, which is used for both the 
headphones and the audio/video output. 
Before connecting the headphones, 
follow the procedure below to change the 
function of the terminal from AV output to   (headphones) output and make sure 
the   icon appears on the screen.
 Default value
1Press .
2Select ( ) the   icon and press 
( ) to open the setup menus.
3Select ( ) [  PLAY/OUT 
SETUP2]* and press ( ).
4Select ( ) [AV/PHONES] and 
press ( ).
5Select ( ) [  PHONES] and press 
().
(10)
/
+-
( 10)
PLAY/OUT SETUP2
AV/PHONES
AV
FUNC.