Panasonic Memory Card Camera Recorder AG-HMC70P Operating Instructions

							41
Setup
Setting date and time
When the unit is turned on for the first time, a 
message asking you to set the date and time will 
appear.
≥Press the button up or down button of the 
cursor button to select [YES], press the center 
of the cursor button and then perform steps 2 
and 3 below to set the date and time.
If the screen shows the incorrect date and time, 
then adjust it.
¬
Rotate the mode dial to select  .
1Press the MENU button, then 
select [BASIC] 
# [CLOCK SET] # 
[YES]
 and press the center of the 
cursor button.
2Select the item to be adjusted by 
pushing the right or left button of 
the cursor button, and then press 
the center of the cursor button to 
make the selection. Make any 
further adjustments by pushing 
the up or down button.
≥The year will change as follows:
2000, 2001, ..., 2039, 2000, ...
≥The 12-hour system is used to display the 
time.
3Press the center of the cursor 
button to enter the selection.
≥The clock function starts at [00] seconds 
when the cursor button is pressed.
≥After pressing the MENU button to finish 
the setting, check the date and time 
display.
Changing the date and time display style
Press the MENU button, then select [SETUP] # 
[DATE/TIME] # desired display style and press 
the center of the cursor button.
≥You can also show or change the date and time 
display by repeatedly pressing the DATE/TIME 
button on the remote control.
Changing the display style
Press the MENU button, then select [SETUP] # 
[DATE FORMAT] # desired display style and 
press the center of the cursor button.
≥The date and time function are driven by a 
built-in lithium battery.
≥Make sure to check the time before recording.
≥If the time display becomes [- -], the built-in 
lithium battery has run down. Use the following 
steps to charge the battery. When you turn on 
the power for the first time after charging, a 
message asking you to set the date and time 
will appear. Select [YES] and set the date and 
time.
To recharge the built-in lithium battery:
If you connect the AC adaptor or insert the 
battery in this unit, the built-in lithium battery will 
be recharged. Leave the unit as it is for approx. 
15DEC20080330PM
[DATE] [D/T]
[OFF]
Display styleScreen display
[Y/M/D] 2008.12.15
[M/D/Y] DEC 15 2008
[D/M/Y] 15.12.2008
DEC.15. 2008 3:30PMDEC.15. 2008
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							42
Setup
24 hours and the battery will save the date and 
time for approx. 6 months. (The battery is still 
being recharged even if the mode dial is set to 
OFF.)
Adjusting LCD monitor/finder
1
Press the MENU button, then 
select [SETUP] 
# [LCD SET] or 
[EVF SET]
# [YES] and press the 
center of the cursor button.
2Select the item to be adjusted by 
pushing the right or left button of 
the cursor button, and then press 
the center of the cursor button to 
make the selection. Make any 
further adjustments by pushing 
the up or down button.
The bar display moves.
≥After adjustments are made if no operations 
are performed for about 2 seconds, the bar will 
disappear.
≥Press the MENU button to exit the menu 
screen.[LCD SET] items:
[BRIGHTNESS]: Brightness of the LCD monitor
[COLOR]: Color level of the LCD monitor
[EVF SET] items:
[BRIGHTNESS]: Brightness of the finder
≥To adjust the brightness on the finder, close the 
LCD monitor.
≥If the LCD monitor is open, the settings for 
“LCD Adjustment” are reflected in the finder as 
well.
≥These settings will not affect the images 
actually recorded.
ªIn order to increase the 
brightness of the entire LCD 
monitor
Press the POWER LCD button.
The [ ] indication appears on the LCD 
monitor.
≥Press the POWER LCD button if the 
surroundings are bright and the LCD monitor is 
difficult to see. The entire LCD monitor will 
become approx. twice as bright as usual.
≥When the POWER LCD button is pressed 
again, the [ ] indication disappears and the 
original brightness is restored.
≥This will not affect the images to be recorded.
≥If you turn on the unit when the AC adaptor is 
used, this function will automatically be 
activated.
≥This function cannot be used in PC Connection 
mode.
Adjusting the brightness and the 
color level of the LCD monitor/
finder
POWER 
LCD 
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							43
Setup
Pull the finder to pull out the 
visibility adjustment lever A inside, 
and then move the lever to make the 
adjustments.
≥You can focus the video in the viewfinder by 
moving the visibility adjustment lever.If the inside of the viewfinder is stained with dust, 
then remove the eye cup holder and remove the 
dust with an air blower, etc.
ªEye cup holder removal method
1Pull the viewfinder to pull out the eye cup 
holder A. Then, removed the screw B at the 
center.
2Insert a thin tool such as screwdriver in the 
hole on the bottom of the eye cup holder. 
While pushing the internal tab A, remove the 
eye cup holder.
ªEye cup holder fitting method
1Check that the EVF LCD unit A is pulled out as 
far as it goes.
≥If you push in the EVF LCD unit, then you 
may not be able to fit it.
2Insert the eye cup holder straight into its 
original position until it clicks.
3Screw it in.
To adjust the viewing conditions 
of images in the finder
2008.10.102008.10.10
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

Viewfinder maintenance
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							44
Recording
Recording
Recording motion pictures
Record motion pictures on an SD card.
≥Use an SD card that can be used for motion 
picture recording. (l27)
≥This unit records high definition images that are 
compatible with the 16:9 aspect ratio of a 
wide-screen TV.
1Rotate the mode dial to select .
2Open the LCD monitor.
3Press the recording start/stop 
button A or the handle recording 
start/stop button B to start 
recording.
To end the recording
Press the recording start/stop button again to 
pause recording.
≥[¥] and [;] are red during recording. Do not 
move this unit until [;] is green.
≥The images recorded between pressing the 
recording start/stop button to start recording 
and pressing it again to pause recording 
become one scene.
≥Let’s suppose that the power save function has 
been set to [5 MINUTES]. When the camera is 
left in pause state for approximately 5 minutes, 
the power is automatically shut off to save the 
battery. When you want to use the unit, turn it 
on again.
This setting can also be set to [OFF]. (l104, 
[POWER SAVE])
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							45
Recording
ªScreen indications in the 
recording mode
ARecording mode
BRemaining time left for recording
(When the remaining time is less than 
1 minute, [R0min] flashes red.)
CRecording time elapsed
≥Maximum number of recordable scenes: 990 (It 
may not be possible to record 990 scenes even 
if there is available memory on the SD card.)
≥Maximum number of recordable scenes with 
different dates: 99
(In some cases, scenes shot on the same day 
will be recorded with different dates. (l69))
≥SD cards with more than the maximum scenes 
or different dates cannot be used with this unit. 
≥Sound is recorded from the internal 
microphones on the top of this unit. Take care 
not to block this microphone.
≥Connect or disconnect the external microphone 
to or from the external microphone input 
connector or the Audio XLR input connector 
while pausing operation. If an external 
microphone is connected or disconnected while 
recording, the audio will not be recorded 
properly.
≥Each time the unit is put into recording pause, 
the counter display will be reset to “0h00m00s”.
≥When recording motion pictures, do not remove 
the battery or disconnect the AC adaptor. Also 
do not remove the SD card while the card 
access lamp is lit. If you do either of the above, 
the scene recovery message is displayed and 
the recovery operation will begin when the SD 
card is next inserted or the power is turned 
back on. (l109)
ªWhen recording stops suddenly 
during motion picture recording
When using an SD card other than one that can 
be used for motion picture recording (l27), the 
recording may stop suddenly. At this time, the 
following message appears.
When motion pictures are to be recorded, use a 
Panasonic SD card or another SD card which 
can be used to record motion pictures. (l27)
Even if you use an SD card that can be used 
for motion picture recording (l27), this kind 
of message may appear.
The data on the card has been written many 
times and the data writing speed has reduced. 
We recommend formatting the SD card being 
used. (l78) When an SD card is formatted, all 
the data recorded on it will be deleted so copy 
valuable data to the PC prior to formatting. 
(l99) (When acquiring data recorded on this 
unit, we recommend using HD Writer Ver2.5 to 
acquire it. (l89))
B
C
A
REC STOPPED.
NOW WRITING.
INCOMPATIBLE CARD.
PLEASE CHECK CARD.
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							Recording
46
Recording modes/recordable time available for the motion 
picture
Switch the picture quality of the motion pictures to be recorded.
¬
Rotate the mode dial to select  .
Press the MENU button, then select 
[VIDEO] 
# [REC MODE] # desired item 
and press the center of the cursor 
button.
Approximate recording times of motion pictures per SD card made by Panasonic
≥The recordable time shown in the table are approximations.
≥Motion pictures can be recorded with the high definition picture quality.
≥This unit records in CBR in  mode. CBR is an abbreviation for Constant Bit Rate. CBR recording 
does not vary the bit rate (amount of data in a fixed time).
≥This unit records in VBR in  /  mode. VBR is an abbreviation for Variable Bit Rate.
VBR recording automatically varies the bit rate (amount of data in a fixed time) depending on the 
subject being recorded. This means if a subject with sharp movements is recorded, the recording time 
is reduced.
≥Recordable time using the battery (l31)
≥8 MB and 16 MB SD cards cannot be used for motion picture recording.
≥If the write protection switch on the SD card is set to LOCK, it cannot be used for recording. (l28)
≥If an SD card is recorded on or erased many times, it may no longer be possible to record motion 
pictures even if there is available memory on the SD card. In this case, after saving the data on PC, 
format the SD card.
SD card 
memory:
Motion pictures can be recorded with the 
highest picture quality.
256 MB 2 min 3 min 5 min
512 MB 5 min 7 min 10 min :
Motion pictures can be recorded with normal 
picture quality.
1GB10 min 15 min 22 min
2GB20 min  30 min 45 min :
Motion pictures can be recorded for longer.
4GB40 min 1 h 1 h 30 min
8GB80 min  2 h 3 h
16 GB160 min 4 h 6 h
Mosaic-pattern noise may appear on a playback image in the following cases.
≥When there is a complicated pattern in the background
≥When the unit is moved too much or too fast
≥When a subject with sharp movements has been recorded
(Particularly if it has been recorded in   mode.)
HFHNHEHF
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HF
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							47
Recording
Recording still pictures 
(JPEG)
Record the still picture on an SD card.
≥This number of recording pixels for still pictures 
is compatible with the 16:9 aspect ratio of a 
wide-screen TV. They are recorded at 
1920k1080.
1Rotate the mode dial to select 
.
2Open the LCD monitor.
3Press the PHOTO SHOT button 
halfway in order to adjust 
focusing. (For auto focusing 
only)
The shutter speed and the iris/gain value are 
fixed and the unit focuses on the subject 
automatically.
≥If you set [O.I.S.] (l55) to [ON], then the 
image stabilizer function will be more 
effective. ([ ] (MEGA optical image 
stabilizer) will be displayed.)AFocus indication
± (The white lamp flashes.):
Focusing
¥ (The green lamp lights up.):
When in focus
No mark:
When focusing is unsuccessful.
BFocus area
4Press the PHOTO SHOT button 
fully to take the picture.
≥In order to take better still pictures, the 
screen will brighten when recording.
MEGA
A
B
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							48
Recording
To record still pictures clearly
≥When zooming in on the subject with a 
magnification of 4k or higher, it is difficult to 
reduce the slight shaking from holding this unit 
by hand. We recommend decreasing the zoom 
magnification and approaching the subject 
when recording.
≥You can record stable pictures without shaking 
by using a tripod and the remote control.
≥For information about the number of 
recordable still pictures on an SD card 
(l51)
≥The sound cannot be recorded.
≥If the write protection switch on the SD card is 
set to LOCK, it cannot be used for recording.
≥The PHOTO SHOT button on the remote 
control cannot be pressed halfway.
≥If the [PICT. QUALITY] is set to [ ], 
mosaic-pattern noise may appear on a 
playback image depending on the picture 
content.
≥While this unit accesses the SD card (  is 
displayed/the card access lamp is lit), do not 
perform the following operations. The SD card 
or the recorded data may be damaged.
– Turn the unit off.
– Open the card slot cover and remove the SD 
card.
– Operate the mode dial.
≥Other products may degrade or not playback 
still pictures recorded on this unit.
≥The edges of still pictures recorded on this unit 
with a 16:9 aspect ratio may be cut at printing. 
Check the printer or photo studio before 
printing.
ªAbout the screen indications 
only when the PHOTO SHOT 
button is pressed halfway
AQuality of still pictures
BSize of still pictures
CRemaining number of still pictures
(Flashes in red when [0] appears.) 
DCard indication (l105)
EMEGA optical image stabilizer (l55)
2.1
750 750 750 MEGA 
 
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							49
Recording
ªAbout the focus indication
≥The focus indication does not appear in manual 
focus mode.
≥Focus on a subject manually when it is not 
easily focused automatically.
≥You can record still pictures on the card even if 
the focus indication does not appear, but 
pictures may be recorded without being 
focused.
≥The focus indication does not appear or has 
difficulty displaying in the following cases.
– When the zoom magnification is high.
– When the unit is shaken.
– When the subject is moving.
– When the subject stands in front of a light 
source.
– When close subjects and far subjects are 
included in the same scene.
– When the scene is dark.
– When there is a bright part in the scene.
– When the scene is filled with only horizontal 
lines.
– When the scene lacks contrast.
– When recording motion pictures
ªConcerning the focusing area
When there is a contrasting object ahead or 
behind the subject in the focus area, the subject 
may not be focused. If so, move the contrasting 
object out of the focus area.
≥Even when it is still difficult to focus, adjust the 
focus manually.
≥The focusing area is not displayed when the 
digital zoom (more than approx. 12k) is used.You can add a shutter sound when recording still 
pictures.
Press the MENU button, then select 
[PICTURE] 
# [SHTR EFFECT] # 
[ON] or [OFF]
 and press the center 
of the cursor button.
≥This function’s default setting is [ON].
≥This function does not work during motion 
picture recording.
Switching the shutter effect on/off
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							50
Recording
You can record still pictures even while recording 
motion pictures.
While recording motion pictures, 
press the PHOTO SHOT button fully 
(press to the bottom) to take the 
picture.
≥This function is not activated if the 
PHOTO SHOT button is pressed halfway.
≥The screen indications that appear only when 
the PHOTO SHOT button is pressed halfway 
will be displayed. (l48) However, the 
remaining number of still pictures will not be 
displayed.
≥The picture quality is different from normal still 
picture recording because priority is given to 
the motion picture recording. We recommend 
pausing the motion picture recording to record 
a still picture with better picture quality.
About simultaneous recording 
(recording still pictures while 
recording motion pictures)
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