VPC-AZ3EX VPC-AZ3
 Declaration of Conformity
For American Users
 For Canadian Users
 Take photos in the Basic operation mode*2
Outline of Operation
 Symbols used in this manual
 Contents
 Playback
 Contents
 Appendices
 Do not use while driving
Using Your Digital Camera Safely and Correctly
Be aware of your surroundings when using the digital camera
Do not modify or open the cabinet
 Do not look through the digital camera into the sun
Do not get the digital camera wet
Do not use during a storm
Do not place on an unstable surface
 Keep the digital camera out of the reach of children
Do not use where there is risk of explosion
 Operating environment
 Do not disassemble or modify the battery pack charger
Use a 100 to 240 V AC power supply
Do not get the battery pack charger wet
 Do not pull on the power cord to unplug it
 Do not handle with wet hands
Unplug the power cord from the power outlet when finished
 Do not connect to a voltage converter
Do not damage the power cord
Operating and storage conditions
 Do not transform, take apart, or modify
Concerning the Lithium-ion battery pack Model DB-L10
 Storage temperature -10C to 30C
Temperature when using or recharging 0 to 40C
Humidity 10% to 90% no condensation
 Insert the battery pack correctly, as specified
Use the battery pack only in the specified device
Do not peel or damage the outer case
 Recycling the battery pack
Charge the battery pack before using it
Keep out of the reach of children
 For Correct USE of Your Camera
Concerning the accessories
Page
 Be careful of condensation under the following conditions
If condensation seems likely to form
 Speaker
 For Correct USE of Your Camera
 High Temperature Warning Screen
Temperatures
Sicon
 Checking the Included Accessories
 What card means in this manual
Media cards that can be used with this digital camera
CompactFlash Microdrive
 Quick Start for Capturing Images
Charge the battery pack
Connect the supplied power cord to the battery pack charger
Plug the power plug into a power outlet AC 100 to
 Insert the battery pack
Install the battery pack and card
Insert the card
 Point the camera lens at Subject
Quick Start for Capturing Images
 Press the shutter release button halfway focus-lock
Set the main switch to Ô
 Front
Parts Names
 Rear
 Ambient temperature during recharging
Recharging the Battery Pack
Recharge a battery pack in the following cases
 Charge indicator
About the Charge indicator
 Press j on the arrow button to select YES
Display the Shooting Option Setting Screen see
Formatting a Card
Reformat
 Reformatting is also possible in the playback mode
To cancel reformatting
Reformatting erases the data
 When playing back images
Turning the Power ON/OFF
Turning the power on
When capturing images
 When playing back images
Turning the power off
Turning the power on when the power save function is active
When capturing images
 Shooting Playback
Setting Screens and Option Setting Screens
Displaying a Setting Screen
Set the main switch
 Exiting the Shooting/Playback Option Setting Screen
Exiting the Shooting/Playback Setting Screen
Full Auto
 Press d on the arrow button twice
Setting Screens and Option Setting Screens
Display the Shooting Setting Screen
Expert mode
 Basic mode settings
Shooting in the Basic mode
Scene Select
 When selecting a setting icon
Setting screen basic operation
Shooting Setting Screen
When selecting a menu
 Protect
Playback Setting Screen
Other operations
Zoom
 Scene Select menu page 76 c B Full auto icon
Shooting Setting Screens
Still Image Shooting Setting Screen
Resolution menu
 Exposure control menu page 107 c Ï Program AE icon
Compression menu
Spot focus menu page 102 c j Spot focus off icon
ISO sensitivity menu page 106 c Ä Auto sensitivity icon
 Sequential shots mode Method menu
Sequential Shots Shooting Setting Screen
Method Best
 Compression menu page 81 a Sfine icon super-low
 Resolution
Video Clip Shooting Setting Screen
 Flicker-reduction Flicker Reduct menu
 Still image shooting status display
Shooting status display
Sequential shots shooting status Display
 Video clip shooting status display
200 +0.3
 Image Display
Playback Setting Screens
 Audio recording
Shooting/Playback Option Setting Screens
Color correction setting real color equalizer
Date and time setting
 Correct hold
Before Taking Pictures
For best results
Holding the camera
 Conditions that may cause incorrect focus
When both near and far objects are present
Subjects without vertical lines
 Hints for taking pictures
Before Taking Pictures
 About sequential shots shooting
Did you snap a picture without a card installed?
If the motion alert icon appears
 Shooting mode
SHOOTING/RECORDING Mode Settings
Set the selector dial to the desired
 Area in the center of the LCD
Capturing Still Images
 Sequential Shots
Resolution
Maximum number of sequential shots
 Finish capturing images
Standard sequential shots Ö
Method
Standard
 Sequential Shots
AE shift sequential auto bracket shots a
Bracket
 Select the image that you want to save
Best select shot Ä
 Save Image Erase Others YES
Capturing images without using the LCD monitor
To save all four images
 End the recording
Video Clips
 Audio REC
Audio Recordings
REC
 Stop
Audio REC
End the audio recording
 Basic Shooting Functions
Setting the focus
 Hint
 Basic Shooting Functions
Using the flash
Set the camera to the still image
 Press the flash button to select
Flash mode
 Press the shutter release button
Automatic flash mode
 Set the shooting mode see Set the main switch to à
Shooting without using the LCD monitor
 Using the zoom
 Select the scene select menu
Basic Mode
Set to a shooting mode see
Example Still image shooting Mode
 To return to normal shooting
Basic Mode
About other settings
Select the desired icon, and press the SET button
 Resolution
Setting the resolution
 About the resolution and compression settings see
 OFF
Using the self-timer
 Compression
Setting the compression rate
Fine
 Selected compression rate is set English
 Video clip playback mode
Playback Mode Settings
Still image playback mode
Sequential shots playback mode
 Select the audio playback icon M, and press the SET button
Playing back audio recordings
Audio
Turn the selector dial to P
 Image display playback
Playing Back Still Images
Play back still images one by one
Play back a voice memo
 Hint
 To quickly change to a different sequential shots folder
Playing Back Sequential Shots
To change to a different sequential shots folder
If the 9-image display appears in step
 Playing Back Video Clips
 Example of button operations
Playing Back Video Clips
 To view video clips on your computer
 Select the audio playback icon Ô, and press the SET button
Listening to Audio Recordings
Play
Playback Stop
 To stop playback
To select a different audio recording
 Start Exit
Automatic playback slideshow
Slideshow
Time
 Move
Magnifying zooming in the image
Zoom I/O
 To magnify the image from the Playback Setting Screen
Using the Various Playback Functions
 Exit
Rotating an image
Rotate
Left
 Audio recording playback see
Playing back images on a TV set
Connections
Playback
Page
 Displaying Image Information Playback Info Screen
 0019
 Voice Memo
Adding a Voice Memo
 When the spot focus setting is selected
Setting the Focus Mode
Spot Focus
 Shooting with the spot light-measuring mode
LIGHT-MEASURING Mode Setting
Multi
 Auto
White Balance Setting
 To cancel the white balance setting
Setting procedure
To capture sepia-tone images
 ISO
ISO Sensitivity Setting
 Setting the Exposure Control
 Aperture priority AE Î
Setting the Exposure Control
Setting
Aperture and shutter variable program AE Ï
 Manual exposure control Í
Select Setting
 Display the Still Image Shooting Setting Screen see
Setting the Noise Reduction
 Select the color adjustment icon
Adjust the color tones with the digital camera
Select one from the ôto õ icons, and press the SET button
 SAT
 Abcde Scroll Select
Adjust the color
Select the ùicon, and press SET button
 Select the mark, and press the SET button
About the hue setting
About the saturation setting
About the brightness setting
 Example of hue and saturation settings
 About color correction with Real Color Equalizer 3.0 on PC
Icon Title Settings data file To photograph Name
 Load Setting DATA? YES
Color Adjustment
Select Setting Data Mount SP
 About the Real Color Equalizer 3.0 on PC
Select Where to Save Mount SP SEA Mode
 Display a Shooting Setting Screen
To select previously set color correction settings
 Digital Zoom Setting
 How to use the quick shot
Quick Shot Setting Still Image Shooting Mode only
 Exposure Correction
Shortcut for setting the exposure correction
 FLICKER-REDUCTION Setting Video Clip Shooting only
 Display the Shooting Information Screen
Shooting Setting Information Display Shooting Info Screen
When using the LCD monitor
When not using the LCD monitor
 P5.6 P1/500
 To select a different image frame in step
Example Sequential shots Playback mode
Copying Images
Copy
 Select the edit photo icon r, and press the SET button
Changing Image Size
Edit Photo
Resize
 RESIZE? YES
 Adding Text
Setting Point
Select the add text icon 2, and press the SET button
 Scroll Select Abcde
Character row chart
Press the arrow button to select the desired character row
 Scroll Select Pqrst
Adding Text
You can change the color of the text
 Scroll Select Abcde Parade
 Select the add audio icon p, and press the SET button
 Recording
ADD Audio
 Select the print setting icon n, and press the SET button
Print Settings
 About the Dpof format
 Standard print
Print Settings
 ALL Images
Select SETTING, and press the SET button
Date
 Specifying the number of prints
 Index print
If the print settings are correct
To change the print settings
To clear the print settings
 Follow steps 1 to 4 on pages 137
Changing the print settings
 ALL Clear
Clearing the print settings
 UNLOCK? YES
LOCK? YES
 To select a different image in steps 4
To cancel the protect mode for an image
 Erase
Select the erase mode icon q
Example Still Image Playback Mode Press the SET button
Erasing Data
 For video clips
For sequential shots
For audio recordings
 To select a different data in step
Erasing Data
To quickly erase the currently displayed image
 Data file formats
Image and Audio Data Storage
Type of data Data format File name structure
 Concerning the video clip data saved by the digital camera
Configuration of directories for the stored data
About file names when the card is replaced
Image and Audio Data Storage
 Terminal
Using the Camera with a Computer
Using the camera as your computer’s external drive
To USB port
 Connect the digital camera to a personal computer
Using the camera as a PC camera
Using the Camera with a Computer
Set the selector dial to Ü, and turn on the power
 USB DIRECT-PRINT
Setup
Select Mode
USB DIRECT-PRINT
 Print Exit
Print Setting
To print the images that are set to print
USB DIRECT-PRINT
 To cancel printing
Select Mode
To select one image and print it
 Select Custom MODE, and press the SET button
To change the print settings and print images
Next Setting
Display the Print Mode Screen
 Date OFF
Adjust the print settings
Select Next SETTING, and press the SET button
Media Type Printer Value
 PAL
Setting the TV System
TV System
Ntsc
 Example To set the clock to January 23, 2003 at 730 p.m
Setting the Date and Time
Example Shooting Option Setting Screen
Clock SET
 Set the clock
Setting the Date and Time
Clock SET
Set the date
 Select C, and press the SET button
Set the order in which the date is displayed during playback
 To correct the date and time settings
 Beep
Setting the Operational Sounds
Setting the operational sounds
Display the Operational Sounds Screen
 Beep
Setting the Operational Sounds
Select BEEP, and press the SET button
 Mute
Turning the operational sounds on/off
Select on or OFF, and press the SET button
 Select the help display icon ç, and press the SET button
Select the desired setting, and press the SET button
Help Function
Help
 Select the desired language, and press the SET button
Display Language
Language
Select the language icon à, and press the SET button
 Power Save
Power Save Mode
Select the power save icon é, and press the SET button
 Press j or l on the arrow button to set the standby time
Example When BATT/CAM Is selected
 Assigning File Names
 Select OFF, and press the SET button
Assigning File Names
 Info
Checking the Remaining Battery Pack Charge
 Checking the Remaining Battery Pack Charge
 Still image shooting mode
Set the main switch to á, and press the power button
Checking the Remaining Card Memory
 Checking the Remaining Card Memory
Sequential shots shooting mode
 Clock SET Beep Language TV System Reformat
Checking the remaining audio recording time
 Problem Cause Action
Troubleshooting
Power
 Troubleshooting
 Shooting
 Troubleshooting
 Problem Cause Action
 Troubleshooting
 Flicker-reduction
 There are black
 Images
 Exposure 122 Correction
 Fluorescent
 Troubleshooting
 No voice memo Select the add Was recorded Voice memo
 Image
Video
 Printing
 Misc
Print Busy
 Protected
 System Problem has Check
 Digital Camera
Specifications
 Specifications
 Reduction
 Battery pack operation
Digital camera connectors
 CompactFlash 16MB Microdrive 1GB
 Sion rate
 Supplied CompactFlash
Supplied battery pack charger
 Supplied Lithium-ion battery pack
 Video clip
Basic mode and Expert mode
 Others