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