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3-867-703-13 (1)
©1999 Sony Corporation
DSR-PD100A/PD100AP
Digital
Camcorder
Operating Instructions
Before operating the unit, please read this manual thoroughly,
and retain it for future reference.
Owner's Record
The model and serial numbers are located on the bottom. Record
the serial number in the space provided below. Refer to these
numbers whenever you call upon your Sony dealer regarding this
product.
Model No. DSR-
Model No. AC-
Serial No.
Serial No.
DSR-PD100A/PD100AP
SERIES
TM


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2
RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK
DO NOT OPEN
CAUTION : TO REDUCE THE RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK,
DO NOT REMOVE COVER (OR BACK).
NO USER·SERVICEABLE PARTS INSIDE.
REFER SERVICING TO QUALIFIED SERVICE PERSONNEL.
CAUTION
For the Customers in the U.S.A.
CAUTION
You are cautioned that any changes or modifications not
expressly approved in this manual could void your
authority to operate this equipment.
Declaration of Conformity
Trade Name:
SONY
Model No.:
DSR-PD100A
Responsible Party: Sony Electronics Inc.
Address:
1 Sony Drive, Park Ridge, NJ,
07656 USA
Telephone No.:
201-930-6970
This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC Rules.
Operation is subject to the following two conditions.:
(1) This device may not cause harmful interference,
and (2)this device must accept any interference
received, including interference that may cause
undesired operation.
Declaration of Conformity
Trade Name:
SONY
Model No.:
DSR-PD100AP
Responsible Party: Sony Electronics Inc.
Address:
1 Sony Drive, Park Ridge, NJ,
07656 USA
Telephone No.:
201-930-6970
This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC Rules.
Operation is subject to the following two conditions.:
(1) This device may not cause harmful interference,
and (2)this device must accept any interference
received, including interference that may cause
undesired operation.
Note:
This equipment has been tested and found to comply
with the limits for a Class B digital device, pursuant to
Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to
provide reasonable protection against harmful
interference in a residential installation. This equipment
generates, uses, and can radiate radio frequency energy
and, if not installed and used in accordance with the
instructions, may cause harmful interference to radio
communications. However, there is no guarantee that
interference will not occur in a particular installation. If
this equipment does cause harmful interference to radio
or television reception, which can be determined by
turning the equipment off and on, the user is
encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or
more of the following measures:
-- Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.
-- Increase the separation between the equipment and
receiver.
-- Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit
different from that to which the receiver is connected.
-- Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV
technician for help.
WARNING
To prevent fire or shock hazard, do
not expose the unit to rain or
moisture.
This symbol is intended to alert the
user to the presence of uninsulated
"dangerous voltage" within the
product's enclosure that may be of
sufficient magnitude to constitute a
risk of electric shock to persons.
This symbol is intended to alert the
user to the presence of important
operating and maintenance
(servicing) instructions in the
literature accompanying the
appliance.
For the Customers in the U.S.A. and
CANADA
DISPOSAL OF LITHIUM ION BATTERY.
LITHIUM ION BATTERY.
DISPOSE OF PROPERLY.
You can return your unwanted lithium ion batteries to
your nearest Sony Service Center or Factory Service
Center.
Note: In some areas the disposal of lithium ion batteries
in household or business trash may be prohibited.
For the Sony Service Center nearest you call
1-800-222-SONY (United States only).
For the SONY Factory Service Center nearest you call
416-499-SONY (Canada only).
Caution: Do not handle damaged or leaking lithium ion
batteries.
TO PREVENT ELECTRIC SHOCK, MATCH WIDE
BLADE OF PLUG TO WIDE SLOT, FULLY INSERT.


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3
Before
you
begin
For the Customers in Europe (DSR-
PD100AP)
This product with the CE marking complies with both
the EMC Directive (89/336/EEC) and Low Voltage
Directive (73/23/EEC) issued by the Commission of the
European Community.
Compliance with these directives implies conformity to
the following European standards:
· EN60065:Product Safety (supplied AC Adaptor only)
· EN55103-1:Electromagnetic Interference (Emission)
· EN55103-2:Electromagnetic Susceptibility (Immunity)
This product is intended for use in the following
Electromagnetic Environment(s):
E1 (residential), E2 (commercial and light industrial), E3
(urban outdoors) and E4 (controlled EMC environment
ex. TV studio)
The electromagnetic fields at the specific frequencies
may influence the picture and sound of this digital
camcorder.
NOTICE ON THE SUPPLIED AC POWER
ADAPTOR FOR CUSTOMERS IN THE
UNITED KINGDOM
A moulded plug complying with BS1363 is fitted to this
equipment for your safety and convenience.
Should the fuse in the plug supplied need to be
replaced, a 5 AMP fuse approved by ASTA or BSI
to BS 1362 (i.e., marked with 2 or @ mark) must
be used.
If the plug supplied with this equipment has a
detachable fuse cover, be sure to attach the fuse
cover after you change the fuse. Never use the plug
without the fuse cover. If you should lose the fuse
cover, please contact your nearest Sony service
station.
Voor de klanten in Nederland
Bij dit product zijn batterijen
gelevered. Wanneer deze leeg zijn,
moet u ze niet weggooien maar
inleveren als KCA.
· IBM PC/AT is a registered trademark of International
Business Machines Corporation of the U.S.A.
· MS-DOS and Windows are registered trademarks
licensed to Microsoft Corporation, registered in the
U.S.A. and other countries.
· Macintosh is a trademark licensed to Apple
Computer, Inc., registered in the U.S.A. and other
countries.
· All other product names mentioned herein may be
the trademarks or registered trademarks of their
respective companies.
Furthermore, "
TM" and "®" are not mentioned in each
case in this manual.
PC card adaptor and "Memory
Stick"
For the Customers in CANADA
This Class B digital apparatus complies with Canadian
ICES-003.
For the Customers in the U.S.A.
This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC Rules.
Operation is subject to the following two conditions:
(1) This device may not cause harmful interference,
and (2) this device must accept any interference
received, including interference that may cause
undesired operation.
Für Kunden in Deutschland
Entsorgunsgshinweis: Bitte werfen Sie nur entladene
Batterien in die Sammelboxen beim Handel oder den
Kommunen. Entladen sind Batterien in der Regel dann,
wenn das Gerät abschaltet und signalisiert "Batterie
leer" oder nach längerer Gebrauchsdauer der Batterien
"nicht mehr einwandfrei funktioniert". Um
sicherzugehen, kleben Sie die Batteriepole z.B. mit
einem Klebestreifen ab oder geben Sie die Batterien
einzeln in einen Plastikbeutel.
N50


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4
Table of contents
Before you begin
Using this manual .............................................. 5
Checking supplied accessories ........................ 7
Getting started
Installing and charging the battery pack ....... 8
Inserting a cassette ........................................... 12
Basic operations
Camera recording ............................................ 13
Attaching the lens hood ........................... 15
Using the zoom feature ............................ 15
Shooting with the LCD screen ................ 16
Letting the subject monitor the shot ....... 17
Self-timer recording .................................. 19
Hints for better shooting ................................ 20
Checking the recorded picture ...................... 22
Playing back a tape .......................................... 23
Searching for the end of the picture .............. 25
Advanced operations
Using alternative power sources ................... 26
Using the house current ........................... 27
Changing the mode settings .......................... 28
--for camera recording--
Photo recording ............................................... 33
Shooting with all the pixels ­ PROG. SCAN .. 35
Using the FADER function ............................. 36
Shooting with backlighting ............................ 38
Using the wide mode function ...................... 39
Enjoying picture effect .................................... 40
Recording with various effects
­ digital effect ............................................ 42
Shooting with manual adjustment ................ 44
Using the PROGRAM AE function ............... 54
Focusing manually .......................................... 57
Interval recording ............................................ 59
Cut recording ................................................... 61
Connecting the external microphone with
the XLR connector ..................................... 63
Attaching the supplied wide conversion
lens .............................................................. 64
Superimposing a title ...................................... 65
Making a custom title ...................................... 68
Labeling a cassette ........................................... 70
--for playing back/editing--
Watching on a TV screen ................................ 72
Viewing the picture with the picture
effect ............................................................ 73
Viewing the picture with the digital
effect ............................................................ 74
Searching the boundaries of recorded
tape with date ­ date search ................... 75
Searching the boundaries of recorded
tape with title ­ title search ..................... 77
Searching for a photo
­ photo search/photo scan ...................... 78
Displaying recording data
­ data code function ................................. 81
Editing onto another tape ............................... 82
Editing partially on a mini DVCAM tape
­ DV synchro-editing ............................... 84
Recording from a VCR or TV ......................... 86
Audio dubbing ................................................. 87
Memory card slot operations
Using the memory card slot
­ introduction ............................................ 90
Recording an image from a mini DVCAM
tape as a still image ................................... 98
Copying still images from a mini DVCAM
tape ­ photo save .................................... 100
Recording still images on "Memory Stick"s or
PC cards ­ memory photo recording ... 102
Viewing a still picture
­ memory photo playback ..................... 105
Preventing accidental erasure
­ PROTECT .............................................. 108
Deleting images ............................................. 109
Copying the image recorded with the
memory card slot to mini DVCAM tapes
................................................................... 112
Playing back images in a continuous loop
­ SLIDE SHOW ....................................... 114
Additional information
Compatibility of DVCAM and DV formats
................................................................... 116
Usable cassettes and playback modes ........ 118
Charging the vanadium-lithium
battery in the camcorder ........................ 119
Resetting the date and time .......................... 120
Simple setting of clock by time
difference .................................................. 121
Tips for using the battery pack .................... 122
Maintenance information and
precautions ............................................... 125
Using your camcorder abroad ..................... 128
Trouble check ................................................. 129
Self-diagnosis function ................................. 134
Specifications .................................................. 135
Identifying the parts ...................................... 136
Warning indicators ........................................ 146
Index ................................................... Back cover


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5
Before
you
begin
Before you begin
Using this manual
The instructions in this manual are for the two models listed below. Before you start reading
this manual and operating the unit, check your model number by looking at the bottom of
your camcorder. The DSR-PD100A is the model used for illustration purposes. Otherwise,
the model name is indicated in the illustrations. Any differences in operation are clearly
indicated in the text, for example, "DSR-PD100A only."
As you read through this manual, buttons and settings on the camcorder are shown in
capital letters.
e.g., Set the POWER switch to CAMERA.
Types of differences
Model number
Color system
Drop frame system
DSR-PD100A
NTSC
Drop frame or non-drop frame
DSR-PD100AP
PAL
--
Note on Cassette Memory
This camcorder is based on the DVCAM format. You can only use mini DVCAM cassettes
with this camcorder. We recommend you to use a tape with cassette memory
.
The functions which depend on whether the tape has the cassette memory or not are:
· End Search (p. 22, 25)
· Date Search (p. 75)
· Photo Search (p. 78).
The functions you can operate only with the cassette memory are:
· Title Search (p. 77)
· Superimposing a title (p. 65)
· Making a custom title (p. 68)
· Labeling a cassette (p. 70).
For details, see page 118.
Note on TV color systems
TV color systems differ from country to country.
To view your recordings on a TV, you need an NTSC system-based TV (DSR-PD100A).
To view your recordings on a TV, you need a PAL system-based TV (DSR-PD100AP).
Precaution on copyright
Television programs, films, video tapes, and other materials may be copyrighted.
Unauthorized recording of such materials may be contrary to the provision of the copyright
laws.
Contents of the recording cannot be compensated if recording or playback is not made
due to a malfunction of the camcorder, video tape, etc.