User manual POLAROID A300 DIGITAL CAMERA

AR DD OI IGITAL C A M ER POL A User Guide 3.2 Megapixels Digital Camera www.polaroid.com Product Overview 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Shutter button Flash Power button Self-timer LED Lens Microphone AR OID DIGITAL C A M ER POL A Front View 7. Zoom in button 8. Zoom out/ Thumbnail button 9. Power LED 10. Flash LED 11. LCD Screen 12. Left button 13. Menu button 14. Wrist strap holder 15. Mode button 16. Flash / Up button 17. Self-timer / Right button 18. Down button 19. LCD screen on / off button 20. OK button 7 8 14 9 15 10 11 12 16 17 18 13 19 20 Back View 2 Polaroid Digital Camera User Guide www.polaroid.com 21. Tripod mount 22.USB port 23.Battery / SD card door 21 22 23 Bottom View Polaroid Digital Camera User Guide www.polaroid.com 3 Table of Contents 1 Getting Started ................................................................................ 7 · Camera Package Contents............................................................ 8 · Attaching the Wrist Strap............................................................. 9 · Using Your Battery .....................................................................10 · Checking the Battery Power Level................................................10 · Turning the Camera On and Off ................................................... 11 · How to Navigate Menus ..............................................................12 2 Camera Setting ...............................................................................13 · Checking Camera Status .............................................................13 · Camera Modes ...........................................................................15 · Drive Mode ................................................................................16 · Setup Menu ...............................................................................17 · Formatting the Internal Memory...................................................17 · Setting the Current Date and Time ...............................................18 · Auto Power Save Setting ............................................................19 · Setting the Beep Sound On/Off .................................................. 20 · Setting Frequency ..................................................................... 20 · Setting Display Language............................................................21 · Setting the Date Stamp On and Off..............................................21 · Resetting to Default Settings...................................................... 22 · Switching the Information Display and LCD Screen On and Off.......23 3 Taking Pictures................................................................................24 · Taking a Picture..........................................................................24 · Setting Flash Mode.....................................................................25 · Setting Self-timer .......................................................................27 · Zoom Feature.............................................................................28 · Setting the Image Size and Quality ..............................................29 · Setting Exposure Compensation ..................................................31 · Setting the White Balance for Pictures .........................................32 4 Recording Video Clips ..................................................................... 33 · Recording Video Clips ................................................................ 33 · Setting Video Resolution............................................................ 34 4 Polaroid Digital Camera User Guide www.polaroid.com · Setting the White Balance for Video Clips.................................... 35 5 Reviewing and Managing Pictures and Video Clips............................. 36 · Reviewing the Pictures............................................................... 36 · Reviewing Picture and Video Clip Files in Thumbnail ..................... 36 · Auto Play...................................................................................37 · Playing the Video Clip ................................................................ 39 · Protect or Unprotect Picture(s) or Video Clip(s)............................ 39 · Deleting Picture(s) or Video Clip(s) ............................................. 40 6 Print Settings ..................................................................................41 · About PictBridge ........................................................................41 · DPOF (Digital Print Order Format) ............................................... 48 7 Using SD (Secure Digital) Card .........................................................51 · Using the SD Card ......................................................................51 · To Copy Pictures and Video Clips from Internal Memory to a Memory Card ......................................................................55 8 Installing the Software onto a Computer............................................56 · Installing the Software................................................................56 · Software Included with Your Camera .......................................... 58 · Computer System Requirements ................................................. 60 9 Transferring Pictures and Video Clips To Your Computer .....................61 · Before You Transfer Files.............................................................61 · Changing the Driver Type Between Mass Storage Mode and PC Camera Mode.............................................................................61 · Connecting to Your Computer......................................................62 · Transferring Pictures and Video Clips .......................................... 63 10 Using the Camera as a Web Cam (PC Only)..................................... 64 · Setting up NetMeetingTM ............................................................. 64 · Start NetMeetingTM..................................................................... 65 11 Troubleshooting Problems.............................................................. 66 · Troubleshooting Problems .......................................................... 66 Polaroid Digital Camera User Guide www.polaroid.com 5 12 Getting Help................................................................................. · Polaroid Online Services............................................................. · Customer Support ..................................................................... · ArcSoft Software Help............................................................... 69 69 69 69 13 Appendix ......................................................................................70 · Technical Specifications..............................................................70 · Storage Capacities .....................................................................72 · Uninstalling Your Camera driver (PC Only) ....................................75 · Camera Default Settings .............................................................76 · Tips, Your Safety & Maintenance .................................................77 · Regulatory Information ...............................................................77 6 Polaroid Digital Camera User Guide www.polaroid.com 1 Getting Started Your camera has easy-to-use features. It has never been easier and more enjoyable to take digital pictures. Here are a few examples of what you can do with your camera. · · · · · Enjoy point & shoot operation. Adjust the resolution for print or email. Store pictures and video clips to the internal memory or a SD card. Playback your pictures and video clips on the LCD screen or on a computer. Send your pictures and video clips over the Internet to family and friends. Your camera has PictBridge capability ( See page 41). Polaroid Digital Camera User Guide www.polaroid.com 7 · Camera Package Contents First Class Postage Required Post Office will not deliver without proper postage AR D DIGITAL CA OI POL Digital Imaging Products 201 Burlington Road Bedford, MA 01730-1434 Digital Camera M ER A Registration Card The CD-ROM includes Polaroid Digital Camera driver (PC) ArcSoft® PhotoStudio® 5.5 (PC) ArcSoft® PhotoStudio® 4.3 (Mac) ArcSoft PhotoPrinter® 5 (PC) ArcSoft PhotoPinter® 4 (Mac) Microsoft® NetMeetingTM (PC) Adobe® Acrobat® ReaderTM (PC & Mac) User Guide (in PDF format) NetMeeting POLARO ID DIGITAL CAME RA EASY TO USE GUIDE TO MICROSOFT® NETMEETINGTM GUIDE D'INSTALLATION FACILE DE MICROSOFT® NETMEETING Quick Start Guide Guide de Démarrage rapide Schnellanleitung Guida Rapida Guía Rápida de Inicio Guia de Início Rápido ANLEITUNG ZUM SCHELLEINSTIEG IN Microsoft® NetMeetingTM GUIDA FACILE PER L'USO DI MICROSOFT® NETMEETINGTM GUÍA FÁCIL DE MICROSOFT® NETMEETINGTM GUIA DE FÁCIL UTILIZAÇÃO PARA O NETMEETINGTM da MICROSOFT® NetMeetingTM Guide Quick Start Guide 4 AAA Batteries Skin Wrist Strap USB Cable 8 Polaroid Digital Camera User Guide www.polaroid.com · Attaching the Wrist Strap Polaroid Digital Camera User Guide www.polaroid.com 9 · Using Your Battery Limit the following activities that reduces battery life: · Reviewing your pictures on the LCD screen. · Excessive use of the flash. WARNINGS! · Batteries should be replaced by an adult. · Batteries life varies depending on the camera usage. These instructions should be retained for future reference. · Checking the Battery Power Level Check the battery power level before taking pictures. 1. Turn the camera on. 2. Check the battery power level that appears on the LCD screen. Battery Battery Battery Battery power power power power is is is is full. adequate. low. exhausted. 10 Polaroid Digital Camera User Guide www.polaroid.com · Turning the Camera On and Off To turn on the camera, fully press and hold the Power button until the LCD Screen comes on. Press and hold the Power button again and the camera will power off. POLA R OID DIGITAL C A M ER NOTE: · Make sure that the Flash LED remains lit before shooting. · The camera is designed with an automatic power-off feature to conserve battery life. After a specified period of inactivity, the camera automatically powers off. Pressing the Power button can deactivate this feature and turn on the camera again. appears on the LCD display if battery power is low. Replace · An indicator the batteries with new ones immediately. A Polaroid Digital Camera User Guide www.polaroid.com 11 · How to Navigate Menus Menus are used to adjust capture and play settings, as well as other camera settings like the date/time and auto power off. M 1. Press the button to enter the menu bar. Press it again to exit. 2. Press the button to enter the submenu or press the button to return to the meun. DRIVE MODE D STILL VIDEO SETUP 3. Press the setting. or button to select the desired SETUP FORMAT DATE/TIME AUTO OFF BEEP FREQUENCY LANGUAGE 4. Press the button to confirm. 12 Polaroid Digital Camera User Guide www.polaroid.com 2 Camera Setting · Checking Camera Status Turn on the camera, view the camera's LCD screen to check which camera settings are active. Those particular features whose icons are not displayed are not activated. Still Image mode White Balance Auto* Daylight Cloudy Tungsten Fluorescent Self-timer On Flash Mode Flash Off Auto Flash* 2 Image Resolution 2048 X 1536* 1600 X 1200 1280 X 1024 640 X 480 2048 X 1536 0005 +0.5 Number of remaining pictures Exposure Compensation Value Quality High* Normal Low Capture Mode Still Image* Video Digital Zoom Status X1.0 SD Card Inserted Battery Level Full Adequate Low Exhausted * Default Setting Polaroid Digital Camera User Guide www.polaroid.com 13 Video mode Video Mode Recording Indicator White Balance For Video Clips Auto* Daylight Cloudy Tungsten Fluorescent 640 X 480 00:00:28 Resolution 640 X 480 * 320 X 240 Remaining Time X2.0 * Default Setting Playback Mode Picture Locked File Time Date File Number 160 0 x 1 20 0 07:55 08/10/04 0024-0023 Histogram Video Clip Play Pause 02:10 Video Length 07:55 08/10/04 0024-0023 14 Polaroid Digital Camera User Guide www.polaroid.com · Camera Modes The camera has two working modes, Capture mode and Playback mode. You can switch between them by pressing the Capture/Playback mode button on the back of the camera. Capture Mode Under this mode, you can select the image and video settings according to your shooting preference, and take pictures and video clips under the settings you have selected. For more details, please refer to "Taking Pictures" on page 24 and "Recording Video Clips" on page 33. Playback Mode This mode allows you to review and delete pictures and video clips from the camera. For more details, please refer to "Reviewing and Managing Pictures and Video Clips" on page 36. Polaroid Digital Camera User Guide www.polaroid.com 15 · Drive Mode The camera has two modes for taking pictures and video clips. Still Image Mode Video Mode You may switch between these two modes according to the following steps. 1. Set the camera to Capture mode . DRIVE MODE 2. Press the button. STILL 3. Press the or button to select (DRIVE D VIDEO MODE). 4. Press the 5. Press the 6. Press the NOTE: · Still Image mode is the default capture mode. · This setting is also available in Video mode. button. or button to select the desired drive mode. button. 16 Polaroid Digital Camera User Guide www.polaroid.com · Setup Menu Setup menu can be accessed in both Still Image and Video modes. 1. Set the camera to Still Image mode. 2. Press the button. SETUP FORMAT 3. Press the or button to select DATE/TIME (SETUP). AUTO OFF 4. Press the button. BEEP FREQUENCY SETUP 5. Press the or button to select the desired LANGUAGE setting. · Formatting the Internal Memory Formatting the internal memory deletes all data stored in it. 1. Set the camera to Still Image mode. SETUP FORMAT 2. Access the Setup menu. DATE/TIME 3. Press the or button to select "FORMAT". AUTO OFF 4. Press the button. BEEP SETUP FREQUENCY LANGUAGE 5. Press the setting. 6. Press the or button to select the desired REALLY WANT TO FORMAT? FORMAT button. CANCEL OK:SET NOTE: · Data deleted by a format operation cannot be recovered. Make sure you do not have any useful data currently stored in the internal memory before you format it. · Formatting the internal memory destroys all the pictures, even those that are protected. · With a memory card inserted, the above operation would format the inserted memory card only. The internal memory will not be formatted when a memory card is inserted. Polaroid Digital Camera User Guide www.polaroid.com 17 · Setting the Current Date and Time 1. Set the camera to Still Image mode. 2. Access the Setup menu. 3. Press the or button to select "DATE/ TIME". 4. Press the button. SETUP FORMAT DATE/TIME AUTO OFF BEEP FREQUENCY : SET SETUP Setting the date format 5. Press the or button to select "DATE FORMAT". 6. Press the button. DATE/TIME SETUP DATE FORMAT : SET 7. Press the setting. 8. Press the or button to select the desired DATE FORMAT DD/MM/YY MM/DD/YY YY/MM/DD OK: SET button. Setting the date and time 5. Press the or button to select "SETUP". 6. Press the button. DATE/TIME SETUP DATE FORMAT OK: SET 7. Press the the field. 8. Press the 9. Press the or button to adjust the value in SETUP DD/MM/YY 00/00/00 00:00:00 EXIT : SET button to switch to the next field. button. 18 Polaroid Digital Camera User Guide www.polaroid.com · Auto Power Save Setting The camera performs the following power save operations to conserve battery power. OFF The power save feature is not activated. 1/3/5 MIN The camera is designed to switch off automatically to save battery life after the specified period of inactivity. You can change the power save setting according to the following steps: 1. Set the camera to Still Image mode. SETUP 2. Access the Setup menu. FORMAT 3. Press the or button to select "AUTO DATE/TIME OFF". AUTO OFF BEEP 4. Press the button. SETUP FREQUENCY : SET 5. Press the setting. 6. Press the or button to select the desired AUTO OFF OFF 1 MIN 3 MIN 5 MIN OK:SET button. NOTE: · Auto power off is automatically disabled under any one of the following conditions. - While an auto play is operating. - While the camera's USB port is connected to a computer or other external devices, or while the camera is being controlled by an external device. · The LCD screen automatically goes into hibernation after one minute of inactivity. Press any button, except the Power button, to re-activate the LCD screen. Polaroid Digital Camera User Guide www.polaroid.com 19 · Setting the Beep Sound On/Off You can turn the beep sound on and off. When the beep sound is turned on, the camera will beep when you press the buttons. 1. Set the camera to Still Image mode. SETUP 2. Access the Setup menu. FORMAT 3. Press the or button to select "BEEP". DATE/TIME 4. Press the button. AUTO OFF SETUP BEEP FREQUENCY : SET 5. Press the setting. 6. Press the or button to select the desired BEEP ON OFF button. OK : SET · Setting Frequency In order to take a better indoor picture, the camera needs to be set to suit the correct lighting frequency. Set the frequency to 60Hz for US and 50Hz for Europe. SETUP 1. Set the camera to Still Image mode. FORMAT 2. Access the Setup menu. DATE/TIME 3. Press the or button to select AUTO OFF BEEP "FREQUENCY". FREQUENCY SETUP 4. Press the button. : SET 5. Press the setting. 6. Press the or button to select the desired FREQUENCY 50 Hz 60 hz button. OK : SET 20 Polaroid Digital Camera User Guide www.polaroid.com · Setting Display Language Under this setting, you can select the language you prefer for the LCD screen. 1. Set the camera to Still Image mode. SETUP 2. Access the Setup menu. DATE/TIME 3. Press the or button to select AUTO OFF "LANGUAGE". BEEP FREQUENCY 4. Press the button. SETUP LANGUAGE : SET 5. Press the setting. 6. Press the or button to select the desired LANGUAGE ENGLISH DEUTSCH FRANÇAIS ESPAÑOL ITALIANO OK : SET button. · Setting the Date Stamp On and Off Use the date stamp to imprint the date on your pictures. 1. Set the camera to Still Image mode. 2. Access the Setup menu. 3. Press the or button to select "DATE STAMP". SETUP 4. Press the button. SETUP AUTO OFF BEEP FREQUENCY LANGUAGE DATE STAMP : SET 5. Press the setting. 6. Press the or button to select the desired DATE STAMP ON OFF button. NOTE: This setting is configured for images only. OK : SET Polaroid Digital Camera User Guide www.polaroid.com 21 · Resetting to Default Settings You can easily change all the settings you made back to the camera default settings by the following steps. Please refer to "Camera Default Settings" on page 76 for more details. 1. Set the camera to Still Image mode. SETUP 2. Access the Setup menu. FREQUENCY LANGUAGE 3. Press the or button to select DATE STAMP "DEFAULT". TWAIN DRIVER 4. Press the button. DEFAULT SETUP : SET 5. Press the setting. 6. Press the or button to select the desired DEFAULT SETTING? button. NO YES OK : SET 22 Polaroid Digital Camera User Guide www.polaroid.com · Switching the Information Display and LCD Screen On and Off Pressing the button each time switches the LCD screen to the next display mode in the following sequence. Capture mode 2048 X 1536 0005 2048 X 1536 0005 Press H Press H X1.0 X1.0 Press Playback mode 2048 X 1536 Press 07:55 08/10/04 0024-0023 07:55 08/10/04 0024-0023 Press Press Polaroid Digital Camera User Guide www.polaroid.com 23 3 Taking Pictures Before you take pictures, please read this note first: Outdoor Pictures Without the Flash · Never take pictures directly into the sun as they may cause spots in your pictures. · Make sure that the sun is behind the camera to properly light up your scene. · Taking a Picture Taking pictures at approximately 3.2 feet to infinity (1 meter to infinity). 1. Set the camera to Still Image mode. 2. Frame your subject using the LCD screen. 3. Hold the camera steady. Press the shutter button completely down to take a picture. A beep will sound (if the beep sound is turned on) when a picture is taken. NOTE: Make sure that the Flash LED remains lit before shooting. POLA R OID DIGITAL C A M ER A 24 Polaroid Digital Camera User Guide www.polaroid.com · Setting Flash Mode 1. Set the camera to Still Image mode. 2. Pressing the Flash button cycles through the flash modes in the following sequence. When you press the Flash button, the icon (according to the flash setting you selected) will appear on the LCD screen. You can now take pictures using the flash mode you have selected. The flash will recharge after each flashed picture. The flash range is approximately 3.2 feet to 4.9 feet (1 to 1.5 meters). Polaroid Digital Camera User Guide www.polaroid.com 25 The camera has two flash modes (default setting is Auto Flash). Use the flash when you take pictures at night, indoors, or outdoors in heavy shadows. When shooting under these conditions: The flash does not fire. Use this setting for outdoor pictures, or where flash is prohibited or may be distracting, or when shooting towards a reflective surface, such as a window or a mirror. If there is not enough light when using this setting, your pictures may turn out dark. The flash fires automatically as needed. Use this setting to take most pictures. Select this mode Icon shown on the LCD screen Flash Off Auto Flash NOTE: · Flash modes are not available in Video mode. · Never touch or block the flash with your fingers. Doing so can soil these components and interfere with the correct flash operation. 26 Polaroid Digital Camera User Guide www.polaroid.com · Setting Self-timer Your camera is designed with a self-timer function, which allows you to take pictures with a count down of 2 or 10 seconds. 1. Set the camera to Still Image mode. 2. Press the button repeatedly to cycle through the self-timer settings and select the one you need. self-timer Display --- Option Single shot Description Record a single image 2 2-SEC Take a picture after a count down of 2 seconds. 10 10-SEC Take a picture after a count down of 10 seconds. 3. The icon 2 or 10 will appear on the LCD screen. 4. Frame your subject using the LCD screen. 5. Press the shutter button to take a picture. The camera beeps (if the beep sound is turned on) and the Self-timer LED blinks. NOTE: ·This feature is only available in Still Image mode. ·Place the camera on a flat surface or use a tripod when using the self-timer function. Polaroid Digital Camera User Guide www.polaroid.com 27 · Zoom Feature Your camera is designed with 4X digital zoom. This feature lets you zoom in on the central area of a photo and photograph only the enlarged portion of the picture. 1. Set the camera to Capture mode . 2. Press the button to zoom out. Press the zoom factor is shown on the LCD screen. button to zoom in. The 2048 X 1536 0005 +1.5 H Digital Zoom Factor NOTE: · You may notice a decrease in image quality when using the digital zoom. · The zoom feature is not available during recording video clips, please set zoom factor before recording video clips. 28 Polaroid Digital Camera User Guide www.polaroid.com · Setting the Image Size and Quality Picture resolution refers to the number of pixels in a digital picture. Picture quality depends on the JPEG file compression that the camera applies when the picture is taken. Higher resolution and less compression produces better quality but occupies more memory space. Smaller size pictures and normal quality are easier to email while larger size and fine quality are better for printing. Image Size Setting 1. Set the camera to Still Image mode. IMAGE SIZE D 2. Press the 3. Press the SIZE). 4. Press the button. or button to select 2048 X 1536 1600 X 1200 1280 X 1024 640 X 480 (IMAGE IMAGE SIZE D button. 5. Press the or button to select the desired setting. 6. Press the button. 2048 X 1536 1600 X 1200 1280 X 1024 640 X 480 OK : SET NOTE: It is recommended to use the 2048 x 1536 resolution for printing. Polaroid Digital Camera User Guide www.polaroid.com 29 Quality Setting 1. Set the camera to Still Image mode. 2. Press the button. 3. Press the or button to select (QUALITY). 4. Press the button. 5. Press the or button to select the desired setting. 6. Press the button. QUALITY D HIGH NORMAL LOW QUALITY D HIGH NORMAL LOW OK : SET 30 Polaroid Digital Camera User Guide www.polaroid.com · Setting Exposure Compensation You can adjust the exposure compensation value (EV) within the range of -2.0EV to +2.0EV in order to compensate for current lighting conditions. This setting can be used to obtain better result when shooting with backlighting, indirect indoor lighting, a dark background, etc. 1. Set the camera to Still Image mode. 2. Press the button. 3. Press the or button to select (EXPOSURE). 4. Press the button. 5. Press the or button to select the desired setting. 6. Press the button. EXPOSURE D AUTO EXPOSURE D +0.5 NOTE: · A higher EV value is best used for light-colored subjects and backlit subjects. A lower EV value is best for dark-colored subjects and for shooting outdoors on a clear day. · When shooting under very dark or very bright conditions, you may not be able to obtain satisfactory results even after performing exposure compensation. · Exposure Compensation function is not available in auto flash mode. OK : SET Polaroid Digital Camera User Guide www.polaroid.com 31 · Setting the White Balance for Pictures Selecting the right type of white balance can help to make the color of a subject in a picture appear more natural under the type of lighting that is available. 1. Set the camera to Still Image mode. 2. Press the button. 3. Press the or button to select BALANCE). 4. Press the button. WHITE BALANCE AUTO DAYLIGHT CLOUDY TUNGSTEN FLUORESCENT (WHITE 5. Press the or button to select the desired setting. 6. Press the button. WHITE BALANCE AUTO OK : SET When shooting under these conditions: Automatic adjustment Outdoor daylight Cloudy Indoors, illuminated by tungsten lighting Indoors, illuminated by fluorescent lighting Select this setting 32 Polaroid Digital Camera User Guide www.polaroid.com 4 Recording Video Clips NOTE: Change the drive mode from Still Image mode to Video mode before recording video clips, since Still Image mode is the default capture mode. Please refer to "Drive Mode" on page 16 for more details. · Recording Video Clips Use the Video mode to record video clips. The recording time displayed on the LCD screen will decrease and the icon will blink while recording. 1. Set the camera to Video mode. 2. Frame your subject using the LCD screen. 3. Press the shutter button completely down to start recording. 4. Press the shutter button again to stop recording. Recording stops when the current memory is full. Recording Indicator 640 X 480 00:12:58 Polaroid Digital Camera User Guide www.polaroid.com 33 · Setting Video Resolution Video resolution refers to the number of pixels in a digital video clip. Video clip quality depends on the file resolution that the camera applies when the video clip is recorded. Higher resolution makes better quality which occupies more memory space. 1. Set the camera to Video mode. 2. Press the button. 3. Press the or button to select (IMAGE SIZE). 4. Press the button. IMAGE SIZE D 640 X 480 320 X 240 SETUP 5. Press the or button to select the desired setting. 6. Press the button. IMAGE SIZE D 640 X 480 320 X 240 SETUP OK : SET 34 Polaroid Digital Camera User Guide www.polaroid.com · Setting the White Balance for Video Clips Selecting the right type of white balance can help to make the color of a subject in the video clip appear more natural under the type of lighting that is available. 1. Set the camera to Video mode. 2. Press the button. 3. Press the or button to select (WHITE BALANCE). 4. Press the button. WHITE BALANCE AUTO DAYLIGHT CLOUDY TUNGSTEN FLUORESCENT D SETUP