a600 6.0 Megapixels Digital Camera www.polaroid.com User Guide Product Overview 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Shutter button Flash Lens Power button Self-timer LED Speaker LA PO ROID DIGITAL C AM E RA 7. Microphone 7 8. Zoom in button 9. Zoom out/ Thumbnail button 10. Power LED 11. Flash LED 12. LCD Screen 13. Left button 14. Menu button 15. Wrist strap holder 16. Mode button 17. Flash / Up button 18. Self-timer / Right button 19. Down button 20. LCD screen on / off button 21. OK button 8 9 15 10 11 16 17 18 12 13 19 20 21 14 2 Polaroid Digital Camera User Guide www.polaroid.com 22. Tripod mount 23.USB port 24.Battery / SD card door 22 23 24 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 · Installing and Removing the Battery.................................................. 9 · Using Your Battery ........................................................................10 · Turning the Camera On and Off ......................................................10 · Checking the Battery Level .............................................................11 2 Camera Setting ................................................................................12 · Checking Camera Status ................................................................12 · Camera Modes..............................................................................15 · How to Navigate Menus.................................................................15 · Setup Menu..................................................................................16 · Setting the Current Date and Time ..................................................18 · Setting Auto Power Off .................................................................19 · Setting the Beep Sound On / Off .....................................................20 · Selecting the Frequency ................................................................20 · Setting the Display Language..........................................................21 · Setting the Date Stamp On / Off .....................................................21 · Changing the USB Mode Between MSDC and Pictbridge. ...................22 · Restoring Default Settings..............................................................23 · Switching the Information Display and LCD Screen On and Off ...........24 3 Taking Pictures ................................................................................26 · Taking Pictures in Normal Mode ......................................................26 · Setting Flash Mode .......................................................................28 · Setting the Image Size and Compression ..........................................30 · Setting Exposure Compensation for Pictures .....................................33 · Changing the ISO Speed ................................................................34 · Setting White Balance for Pictures...................................................35 · Setting the Sharpness....................................................................36 · Setting Light Metering ...................................................................37 4 Polaroid Digital Camera User Guide www.polaroid.com · Setting Self-timer ..........................................................................38 · Zoom Feature ...............................................................................39 4 Recording Video Clips .......................................................................40 · Recording Video Clips ...................................................................40 · Setting Video Image Size ...............................................................41 · Setting White Balance for Video Clips ..............................................42 5 Managing Pictures and Video Clips ....................................................43 · Reviewing Pictures ........................................................................43 · Playing the Video Clip....................................................................44 · Protecting or Unprotecting the Selected Picture or Video Clip .............44 · Running a Slide Show....................................................................45 · Deleting Picture(s) and Video Clip(s) ................................................48 6 Print Setting ....................................................................................49 · About PictBridge ...........................................................................49 · About DPOF .................................................................................57 7 Using Memory .................................................................................59 · Using memory ..............................................................................59 · Formatting Memory .......................................................................62 · Copying Pictures, Video Clips to Memory Card ................................63 8 Installing the Software Onto a Computer .............................................64 · Installing the Software ..................................................................64 · Software Included with Your Camera...............................................66 · Computer System Requirements .....................................................67 9 Transferring Pictures and Video Clips to a Computer .............................98 · Before Transferring File................................... ...............................68 · Connecting to Your Computer ........................................................68 · Transferring Pictures and Video Clips to a Computer..........................69 10 Troubleshooting Problems................................................................71 Polaroid Digital Camera User Guide www.polaroid.com 5 · Troubleshooting ............................................................................71 11 Getting Help ..................................................................................74 · Polaroid Online Service ..................................................................74 · Customer Support .........................................................................74 · ArcSoft Software Help...................................................................74 12 Appendix.......................................................................................75 · Technical Specifications.................................................................75 · Capacity of SD Card......................................................................77 · Uninstalling Polaroid Digital Camera Driver (PC Only) .........................80 · Camera Default Settings ................................................................81 · Tips, Your Safety & Maintenance ....................................................82 · Regulatory Information...................................................................83 6 Polaroid Digital Camera User Guide www.polaroid.com 1 Getting Started Designed to be the flagship for Polaroid digital cameras. This Polaroid digital camera has a 2.0 inch color LCD for viewing images. Your camera is the perfect choice for the photographer looking for point and shoot simplicity with excellent performance and a variety of features. Your camera has these features: · · · A glass lens system for well exposed sharp pictures from 4.3 feet (125 cm) to infinity. Your camera has 4X digital zoom modes Built-in flash with five modes (off, auto, red-eye reduction , slow sync and on) Adjust your picture's resolution for printing or emailing · · Light metering, white balance, exposure compensation to suit lighting conditions Experience PictBridge capability to plug-and-print your images. Polaroid Digital Camera User Guide www.polaroid.com 7 · Camera Package Contents First Class Postage Required Post Office will not deliver without proper postage DIGITAL POLAROID CAMER A PO LAR OID DIGITAL CA ME RA Digital Imaging Products 201 Burlington Road Bedford, MA 01730-1434 a600 Quick Start Guide Warranty Card Skin 4 X AAA Battery USB Cable Wrist Strap The CD-ROM includes a600 Digital Camera Driver (PC only) ArcSoft® PhotoStudio® 5.5 (PC) /ArcSoft® PhotoStudio® 4.3 (Mac) ArcSoft PhotoPrinter® 5 Beta (PC) /ArcSoft PhotoPrinter® 4 (Mac) Adobe® Acrobat® ReaderTM (PC&Mac) User Manual (in PDF format) 8 Polaroid Digital Camera User Guide www.polaroid.com · Attaching the Wrist Strap 1 2 · Installing and Removing the Battery 1. Open the camera battery door by pushing it outwards as illustrated. 2. Insert the battery as shown. 3. Close the battery door by pressing it downwards then slide it back to lock. 1 2 3 1 2 1 2 4. To remove the battery, slide the battery lock in the direction of the arrow and the battery will eject out of the battery slot. 5. Pull the battery with your finger in the direction of the arrow. 4 5 1 2 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! · Battery should be replaced by an adult. · Insert the battery with the correct polarity. · Remove exhausted battery from the camera immediately. · Do not short the supply terminals. · Do not dispose the battery in fire. · Remove battery from the camera when not in use. · Batteries life varies depends on the camera usage. These instructions should be retained for future reference. · Turning the Camera On and Off 1.Press the button until the Power On LED screen turns on. 2.Press the button again to turn off the camera. IMPORTANT! All operations, including taking pictures and video clips, and adjusting settings for shooting and playback, are performed while the camera is powered on. 10 Polaroid Digital Camera User Guide www.polaroid.com · Checking the Battery Level Battery power is full. Check the battery power level that appears on the LCD screen before shooting. Battery has adequate power. Battery power is low. Batter power is exhausted. NOTE: icon appears on the LCD 1.When battery power is exhausted, the screen and the camera will turn off automatically. Please replace the batteries immediately. 2.We recommend user to use Ni-mh rechargeable battery for better battery performance. Polaroid Digital Camera User Guide www.polaroid.com 11 2 Camera Setting · Checking Camera Status Turn on the camera and view the camera LCD screen to check which camera settings are active. Those particular features whose icons are not displayed are not activated. Still Image Mode Flash Mode Flash Off Auto Flash * Red-eye Reduction Flash Always Slow Sync 2-SEC. Self-timer 10-SEC. Self-timer Digital Zoom Status SD Card Capture Mode Still Image * 2048X1536 N Number of pictures that can be taken Image Size 2816 x 2112* 2304 x 1728 2048 x 1536 1600 x 1200 640 x 480 Battery Power Level Focus Frame Histogram Full Adequate Low Exhausted * Default setting 12 Polaroid Digital Camera User Guide www.polaroid.com Exposure Compensation Value ISO Sensitivity Auto 100 * 100 Sharpness st N 200 200 Strong Normal * Soft 400 400 2048X1536 N s White Balance Auto * Daylight Cloudy Tungsten Fluorescent Compressin Super Fine * Fine Normal Light metering Average * Center Spot * Default setting Polaroid Digital Camera User Guide www.polaroid.com 13 Video Mode SD Card Recording Indicator ELapsed Time Video Mode Video Resolution 320 x 240 640 x 480 * White Balance Auto * Daylight Cloudy Tungsten Fluorescent Playback Mode Locked File File Type Picture Video Clip SD Card 001/002 File Number 2004/09/05 13:05:12 Date and Time 14 Polaroid Digital Camera User Guide www.polaroid.com · Camera Modes The camera has three working modes, Capture mode, Playback mode and Video mode. Pressing the mode button switches among the Capture mode, Playback mode and Video mode. · How to Navigate Menus Menus and function bars are used to adjust capture and play settings, as well as other camera settings like the Date / Time, Auto Power Off, and so on. Press the button to enter the menu and press the right button to enter a submenu. Use the up and down buttons to scroll up and down, and use the button to confirm left and right buttons to scroll left and right. Use the your choice. The currently selected option will be accessed and takes effect immediately. Polaroid Digital Camera User Guide www.polaroid.com 15 · Setup Menu 1. The setup menu can be accessed in all two working modes to customize your camera settings. Here we take the mode for an example. Press the button to access the main menu. SETUP STRONG AVERAGE SETUP 2/2 2. Press the and button to select the SETUP option. SETUP FORMAT DATE / TIME AUTO OFF BEEP FREQUENCY 1/2 16 Polaroid Digital Camera User Guide www.polaroid.com 3. 4. Press the button to access the SETUP submenu. Use the and buttons to select a setup option and then press the button to enter the next submenu for that particular option. SETUP FORMAT DATE / TIME AUTO OFF BEEP FREQUENCY page page page page page 1/2 62 18 19 20 20 SETUP LANGUAGE DATE STAMP USB MODE DEFAULT SETTING page page page page 2/2 21 21 22 23 Polaroid Digital Camera User Guide www.polaroid.com 17 · Setting the Current Date and Time 1. Follow the guidelines in "Setup Menu" on page 16 to access the SETUP menu. 2. Press the submenu. button to access the DATE/TIME SETUP FORMAT DATE / TIME AUTO OFF BEEP FREQUENCY 1/2 DATE / TIME DATE FORMAT Setting the date format 3. Press the or button to select "DATE FORMAT". 4. Press the button. 5. Press the or desired setting. 6. Press the button to select the DATE SETUP DATE / TIME DD / MM / YY MM / DD / YY YY / MM / DD button. DATE / TIME Setting the date and time 3. Press the or button to select "DATE SETUP". 4. Press the button. 5. Press the in the field. 6. Press the 7. Press the 18 DATE FORMAT DATE SETUP or button to adjust the value DATE / TIME DD / MM / YY button to switch to the next field. button. 00 : 00 : 2006 01 : 01 :01 Polaroid Digital Camera User Guide www.polaroid.com · Setting Auto Off The camera is equipped with a power saving operation to conserve battery power. You can change the power saving setting with the following steps: 1. Follow the guidelines in "Setup Menu" on page 16 to access the SETUP menu. SETUP 2. Select the AUTO OFF option using the button. 3. Press the submenu. or FORMAT DATE / TIME AUTO OFF BEEP FREQUENCY button to access the AUTO OFF AUTO OFF OFF 1 MIN 3 MINS 1/2 4. Specify the automatic power off period using the button to confirm or button. Press the your choice and exit from the menu window. 1 MINUTE / 3 MINUTES The camera is designed to switch off automatically to save battery life after the specified period of inactivity. The power saving function is not active. OFF NOTE: Auto power off is automatically disabled under any one of the following conditions: · While the camera is recording a video clip. · While the camera is running a slide show. · While the camera is connecting to PC, printer. Polaroid Digital Camera User Guide www.polaroid.com 19 · Setting the Beep Sound On / Off The beep sound can be turned on and off in the SETUP menu. When the beep sound is turned on, the camera will beep when you press the buttons. 1. Follow the guidelines in "Setup Menu" on page SETUP 16 to access the SETUP menu. FORMAT 2. Select the BEEP SOUND option using the button. 3. Press the and DATE / TIME AUTO OFF BEEP FREQUENCY button to access the BEEP submenu. BEEP ON OFF 1/2 4. Select ON or OFF using the and button. button to confirm your choice and Press the exit from the menu window. The correct frequency for your indoor shooting scence makes the effect of photos better. SETUP 1. Follow the guidelines in "Setup Menu" on page 16 to access the SETUP menu. FORMAT DATE / TIME ·Selecting the Frequency 2. Select the FREQUENCY option using the button. or AUTO OFF BEEP FREQUENCY 1/2 3. Press the button to access the FREQUENCY submenu. 4. Select the frequency of your own country using button button. Press the and the to confirm your choice and exit from the menu window. NOTE: 50 HZ 60 HZ For European users For United States users FREQUENCY 50 Hz 60 Hz 20 Polaroid Digital Camera User Guide www.polaroid.com · Setting the Display Language 1. 2. 3. Different languages can be selected for the menu to suit your preference. Follow the guidelines in "Setup Menu" on page 16 to access the SETUP menu. Select the LANGUAGE option using the button. Press the submenu. SETUP LANGUAGE or DATE STAMP USB MODE DEFAULT SETTING button to access the LANGUAGE LANGUAGE ENGLISH GERMAN FRENCH SPANISH ITALIANO 2/2 4. Select the language you prefer using the or button. Press the button to confirm your choice and exit from the menu window. 1/2 Use the date stamp setting to imprint the date on your pictures. Make sure the date is correct before setting the date stamp on. SETUP · Setting the Date Stamp On / Off 1. Follow the guideline in "Setup Menu" on page 16 to access the SETUP menu. 2. Select the DATE STAMP option using the button. 3. Press the submenu. or LANGUAGE DATE STAMP USB MODE DEFAULT SETTING 2/2 button to access the DATE STAMP DATE STAMP ON OFF 4. Select ON or OFF using the or button. Press the button to confirm your choice and exit from the menu window. Polaroid Digital Camera User Guide www.polaroid.com 21 · Changing the USB Mode Between MSDC and Pictbridge You can choose either MSDC or Pictbridge Camera as a driver type in this camera. Mass storage is the driver type by default. MSDC(Mass Storage Digital Camera) is a computer interface between a computer and a digital camera which shows the digital camera as a removable disk drive attached to the computer. You may view and download pictures and video clips stored in your camera's internal memory or a SD memory card onto your computer. 1. Set the camera to Still Image mode. 2. Access the Setup menu. 3. Press the MODE". 4. Press the 5. Press the setting. 6. Press the or button. USB MODE MSDC SETUP LANGUAGE DATE STAMP USB MODE DEFAULT SETTING button to select "USB 2/2 or button to select the desired PICTBRIDGE button. NOTE: The driver type always resets to MSDC when the camera is turned off. 22 Polaroid Digital Camera User Guide www.polaroid.com · Restoring Default Settings Default setting can be restored by the following steps (For more guidelines, please see "Camera Default Settings" on page 81). 1. Follow the guidelines in "Setup Menu" on page 16 to access the SETUP menu. 2. Select the DEFAULT SETTING option using the and button. 3. Press the button. SETUP LANGUAGE DATE STAMP USB MODE DEFAULT SETTING 2/2 DEFAULT SETTING 4. Select OK using the or button. Press the button to restore default settings and exit from the menu window. RETURN MENU SETTING TO DEFAULTS CANCEL OK NOTE: Selecting CANCEL will cancel the operation and exit from the menu window. Polaroid Digital Camera User Guide www.polaroid.com 23 · Switching the Information Display and LCD Screen On and Off The LCD Screen can be changed by pressing the 2048X1536 button. 2048X1536 N Press N Press LCD screen on with basic information display LCD screen on with basic information and a histogram Press LCD screen on with information display off 24 Polaroid Digital Camera User Guide www.polaroid.com In mode: 320X240 Press LCD screen on with detailed information displayed Press LCD screen on with information display off In mode: 001/002 Press 2006/01/01 12:00:00 LCD screen on with basic information display Press LCD screen on with information display off Polaroid Digital Camera User Guide www.polaroid.com 25 3 Taking Pictures Before you take pictures, please read this note first: NOTE: Never remove the battery while a picture is being saved. Doing so will prevent the current picture from being saved and may corrupt other pictures already stored on the camera's internal memory or a memory card. · Taking Pictures in Normal Mode Use this mode to capture subjects and make sure they are at least the distance from the taking lens as indicated below: Focus range : 1.25 m (4.3 ft) ~ lnfinity NOTE: Most settings are saved by the camera when the power is turned off so that the same setting is automatically available when the power is turned on again. Make sure you verify your settings when turning the camera on again. 26 Polaroid Digital Camera User Guide www.polaroid.com 1. Press the mode button to set the camera to the Still Image mode. 2. Frame your subject using the LCD screen. 2048X1536 N 3. Hold the camera steady and slowly press the shutter button down to take your image. Polaroid Digital Camera User Guide www.polaroid.com 27 · Setting Flash Mode Use the flash when you take pictures at night, indoors, or outdoors in heavy shadows.The camera has five flash modes (default setting is Auto Flash). Flash Range: · Normal: 1.0 m (3.3 ft) to 3.0 m (10 ft) 1. Press the mode button to set the camera mode to . 2. Press the button to cycle through the flash options and select the one you need. NOTE: When you press the button, the Flash LED blinks, which indicates the flash is charging. The icon (according to the flash setting you selected) will appear on the LCD screen. 28 Polaroid Digital Camera User Guide www.polaroid.com 3. Now you can take pictures using the flash mode you selected. The flash will recharge after each flash picture. When shooting under these conditions: Select this mode Icon shown on the LCD screen 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 will be too dark. The flash fires automatically as needed. Use this setting to take most pictures. Flash Off Auto Flash Use this setting to avoid red glare in your subject's eyes. The camera fires a brief preflash before the Red-eye Reduction regular flash. The flash fires for every picture. Use this setting in high-contrast situations to provide fill-light or use it indoors in low light. There is a slight delay in the flash than it does in Auto. Flash Always Slow Sync NOTE: Never touch or block the flash with your fingers. Doing so can damage these components and interfere with the correct flash operation. Polaroid Digital Camera User Guide www.polaroid.com 29 · Setting the Image Size and Compression Image size 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 makes better quality and occupies more memory space. Smaller size and normal quality pictures are easier to email while larger size and fine quality pictures are better for printing. Image size setting 1. Press the mode button to set the camera mode to . 2. Press the button to access the main menu. Press the or button until the IMAGE SIZE option is highlighted. IMAGE SIZE 2816 X 2112 SUPER FINE 3. Press the button to access the IMAGE SIZE submenu. 4. Select the image size you prefer using the or button. Press the button to confirm your choice and exit from the menu window, press the button to give up confirmation and return previous. AUTO AUTO AUTO 1/2 IMAGE SIZE 2816 X 2112 2304 X 1728 2048 X 1536 1600 X 1200 640 X 480 NOTE: · 2816X2112 pixels is the default and optimal image size setting. It is recomended to use this setting for printing. 30 Polaroid Digital Camera User Guide www.polaroid.com Compression setting 1. Press the mode button to set the camera mode to . COMPRESSION 2. Press the button to access the main menu. 3. Press the or button to select the COMPRESSION option. 4. Press the button to access the COMPRESSION submenu. 2816 X 2112 SUPER FINE AUTO AUTO AUTO 1/2 COMPRESSION SUPER FINE 5. Select the compression you prefer using the or button. Press the button to confirm your choice and exit from the menu window, press the button to give up confirmation and return previous. FINE NORMAL Polaroid Digital Camera User Guide www.polaroid.com 31 The chart below indicates the approximate numbers of pictures you can expect the camera to hold at different resolution and quality setting based on the 16MB internal memory. You can expand the memory using a commercially available memory card. Please refer to "Capacity of SD Card" on page 77 for further details. Compression Resolution 2816 x 2112 2304 x 1728 2048 x 1536 1600 x 1200 640 x 480 Super Fine Fine Normal 4 6 8 17 70 7 12 18 26 120 16 28 40 50 200 NOTE: Scene complexity affects a picture's file size. For example, a picture of trees in autumn has a larger file size than a picture of blue sky at the same resolution and quality setting. Therefore, the number of picture or the length of video clips you can store on a memory card may vary. The number of pictures on the LCD screen is for reference only. 32 Polaroid Digital Camera User Guide www.polaroid.com · Setting Exposure Compensation for Pictures You can adjust the exposure compensation value (EV) within the range of ­2EV to +2EV 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, and so on. 1. 2. Press the mode button to set the camera mode to . Press the menu. button to access the main button to enter EXPOSURE 2816 X 2112 SUPER FINE 3. Press the submenu. AUTO AUTO AUTO 1/2 4. Adjust the exposure compensation value using the or button. button to confirm. The Press the currently selected option will be accessed and takes effect immediately. NOTE: EXPOSURE 5. · A higher EV is best used for light-colored subjects and backlit subjects. A lower EV 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 if performing exposure compensation. Polaroid Digital Camera User Guide www.polaroid.com 33 · Changing the ISO Speed This function enables you to change the camera's sensitivity to light by selecting different ISO values. ISO is a measure of how quickly your camera reacts to light. The higher the ISO value, the less light needed to make an exposure, allowing the same exposure to be achieved with higher shutter speeds or smaller apertures. In a digital camera, higher ISO value allows higher shutter speed, at the expense of mottle or grain appearing in the final picture. 1. Press the mode button to set the camera mode to . 2. Press the menu. ISO 2816 X 2112 SUPER FINE AUTO AUTO button to access the main or button to select the button. 3. Press the ISO option. AUTO 1/2 4. Select the ISO speed using the ISO AUTO 5. The currently selected option will be accessed and takes effect immediately. Press the button to exit from the function bar, or press the button to return previous. 100 ISO100 ISO200 ISO400 200 400