Quick Guide to using the Sony DCR-TRV19 digital video camera

Charge the battery

• See pp. 16-18 in the manual for directions. It takes about 2 hours to charge the battery when it is fully discharged.
• The charge will last between 45-120 minutes depending on if the LCD screen is used (this consumes more power) and on start/stop vs. continuous recording.

Record pre and post rolls

• Always let the tape roll for at least a couple of seconds before shouting "Action" and always let it roll for a couple of seconds after shouting "Cut." This will make things much easier when you get to the editing stage.
• If you review your footage on the camera, be sure to stop the tape before you roll beyond the end of what was last recorded; otherwise, the timecode on the tape will start over again from 0:00:00.

Basic camera operations (page numbers refer to the manual)

• Loading and ejecting tape (pg. 8)
• Recording (pg. 25)
• Zoom (pg. 32)
• Playing back the tape on the camera (pg. 39)

Auto/Manual focus and exposure

• Focus and exposure can be switched between Automatic and Manual modes. Depending on the nature of your shoot, ones of these modes might have benefits over the other. See pp. 64-67 in the manual for details.

last updated 2005 JAN 31