Control settings are made by simply touching the LCD screen. Operation is intuitive and easy, and the large letters are easy to read. Shooting and viewing are simple and stress-free - even for beginners.
Sometimes a scene is backlit or too dark, or it's difficult to get a good focus on the subject. Adjusting the settings every time is not only a hassle, it can be very tricky. That's where iA comes in. This powerful function senses the shooting conditions and automatically makes the settings and activates functions that will deliver optimal results. With both motion and still images, iA lets you forget about bothersome settings and makes it easy to capture beautiful, well-focused images.
* The functions included in iA may not be applied when conditions do not call for them.
Touch the LCD screen to indicate the subject, such as a person or an animal, that you want to focus on, and let AF/
AE Tracking do the rest. The camera locks on the subject and follows it around, keeping it in sharp focus and properly exposed.
It keeps tracking even if the subject turns to the side. This advanced function makes it easy to get a continually clear, beautiful shot of the subject in the scene you care most about.
This mode captures faces beautifully. Face Detection automatically senses the ambient lighting and adjusts the exposure accordingly, so faces are bright and easy to see. The focus also prioritizes the faces, and skin tones are smoothed. Faces in the center of the frame serve as the reference for adjustments, but the function can detect up to 15 faces in all.
When hand-shake is detected while shooting, the Advanced O.I.S. system is automatically activated to compensate for blurring and produce beautiful recorded images. Because the system is optical, there's only minimal loss of image quality even when viewed on a large-screen TV.
By detecting the intensity of the ambient light and adjusting the exposure accordingly, Intelligent Contrast Control prevents blown highlights and blocked shadows. This helps render natural-looking, highly nuanced images with proper contrast.
The shooting conditions are detected, and the optimal Scene mode is automatically selected. Even if the subject should change, there's no need to manually redo the settings, so you can concentrate entirely on your shot.
Portrait Using the face as reference, the exposure is adjusted to capture faces beautifully. Focusing priority is also placed on the face, and the skin tone is smoothed.
Scenery The exposure is optimized to give you clear images, without blown highlights in strongly lit areas like the sky.
Spotlight For scenes with particularly strong contrast, such as when you're shooting a spotlit area on a darkened stage. It captures the well-lit subject perfectly and prevents washed-out areas.
Low Light In dim lighting, the camcorder automatically switches to a slower shutter speed so that images across the entire frame are bright and easy to see.
Switch the power on and the camcorder is in standby mode in just 1.9 seconds, ready to shoot when you are. This fast startup also helps reduce battery consumption.
■ 0.6-Sec Quick Start*
Use Quick Start mode. You simply flip open the LCD and you're ready to shoot in just 0.6 second. When Eco mode is also used, the power turns off whenever the camcorder has not been operated for 5 minutes. This reduces wasted power consumption, and enables a longer battery life.
* This mode can be selected from the menu.
This clever function records three seconds of images even before you actually begin shooting. The images are held temporarily in the camcorder's internal memory, before recording onto the SDHC/SD Memory Card begins. This helps ensure that you won't miss the start of a moment you want to record, such as when an event begins all of a sudden. For example, if you're waiting to snap a shot of a jumping dolphin, you can press the REC button after you've made sure that the dolphin has cleared the surface of the water. The camcorder will record the entire scene, from the instant of the dolphin's jump until it disappears again into the sea.
*The camera must be aimed at the subject in advance.
The O.I.S. linear motor system can detect when the camera is in an unusual shooting position - such as when you've inadvertently left it on in recording mode. In these cases, the camera automatically stops recording, saving both battery power and media storage space.
* Set to OFF when shipped from the factory. To turn Anti Ground Shooting ON, the setting must be made on the menu screen.
This function lets the camcorder snap up to 50 consecutive still images*2 in a second, or up to 180 consecutive shots in 3.6 seconds. You can use it to analyze a golf swing, tennis stroke or other motion. You also can use it to get good shots of subjects in fast motion. Just fire off a number of shots without stopping, then keep the best ones and delete the rest.
*1 50 frames/sec for PAL area, 60 frames/sec for NTSC area.
*2 When recorded at 0.9-megapixel resolution.
The LCD brightness can be adjusted manually to suit the surroundings. In Auto mode, the LCD brightness is adjusted automatically in 16 smooth steps depending on the surroundings. In darker rooms it adjusts to a lower brightness, making it easier to frame the shot. Outside, it adjusts to almost twice the brightness for easy viewing even on sunny days.
This function enlarges the center of the image, making it easier for you to get a clear, sharp shot when focusing manually.
With wide LCD monitors, it's hard to keep images perfectly level. The SD20 solves this by displaying horizontal and vertical Composition Guide Lines that make it easy to keep the subject straight and level.
The LCD has a highly detailed, 230,400-pixel display and a viewing angle of 170°, both vertically and horizontally. Images are clear and bright even when viewed from an angle, so everyone can gather around the LCD to enjoy on-the-spot recordings. The wide viewing angle is also great for taking high- or low-angle shots.
The index function has been enhanced with the addition of a new feature that divides each recorded scene into a number of smaller scenes, and displays thumbnails for each. This makes it much easier to find a particular part of a scene without having to fast-forward.
Highlight Index
The camera automatically selects and displays the most exciting scenes. It determines the level of importance of each scene based on zooming and panning, and whether there are faces and cheers. This gives you an easy, convenient way to view all the highlights together.
Time Frame Index
This mode divides each recorded clip into 3-second, 6-second, 12-second, 1-minute and 5-minute intervals, and displays them. This is convenient when you want to find a specific scene within a long clip.
・These figures vary depending on the pictures being recorded.
* 1 GB means 1 billion bytes. Usable capacity will be less.
When the camera determines that the ambient lighting is insufficient, it automatically switches the light on. This illuminates your subject for shooting. The LED (light emitting diode) has low power consumption, a long service life, and the safety of a low operating temperature.
Leave the light off. Color Night View gives you images with color even in dim lighting (1 lx).
Handy for travellers, this function makes it easy to set the camcorder time when you cross time zones and again when you return home. Simply select your destination from the displayed map, and the camcorder is automatically set for that time zone. The time for two different places can be set – such as home and destination – and you can switch between the times by simply pressing a button.
When the power is turned on, the lens cover automatically opens. When the power goes off, the lens cover closes. You don't have to keep removing and replacing a lens cap - or worry about losing it.
• Design, functions, and specifications are subject to change without notice.
• All monitor and TV pictures are simulated.
![Motion Picture Recording Time [approx.]](../../../../share/feature/img/recordingmode/01_sd20.gif)
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