Canon A420 - User Manual

5 Handling Precautions Test Shots Before you try to photograph important subjects, we highly recommend that you shoot several trial images to confirm that the camera is operating and being operated correctly.Please note that Canon Inc., its subsidiaries and affiliates, and its distributors are not l...

6 Language Setting Please see the Basic Guide (p. 3) to change the language setting. z Before using the camera, please ensure that you read and understand the safety precautions described below. Always ensure that the camera is operated correctly. z The safety precautions noted on the following page...

7 Warnings Equipment z Do not aim the camera directly into the sun or at other intense light sources that could damage your eyesight. z Store this equipment out of the reach of children and infants. Accidental damage by a child could result in serious injury. • Wrist strap: Placement of the strap ar...

8 Battery z Do not place the battery near a heat source or expose it to direct flame or heat. z The battery should not be immersed in water or sea water. z Do not attempt to disassemble, alter or apply heat to the battery. z Avoid dropping or subjecting the batteries to severe impacts that could dam...

9 Others z Do not trigger the flash in close proximity to human or animal eyes. Exposure to the intense light produced by the flash may damage eyesight. In particular, remain at least one meter (39 inches) away from infants when using the flash. z Keep objects that are sensitive to magnetic fields (...

10 Cautions Equipment z Be careful not to bang the camera or subject it to strong impacts or shocks that could lead to injury or damage the equipment when wearing or holding it by the strap. z Do not store the equipment in humid or dusty areas. z Do not allow metal objects (such as pins or keys) or ...

11 Preventing Malfunctions Avoid Strong Magnetic Fields z Never place the camera in close proximity to electric motors or other equipment generating strong electromagnetic fields. Exposure to strong magnetic fields may cause malfunctions or corrupt image data. Avoid Condensation Related Problems z W...

12 Before Using the Camera—The Components Guide Front View Power Button ( Basic Guide p. 2) Shutter Button ( Basic Guide p. 4) Speaker Flash ( Basic Guide p. 8) Microphone (p. 62) Viewfinder Window (p. 19) A/V OUT (Audio/Video output) Terminal (p. 71) Wrist Strap MountAF-assist Beam (p. 24) Red-Eye ...

13 B ef o re U s in g th e C a m er a — T h e C o m p onen ts G u ide Back View LCD Monitor (p. 15) Viewfinder (p. 19) DIGITAL Terminal ( Basic Guide p. 17) DC Coupler Terminal (p. 90) Terminal CoverCoin Battery Holder (p. 89) Tripod SocketMemory Card Slot/Battery Cover ( Basic Guide p. 1)

14 Operation Panel Indicator (p. 19) DISP. (Display) Button (p. 15) Mode Dial ( Basic Guide p. 5) MENU Button (p. 22) FUNC./SET (Function/Set) Button (p. 21) (Print/Share) Button ( Basic Guide p. 13) (Telephoto) (when shooting)/ (Magnify) (when playing)/ S button ( Basic Guide p. 8/ p. 32 , 58 ) (Ma...

15 Befo re Usin g the Cam era — B a sic Ope ra tio n s Before Using the Camera—Basic Operations z The LCD monitor on or off setting is remembered even after the camera power is turned off. z The LCD monitor does not shut off in the (Super Macro), (Color Accent), (Color Swap), (Stitch Assist) or (Mov...

16 Shooting mode * Appears even if the LCD monitor is set to Standard (No Information) Information Displayed on the LCD Monitor Exposure Compensation (p. 48) Shooting Method (p. 33 , 35) Recording Pixels (p. 30) Low Battery (p. 85) Macro/Infinity ( Basic Guide p. 9) Shooting Mode ( Basic Guide p. 5/...

17 Befo re Usin g the Cam era — B a sic Ope ra tio n s z If the indicator blinks orange and the camera shake icon displays, it may indicate slow shutter speed due to insufficient lighting. Increase the ISO speed (p. 53) , select a setting other than (Flash off), or attach the camera to a tripod or o...

18 Detailed The following information may also be displayed with some images. Information for images shot on other cameras may not display correctly. A sound file in a format other than the WAVE format is attached, or the file format is not recognized. JPEG image not conforming to Design rule for Ca...

19 Befo re Usin g the Cam era — B a sic Ope ra tio n s The viewfinder can be used to conserve power by turning the LCD monitor off (p. 15) while shooting. The indicators light or blink under the following conditions. z Upper Indicator Green: Ready to shoot Blinking Green: Image recording/reading/era...

20 This camera is equipped with a power saving function. The power will shut off in the following circumstances. Press the power button again to restore power. * Default Setting (time can be changed). z The power saving function will not activate during Auto Play or while the camera is connected to ...

21 Befo re Usin g the Cam era — B a sic Ope ra tio n s Menus are used to set the shooting and playback settings as well as such camera settings as the date/time and electronic beep. The following menus are available. z FUNC. Menu z Rec., Play, Print, Set up, and My Camera Menus FUNC. Menu This menu ...

23 Befo re Usin g the Cam era — B a sic Ope ra tio n s FUNC. Menu Menu List Menu Item Reference Page Manual Mode Manual Basic Guide p. 6 Super Macro p. 31 Color Accent p. 42 Color Swap p. 43 Stitch Assist (Left to Right) p. 40 Stitch Assist (Right to Left) Special Scene Mode Basic Guide p. 7 Movie M...

25 Befo re Usin g the Cam era — B a sic Ope ra tio n s Set up Menu *Default setting Menu Item Options Reference Page Mute On/Off* Set to [On] to silence all sounds except the warning that sounds when the memory card slot/battery cover is open while data is being saved onto the memory card. ( Basic G...

27 Befo re Usin g the Cam era — B a sic Ope ra tio n s My Camera Menu *Default setting Menu Item Options Summary Reference Page Start-up Image Off/On* Select whether to display the set start-up screen when the camera is turned on p. 72 Start-up Sound Off/On* Select whether to play the set start-up s...

28 z Settings cannot be reset when the camera is connected to a computer or to a printer. z The following cannot be reset.- Shooting mode- The (Date/Time) and (Language) options in the (Set up) menu (p. 26) - (Video System) (p. 26) - White balance data recorded with the custom white balance function...

29 Befo re Usin g the Cam era — B a sic Ope ra tio n s You should always format a new memory card or one from which you wish to erase all images and other data. Low Level Format You should select the [Low Level Format] option if you suspect the read/write speed of a memory card has dropped. A low le...

30 Shooting Approximate Values for Recording Pixels Changing the Recording Pixels and Compression (Still Images) Shooting Mode 1 FUNC. Menu * (Compression/Recording Pixels). See Menus and Settings (p. 21) . z Use the W or X button to select recording pixels settings. * Default setting. 2 Press the M...

31 Shootin g * Paper sizes vary according to region. Approximate Values for Compression Settings z See Image Data Sizes (Estimated) (p. 103) . z See Memory Cards and Estimated Capacities (p. 102) . You can shoot a subject from as close as 1 cm (0.39 in.) (minimum focal distance) with an area of 17 ×...

32 By combining the digital and optical zooms, you can shoot with images zoomed. PowerShot A430 Still images: approximately 14x max. (Super macro: approximately 3.6x max.)Movies (standard): approximately 7.9x max. PowerShot A420 Still images: approximately 11x max. (Super macro: approximately 3.6x m...

33 Shootin g In this mode, the camera shoots continuously while the shutter button is held down. In addition, continuous shooting is possible (p. 102) at a consistent interval (smooth continuous shooting) with a recommended memory card* until the memory card is full. * A super high-speed SDC-512MSH ...

34 You can shoot images with the optimal settings for postcards by composing them inside the print area (width-to-height ratio of approximately 3:2) shown in the LCD monitor. For printing instructions, refer to the Direct Print User Guide . Postcard Date Imprint Mode Shooting Mode 1 FUNC. Menu * (Co...

35 Shootin g You can set the shutter to a 10 sec. ( ) or 2 sec. delay ( ), or to a custom delay time and number of shots ( Custom Timer), for shooting after the shutter button is pressed. To Cancel the Self-Timer Select in step1. Turning off the self-timer sound (p. 25) . z Ensure that the camera's ...

36 Changing the Delay Time and Number of Shots ( ). You can change the delay time (0–10, 15, 20, 30 sec.) and number of shots (1–10). 1 FUNC. Menu (Drive Mode) . See Menus and Settings (p. 22) . 2 Press the MENU button. z Use the S or T to select the [Delay]/[Shots] and use the W or X to change sett...

37 Shootin g The following movie modes are available. You can record movies with sound. • The recording time will vary according to the capacity of the memory card you use (p. 102) . *1 you can record until the memory card is full (when a super high-speed memory card is used, such as the recommended...

39 Shootin g z Before recording, you can set the white balance (p. 49) . z QuickTime 3.0 or later is required to play back movies (Data type: AVI/Compression method: Motion JPEG) on a computer. QuickTime (for Windows) is included on the Canon Digital Camera Solution Disk. On the Macintosh platform, ...

40 Recording Pixels/Frame Rates Frame rates indicate the number of frames recorded or played back each second. The higher the frame rate, the smoother the appearance of motion. * The recording pixels/frame rate are fixed in the (Compact) mode. z See Image Data Sizes (Estimated) (p. 103) . z See Memo...

41 Shootin g Use PhotoStitch, a supplied program, to merge the images on a computer. 1 FUNC. Menu / (Stitch Assist). See Menus and Settings (p. 21) . z You can select from the following two shooting directions.- Left to right horizontally - Right to left horizontally 2 Shoot the first frame in the s...

42 You can easily change the colors in an image when it is shot for both stills and movies, allowing you to enjoy producing various effects. Depending on the shooting conditions, however, the images may appear rough or you may not get the expected color. Before photographing important subjects, we r...

43 Shootin g z The default Color Accent is green. z You may not obtain the expected results after color input mode if you use the flash. z The specified Color Accent is retained even if the camera's power is turned off. Shooting with Color Swap Mode 2 Press the DISP. button. z The camera will switch...

45 Shootin g z You may not obtain the expected results after color input mode if you use the flash. z The colors specified in the Color Swap mode are retained even if the camera's power is turned off. Saving Original Images Not only can you save images with altered colors when shooting still images ...

47 Shootin g It may be difficult to focus on the following types of subjects. z Subjects with extremely low contrast to the surroundings z Scenes with a mixture of near and far subjects z Subjects with extremely bright objects at the center of the composition z Subjects that are moving quickly z Sub...

48 Metering Methods Adjust the exposure compensation setting to avoid making the subject too dark when it is backlit or shot against a bright background or to avoid making lights appear too bright in night shots. To Cancel the Exposure Compensation Restore the compensation value to [0]. Exposure com...

49 Shootin g Normally, the (Auto) white balance setting selects an optimal white balance. When the (Auto) setting cannot produce natural looking colors, change the white balance using a setting appropriate to the light source. White Balance Settings Adjusting the Tone (White Balance) Shooting Mode 1...

50 Using the Custom White Balance You can set a custom white balance to obtain the optimal setting for the shooting conditions by having the camera evaluate an object, such as a piece of white paper or cloth that you wish to establish as the standard white color.In particular, take a custom white ba...

51 Shootin g You can alter the overall impression of an image and shoot. My Colors Settings * The skin colors of non-human subjects may also be altered. Also you may not obtain the expected results depending on the skin color. - ISO Speed- Flash Setting the flash to on, on (with Red-Eye Reduction), ...

52 The ISO speed will increase with some settings, which may increase the noise in the image. 1 FUNC. Menu * (My Colors Off). See Menus and Settings (p. 21) . z Use the W or X button to select a My Colors mode. z To select (B/W), select * (Sepia) and press the Menu button. Pressing the Menu button a...

53 Shootin g Raise the ISO speed when you wish to reduce the effects of camera shake, turn the flash off when shooting in a dark area, or use a fast shutter speed. 2 Use the S or T button to select [Contrast], [Sharpness], [Saturation], [Red], [Green], [Blue], or [Skin Tone] and the W or X button to...

54 Your camera is equipped with an Intelligent Orientation sensor that detects the orientation of an image shot with the camera held vertically and automatically rotates it to the correct orientation when viewing it in the LCD monitor. z When the camera is held vertically to shoot, the Intelligent O...

55 Shootin g - When the Auto Rotate function is set to [On] in playback mode, images will be rotated to their correct orientation in the LCD monitor regardless of the camera's orientation when shooting. You can create a new folder at any time and the recorded images will be automatically saved to th...

56 Setting the Day or Time for Automatic Folder Creation Up to 2000 images can be saved into one folder. A new folder will automatically be created when you record more than that number. The images you shoot are automatically assigned file numbers. You can select how the file number is assigned. Fil...

57 Shootin g * When a blank memory card is used. If a memory card with recorded data is used, the 7-digit number for the last recorded folder and image is compared with the last one on the card, and the larger of the two is utilized as the basis for new images. File and Folder Numbers Recorded image...

58 Playback/Erasing Æ See the Basic Guide (p. 10) To Cancel the Magnified Display Press the zoom lever toward T . (You can also cancel it immediately by pressing the MENU button or holding down the FUNC./SET button for more than 1 sec.) Magnifying Images 1 Press the button. z will display and a magn...

59 P layb ack /E ra si n g To Return to Single Image Playback Press the FUNC./SET button at least 1 second. Viewing Images in Sets of Nine (Index Playback) 1 Display an image by pressing the FUNC./SET button at least 1 second. z Up to nine images can be viewed at once in index playback. z Use the W ...

60 Operating the Movie Control Panel z Use the television's controls to adjust the volume when playing a movie on a TV set (p. 71) . z The sound cannot be played in slow motion playback. You can delete portions of recorded movies. Exit (Single image playback) Print (Only appears when connected to a ...

62 Images can be rotated clockwise 90° or 270° in the display. In playback mode (including single image playback and index playback), you can attach sound memos (up to 1 minute) to an image. The sound data is saved in the WAVE format. Rotating Images in the Display 1 (Play) Menu . See Menus and Sett...

63 P layb ack /E ra si n g Sound Memo Panel 1 (Play) Menu . See Menus and Settings (p. 22) . 2 Use the W or X button to select an image to attach a sound memo to and press the FUNC./SET button. z The sound memo control panel will display. 3 Select (Record) and press the FUNC./SET button. z The elaps...

64 All the images on a memory card can be displayed automatically.The displaying time is 3 seconds. You can protect important images and movies from accidental erasure. Automated Playback (Auto Play) 1 (Play) Menu FUNC./SET button. See Menus and Settings (p. 22) . z The Auto Play starts. z Following...

65 P layb ack /E ra si n g Please format the memory card when you want to erase not only image data but also all the data contained on the card (p. 29) . 2 Select an image you want to protect using the W or X button, and press the FUNC./SET button. z Pressing the FUNC./SET button again cancels the s...

66 Print Settings/Transfer Settings You can select images on a memory card for printing and specify the number of print copies in advance using the camera. The settings used on the camera comply with the Digital Print Order Format (DPOF) standards. This is extremely convenient for printing on a dire...

67 P rin t S e tti n g s/ Tr ansf er S et tin g s All the Images on a Memor y Card 2 Select images for printing. z As shown below, selection methods differ for the Print Type settings (p. 68) . - (Standard)/ (Both) Select an image, press the FUNC./SET button and use the S or T button to select the n...

68 z The images are printed in order from oldest to newest by the date and time they were shot. z A maximum of 998 images can be selected. z When [Print Type] is set to [Both], the number of copies can be set. When it is set to [Index], the number of copies cannot be set (only one copy will be print...

69 P rin t S e tti n g s/ Tr ansf er S et tin g s z The Date and File No. settings will change according to the Print Type as follows. However, the printable information may vary between printers.- Index [Date] and [File No.] cannot be set to [On] at the same time. - Standard or Both [Date] and [Fil...

71 Sho o tin g /Vie w ing Imag es on a TV s et Shooting/Viewing Images on a TV set You can use a video-compatible television as a monitor to shoot or play back images when it is connected to the camera with the supplied AV Cable. The video output signal can be switched (NTSC or PAL) to accommodate d...

72 Customizing the Camera (My Camera Settings) My Camera allows you to customize the start-up image and start-up, operation, self-timer and shutter sounds. You can use the supplied software to register image and sound settings on your computer to the camera. z For details on changing and registering...

73 Tr oublesh ooting Troubleshooting Camera Camera will not operate. Power is not turned on. z Press the power button for a moment ( Basic Guide p. 2). Memory card slot/battery cover is open. z Confirm that the memory card slot/ battery cover is securely closed ( Basic Guide p. 1). Batteries are loa...

75 Tr oublesh ooting appears. The symbol will display when using a memory card that had print settings or transfer settings set by other DPOF-compliant cameras. z Be careful when making changes to the print or transfer settings with other DPOF cameras, because all such settings will be overwritten b...

77 Tr oublesh ooting Subject in recorded image is too dark. Insufficient light for shooting. z Set the flash to on (On) ( Basic Guide p. 8). There is a difference in brightness between the background and the subject. z Set the exposure compensation to a positive (+) setting (p. 48) . z Use the spot ...

78 White dots appear on the image. Light is reflected back from the eyes when the flash is used in dark areas. z This is a phenomenon that occurs with digital cameras and does not constitute a malfunction. Eyes appear red. Light reflecting back from eyes can make them appear red when the flash is us...

79 Tr oublesh ooting Shooting Movies The recording time may not display properly or filming may stop unexpectedly. The following types of memory cards are used. - Slow recording cards.- Cards formatted on a different camera or a computer. - Cards which have had images recorded and erased repeatedly....

80 Playback Cannot play back. You attempted to play back images shot with another camera or images edited with a computer. z Computer images that cannot be played back will play back if they are added to the camera using the bundled software program ZoomBrowser EX or ImageBrowser. File name was chan...

81 Tr oublesh ooting The batteries are cold. Battery performance deteriorates at low temperatures. z If shooting in a cold area, keep the batteries warm (by placing them in an inner pocket, etc.) until ready to use them. Battery terminals are dirty. z Wipe them well with a dry cloth before use. z Re...

82 List of Messages The following messages may appear on the LCD monitor during shooting or playback. Please refer to the Direct Print User Guide for the messages that display during a printer connection. Busy... z Image is being recorded to, or read from, memory card. The playback mode is starting ...

85 A ppe ndix Appendix Battery Handling Batter y Charge The following icon and message will display. Batter y Handling Precautions z Use AA-size alkaline or Canon AA-size NiMH batteries (sold separately) only. While it is possible to use AA-size nickel-cadmium batteries, performance is unreliable an...

86 z Before inserting the batteries, wipe the battery terminals well with a dry cloth. Oil from one's skin or dirtiness may cause a considerable reduction in the number of recordable images or reduce usage time. z Battery performance deteriorates at low temperatures, and the battery icon may display...

87 A ppe ndix Handling the Memory Card SD Memory Card (Sold Separately) Write Protect Tab Cautions When Handling z Memory cards are high-precision electronic devices. Do not bend them, apply force to them, or subject them to shocks or vibration. z Do not attempt to disassemble or alter the memory ca...

88 For matting z Please note that formatting (initializing) an memory card erases all data, including protected images and other file types. z You are recommended to use memory cards that have been formatted in your camera. • The card supplied with the camera may be used without further formatting. ...

89 A ppe ndix If the LCD monitor displays the Date/Time menu when you turn on the camera, this means that the date battery has run down and the clock has stopped running. Please purchase a replacement battery (lithium coin battery CR1220) and install it as follows. Replacing the Date Battery The dat...

90 The LCD monitor also displays the Date/Time menu the very first time you turn on the camera. This is normal, and you don't need to replace the date battery. It is best to power the camera with AC Adapter Kit ACK800 (sold separately) when you are using it for long periods of time or connecting it ...

91 A ppe ndix Batter y and Charger Kit CBK4-300* Included are the battery charger and four rechargeable AA-size NiMH (nickel metal hydride) batteries. Charge the batteries as shown below. z Insert the batteries into the charger before plugging the charger into a power outlet. z The indicator blinks ...

93 A ppe ndix z It takes approximately 2 hours when two batteries are loaded one at each end of the charger and approximately 4 hours 40 minutes with four for the charger to fully recharge them (as determined by testing at Canon facilities). Please do not charge batteries in areas where the temperat...

94 z Before attaching the bracket to the flash, check that the lithium battery (CR123A or DL123) is installed. z To illuminate the subjects properly, install the flash so that it is up against the side of the camera and parallel with the camera's front panel. z A tripod can be used even when the fla...

95 A ppe ndix Camera Body Gently wipe dirt off the camera body with a soft cloth or eyeglass lens wiper. Lens First use a lens blower brush to remove dust and dirt, then remove any remaining dirt by wiping the lens lightly with a soft cloth. Viewfinder and LCD Monitor Use a lens blower brush to remo...

96 All data is based on Canon's standard testing methods. Subject to change without notice. PowerShot A430/PowerShot A420 Specifications (W): wide angle (T): telephoto Camera Effective Pixels Approx. 4.0 million Image Sensor 1/3-inch type CCD (Total number of pixels: Approx. 4.2 million) Lens PowerS...

100 Batter y Capacity PowerShot A430 PowerShot A420 z The actual figures will vary according to the shooting conditions and settings. z Movie data is excluded. z At low temperatures, the battery performance may diminish and the low battery icon may appear very rapidly. In such a case, the performanc...

101 A ppe ndix Test Conditions Shooting: Normal temperature (23 °C ± 2 °C/73 °F ± 3.6 °F), normal relative humidity (50% ± 20%), alternating max. wide angle and max. telephoto shots at 30 second intervals with the flash fired once every two shots and the camera power turned off after every tenth sho...

102 Memor y Cards and Estimated Capacities : Card included with the camera Capable of smooth continuous shooting (p. 33) . This reflects standard shooting criteria established by Canon. Actual results may vary according to the subject and shooting conditions. * Smooth continuous shooting only availa...

103 A ppe ndix Movie : Card included with the camera Maximum movie clip length: : 1 hour, : 3 min (3 min. for all modes with the PowerShot A420). The figures indicate the maximum continuous recording time. Image Data Sizes (Estimated) Recording Pixels/ Frame Rate 16 MB SDC-128M SDC-512MSH Standard C...

104 MultiMediaCard SD Memor y Card (Sold Separately) NiMH Batter y NB-3AH (Sold Separately) (Included with the separately sold NiMH NB4-300 or the Battery/Charger Kit CBK4-300) Recording Pixels Frame Rate File size Standard Color Accent Color Switch 640 × 480 pixels 10 frames/sec. 660 KB/sec. 320 × ...

106 INDEX A AC Adapter Kit ACK800 ......... 90 AF .......................................... 46 AF Frame ............................... 16 AF-assist Beam...................... 24 AiAF ....................................... 46 Auto Play (Slide Show) .......... 64 Auto Rotate Function ............. ...

109 Trademark Acknowledgments • Canon, PowerShot, PIXMA and SELPHY are trademarks of Canon Inc.• Macintosh, Mac OS and QuickTime are trademarks of Apple Computer Inc., registered in the United States and/or other countries. • Microsoft ® and Windows ® are either registered trademarks or trademarks o...

110 Functions Available in Each Shooting Mode The chart below is a reference for the settings available for various shooting conditions. The settings selected in each shooting mode are saved after you finish shooting. Function Page Recording Pixels Large o * o * o * o * o * U * o * – p. 30 Medium 1 ...

Camera User Guide Advanced DIG IT A L CAM E R A A d van c ed C am er a U ser G u id e This guide explains camera features and procedures in detail. ENGLISH Before Using the Camera Shooting Playback/Erasing Print/Transfer Settings Customizing the Camera Appendix Troubleshooting Shooting/Viewing Image...