Turning the Camera On/Off
The power switch is located just forward the viewfinder eyepiece. Hold down the blue lock button at the centre of the switch and slide the switch to the ON position. The status indicator, POWER/CHARGE, lights up. The camera is now ready to record.
To turn off the camera, hold the blue button down and slide the switch to OFF.
CAUTION – don’t turn the camera off whilst recording or you might lose data on the SD card.
RECORD buttons
The JVC GY-HM170 has two REC buttons, any of which can be used to start and stop a recording.
Make sure the lens cap is removed before you start recording (put the lens cap in the camera bag - don't lose it). Press the Red REC button located on the side of the camera (there is also one on top of the camera, which can be accessed when holding the grip for low angle shots).
During recording, the Tally lamp lights up a solid red. The Tally is simply an indicator that a recording is in progress. The lamp blinks when the battery or space on the SD card is low.
BEST PRACTICE: Use the tripod to get rock steady shots.
Focus on the subject and compose the shot. Then start recording. Step back from the camera and count to 10 seconds. Then stop the camera and find another shot to compose and record.
MODE button
Press the MODE button to toggle between Camera and Media mode. In Media Mode, you can then review your newly-recorded clips in the LCD Monitor.
LCD Monitor
Video can be monitored using either the LCD Monitor or Viewfinder or both.
Pull open the LCD monitor cover gently and rotate gently to the desired angle. Rotating the monitor 180 degrees enables you see the screen from in front of the lens, which helps when doing stand-ups.
The LCD Monitor displays data code that shows the camera’s status, media information, zebra pattern and various other indicators during shooting.
CAUTION – you must close the LCD monitor before transporting the camera and before you return it to the camera bag.
DISPLAY Press the DISPLAY button to toggle between three screen types: 0 > 1 > 2 > 0
In Media Mode – with every press of the DISPLAY button you can toggle between three screen types that show functions related to clip playback.
STATUS Press the STATUS button to show the status screen. This screen allows you to check the current camera settings. In Media Mode, press STATUS to show displays according to the Media playback operation.
MENU button On the LCD Monitor, there is a MENU button that can be used to find and enter new settings for the camera. For the most part, the settings should be fixed for normal camera operation and don’t need to be changed. Experienced users may then change settings, but remember – this camera is used by other students, so anything you change might affect the recordings made by other students. It’s best to return the settings back to what they were when you finish using the camera.
Pressing MENU button again will exit from the MENU display.
JOYSTICK (or SET button) Use the joystick button (below the MENU button) to select menu items. Press down gently on the joystick to make a selection or to make changes to a selection. In Media Mode, the joystick can be used to find a specific clip, then press down on the joystick to select it for playback.
Viewfinder (Eyepiece)
There are certain advantages to using the Viewfinder rather than the LCD Monitor. For example, it’s easier to get sharper focus of the lens when you can look into the eyepiece. But before you can focus the lens, you need to first focus the viewfinder to your eyesight. Doing so will adjust the data code so that it looks sharp to the eye, whether you were corrective lenses or not.
Focus the Viewfinder using the Diopter
Raise the Viewfinder to find the eyepiece corrector, also known as the Diopter. Slide the lever one way or the other until the data code is in sharp focus. Remember, you’re not focussing the image in the lens itself. Once you focus your eyes to the data code in the Viewfinder, then focus the lens.
You can incline the Viewfinder to a position that enables easy viewing.
