Operating the Hitachi Z-4000W Camera in Studio Mode

Hitachi Z-4000W in Studio Configuration

1. Unlock wheels and truck/dolly camera to desired location taking great care not to run over or step on any camera cable. Hold the cable with one hand as you move the camera to relieve the strain on the cable connector. The wheels can be locked in one direction to facilitate trucks and dollies, but for general movement around the studio, let all 3 wheels rotate freely.

2. Unlock the pedestal by flipping black latch lever under camera head. Pedestal camera up to a comfortable height, usually even with the talent's eyes. Tighten the pedestal lock unless a live pedestal movement is required.

3. Confirm that the filter knob above the lens on the front left of the camera body is set to Filter #1 (large number 1 in center of display between small 2 and 4).

4. Put on headset and make sure the intercom is on the correct channel (usually PD) selected by a switch on the rear of the camera. Make sure the Mic switch on left side of camera body is OFF. Push the chrome Mic switch down and hold to talk to the director when necessary. Adjust volume control below Mic switch for a comfortable level.

5. Make sure that the Power switch on the lower left rear of the camera body (see diagram below) is set to the CCU/VTR position. The PWR switch at the bottom front of the camera body should be in the position farthest forward toward the lens. These switches should be left in these positions at all times, with power being controlled from the CCUs in the control room. Note that none of the other switches at the front left of the camera function when in studio mode.

6. If you do not get a picture in your viewfinder, ask the instructor or engineer to power the camera from the master switches located near the CCUs. These should be turned on until the power indicator light stays on, then turned off and back on. This sequence is necessary to power the prompters.

7. With the tilt lock (on the right side of the camera mounting head) finger tight, loosen the viewfinder pan/tilt knob and position the viewfinder for maximum comfort. Once positioned, tighten the viewfinder pan/tilt knob finger tight and reach up to the bottom of the viewfinder and adjust the Brightness and Contrast controls until the image in your viewfinder is sharp and suits your eyes.

8. Make sure the camera is zoomed in on a tight shot and then loosen pan and tilt locks using the levers on rear (Pan) and right side (Tilt) of the mounting head). If the camera will not tilt, pull out the Storage Pin located behind the tilt lock lever. The pan and tilt tension settings should be correct for most operators, but adjust them as necessary. The pan and tilt locks should be loose when operating the camera and finger tight when leaving the camera.

9. Zoom in on your assigned talent or other subject and focus. Zoom back out to your assigned shot. Zooms are accomplished with the electric thumb switch on the right handlebar, while focus is adjusted by the knob on the left handlebar which looks something like the throttle on a motorcycle. Press the right side of the zoom switch to zoom in and the left side to zoom out. The speed of the zoom is controlled by the amount of pressure you apply to the switch.

Shading the Camera.

The digital signal processing (DSP) chip in the Hitachi cameras is probably the most sophisticated in the industry. In a studio lighting situation, the cameras only need to be white and black balanced using the corresponding buttons on the CCU and they should function flawlessly in full automatic mode, producing consistent picture quality whether focused on the brightest or darkest part of the set.

If you want to shade the cameras (control the luminance of the signal) manually, set the iris control to REMOTE, and adjust white level with the large Iris knob and black level with the smaller Master Black (Pedestal) knob. The Scene File #1 button will flash, asking if you want to store the current settings. Since the point of manual operation is to be able to continuously adjust luminance, simply ignore the flashing light.

Striking the Camera.

1. At the end of each production, remove your headset and place it on one of the handle bars. Then GENTLY lock the tilt lock finger tight.

2. At the end of class, remove your headset and place it on one of the handle bars. Pedestal the camera all the way down and lock the pedestal. With the camera head in a level position, push the Storage Pin in to lock the tilt completely. Then loosen the tilt lock to full off.

3. Move the camera back to its storage position, getting someone to help you figure 8 the cable as you move.

4. If there is not an instructor or engineer present, power the cameras off using the master switches located near the CCUs. This should be done BEFORE the circuit breakers powering the entire control room are turned off.

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