Sonida DC201 Digital Camera
Product Specifications
| 48M (8000×6000); | 36M (6880×5160); | |
| Image pixel | 24M (5600×4200);
16M (4640×3480); |
20M (5120×3840);
12M (4032×3024); |
| 8M (3264×2448); | 5M (2592×1944) | |
| 5K 30FPS; 4K 30FPS; 2.7K 30FPS; | ||
| Video resolution | 1080P 120FPS; 1080P 60FPS; 1080P 30FPS; | |
| 720P 240FPS; 720P 120FPS; 720P 60FPS; 720P 30FPS | ||
| Memory card | Supports 4-256GB SD cards with SDXC C10 U1 or higher | |
| Picture format | JPG | |
| Video format | MP4 | |
| Digital zoom | 16X | |
| Screen size | 3.5-inch IPS display screen with a 16:9 aspect ratio | |
| Focus | Aperture F=2.2, focal length f=3.37mm. | |
| Best shooting distance | 10cm to infinity | |
| Hot shoe socket | External microphone and fill light (accessories recommended) | |
| TV output | HD supported | |
| Tripod socket | 1/4 inch standard screw port | |
| Built-in microphone | Supported. We recommend using an external microphone for a better experience. | |
| Focus mode | Autofocus | |
| Input | 5V/1A | |
| Operating system | Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows7, Windows 8, Windows 10, Windows 11, Mac 10.2 | |
Getting to Know Your Camera
Information of Buttons and Indicators
| Name | Function |
| Hot Shoe Mount | To mount camera external accessories |
|
Indicator light (Power & Charging) |
Blue light indicates the working status
Red light indicates charging status. It stays on when connected to the charger. When the battery is fully charged, the red light will turn off. |
| Zoom-in | To zoom in and increase volume during photo/video
shooting |
| Zoom-out | To zoom out and decrease the volume during
photo/video |
|
Up/Down/Left/ Right |
Up: Move up, hide screen icons, display grid screen; Down: Move down, and quickly delete files;
Left: Move left, quick timer selfie; Right: Move right, flash mode selection |
| OK | Menu selection, video playback or pause |
| Playback | To playback taken photos and videos |
| Fill light | To add fill light during shooting |
| HD port | To connect the camera with a high-definition display device for high-quality audio and video signal
transmission |
| USB port | USB cable/charging cable interface |
| Microphone port | Microphone interface |
| Shutter | Light press: Focus;
Heavy press: Take photo, record video |
| Power | Short press to power on, long press to power off |
|
Mode dial |
Switch mode: Photo, photo burst, timer photo, delay photo, video, loop recording, slow-motion video, delay recording |
| Tripod socket | To connect tripod |
| Battery compartment
switch |
To open/close the battery compartment cover |
Installation
How to Install a Battery and Charge?
- To install the battery, press the compartment switch labeled as “OPEN” at the bottom of the camera, and then insert the battery with the front facing towards the screen and push it all the way into the compartment until it is completely locked.
- Use the USB port on the side to charge the camera.
- The indicator light will be red during charging and will turn off when fully charged.
- To replace the battery, open the compartment cover, then move the lock to the direction the arrow icon next to the battery points to, and the battery will pop out automatically.
How to Power On/Off?
- Briefly press the power button to turn on the camera.
- Press and hold the power button to turn off the camera.
How to Install and Format SD Card?
- This camera uses SDXC C10 U1 level or higher SD cards (4-256GB).
- It is recommended to use Samsung- or San Disk-branded SD cards.
- For the first use, please format the SD card, which only needs to be formatted once. Press the “Menu” button, select ”
“, then find “Format” through “Up/Down” buttons, and press “OK” to confirm the format. Press “Menu” to exit after formatting.
Notes:
- Don’t mistakenly click on the format options during using. Once the SD card is formatted, you should not format it again. (Only format new SD cards for the cameras use the first time)
- As a suggestion, you’d better backup the photos to your computer from time to time.
- If you want to reformat the SD card, it is recommended to backup your pictures on a computer first because reformatting will erase any pictures remaining.
How to Take, Playback, and Delete Photos?
- Taking pictures: After turning on the camera, select the photo mode through the mode dial. Press the “Shutter” button on the top of the camera to take pictures.
- If you want to playback photos, press the “Playback” button.
- To delete photos, enter file deletion by pressing the “Menu” button in playback mode, or quickly delete files by pressing the “Delete” button.
- Digital zoom can be adjusted by the camera’s “Zoom In” and “Zoom Out” buttons.
How to Record, Playback, and Delete Videos?
- To record: After turning on the camera, use the mode dial to select the video recording mode. Press the “Shutter” button to start recording, and press it again to stop recording.
- To playback a video, press the “playback” button, select the video file, and press “OK” to play the video.
- To delete a video, enter file deletion by pressing the “Menu” button in playback mode, or quickly delete files by pressing the “Delete” button.
- To delete a video, enter file deletion by pressing the “Menu” button in playback mode, or quickly delete files by pressing the “Delete” button.
Camera screen icon
Photo Mode
| NO. | Icon Name | Description |
| 1 | Current mode | Rotate mode dial to switch mode |
| 2 | Fill-light status | Press the right button to switch to the fill-light
mode |
| 3 | Current pixels | Current photo pixels |
| 4 | SD card | Whether SD card is installed |
| 5 | Battery | Battery status |
| 6 | Metering mode | Current metering mode |
| 7 | White balance | Current white balance setting |
| 8 | Exposure compensation | Current exposure compensation value |
| 9 | ISO sensitivity | Current ISO sensitivity |
| 10 | Available photo count | Number of photos that can be taken with current camera memory |
Video Mode
| NO. | Icon Name | Description |
| 1 | Current mode | Rotate the mode dial to switch modes |
| 2 | Anti-shake | Reduce video blur caused by handshake |
| 3 | Current pixels | Current video pixels |
| 4 | SD card | Whether SD card is installed |
| 5 | Battery | Battery status |
| 6 | Metering mode | Current metering mode |
| 7 | White balance | Current white balance setting |
| 8 | Exposure compensation | Current exposure compensation value |
| 9 | Available space | Space available for recording video. |
Camera System Settings
Press the “Menu” button >
| WIFI | WIFI on/off, off by default |
| Metering mode |
Center/Multi-Point/Spot |
|
White balance |
Auto/Daylight/Cloudy/Incandescent/Fluorescent H/Fluorescent L |
| Filter | / |
| Light Frequency |
50Hz/60Hz |
| sound setting | Shutter Sound/Startup Sound/Keystroke Sound/Volume |
|
date and time setting |
Left/Right Buttons to switch between Year/Month/Day/Hour/Minute, and Up/Down Buttons to adjust Date/Time |
| Auto Power Off |
can choose to shut down automatically after 1/3/5 minutes |
| language | supports multiple languages |
| format | use this function to format the SD card before first use |
| restore factory settings |
restore camera default settings |
| version | displays the device version number |
Menu in Photo Mode
- After turning on the camera, rotate the mode dial to enter photo mode.
- Pay attention to the “
” in the upper left corner of the screen, which indicates that it is in photo mode. - Switch to photo mode and press the “Menu” button to see three screens: “” represents photo settings, ” ” represents camera system settings, and “
” exits the menu. “Left/Right” can switch between photo settings/camera system settings, and “Up/Down” can switch between second-level menu settings.
Photo Settings
| Image Size | 48M,36M,24M,20M,16M,12M,8M,5M |
| ISO Sensitivity | Auto /ISO100/ISO200/ISO400/ISO800/ISO1600/ISO3200 |
| Exposure Compensation | EV+2.0/EV+1.0/EV0/EV-1.0/EV-2.0/, default EV0 |
| Image Quality | High/Medium/Low |
| Time Watermark | Off/Date/Date and Time |
Menu in Video Mode
- After turning on the camera, rotate the mode dial to enter video mode.
- Press the “Menu” button to see three screens: ”
” represents video settings, ” ” represents camera system settings, and ” ” exits the menu. “Left/right” can switch between photo settings/camera system settings, and “up/down” can switch between second-level menu settings.
Video Settings
| Video Resolution | 5K 30FPS;4K 30FPS;2.7K 30FPS;1080P 120FPS; 1080P
60FPS; 1080P 30FPS; 720P 240FPS; 720P 120FPS;720P 60FPS;720P 30FPS |
| Anti-shake | On/Off |
| Exposure
Compensatio n |
EV+2.0/EV+1.0/EV0/EV-1.0/EV-2.0/, default EV0 |
| Time Watermark | Off/Date/Date and Time |
Menu in Playback Mode
- Press the “playback” button to enter playback mode.
- After entering playback mode, press the “Menu” button to enter the menu screen.
- After entering the menu screen, select file deletion to delete individual files or all files; select rotation to rotate and save photo files counterclockwise; select file lock to protect the files with a lock; select Slide Show to choose to play photos and videos at a speed of 2 seconds or 5 seconds respectively.
How to Use It as A Web Camera?
- Connect the camera to the computer with the USB cable.
- When the computer recognizes the camera, a webcam dialog box will appear. Select “webcam”.
- When you open social media, the computer will automatically recognize the camera. In the “external camera” settings of your social media software, select “USB Camera”.
- To exit webcam mode, unplug the USB cable, or press and hold the “power” button until the camera turns off.
How to Upload Photos/Videos to A Computer?
- Connect the camera to a computer with the USB cable.
- After connecting, select “mass storage” and press “OK”.
- Once connected, you can upload the camera files to the computer. Unplug the USB cable or press the “Power” button to turn off the camera.
- You can also connect the camera’s SD card to a card reader for easier operation of videos and photos on a computer.
How to Connect to A TV and Playback?
- Use the high-definition cable that comes with the camera to connect the camera and TV.
- After connecting, press the “Playback” button to enter Play Mode. Use the “Up/Down” button to select the video to play.
- Once you find the video, press “OK” to play it.
- To exit the TV, press the “Power” button.
WIFI Setup
Download and Install Application Software
- For Android smartphone users, please search and install the “iSmart DV2” App in Google Play.
- For Apple iPhone users, please search and install the “iSmart DV2” App in the App Store.
Enable WIFI Connection
Using the WIFI connection, the App can control the camera, including previewing, browsing photo galleries, downloading files from the camera to smartphones or tablets for sharing, and remotely controlling the camera through the App.
- After turning on the camera, keep it in standby mode, press and hold the “Menu” button for 3 seconds, or press the “Menu” first, then select the system settings by pressing the left or right button to open the WIFI signal source. The camera screen displays the WIFI name and password.
- Check the WIFI settings on your smartphone or tablet, find the WIFI source name shown on the camera, “5K-XXXXXX”; click to connect, and enter the WIFI password displayed on the camera.
Connecting the App to the Camera
After a successful connection, users can use the App to preview, browse the photo gallery, and download files from the camera to their smartphones or tablets for sharing. Remote control of the camera can also be done through the App.
Disabling WIFI Functionality
In WIFI connection mode, press the Menu to disconnect the WIFI source and exit WIFI mode. The camera will return to its normal state.
Note:
- Please set the camera resolution to 2K or lower before using the App. If the resolution is set to 5K, the file size will be too large for transmission, and the application may not run.
- For special instructions on downloading files to play on mobile phones, please make sure that the phone has enough space and speed to play the files. Otherwise, video playback may not be smooth.
Reminders for Common Issues
|
The camera cannot be powered on after installing the battery |
The battery may be low, please charge it before trying again. | ||
| The battery packaging may not have been removed. | |||
| The battery may be installed incorrectly, and please confirm the correct installation method. | |||
| Shutter button does not work for taking photos or recording videos | The memory may be full. Please save the files to another storage device. | ||
| The memory card may be write-protected. Please remove the memory card and turn off the write protection switch. | |||
| Photos blurry | taken | are | Shaking when taking photos may cause blurry images. Please hold the camera steady with both hands or use a tripod or other stabilizing object to avoid shaking. |
| Photos or recordings appear dark | Insufficient light in the shooting environment may cause dim images. Please shoot in a well-lit area or use lighting to increase brightness. | ||
|
The camera shuts down automatically |
The battery may be dying. Please replace it with a fully charged one. | ||
| To save power, the camera will automatically shut down if there is no operation for more than 3 minutes (5 or 10 minutes depending on menu settings). | |||
| Unable to delete files from the camera | The file protection function in the camera menu may be turned on. Please turn it off in the menu. | ||
|
Camera freezes or has a distorted screen |
The SD card may have a formatting error. Please format the SD card in the camera or on a computer before using it. | ||
| The connecting cable of the screen may be loose (requires repair). | |||
|
Charging working |
is |
not |
The battery may not be installed properly. Please confirm that it is in place. |
| The metal contacts of the battery may be covered with an oil film, which may cause poor contact. Please gently scrape off the oil film with a blade before inserting the battery for charging. | |||
| The USB charging cable or the power adapter may not be connected properly. Please confirm. | |
| Red light indicates the charging status: red light flashes to indicate the battery is not installed; red light stays on to indicate charging; red light goes off to indicate the battery is fully charged. | |
| The battery IC may be faulty (requires repair). | |
|
SD card is not being read |
There may be incompatible files in the SD card. Please format the SD card in the camera or on a computer before using it. |
| The card slot may be damaged (requires repair). | |
|
Recording time is too short during WiFi connection |
The battery may be dying. Please charge it before trying again.
Using the WiFi and infrared night vision function at the same time may consume too much power and cause a short recording time. Please avoid using them simultaneously. |
|
WiFi connection causes the image to freeze or unable to open the camera interface in the App |
The camera resolution may be set to 5K, which may be too high and cause large files that cannot be transmitted to the phone or tablet. Please adjust the resolution to 2K (including 2K) or below. |
| The phone or tablet may be too far away from the camera. Please shorten their distance. | |
| App crashes or becomes unresponsive upon opening | The current software may not be compatible with the device, please download and update the application software that is more suitable for the current device. |
FCC Statement
Warning
Changes or modifications not expressly approved by the party responsible for compliance could void the user’s authority to operate the equipment. This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a residential installation. This equipment generates uses and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instructions, may cause harmful interference to radio communications.
However, there is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a particular installation. If this equipment does cause harmful interference to radio or television reception, which can be determined by turning the equipment off and on, the user is encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or more of the following measures:
- Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.
- Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver.
- Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit different from that to which the receiver is connected.
- Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for help.
This device complies with part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the following two conditions:
- This device may not cause harmful interference, and
- This device must accept any interference received, including interference that may cause undesired operation.
The device has been evaluated to meet general RF exposure requirement. The device can be used in portable exposure condition without restriction.
FAQ
Q: What should I do if the battery does not charge?
A: Check if the USB cable is properly connected and try using a different charging source.
Q: Can I use any brand of SD card with this camera?
A: It is recommended to use SDXC C10 U1 level or higher SD cards from reputable brands like Samsung or SanDisk to ensure compatibility and performance.
Documents / Resources
 | DC201 Digital Camera |
 | DC201 Digital Camera |
References
- User Manualmanual.tools