Z1 in ntsc 601 mode the iris shutter speed and gain have little or no effect until you go to the bottom settings 4 or 8 shutter gain high iris 1.8

What shutter speed(s) are you using? What happens when you use a faster shutter speed? In the S and M modes you are responsible for setting the shutter speed, and you can set it to anything within the camera's range.

In the menu go to camera set > exposure/iris > dial assign > select "IRIS" I think it's stupid that this isn't the default setting.

Does this fault happen only with that lens? Also, you're wrong about the shutter: it appears you're mistaking the shutter assembly for the lens diaphragm (also known as the "iris").

Older lenses often have sticky diaphragms, usually due to oil migrating onto the individual blades and sticking them together. A sticking diaphragm can interfere with the shutter operation on some SLR's.

Fixing a sticky iris is usually a professional job, but if you're careful then with a simple non-autofocus lens like yours it's often possible to do on a DIY basis but will be very fiddly. The object is to get to the iris blades and to then thoroughly clean them. They're Teflon coated so should slide over each other without lubrication, but their pivots normally need the tiniest bit of lubrication. If you try and fail then you've lost nothing as the lens was effectively scrap anyway and there are plenty of cheap/free replacements around.

look on page 33 of the manual.

or you can do this
in the menu
camera set > exposure/Iris > select "iris"
make sure the switch on the back is not on auto lock or hold

It sounds like overexposure. If you are in Auto mode, you should have your settings automatically so you shouldn't get overexposure and if you are, you may need to have your camera serviced.

Make sure your ISO is not high, make sure your shutter speed is not long and make sure your flash output is not high.

Other than that call Canon and set up service or get an upgrade through their Loyalty program.

To keep the video and images, transferr images to the computer:

1. If you have a Compact Flash media card connected to your machine, plug the card in the reader and follow the instructions of the software program to transfer to your favourite photo software.

Another method is connecting your camera to the computer using the supplied USB cable:

1. Install the camera software on the CD following the guides that came with the camera.
   
2. Connect the camera to the computer using the USB cable connecting to the camera in the Digital Terminal under the Terminal Cover on the right of the computer (looking at the lens).
3. Transfer using your favourite photo software, or the software installed from the CD.

Next question, yes, you can get regular pictures from this, use the dial to select one of the modes to shoot photos. This information can be found in your manual too...

• Auto - use this setting almost all the time. All settings, including flash will be automatically decided for you.
• P - Program mode, ISO and shutter speed will be selected, all other settings you can override if you wish to set them.
  
• Tv - Shutter priority, requires you to indicate how fast the lens iris will open. The Apperature (size of the iris) will be decided by the camera. all other settings you can override if you wish to set them.
• Av - Apperature priority, requires you to indicate the size of the lens iris. The Apperature (size of the iris) will be decided by the camera. all other settings you can override if you wish to set them.
• M - Manual priority, requires you to set both the Shutter (iris speed), and shutter (iris size). All other settings you can override if you wish to set them.
  

The other dial settings are:

• Portrait - automatic settings for still family/portrait photos
• Landscape - automatic settings for landscape mountain or outside scenes
• Night - automatic settings for low-light conditions
• Sports - automatic settings for high-speed events (sports, plays, movement)
• Slow speed - for making things look blurry like they are in action. Advanced setting.
• Stitch - allows you to take multiple pictures of a wide scene and later stitch them together in to a panoramic scene
• Movie - create movies (AVI)

Sports photography requires two things: Long zoom, fast shutter speed, and lots of light. Hey! that's three. Ok. So three things.

With your S3IS, you need to use a fast shutter speed to freeze the action (pitchers' arms go pretty fast!) - I suggest trying at 1/500, then 1/1000 second settings. Your camera won't select that automatically, so set the dial to shutter priority, and select that shutter speed. Then, with that shutter speed, you'll likely need to adjust other facets of your exposure to capture enough light. Zoomed in, you'll have an aperture (f/stop) of f/3.5 - or higher (remember: for f/stop, higher numbers = smaller iris, lower number = wider open iris). With your fast shutter speed, you're now fighting for light, so you need the smallest f/stop number you can get - which will be f/2.7 if you're zoomed out, or f/3.5 if you're zoomed in. If at 1/500 shutter and f/3.5 you still have a dark photo, try bumping your ISO setting up to 200 or 400. If you choose 400 or higher you will have a grainy picture. And will need to use a software noise reduction to clean it up.

With the suggestions above, you'll likely not be blurry, but you may be dark. If this is on a bright sunny day, you'll be fine. If this is at a ball park under the lights you may have different results.

Hope this helps...

In addition to the "quirks" of the Landscape and Aperture Priority Modes (neither mode works as documented!)..... The camera also behaves differently in full Manual Mode (it changes the settings, whether you want it to or not to compensate for available light)... At lower Zoom Levels, the camera will adjust the Shutter Speed Only, to try and compensate for available light... For example: with the Camera preset to F5.6 Aperture, and 1/48 sec. shutter speed, the camera will adjust the shutter speed between a range of 1/30 to 1/291 sec, to try and "auto expose" the shot for lower or higher light levels, even though you're in manual mode. At an Aperture Setting of 2.8 and 1/48 of a second, the number of internal steps in shutter speed the camera is willing to take, increases dramatially - for example: shutter speeds up to 1/600 of a second, even though you have the shutter set to 1/48 in manual mode. The camera WILL NOT attempt to adjust the Aperture to compensate for proper exposure in available light (OR WILL IT??).... It depends on your Zoom settings! It won't if your're near to full wide angle, but IT WILL if you are using the Zoom. Once you cross some unknown zoom threshold (it doesn't have to be at full zoom), then the camera begins to change both the Aperture and Shutter speed to compensate for available light, even though you are in "Full Manual", versus Auto Exposure Mode. In Manual Mode, (as in Aperture Priority Mode), the amount of change the camera is willing to make to your settings, appears to be related to a preset number of internal steps, with the number of steps dependent on both Aperture and Zoom Settings, before it gives an EV Warning for Over or Under Exposure conditions.... The type (shutter speed only for wide angle, shutter and aperture for zoom) and amount (number of internal "steps" it takes to increase/decrease shutter speed and increase or decrease aperture), is dependent on the amount of zoom you are using for the current shot.

s I understand it from what I have seen on the Web, the 3000Z can operate in several modes: 1. Fully automatic (camera select both 2. Manual (user sets both aperture and shutter speed). 3. Aperture Priority mode - user sets aperture and camera chooses correct shutter speed to get a good exposure Apparently there is no Shutter Priority mode (user cannot set only the shutter er speed and allow the camera to set the aperature to get a good exposure). This option is available on the Epson 850Z camera and this seems like a silly ommision to make on a "high-end" camera like the 3000Z.

Are you sure you don't mean the PROGRAM mode here ?? - The Oly program mode favors the f 2.8 f stop until the shutter speed rises to 1/300th to 1/400th - only at this point will the f stop start to rise. If it IS the shutter priority mode then you have the shutter speeds set too HIGH and the camera is making an attempt to do the best it can by setting the lens as WIDE as it can at f 2.8. James, Try this again in good light and reduce the shutter speed lower and lower - eventually the f stop will start to rise