HVR Z1E - Iris conundrum

at first i thought i was in the wrong mode, then i thought i was doing having finger trouble, now i'm fairly sure i'm missing something fundamental to the way this camera actual works!

My problem is that i want to use the camera in manual exposure mode. Doing as the instruction manual says seems to make no difference to auto exposure mode.

I can turn the iris dial and see the readout change but the image constantly re-adjusts to what the camera wants. Recording the material and playing back in FCP, the exposure is the same regardless of the setting i choose...and if i move something dark in front of the lens, then the exposure adjustment bounces and ruins the shot.

Is this normal behaviour for this camera?
Is there some special trick i should be aware of, that will let me use manual exposure?

confused of manchester!

adam

Editor/Mixer
Character Options Ltd
Oldham, UK