SAN FRANCISCO — A cool and cheerful Barry Bonds waded through a sea of television cameras and chanting supporters yesterday as he made his first court appearance since being charged with lying under oath about using steroids.

Bonds' new lawyer entered a not guilty plea in U.S. District Court to the four counts of perjury and one count of obstruction of justice contained in the Nov. 15 indictment against Major League Baseball's newly minted home run king. Legal experts say he could spend up to 2 1/2 years in prison if convicted.

Bonds, 43, said little during the 30-minute hearing. He was allowed to go free without posting any bail, but if he violates the terms of his release or misses any required court appearances, he'll forfeit $500,000. A pretrial hearing was scheduled for Feb. 7, but Bonds may not have to attend.

"Barry Bonds is innocent," defense attorney Allen Ruby told a crushing throng of television cameras and reporters outside the courthouse afterward. "He has trust and faith in the justice system."

Bonds made a similar statement on his Web site.

"I still have confidence in the judicial system and especially in the judgment of the citizens who will decide this case," he said. "And I know that when all of this is over, I will be vindicated because I am innocent.

Ruby said he would soon ask a judge to toss out the case against Bonds because of "defects" in the indictment. He declined to elaborate.

Prosecutors wanted Bonds to turn over his passport and to restrict his travel to within the United States. But the judge declined after Ruby, in a sign that Bonds intends to play baseball next season, said such a restriction would interfere with his ability to make a living.

"Mr. Bonds is a Major League Baseball player," Ruby said.

Bonds, who played the past 15 seasons in San Francisco, is a free agent. The Giants said at the end of the 2007 season that they weren't going to bring him back for 2008.

The indictment charges Bonds with lying when he testified he never knowingly used performance enhancing drugs, even though prosecutors say he flunked a private steroids test in 2000. Bonds' personal surgeon, Dr. Arthur Ting, collected the blood sample and is expected to be called as a witness if Bonds takes the case to trial.

Former Giants teammates and other players, including Gary Sheffield and Jason Giambi, also could testify at trial, which wouldn't begin until late next year at the earliest.