Camcorder Guide - how to get the right camcorder for you and your family- updated!!!

 Camcorder Buying Tip Number One - Comparative camcorder displays in stores are very misleading. What most video displays show is the quality of the video being looped through the camcorder - not the quality of the actual recording and playback. If possible, stick some tape in the machine and experiment. Shoot some tape of the pretty exhibit; shoot people wondering around the store in and out of shadows - then watch it back to see how it looks.

Camcorder Buying Tip Number Two - if you are buying a camcorder, remember that no two camcorders record exactly alike. Two exactly same models may have different quality CCDs - which means one might look better than the other.  Sometimes you may end up with a pro quality CCD - sometimes you get a CCD that should have been rejected.    Make sure you can return the unit for another if the quality of recording and playback is not good enough.

Looking for Gear and/or Information?

	Web www.internetvideomag.com

Batteries

 We all know about batteries. Without power you can’t use your camcorder. Amazingly enough, many people go on the vacation with only a single battery. They take out the camcorder, shoot for a while, and just as the best scene occurs – the most incredible thing happens, they find that they are out of juice. Don’t let this happen to you. Buy an extra battery or two. Keep them powered up and fresh.

 Even the best camcorder batteries lose juice just sitting around. A camcorder battery can easily lose 5% to 15% of its charge per day just sitting in the closet. Oops, - don’t leave your camcorder battery charger at home! If you are planning on visiting international destinations, make sure you have the correct power adapters and plugs.

 If you have a camcorder system that requires you to charge the batteries while they are in the camcorder, seriously consider shelling out some extra money to get a separate, standalone battery charger. Having a separate battery charger will enable you to charge up your back-up batteries while you are out videotaping. Even better, especially when traveling to international locations with iffy power and connectors, chargers are more accepting of power variances than are camcorders. You don’t want to plug your camcorder into a mystery power source and then watch it go poof in a puff of smoke. Better to loose and replace a battery charger than your camcorder.

 By the way, even though they may look like bricks, camcorder batteries can be quite fragile. Don’t drop or toss them around in your luggage or camcorder bag. Don’t let your kids use them as building blocks or flying toys. In addition, batteries work best when stored and utilized in a mild temperature. Just like you and me, they don’t like extreme hot or cold. Store them on a dark shelf, in a drawer, not in your icebox or in your rental car’s glove compartment or trunk.  

 Tape

 Do you take enough tape with you when you travel? It is a sin to run out of tape while on vacation, especially when tape is so inexpensive and digital videocassettes are now so small.  Some kinds of tape can be very hard to find when traveling, especially DV or MICROMV tape cassettes. And even if you can find them, the price can be ridiculous. You can buy a box of ten tapes online for a lot less than you will be able to buy it at your local video or department store.

 Also, like camcorders and batteries, videotape does not like temperature extremes or moisture. Rough handling can also hurt tapes as well. Theoretically, airport X-Ray machines will not damage or effect blank or recorded videotapes. However, with the increased emphasis on domestic and international security, some airports and travel terminals may be experimenting with new and yet unknown technologies that may in fact affect the magnetic images stored on videotapes. When in doubt, ask. 

As soon as you remove a finished videotape from your camcorder, remember to do two things. First slide the erase tab over it so that you won't "accidentally" erase over it. Also, label the tape with the date and the subject of your movie. It's easy to get confused and lose tapes if they are not properly marked. Later, when you are home trying to edit them, this step will be a lifesaver. By the way, the paper inserts on most video tapes cassettes are reversible and are blank on the back. You can use them to write extensive notes.

 Tripods

 The best videographers use tripods to make their shots look steady and smooth. Your local department store, electronics emporium or camera shop probably has a selection of cheap and easy to carry tripods. You don’t need something rock solid with an expensive fluid head – just a tripod that will hold your camcorder relatively steady. I have used tiny tripods made for small 35 mm cameras. They are good enough. These smaller tripods, albeit a bit too flimsy for a full size VHS, Hi8mm or CompactVHS camcorder, may work fine for a smaller DV camcorder. Consider using a monopod.

 Yes you can use your camcorder’s built-in image stabilization – especially if it is using superior optical stabilization – but using a tripod is the best way to make your travel and vacation videos truly look professional.

 How to Shoot Like a Pro – Wide Angle Shots and Establishing Shots

Professional video producers don't do a lot of zoom ins and zoom outs. Most use cuts between wide shots, medium shot and close-ups to create their videos. Try to do the same. When you first get to great spot or destination, shot a couple of still establishing shots from as far away as possible. Try to get the whole building or city in the shot, showing its relationship to its surrounding area. Next get a medium shot - filling the frame with the subject - be it a mountain, monument or museum. The get a few close-ups - signs are always great - especially those signs that explain and provide some details or history about the location. Weeks, months or years later, that info can be invaluable as you try to create a unified movie of the trip.

Remember, video and TV is a medium dedicated to close-ups and faces. Get shots of your family playing, having fun, and interacting with the destination. You may think those shots are sort of boring when shooting them, but, years from now, those shots will be cherished.

If you do have to zoom, remember that zooming out is usually more interesting than zooming in. When you are zooming out, you are surprising the eye with more and more information to process. When zooming out, try to pan the camera left or right as you zoom, rather than zooming straight out.

Instead of zooming in for close-ups, try this. First get your wide or medium shot and then hit pause. Without the tape recording, then zoom in, create your shot and get stabilized. Now hit record. This edit within the camera will be a lot more dynamic and exciting when watched back later.

See My Zoom Is Bigger Than Yours

 Audio

 How are you planning to capture the sounds of the holidays? Most onboard camcorder mikes do a fair job of capturing audio. Some camcorders include a shotgun mike that enables you to focus the sound gathering ability a bit better. However, to really gather good sound, you need an external mike system. Unfortunately, carrying a mike is not the most comfortable thing to do. However, if your camcorder does boast an external mike in, seriously considering paying somewhere between $40 and $100 to get a good shot gun type of mike that will attach to the top of your camcorder. If you are doing a lot of traveling, especially in tour buses and various locations, you might want to invest in a wireless mike kit that includes a wireless lavaliere mike. For tours, in a bus, in a building or even outside, nothing captures the words of your tour guide better than having a wireless mike pinned to their lapel. You can swivel the camcorder around, capturing the various sites without losing one word of your tour guides explanation.