It’s a powerful feeling when you first buy a digital camcorder, knowing that you can capture whatever you want on film. Even though technology has made it much easier to capture your own video, a lot of people make some simple mistakes in their excitement at getting their camcorder. But the good news is that they are easy to avoid. After you get these down you can move on to perfecting your film skills.
Don’t Forget to Remove the Lens Cap!
It’s a well-worn cliché, but even professionals still do it from time to time. Remember to take the lens cap off your camcorder before you start filming. It’s a small mistake but if you do it, you’ll be more than frustrated. The best thing to do is create an association with recording, so whenever you think about pressing the record button you automatically think about checking the lens cap. That way you’ll never be embarrassed at such a simple thing as removing a camcorder lens cap.
Use the Zoom Sparingly
When people get a camcorder they often get enamored with the ability to zoom in on distant objects, especially since many camcorders come with powerful zoom capabilities. It’s great for capturing images of your child in the game when you’re stuck in the stands, but camcorder zoom can also be your biggest enemy if you aren’t careful.
There are two things to watch out for when using camcorder zoom. The sign of a film amateur is fast and frequent zooming. It is distracting, often unnecessary and can even be nauseating if the picture gets too shaky. When you are zoomed in close, even the slightest tremor in your hand can make the image unbearably jittery. The point is to get physically close to your target, if you can. Don’t keep zooming in and out; choose an angle and stick with it. And when you do need to zoom on your camcorder, try to do it slowly, not fast and jerky.
The second common mistake new users make is to use the digital zoom functions built into camcorders. Manufacturers often advertise amazing digital zoom capabilities in their camcorders, but that won’t improve your videos. Digital zoom actually degrades video quality; what you want to use is the optical zoom. Most camcorders use the optical zoom first and then switch to digital zoom when you have taken the optical zoom to its limits. Resist going that far.
Save the Digital Effects for Later
As digital camcorders have improved, many brands have started to include digital effects. You can perform wipes and fades, shoot in black and white, and insert many other digital effects. It can be an attractive temptation to use these new abilities, but you should avoid them. The problem with inserting digital effects as you film with your camcorder is that you are stuck with your choice. Once you film in black and white or insert a fade you can’t change it. The best course of action is to use the camcorder without digital effects and add them later with a video editing program. This way you can keep a backup of the original recording if you don’t like the way the digital effects work out
Always be ready to learn
These guidelines are simple and easy to implement. But remember that there is always more to learn with your camcorder: white balance, lighting, color correction, tripods and a hundred other things. But these will come after you have mastered the basics. At least now you know that you won’t be caught with your camcorder’s lens cap on or a video that is impossible to watch. And stop by our review of camcorders to see the best buys you can find in every format.
Click to read more from TopTenReviews.com