1. Keep the zoom at wide angle (W) setting almost all the time - this is what some photographers call "normal view' since everything is in good focus when your camera is set in wide angle. Plus, camera shake is much less noticeable though it's labeled "Wide angle".
2.Shoot in short shots that last only 5-15 seconds - Shoot like a filmmaker by first composing each shot, thinking carefully when to press the “run button”, and then pausing within five minutes or ten seconds.
3.Look for light and move your subjects when necessary – If it looks bad in the viewfinder it is not going to look good on a big screen either. If faces look dark, you've got lighting problems. Try to move people to a spot where their faces are reflecting light from a lamp or the sun, or light coming through a window.
4.Hard Drive Camcorders: Beware of required follow-up! - Professionals and others in a rush get a great benefit from hard disk drive camcorders, in that they don't need to first “capture” the raw footage before they can edit it. But for ordinary Camcorder users, tape and discs still offer a great benefit, in that you can simply eject the tape or disc and move on to the next one.
5.MiniDV tape is still the most convenient and cost effective camcorder storage media – Recordable DVD discs require special operations for formatting and finalizing that can make them less easy to use than MiniDV Tape. Flash memory cards are extremely expensive, compared with tape or disc, as an archive format.
6.Archive hard and flash drive recordings at the highest possible quality - For hard disk drive and flash solid-state memory card recordings, you will have to copy your files to other media, such as recordable DVD-R or DVD+R discs or to a PC Drive for long term archiving.
7.Digital Connectors are different....Pay attention – Today's digital camcorders can be equipped with IEEE-1394 (also called FirWire, iLink, and DV In/Out), USB, or HDMI connections. For editing, the IEEE-1394 is usually best. USB typically delivers lower picture quality, as it can handle the same data rates as IEEE-1394, and makes the most sense for lower-resolution PC applications, such as for posting videos to a website. The HDMI connection is great for watching your videos directly on a high definition TV, but you can't use it for editing or copying files.
8.Always use a tripod or other improvised support – Tripods are not just accessory devices - the tripod is a state of mind! Carry a lightweight one when you can, improvise when you can't using a tabletop, car, tree, guardrail or whatever support you can find. Avoid hand held shooting whenever you can.
9.Think:Beginning, middle and End – Tell a story. It's easy to introduce things and wrap them up, the lion's share of your recordings is the middle. Begin a family event by showing the house from outside, and the end by showing people leaving. These little touches create a sense of story.
10.Hi Def is usually, but not always better – Who could argue with improved picture quality? Of course you generally want HD recording capability, but if you have specific application that will require extensive distribution in standard definition, such as handing out DVD copies to families and friends, your projects may be easier if you start with standard def recordings.
11.Protect the camcorder lens' surface - Get a clear or UV filter for your camcorder when you buy it, and install it immediately to protect the front if the lens from scratches, grit, dirt, and specks of dust.
12.Use only lens tissue or lens wipers to clean the lens – Don't use rougher papers or clothing or other questionable materials to wipe the lens clean. Get a bottle of lens cleaning fluid, and lens cleaning tissue.
13.Microphones for Camcorders improve sound – An external microphone can significantly improve home videos, and is an absolute necessity for professional work. Simply put, the best place to get sound is usually not the same as the best place to get sound is usually not the sane as the best place to put the camera. Which is why a separate microphone solves the problem. This is especially important when shooting in noisy environments, or when the camera is more than five feet from the person speaking.
14.Batteries get drained most by the motor and display – For the longest possible run time on a single charge, avoiding zooming, and shut the big display screen off if you can. Reducing the brightness of the display will also save power.
15.Light works best when they are not illuminating head-on – A small battery-powered accessory light can be very useful when shooting in a low light – such as family gathering at a dimly lit restaurant. But people look best when illuminated from an angle, not dead center.
16.Tripods: A “ fluid head” makes the difference – An expensive lightweight tripod is sufficient for supporting most consumer camcorders, but you're best off using these strictly for support.
17.Static Shots work best: Avoid camera moves – If you look closely at a professionally produced TV programs and movies, you will notice that camera movements – pans, tilts, and zooms – are used only on occasion, and even then the moves are usually subtle, involving just a slight shift. The biggest mistake most beginners make when shooting is the “wild” movement of the camera and zoom when recording. Your video will look much better if you avoid camera moves while recording. First, frame your shot then start recording, the pause the recording and move on to another shot.
18.Change framing each time you pause – In editor's jargon it's called a “jump cut” when there is an edit between two similarly framed shots, and it's to be avoided. Each time you pause the camcorder you should change the framing to avoid these.
19.Label the media not the box or container – Tapes and discs are easily separated from their containers, and after you pull a few out the total confusion can become rampant if you've labeled the containers, rather than the tapes or discs themselves.
20.Editing software selection is a matter of taste and budget – For basic editing without a lot of extra sound tracks and sound mixing, and without a lot of special effects, free and low-cost editing software works fine. Be sure to “capture” at the same quality as the original. There's no difference in picture quality between free and expensive editing software for basic editing. The differences are in special effects, titles, the time required to render effects like dissolves and fades. If you just want to pick out the best shots and reassemble them, free or bundled or inexpensive software should work fine.
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