Getting to know your camcorder
Generally speaking there are two types of camcorder: the more common long kind (pictured on the left), which is held in the palm of your right hand, and the up-right form, which requires a pistol grip to keep steady.
In this section we'll be referring to the form type, as it is far more prevalent. Many of the items we point out along the way, though, should apply to all camcorders of all shapes, creeds, colours and religions.
Front
The primary resident at the front of a camcorder is, naturally, the lens. On more expensive cameras, the lens cover will automatically retract and shut depending on whether the camcorder is on or off. With all other camcorders, the cover is operated manually, usually via a small flick switch or slider adjacent to the lens.
Upmarket cameras will also often feature a flash light that can either provide a burst of light for photos or, potentially, be a light source for night-time filming. The camera's mic may also be found below the lens; if it's not there, it will be on the top of the camera, right above the lens.
Top
Near the rear of a camcorder's top-side, you'll invariably find a flick switch for zooming in and out, and right behind that will be a button to snap off a quick photo. Most camcorders nowadays will let you take photos while filming or in video mode, but this is usually done at a reduced resolution and with a different aspect ratio — wider and shorter than a normal photo. To go into dedicated photo taking mode, there's either a mode button or dial located on the camcorder's back.
Use the zoom to frame your video before you shoot. Sitting through footage that has a lot of rapid-fire zooming in and out, not only looks unprofessional — can you remember the last time you saw a zoom movement occurring on a TV show or movie? — but it can be nauseating too. If you do have to zoom whilst recording, do so slowly. Or, better yet, edit it before showing it to your friends, family, countrymen and random internet peeps.
Back and sides
The back of a camcorder typically has three controls: power, record video, and mode switching between photo and video. How these buttons are arranged varies from manufacturer to manufacturer, and from generation to generation.
If you've shelled out the big biccies for a top-of-the-range high-definition camcorder, you might be one of the lucky few to have an electronic viewfinder. The idea of squinting to look through at a small LCD display, rather than the large screen that pops out of the side of the camera, seems a bit counter-intuitive at first, but we find that when we're attempting to handhold a camcorder steady for long periods, the stance required looking through the viewfinder is actually a lot more stable and easy on the muscles.
Also, in bright sunlight, discerning colours and detail on the flip-out LCD screen can be a little difficult — an issue that a viewfinder doesn't suffer. To activate a camcorder's viewfinder close the flip-out screen and/or pull the viewfinder out.
There's one thing we haven't mentioned on the back of the camera, and it's usually the largest and prominent item there: the battery. Most modern flash and hard disk-based camcorders boast hours upon hours of storage, which often lulls users into thinking that they can record for hours and hours without any problems.
But most camera batteries are only rated for around 100 minutes of recording time, meaning that you'll more than likely run out of juice before running out of space. A spare battery is a must if you're helping a friend record their wedding day, little Johnny's cricket match or baby's first birthday. Even if long events are not on your videoing agenda, a spare battery is always a nice to have.
Bottom
There's not much to see on the bottom of the camcorder, except for the little screw hole that acts as a mount for a tripod. If you've had to grin and bear a friend's shaky cam video, you'll appreciate the stability that a tripod brings, but there are other benefits as well.
Weddings, birthday parties, indeed almost any sort of occasion benefits greatly from the set-and-forget nature of a tripod-mounted camcorder. Just leave the set-up in a spot with a good view of all the action, and then go off and enjoy the company of other human beings.
There are plenty of cheap tripods out there. Stretch your budget a little bit and not only will you get higher quality levels, but also greater heft for more stability and smoother panning ability. As a side benefit, your tripod can also be used with your still camera.