Camcorder settings
Get to know your camcorder so you
can set it to capture good contrast, true color, and crisp focus. Read your
camcorder manual for details on making various settings in your camera.
White balance
If your camera has a white balance
feature, use it. This sets the camera color balance to the existing lighting
conditions and avoids that orange or blue cast. A white foam board works great
for this.
Put the camcorder in manual focus
and point it at the white board. Zoom in until the frame is filled with
white. Hold the white balance button down until white balance indicator stops
flashing. White balance at the beginning of each shoot and again if the
lighting changes significantly—e.g., move from outdoors to indoors, shade to full sun.
Manual or auto mode
Auto mode adjusts the camera’s focus,
aperture (exposure), and shutter speed. If you are confident that you know the
workings of your camera well, you will get the best results from using manual
mode.
In auto mode the camera focuses on
the brightest object and makes adjustments accordingly. If that object moves,
the camera has to refocus, and there will be a slight blur.
Recording speed
Always videotape in the fastest,
highest quality speed. SP for tape.
Shutter speed and Exposure
There are 2 ways to control the
amount of light getting into your camera—shutter speed and exposure.
Shutter speed is measurements of time
that it takes for the camcorder to process light to make an image. Using the
most common setting of 1/60 means it takes the camcorder 1/60th of a
second to gather enough light to form an image, or frame. Increase the shutter
speed if you are shooting a fast-moving object.
Exposure setting on your camcorder
controls the diameter of the lens opening. It’s measured in F-stop increments.
F1 means the lens is completely open, allowing in maximum light. Increasing the
F-stop number decreases the lens opening diameter.
Here’s the best way for the layman
to deal with shutter speed and exposure. Leave the shutter speed at 1/60. While
looking in the viewfinder, cup your hand around it to block out peripheral
light. Adjust the exposure so that the image is neither too dark nor too light.
If you must shoot under low light conditions and exposure is set at F1,
decrease the shutter speed slightly to let in more light. Better yet, don’t
shoot in low light conditions.
Special Effects
Don’t use the transition and special
effects features on your camera. Save those functions for the editing where you
can make changes.
Turn off the show date function on your camera, unless you plan
to use your video for legal evidence.
More video
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Copyright September 2009 Family History Coach All rights reserved Last update April 27, 2010
