HD camcorders: Getting the most from your digital camcorder Recording
Zooming excessively can create disorienting footage.
Don’t zoom too much
Zooming in and out excessively can annoy the viewer or even make him or her dizzy. It also makes for an unprofessional-looking video. Film and programme makers usually use very little or no zooming.
Before you start recording, consider where you will stand, set the lens at the appropriate zoom position and then hit record.
Sound
If it's important to pick up someone’s voice, try to stand as close to them as possible. This is especially important in places where there might be lots of background noise, like outside on a busy street.
You also want to make sure that you don't record the wrong thing. For example, at a wedding you might be filming the best man’s speech with a zoom from 15 metres away and end up recording the voice of someone nearby who's criticising the bride’s dress.
Many built-in microphones can be set so that they operate in conjunction with the optical zoom. The more you zoom in, the more the microphone zooms in to pick up more distant sound.
Consider composition
Try to keep your subject away from the edges of your frame, or in other words, away from the edges of your view on the LCD screen or viewfinder.
On the other hand, a subject perfectly centred in a frame can be a little dull. A little to the left, or a little to the right of centre usually makes for the best composition. Also, if it’s a person you’re filming, it looks nicer if the person is looking inwards (i.e. towards the centre of the frame), especially when they’re walking.
Panning techniques
Try not to pan too much as it’s not easy on the eye. Even worse, panning from left to right, then immediately from right to left, will make your viewers seasick. Smooth, infrequent panning works best.
Filming indoors
Shooting a wide scene inside a small room is sometimes difficult with camcorders, as they don’t always zoom out enough to fit everything in the picture. A wide-angle lens converter attached to the lens of some camcorders will increase your angle of view and help capture more of the scene. They cost from around £45.
Filming moving subjects
When filming moving subjects try to end each scene on a still shot, in other words, record a little bit of footage where there’s no movement at all. If your film repeatedly cuts from one scene with a moving subject to another scene with a moving subject without a break, your viewer will get dizzy.
For example, if you pan the camcorder to follow a moving fast car, ideally finish the scene by filming the empty road that the car has left behind, just for a moment or two, before recording your next fast moving car in the next scene.
Saving battery life
Nothing's more frustrating than running out of power just as you're about to capture that great moment - the Which? HD camcorder reviews reveal the camcorders that will keep going for longest. If you’re running short, switch the LCD screen off and use your viewfinder instead - if your camcorder has one. This consumes a little less power.
