How to record good digital video with your camcorder

Let me tell you from experience how important it is to know how to shoot good digital video with your camcorder before you go on vacation or shoot that big event. When I was getting married my sister offered to film the happy day for me with her new camcorder, I accepted because it would save money on the wedding as a videographer could be quite expensive.

Let me tell you how wrong I was, the digital video was dark, shaky, and blurry every time she zoomed in or moved around the room. The sound was muffled and muffled and it was more of a headache to watch than a joy. Simply put, she wishes she had spent money on some good digital video footage.

I don’t want people to make the same mistake I did, so to spread the word about my learning experience, I’d like to share some great tips on how to record great digital video with your MiniDV camcorder.

Tip #1: Don’t record while walking or moving, as the digital camcorder cannot stay focused on a moving object. Choose a place to stand and start by recording a starting point for a few seconds before moving on to the next object. Slowly and carefully move the camcorder to the next focus point and hold it there for a few more seconds before stopping shooting.

Tip #2: Avoid over-zooming objects, it not only drains your camcorder battery faster but can also give your viewers a crazy headache. If there is a moment that you would like to see up close, stay still and take your time while zooming and recording a video, also try to avoid fast movements, as the image will be blurred.

Tip #3 – Make sure the lighting around you is bright enough and don’t point the camcorder lens directly at sunlight, this can not only damage the camcorder lens but also darken the images and it will create a nasty movie. If you plan to be indoors, I suggest investing in a camcorder light fixture that can easily be attached to the camcorder and turned on if needed.

Tip #4 – Last but not least, my favorite camcorder accessory has to be a tripod. You can buy a cheap mini tabletop tripod for simple videos or you can invest in a larger stand tripod for longer videos. By using a tripod when shooting, you can be sure that your images won’t be shaky and your film won’t look amateurish.