In this article we look at popular camcorder misconceptions.
Camcorder myths abound everywhere. These stories and wrong ideas make it
difficult for us to get a true grip on what we can and cannot do with a
camcorder.
It makes it hard for consumers to know what features are important when
buying a camcorder, for example. Or we may end up buying a camcorder that we
don't need.
There are many myths about
camcorders we need to dispell
Additionally once you own a camcorder, you have to take care of it and
learn what it can do, and what your editing software can do. The two cannot
replace it each other. Wrong ideas can cost you a lot of time and money.
Myth #1:
Get the Biggest Zoom
Get the biggest zoom you can! This is the first of the camcorder myths that we
will explode in this article. Manufacturers of camcorders like to boast about
how big their zoom is. Sometimes the numbers on the camcorder can seem
staggering or hard to believe.
For example, a camera may claim that it has over
100x zoom. What you need to understand, however, is that this is digital zoom,
not optical zoom. What is digital zoom? Have you ever zoomed in on a photo until
you see the pixels? That’s what digital zoom does, it doesn’t take you
physically closer to the object—it just blows it up, and then degrades it in the
process.
The degradation appears as pixelation and blurry images. Optical zoom
is what you really want. This uses the lens to zoom in, and you rarely need
anything more than 8X. Buying for zoom is one of the worst camcorder
misconceptions. There are more important factors, believe me!
Myth #2: All
Digital Tapes Are Made The Same
Another of the camcorder misconceptions has to do with digital videotapes. Many
people believe that they are all the same. This is one of the worst camcorder
myths, because believing it may result in damage to your camera.
All digital
tapes are not the same. Some tapes - the cheap variety - have thin linings
underneath them. They crease easily and therefore can damage the precious tape
drive or drum inside your camcorder. Another problem that can happen by
purchasing cheap quality tapes is the dreaded frame dropout. Since all digital
video is essentially stored in frames, poor quality tapes can cause some of
these frames to drop out.
This will result in flicker or jitter in the resulting
video. Is it worth the extra few dollars you save purchasing cheap video tapes
if the video footage is not usable? So don’t fall for the gimmick of believing
you can buy cheap tapes and come out clean. Professionals buy quality, brand
name tapes and use them over and over. Yes, this is one area where brands hold a
lead over generic competitors.
It’s best when you choose brand tapes that you choose the brand made by your
camcorder’s manufacturer - if at all possible. One of the camcorder myths is that
you can switch brands with impunity. This is completely false.
Some time ago,
for example, a well known camcorder suffered tape crinkle problems because users
chose a competing brand for the tape. These users were swapping out various
brand name tapes, thinking nothing of the consequences. They were then told to
stick to the digital tapes made by the camcorder’s manufacturer, and this solved
the problem. I know it sounds silly, but there is a difference in brand tapes.
Why is that? The camcorders are made slightly differently, mainly. When it comes
to digital video tapes, it is not true that one size fits all. If your camcorder
makes its own brand of tapes, then buy those brands and stick with them. Believe
me, you won’t regret it - even if you have to pay a few dollars extra.
Myth #3: Video Editing Can Fix A Poorly Shot Video
The next of the camcorder
misconceptions is that you can shoot bad video, and still get your video editing
program to bail you out in the end. This is one of the camcorder myths that
results, I suppose, from the nearly miraculous abilities some people to
attribute to video editing software.
Don’t
misunderstand. Video editing software has come a long way in the past few years.
It is possible, to some degree, to color correct, brighten or dim your images,
clean up noise from sound and a host of other problems with your video editing
software. Certain problems can be fixed with the software program. But it won’t
turn water into wine!
You have to remember the old saying,
'Junk in, Junk out'.
Your software program works with the digital information it receives. If that
information is bad, you won’t be able to gain dramatic improvement over the
output.
In other words, you should shoot your video as if you had no other tool for
producing great video but your camcorder. Sure, you can edit with your software,
but what if you have reams of bad footage and only a little that you can edit
out as good video? It would be far better for you to learn to edit 'in camera'.
Learn to shoot, press pause, change your camera angle, and shoot again. In other
words, do as much work as you can in camera, so that your software doesn’t have
to work as hard. If a shot doesn’t look quite right, shoot it again. Learn how
to use the exposure and shutter speeds in your camera to adjust your camcorder
for proper use in low light settings. Do you have jerky footage?
You are falling
for camcorder myths if you think your video software will straighten it out—it
won’t. Avoiding camcorder misconceptions means learning the art of videography,
without putting too much stock in computer technology to fix all your mistakes.
Conclusion
We have attempted to explode some
of the popular camcorder myths and camcorder misconceptions. Review these myths,
and you will notice a popular strand that runs throughout all of them.
Do you know what that is? They all
involve people being overconfident in their trust of technology. In other words,
they assume that they can cut corners because they think technology will save
them in the end.
Whether it has to do with video
tapes, zoom settings, or editing software, you need to know the role that
technology plays in shooting video. Put things in perspective. Then, focus on
shooting great video.
Create
Great-Looking Digital Videos
Roxio VideoWave Professional is a video editing
program that could be the answer to your video editing headaches. If you have
trouble creating good-looking home videos, VideoWave makes
it easy for you. You can edit and produce Hollywood-style videos with a few
mouse clicks. You can also add music, transitions, special effects and text
credits to achieve professional results.
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