Features The Optura 300, which features a 10:1 optical zoom, audio level control, manual exposure control, microphone and headphone jacks, built-in auto-flash and 2.0 megapixel stills is an upright (vertical) camera with a small 2.5-inch flip-out LCD screen. The combination of performance, features,

Tripods may well be one of the most important, yet under appreciated, accessories in our videographer’s bag of tricks. Sure, image stabilization is great, but for perfectly still shots, you’ve still got to have a tripod. A tripod isn’t an optional accessory; it’s a requireme

“Find a niche and fill it,” the old saying goes, “and you will succeed.” Panasonic’s professional/industrial division had something like this in mind when it released the Panasonic AG-DVX100 digital camcorder about a year ago. The niche: a growing number of low-budget f

One of our notorious Seven Deadly Camera Sins is Upstanding: recording every shot from the height of an upright adult. Upstanding happens because videographers are usually in that position when the camera rolls and they don’t see any good reason to change it. In this article, we’ll talk

If you enjoy shooting a variety of subjects that require the features of several camcorders, then you’ll want to look closely at the new 1/4-inch 3-CCD Panasonic AG-DVC30. Most camcorders have particular design features made for a particular type of user. The AG-DVC30, however, has something

The 14th Annual Films Arts Festival of Independent Cinema screened the very first video I ever shot on Mini DV. When I went to pick-up my VHS viewing copy from the festival’s organizers, the Film Arts Foundation (FAF) in San Francisco, the curator congratulated me and asked if I "shot on

What’s one of the differences between a professional and an amateur in any endeavor? A professional has either learned or been taught to avoid mistakes in his or her field. This can lead to a bit of arrogance on the part of the professional when viewing someone else’s work. "Look at

We’ve all been there. The shot you need is staring right at you, but you have to get into a strange position and handhold the camera to get it. You want steady video, but no matter how hard you try, you can’t keep the shot from shaking. If the camera is zoomed in all the way, you’r

Nature or nurture? There are many unanswered questions in life and that sometimes goes double for us video makers. Here’s one we’ve probably all asked ourselves: Why doesn’t my camerawork look like that of the pros? The answer is tricky. It’s tempting to blame the nature of

Q. I was recently doing a documentary for a fabrication shop building a baja truck. I was filming them grind with sparks flying and welding. My friend asked me if the light from the welder could ruin the lens. My question is, since looking directly at somebody welding can make you go blind, can it

The winners of a political advertising contest for novice video producers were announced in January on the Web site www.bushin30seconds.org. The non-profit group, MoveOn.org, professes to “bring ordinary people back into politics,” created the contest late last year. The Web site states

Understanding the concepts that drive the technologies we use always provides a powerful advantage for both professional and hobbyist videographers. Part of this understanding involves exploring the standards around which these technologies developed. In 1953, the National Television Systems Commit

$413 Bogen Photo Corp. 565 East Crescent Avenue Ramsey, N.J. 07446 201-818-9500 www.bogenphoto.com It is virtually impossible to start and stop a zoom perfectly smoothly, but the Manfrotto 522 LANC Remote Control gets pretty close. Because of the relatively large play of the zoom knob, you can make

Whether a program is fiction, documentary, corporate promotion, or any other genre, it should have a professional style — a style created largely by camera angles. We’ve visited camera angles before (for convenience, the gist of several articles we’ve done on the subject is very br

The key to good-looking video is a well-composed shot. What exactly is composition? Technically, composition is the relationship between two or more objects in a picture, where one of the objects shows dominance. This involves careful placement of your subject in your shot so that it looks good and

Shooting steady video is perhaps one of the most fundamental skills of good video production. If your camera isn’t steady, your shots will be difficult to watch (unless you provide a healthy dose of seasick pills). In this column we will take a look at various ways you can shoot good solid vid

The camcorder is a relatively new invention (if you can call it that). Like most technological developments, one person did not invent it on a particular date. Rather, it was a slow progression of advances in technology. Most of us know that the camcorder evolved from the portable VTR (video tape r

The Panasonic AG-DVX100 is a great camera. When we reviewed it, we loved the lens and the customization options. And, more importantly, we shot some great video with it. But when our readers mention this camera, they almost always want to talk about one thing: 24p. The question is: What is 24p and

$4,500 Datavideo Corporation 12300 – U East Washington Blvd. Whittier, CA 90606 (562) 696-2324 www.datavideo-tek.com The Datavideo SE-800 digital mixer allows you to switch between up to four analog or DV sources, and record the mixed output to a digital camera or recorder, or output a stable

Selecting a camcorder’s like buying a plane ticket: you can fly Supersaver, Economy, Business or First Class. Since every class will get you there, the different ticket prices just buy you different levels of comfort and quality of service. The same goes for camcorders. Whether you shell out