Getting started

Life can be unpredictable. You never know where each day, or even each hour, will take you. A morning could start off bright and sunny, but be overcast or downright rainy in the space of an hour. A lazy day at the coast with your buddies can end up as a night of fun with a date at the carnival. With life this mercurial, it becomes a challenge to know how to capture it all on video.

If you want to catch the most out of life with your HD Handycam®, make sure you’ve got the fundamentals of camera use down pat and the controls to your camcorder mastered. Many a bad video could have been great with knowledge of the fundamentals of camcorder use. We’ve put together some basic essentials for the budding videographer, tips and techniques you can surely use. Learn these and you’re on your way to shooting great videos. Even when life throws you a curveball, you and your HD Handycam® will be ready for it!

Use Your Legs

One of the most common mistakes of new videographers is the excessive use of the zoom toggle to zoom in and out. This may lead to disorienting video footage. Rather than abuse the zoom toggle, it’s often better to use your own internal zoom mechanism to get that closer shot: your legs. Walk closer. Or further, depending on the shot you want to achieve. Use the zoom, instead, in between shots, while you’re composing your frame.