Directions on How to Use a Camcorder

A lot of buttons, but you can learn them in a flash.

Camcorders let you record your life in full color, sound and motion. Many people prefer them to still cameras, since they can provide a much fuller version of an event than a flat snapshot. Beyond recording events for posterity, camcorders can be used to make documentaries and films, especially with the high quality video now available. Using a camcorder is very simple, and by using a few simple tips your movies can look close to professional.

Things You'll Need

• Camcorder
• Instruction manual

Instructions

Getting to Know Your Camcorder

1. Read the instruction manual. Many owners ignore it, but manuals will explain all the features of your camera in detail, including tricky-to-find settings.

2. Familiarize yourself with the controls. You don't need to understand every button, but knowing where the "On/Off" switch, "Record "switch and zoom controls are found is important.

3. Ensure you know what media your camcorder records on. It may use mini DVDs that can play in a DVD player, small MiniDV tapes (or their high-definition versions), an internal hard drive or flash memory cards. Purchase media if you need to.

Making Movies

1. Turn the camcorder on.

2. Press "Eject." This will open your camcorder and allow you to insert recording media. If you have hard-drive camcorder you will not need to do this, and some flash card camcorders will have a simple door that can open and slot for an SD card, without needing an "Eject" button.

3. Select "Recording" mode. Most camcorders have a switch near the viewfinder (facing you) that can be set to either "Record" or "Playback." Recording is indicated by a red circle, playback by a green triangle surrounded by a border.

4. Open the screen if it has one, or look down the viewfinder. This will give you an idea of what is in your shot.

5. Press "Record." This will be an obvious button with a red circle on it. You are now recording your movie.

6. Move the camera slowly and smoothly as you film. Jerky or quick motion will be difficult to watch on a big screen.

7. Zoom slowly when looking at objects of interest. Zooming too quickly can be disconcerting for watchers of your film.

8. Press the "Record" button again to stop recording. You now have a movie saved on the tape or disk in your camcorder.

Watching Your Movie

1. Connect your camcorder to a computer or television using the cables that came with it. Camcorders generally have audio/video outputs combined into one plug, but will ship with a cable that has standard red, white and yellow composite plugs at the other end. These can connect to any television--just be sure to match the color of the plug to the color of the jack on the back of the TV. Most modern cameras also come with a USB or Firewire cable that will let you output the movie to a computer. Plug one cable end into the camcorder and the other into a free USB port. Your camera should mount just like an external disk, and you will see the movie when you double-click on its icon. Finally, if your camcorder records to mini DVDs, you can just eject the disk and put it in any DVD player or computer DVD drive.

2. Switch the camera to "Playback" if you are playing to a television and press "Play."

3. Turn on your television and select the input that matches the jacks you have plugged the camera into, or the DVD player playing the camera's disk. If using a computer, double-click on the movie file and press "Play" when it opens.

Editing and Sharing Your Movies

1. Edit out parts of footage that you wish to cut by connecting the camera to a computer and opening the movie file in movie-editing software. This software will allow you to cut parts out, add transitions and other effects and record the result as a new file.

2. Record DVD copies of your video. If you have loaded the video onto your computer, you will be able to burn it directly to DVD if you have a drive that can record DVDs. You can also record VHS tapes if you have a VCR. To do this, just connect your A/V cable to the inputs on a VCR, insert a blank tape, turn on the camera, press "Play" and press "Record" on the VCR.

3. Distribute copies of your movie to anyone you would like to see it.

References

• Panasonic Manuals: PVGS320 Palmcorder
• PC World: Which Camcorder Format to Choose