How to Use a Tripod for Mini DV Camcorders

Consumer electronics have come a long way in the last 40 years. Almost without interruption, each generation of technology has had its 10-year-run of popularity and then made way for an abrupt wave of new ideas. Consumers and their pocketbooks are swept up in the change every time.

One of the most functional and user-intensive electronic gadgets is the video camcorder. “Camcorder” is a portmanteau word, a mixture of camera and recorder, which is exactly what a camcorder is. At some point in the recent past, those two functions were separate and required two separate operators. Imagine filming your child’s birthday with a recording technician following you around carrying a VCR.

Camcorder technology has stayed true to the flux of change. It moved from big, clunky tapes and cameras in the beginning, to lighter, sleeker, smaller versions. At some point, the technology was anticipated to have reached its peak, and research and preparation were made for the next generation of camcorder. We now have the digital video camcorder.

In this free instructional video series, our expert will show you how to use your DV camcorder. Lessons include techniques for recording sound and adjusting the lighting, and hints on how to view what you just shot. Also get some troubleshooting tips to help figure out why your camera won’t turn on or just won’t record at all.

"Today were talking about how to use your mini DV camcorder. Right now, we’re going to talk about the tripod. This is your tripod and it’s a pretty standard tripod. It has one level here to tell you if your tripod is level or not with its legs. So, what you do is simply spread it out. It has 2 different ways to lengthen the tripod. You want to start with your top one here, because that’s the stronger leg. Then if you need it higher, you can also go here, but this is a weaker leg. You want to use this leg as the second resort if this leg isn’t long enough for you. I’m going to assume that this one is okay, or actually I’m going to assume that the second one is down as well, a little bit. Then say I need to lengthen it even more. Then you have another way to heighten your tripod and that’s a crank. It will go and go and go, so that eventually your tripod can reach at about 5 feet. This is a tripod because it has 3 feet. You can use this as a monopod as well. Just holding it like this it will steady your camera if you’re a little shaky. This is an adjustment here, this spinning. It adjusts the spin of your tripod. This handle adjusts the direction of your tripod and your camera. You take your tripod head, it has a clip here that you can pull out and grab on to that clip. You take the bottom of your camcorder, take your tripod head out of your camcorder, spin it around. Sometimes these will have arrows on it telling you what direction the lens are supposed to be; sometimes it won’t, but you can pretty much tell. You want it going up and down. You close your little handle there. You take your camcorder; you unlock your tripod like such, and you simply slide it in. Then you want to close your lock so that your camcorder is not going to fall off of your tripod, extremely important. Then you can adjust with your handle. When it’s out you want to make sure that your camcorder is level so that you can check your level here, and then adjust your feet accordingly if you’re on uneven ground or something like that."