| Buttons
and Menus and Dials, Oh My!
by
Chuck Peters |
Camcorders
sure do have a lot of buttons, dials and menu functions.
New shooters can be overwhelmed by all the features
and functions on the latest camcorders. Some videographers
have shot for years without pressing certain buttons
because they just don't know what they are for.
Whether your camcorder allows you to activate a
function by pressing a button, turning a dial or
opening a menu, this simple guide will explain the
features built into today's camcorders. |
| VCR
Controls
The
set of functions that enables a camcorder to play,
rewind, fast forward and pause video that has
been recorded to tape. Almost all camcorders will
function as a recorder (camera) and as a VCR (player),
but not both at once.
Iris
Also
called the aperture, the iris controls the size
of the lens' opening to govern the amount of light
admitted. The iris is one of the principle components
in the camcorder's exposure control system. An
open iris lets in more light than a closed iris.
In all consumer camcorders, the iris is controlled
automatically and in better cameras it can be
adjusted manually as well.
Digital
Zoom
Digital
zoom electronically enlarges the central portion
of the image beyond the limits of the zoom lens'
glass elements. As the zoom ratio increases (20:1,
50:1, etc.) the image recorded full-frame on tape
represents a smaller part of the image formed
at the chip. Since the original image consists
of individual dots (“pixels”) enlarging part of
it progressively coarsens the picture, lowering
resolution and losing detail. |
Iris
Digital
Zoom
Audio
Dub.
|
VCR
Controls
Auto/Manual
Focus
Auto/Manual
Focus
is the adjustment of the camcorder lens to keep
an image sharp in appearance. The automatic
focus system adjusts the lens to focus on whatever
appears in the center portion of the frame.
This can be problematic as auto focus can drift
as elements pass before the lens. Manual focus
allows the user to adjust the focus.
The
audio dub feature
allows you to replace a length of sound on your
edited tape without disturbing the picture.
Typically found Mini DV and VHS-family models
but not on 8mm-family camcorders
|
