The VHS Camcorder has literally changed the world by making video production readily available to almost anyone. It has made videotape records and analysis available and cost-effective like perhaps no other invention of our time.

I. Setting up.

Unpack the camcorder from its case. If you are using a tripod, set it up by spreading and extending the legs. To extend the legs, rotate the locks a quarter turn and pull the legs out. Then re-lock the legs into position.

WARNING! Failure to re-lock tripod legs may cause the camera to fall!

The tripod, if you are using one, attaches to the brass-threaded port on the bottom of the camera.

Insert a battery into the battery slot on the camera. On some cameras, it is on the back, on others, it is on the top. In any case, the battery will only fit one way, and you can tell when you have done it right because it will lock into position.

With the battery installed, press the blue EJECT button on the top of the camera to open the cassette door. Insert the videotape with the top towards the outside of the camera, door-end first. Then push the door closed. Depending on how the modes are set, the camera may whir a bit as it threads the tape.

On the top of the camera is a mode-switch door. It should be marked with an arrow pointing towards the "camera rec" position and the "vcr play/rec" position. This door determines how the camera will behave. Notice that in one position, a full set of VCR controls are available; in the other, the VCR controls are covered up. For recording , leave the door in the "camera rec" position, with the buttons covered up. In this mode, the camera can only record video.

Slide the power switch, turning on the camera. If it hasn't done so already, it will thread the tape.

II. Operation.

Now, remove the lens cap and look through the viewfinder. You may need to rotate the viewfinder in order to look through it. You should see the scene you are shooting. There should be a box over the scene; this indicates the auto-focus area. If there isn't, find the FOCUS switch on the side of the camera and set it to AUTO.

The recording controls are all located on the handgrip. At the back of the handgrip, and on the top of the grip, are two red buttons. To record, press one of these buttons. To stop recording, press either button again. There are two more buttons on the handgrip, marked "W" and T". These are the zoom control. Press "T" to zoom in, and "W" to zoom out.

When you finish recording, press the blue EJECT button to get your tape out. Then close the tape door, and press the BATT EJECT button near the battery compartment to get the battery out.

There you have it. That is enough information to record video and audio using a camcorder. But there are a few more buttons you might want to know about...

STAND BY:

When the camera is idle (turned on but not recording) for a while, it will put itself 'to sleep'. The red light will come on above the stand by button, and the viewfinder will go dark. This is to conserve battery power. To "wake up" the camera again, press the STAND BY button. You can also use this button to force the camera into a low-power mode bewteen shots.

WHITE BALANCE:

This refers to the color rendition of the camera. Most of the time, you can get the best results by just leaving it set to AUTO. You can also force the camera to balance for sunlight or for room light by setting the switch to the INDOOR or OUTDOOR setting.

HIGH SPEED SHUTTER:

The high-speed shutter operates at 1/100, 1/500, or 1/1000 of a second. This "freezes" a fast-moving object, meaning that there will be more detail on any given frame of video. The trade-off is a bit less light, and a noticeable roughness to the final image. But if you look at a single frame of video shot with the high-speed shutter, it will be crystal-clear, with no motion blur.

FOCUS:

Normally, you will want to use the auto-focus feature. But by throwing this switch, you can focus the camera manually by rotating the lens battel. Since the viewfinder image is electronic, if it is in focus, the camera is properly focused...no guesswork.

DATE/CLOCK:

Is probably set wrong. This will superimpose a date and/or date and time onto your shot, as seen on security camera footage and on America's Funniest Home Videos when people don't know how to turn it off. I suggest that you NOT use this feature unless you have a particular need for it. Press the button repeatedly until the date and time goes away from the viewfinder image.

BACKLIGHT:

This button adjusts the image exposure for the less-than-ideal condition where the light source is behind your subject. A better solution is to move so that the light is in front of your subject. Note that on some cameras, this button is replaced with a knob marked IRIS, which allows you some manual control over the exposure setting.

REC REVIEW:

If you press this button, the tape will rewind a few seconds, then play back what you just recorded through the viewfinder. This is sometimes a handy feature for making sure that whatever you just shot 'stuck'.

VCR CONTROLS:

If you slide the mode door to the "VCR PLAY/REC" position, you can play back your tape in the viewfinder, and with additional equipment not supplied in Capital's camera kits, use the camera as a VCR. Under most circumstances, these controls are not very useful.

One more thing...

Sometimes you may want to use an external microphone. The Super-VHS camcorders provided by Information Technology should include hand-held microphones as part of the kit. To use the microphone instead of the built-in microphone, connect the 1/8" mini plug at the end of the microphone cable to the microphone jack on the camera located next to the built-in microphone.

There you have it! In a nutshell, more than you ever wanted to know about operating a VHS camcorder.

DCAjr - 09/08/1997--HTML 12/29/1999