Camcorder Protection

What does a “head-cleaning tape” do and how do I use it

One of the things you want to consider buying to keep in your camera case is a head cleaning tape. These are little tapes the same size as the cassette if your shooting in a mini DV environment or even a HDV environment and use them when ever the heads get dirty. Now there’s kind of a catch 22 there. People will say, “how often do I clean the heads?” and really the only correct answer for that is often as they get dirty. And I know that probably doesn’t help you in terms of you wish I could say 40 hours, or 50 hours or a million hours but really anytime you use a head cleaning tape they’re a little bit abrasive on the heads and they tend to wear the heads down. So we don’t recommend you use them on a regular basis. I would say before a big event you might want to pop one in or obviously if you’ve seen any kind of issues in terms of the video itself breaking up or video not being recorded well, you might want to pop one in. Caution though they really should not run for more than about 10 seconds at a time as I mentioned they’re a little bit abrasive but having one in your bag definitely can save the day especially if you’re on vacation somewhere and a head gets what we call a clog and you don’t get a video at all. So it’s always better to have one then not have them but use it sparingly. Use it on a regular basis but not all the time.

What is a “UV filter” and why would I put it on my camcorder

UV filters, sometimes called skylight filters, are there just to protect the front lens. There are a couple of things you want to think about. Does your camcorder have a built in lens cover? That’s a fairly common feature on newer cameras these days. Even though we’ve always recommended UV filters in the past, it is not as necessary as it used to be. You’re going to find that some of the lower priced camcorders don’t even offer that as a feature because they are no longer threaded; they don’t take filters. So, take a look, find out if you need a UV filter. If you do, it’s good protection, they’re not expensive, and if you ever scratch a filter, it’s time to consider yourself lucky because that would’ve been the lens you had just scratched. So, you might want to consider it. Talk to your saleperson a little bit about it, see if a UV filter is a good idea for you.

What accessory will help me protect my camcorder

A camcorder is a pretty major investment, and you need to protect that investment in some way, so I would suggest at the very least, you’ll want a camcorder case for protection. Now, those cases come in all sizes and shapes. Are you just keeping the camera in it; or all your tapes in it; do you keep all your batteries in it; maybe you want one big enough to even hold your still camera; anything from a fanny pack to something the size of a piece of luggage. So it really depends on what you’re going to do with this camera as to how you protect it. Whatever you do, you need to protect it, so look for a good case – something sturdy, something to keep the elements away from your camera, depending on what your particular needs are.

How do I protect my camcorder from water

The cases designed to protect cameras go from something very simple as a protective bag that looks no more than a ziplock bag, to more elaborate housings that you could even dive with. Really it’s always a good idea to have at least something with you to protect your camera from water. If you have to shoot in the rain, cover it somehow, but otherwise I would suggest you put the camera away in hazardous (wet) environments.

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Tags: Camcorder, Filter, HDV, Optical filters, Photographic filter, Tim Smith, Ultraviolet, UV filter