Buttons, More Buttons

Some camcorders have a plethora of buttons, others are menu-driven. Many name a button control one thing, and others call it something else. It's time for the Button Game.

Everybody knows you're a professional. You have three Emmys and last year you got footage of the mayor taking a bribe with a camera you made yourself out of a banana; but when your sister in law hands you her $400 camcorder, you're at a complete loss as to what button to push in order to make it do anything productive.

In this article, we're going to take a look at some of the most common buttons and dials found on camcorders today.

Buttons Buttons Buttons.....
Buttons on today's camcorders can usually be broken down into two broad areas: buttons that control the physical aspects of the camera--the LCD screen, the power, the motion of the tape, the position of the tape heads etc, and ones that control how an image is recorded onto tape--brightness, levels, color balance. The placement of these is non-standardized. Some companies go to great lengths to cover up as many buttons as possible behind smooth exteriors, simplifying the look of the camera, while others want them all out and accessible.

Buttons that Control the Camcorder
Power, VCR/Camera: Often comprised as a three position lever and a button, the lever dictates whether the camcorder will be functioning as a camera (recording), a VCR (playback), or powered down. The button typically acts as record/pause. Look for this one in a spot that you can conveniently reach with a thumb. Many video cameras, like Canon's Optura 400, also double as still cameras and therefore have a "still photo" or shutter release button. The Optura also has a button which allows you to switch between recording on Mini DV and an SD card.