Outdoor video can be challenging, fun and beautiful to behold. But shoots work best with careful planning, good equipment and techniques, as well as attention to common sense and safety.
Bruce Barrett is an independent film and video producer.
If you take an ice-cold drink from an air-conditioned hotel room in Mexico right out to the hot and humid beach, you'll notice the "sweating effect" as moisture appears on the sides of the can. This same thing can happen inside your camcorder. Take your camcorder from the cool room onto that same beach you may suddenly see in your viewfinder a strange warning light you have not encountered before--just before the camera shuts down. The rapid change in temperature causes moisture to condense inside the camera on the metal parts and makes shooting impossible. That's the dew sensor at work.
Some videographers never see this problem, but it can and does occur. Only time, and the gradual equalization of temperatures, can cure the problem. Try to avoid big temperature variations when time is critical. Keep your air conditioning low or off when driving to the beach. If you do encounter a dew problem, leave your camera's tape door open to help evaporate the moisture.
--B.B.
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