Camcorder Care

When you shelled out your hard-earned cash for your first camcorder and pulled it out of the box to hold in your hands for the first time, did you sense a slight trepidation about whether you'd know how to care for it properly and keep it safe from harm? Did you get the feeling that you were holding a very delicate instrument in your hands, one that would someday quit working forever if you weren't nice to it? Granted, you probably knew a couple of things about taking care of your wonderful new device, especially if you'd had experience with still cameras and/or other types of consumer electronic devices. Still, you may have had a nagging suspicion that there were plenty of tips and tricks to learn about keeping your camcorder investment safe and sound for years to come.

In this month's column, we'll be taking a look at some of those basic camcorder maintenance tips and tricks that professional and consumer videographers have developed and used over the years. We'll cover some ground that might seem basic to many of our readers; nonetheless, we feel that even the more experienced camera-jockeys out there might do well to review these basic principles. (If you have an old camcorder sitting on a living room shelf at home, for example, with no lens cap, box or padded case to protect it from the elements, then keep reading, this is for you too.) Camcorder maintenance can be deceptively simple, which means that it's such a basic skill that many forget to pay it proper homage. However, if you pay attention to these few simple rules, you can rest assured that you'll be doing your part to keep your camcorder in good working o…