Take 5: Five Essential Items for Your Camera Bag

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Remember the old American Express credit card commercials? At the end of each one a powerfully-voiced announcer would command, "Don't leave home without it!" As a result, many people made sure they had their AmEx cards before walking out the door for an evening on the town. It's in that same spirit that I now reveal to you five things that belong in every videographer's camcorder bag. Don't leave home for your next shoot without them!

1. A full day's supply of juice Without power, you've got nothing. If you lose juice, your day is done. Make sure your bag has what you need to get the power you want. That means extra batteries, fully charged and ready to rock, an extension cord long enough to reach a nearby plug and your camcorder's AC power adapter. Leave home without these and you might find yourself heading back early.

2. A hard-wired external microphone Because your camcorder's built-in mike provides crummy sound, at best, you'd be nuts to go out on a shoot without an external mike. When it comes to reliability, you just can't beat a hard-wired model. The hand-held variety is always a good choice. You can use it to conduct an interview, mike a speaker, record some on-the-spot narration or capture ambient sound without having to shove your camera an inch from someone's face. Remember to pack a long mike cable and the adapters you'll need to plug into your camcor…