Freshman video camcorder

It is very likely the slow motion effect is due to your camera using a slow shutter speed. Many camcorders have a 1/4 second shutter in very low light conditions. You can check your camera specs to discover your shutter speeds.

And as for the focus problem, the auto focus cannot set in many many situations. Low light, low contrast, lack of hard edges in the scene and all sorts of other problems. You should never use auto-focus unless you really need the focus to be changing rapidly. So turn off your auto-focus function on any and all static situations.

And yes, there are all sorts of cameras that won't have the lighting problem. If you are planning on doing this very often, you should really be looking at security cameras. I have seen both wired & wireless security cams with built-in infrared lights, just mount it over your bed and you can completely turn off all the lights. But do watch that when you purchase your security camera, it can connect to a recording device you own. Most cams have AV outs instead of connecting to a computer for recording video. So if you don't have a way to convert analog video into digital video, you'll have to make certain your security camera will connect to the computer (like a web cam).

If you don't want use a security camera, you can also purchase additional infrared lighting at many of the stores selling security cameras. But reading the specs sheet JVC provides, it doesn't appear that you have infrared recording so you'll want to check that out before buying something you can't return. And I am assuming you put your camcorder into Twilight Mode as well as setting for backlight.

Hope this helps.

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Freshman video camcorder