Camcorder Protective Case

[joebuck]

Howdy again, I'm looking for a protective soft case for my Pan GS500 camcorder that i can slide over my camera that gives some protection while it's in my fanny pack?  any thoughts..thanks

[Tom Mussatto]

There are form fitting cases for the higher end larger chip cams but I've never seen one specifically made individual models of the smaller chip cams. However, you can get generic cases in many sizes in the camera section at Wal-Mart/Target pretty cheap that will work great for your cam.

This is a case I use for my PV953's that is well padded and fits the cam perfectly. The 953 is the predecessor of your GS500 and only slightly larger than your cam so you should have no trouble finding one that works.

Have you run any tapes through your cam yet?


 

[joebuck]

Thanks TM... I'll go search Wally World...I have been running some tape!...school play, dog running around in the yard, 5 year talking back to his mother!..Oh mercy this is going to be fun. I have just really been practicing outside and trying to learn. One thing I noticed ( I think) is zooming in and out definitely looks bad on finished product. I'll be in the stand all next week on vacation and going pheasant hunting the week after. I'm going to shoot a ton of tape this hunting season then TRY to edit it in january.. I have bought extra batterys. Do you use and external mic on your PV953? thanks for the help

[Tom Mussatto]

Joe, personally I think zooming in and out (and panning) is way overused. There are instances where it is needed or wanted but 90% of the time I use the zoom to frame my shots and let the scene dictate the action. Constantly changing frames is annoying for me to watch but that's just my personal opinion. Changing the focul length by zooming also distorts depth of field. Best results can be better achieved by moving the camera (getting closer to subject) than zooming in. It is really hard to get good, smooth, slow zooms in camera, especially without a tripod and remote controller, and it can usually be done better in post if you keep this in mind when actually filming.

Yes, I almost always use an external mic on all my cams. Onboard mics (even on high end cams) give less quality audio than even inexpensive external mics. Since you do not have headphone jacks on your GS500 you will need to become very familar with how your cam records audio through an external mic and pay close attention to your audio meters.

Shooting video is so much cheaper than shooting film so buy your tapes in bulk and eat'em up. Your footage will be worth a lot more than your cost years down the road. Have fun with it.