Stocking Stuffers: Camcorder Extras

by Jack Kabza
Published on Oct 27, 2005 4:00 PM



Uh-oh. Your parents have plunked down several hundred dollars, maybe even a thousand or more, on a new camcorder for your aspiring filmmaker sister. Meanwhile you’re digging under your couch cushions for spare change to pay the rent on your shoebox-sized apartment. So how can you compete?

Your gift might not be the main event, but no circus is complete without a sideshow. A camcorder needs plenty of accessories – extra batteries, video editing software, cables, recording media, etc. – to make the package complete.

A great, inexpensive gift idea is more recording media, which can be bought at any large consumer electronics store. Most camcorders record video to DVD-R or DVD-RAM and MiniDV tapes. Many, if not most, can also accept a flash media card for capturing still images. These include Memory Sticks, SD cards, MiniSD cards, Compact Flash cards, MicroDrives, and more. Often, the manufacturer does not even include a flash memory card in the box. Even if they do, it’s a good idea to have another one around. Discs, cards, and tapes will get lost, mislaid, or worn out from use. Depending on recording time and quality, a single DVD disc can cost between $5 - $15, and a MiniDV tape between $3 - $12. Cards are more expensive, and depending on megabyte size, can go from between fifteen dollars to almost two hundred. Maybe you’d better get her the tiny 32MB card. It’s the thought that counts, right?

Remember those special tapes you’d stick into your VCR to clean it out and keep your VHS tapes from playing a fuzzy picture? MiniDV and DVD camcorders have something similar, a digital video head or lens cleaning kit, which you also have a good chance of finding at any large electronics store. It’s important not to overlook maintenance, after all. The new owner might not even think of buying one on their own, so now’s the perfect time to impress them with your wisdom and responsibility.

For anywhere between $50 and $150, depending on the size and the camcorder model, you can get an extra battery. You will probably have to check the manufacturer’s webpage to find the battery needed by this exact model and information on where to order one. Manufacturers will often only use a particular battery for one or two models, and keep the technology patented. This keeps them in the money chain when you need to buy a new one. If you can afford to give someone an accessory in this price range, buy an extra battery first, rather than extra tapes or discs. CamcorderInfo.com’s testing has found that the average battery lasts somewhere between 45 to 70 minutes. But with all the zooming, tweaking, and replaying that a new camcorder receives, that time will fly by. The next thing you know, you’re tethered to the wall for an hour while the camcorder recharges. An extra battery is always a good idea.

If your new camcorder user is an on-the-go type, you might consider getting them a battery car charger. The price range is generally between 60 and 130 dollars; for the type of charger and where to purchase it, you’ll have to check the company’s website.

Does the new camcorder have a shoe, a little metal bracket on top? A camcorder’s shoe is designed to accept—you guessed it—more accessories, namely video lights and microphones. If a shoe is “hot,” it can relay information between the attached accessory and the camcorder without an additional cable; if it is “cold,” the shoe is merely a convenient place to attach the accessory while it is plugged into a jack on the side. If you’re going to buy something to fit into the camcorder’s shoe, whether it’s hot or not, go with a microphone before you go with a video light (assuming the camcorder has a microphone in port—which it should!). Built-in microphones are generally of poor quality, and the avid hobbyist or budding pro will want to upgrade. Some manufacturers make external microphones for their own cams; some independent companies do so, as well. One note - this year's Sony camcorders have a proprietary shoe that only accepts Sony microphones, so make sure the person you're buying for doesn't have a Sony camcorder. You’ll need to do some research to narrow down what kind of microphone you want to buy, but owning a mic with your camcorder is a type of amateur filmmaker status symbol; having a separate mic is a good sign that the budding videographer knows their stuff. Besides, saying “let me get my shotgun mic” makes you feel cool. Go on, try it.

And of course, who could forgo the tripod? Tripods are another tool that over-eager videographers often forget. You may think your hands are steady, but wait until you see the picture wobble when the shot has been zoomed in a few degrees. As the picture gets magnified, so does the hand-shake factor. Remember when you went to see The Blair Witch Project and got a migraine from watching the picture jump around? A shaky picture is a harmful picture, and putting a camcorder on a tripod is a merciful gesture. Tripods can go from $20 to $300, with most of the cost factoring into the head—the part that connects to the camcorder and lets it swing and swivel. You can buy heads separately for the expensive tripods, but even just a cheap one will go a long way towards keeping your sister’s audience in their seats and their lunches in their stomachs.

And lastly, that which can hold all the creatures in your sister’s camcorder menagerie—the camera bag. This is where you can get the most creative. Manufacturers sell camera bags and carrying cases on their websites, but unlike the other accessories, this is one that you can make yourself if you have the know-how. There are four important features to a camera bag: 1) it must be padded or cushioned, on the sides and bottom, to keep all that hardware safe; 2) it must have lots of pockets to keep the components and accessories from rubbing and scratching all over each other; 3) it must be durable, to prevent any expensive equipment from dropping out of holes in the bottom; and 4) it must be somewhat portable—what’s the point of owning a camcorder if you can’t take it anywhere? Other features, like weatherproof material, zippered pockets, secret pockets, and a padded shoulder strap are all pluses, as well. If you’re handy with a needle, you can take any appropriately-sized bag as a starting point and get to work. And if you’re my late Great Auntie Angie, you could probably knit a camcorder bag complete with elaborate little yellow pom-poms and pink tassels… but I guess as long as it has those four key elements, one can’t complain.

Bags can range from the very simple to the very expensive.

But that’s not all. There are plenty of other various add-ons that are model specific, like lenses, filters, shoulder mounts… we could go on forever. Check the manufacturer’s website and search around for accessories specific to the model. Some pages (like Canon’s) are better than others (Hitachi’s) at quickly presenting this information, but with a little digging you should be able to find some other ideas. You can also check out websites like www.bhphotovideo.com/ and www.calumetphoto.com for a whole lot more ideas. If all else fails, you could always throw in a lens cloth.

Or you can always just sign on your sister’s card: “From all of us.”