14CASE STUDY 2Making the Most of This Compact Camera-RecorderMaking Travel VideosManeuverability is the key.Balancing the twin goals of picture quality and weight saving is a key issue for camera-recorder designers. It can be difficult to find an ideal compromise between these two aims, and the requirements of users are constantly changing as well. The AG-DVC30 was born to satisfy these kinds of requests from users. The AG-DVC30 is very compact, especially when the attachments such as the handle are removed.Nevertheless, in spite of its compact dimensions, the control buttons are large and easy to operate. The AG-DVC30 also offers a similar level of flexibility to the AG-DVX100(A). It also may be just the thing as a backup camera for the AG-DVX100.Videos of a Day's Hike in the MountainsMany nature documentaries are full of beautiful images and make you feel refreshed when you watch them, but they can be extremely grueling to film. Recently I've revived my interest in hiking in the mountains, so I decided to pop the AG-DVC30 and a tripod into my napsack and set out for a day trip to the hills.I tried shooting scenery out of a car window with the AG-DVC30. First of all, I fashioned a "window hood" out of rubber from old gloves and mounted it in such a way that reflections from the window glass would be blocked out. If the camera-recorder is kept perpendicular to the window and the lens held right up to the glass there are no problems with reflections, but when you wish to change the angle, the window hood comes in handy.I tried shooting using the AG-DVC30 's Movie-Like mode. This mode produces a simulated progressive signal at 30 frames per second rather than a true progressive signal at 24 frames per second. I felt that 30 frames per second was better for shooting subjects that were moving by quickly outside the window.Next I tried shooting while walking around. To get really smooth video it is probably a good idea to use a steadycam or similar device to absorb vibrations, but for a documentary it is not necessary to go to such lengths. Using a handheld camera-recorder while taking care to shooting reasonably smooth video is sufficient.
