Camcorder questions....

dav725 · Post by **dav725** » Mon Jan 23, 2006 10:15 pm

Hey all,

3rd year burner who's finally decided that he wants to bring a camcorder to BRC to really document all the amazing stuff and people....the MOVs from my digital camera are cool, but terrible quality.

So what is your experience bringing a camcorder (I know you have to register it...and be very respectful about what you shoot). Was it worth it to you? Did you worry about having it stolen? What about playa dust issues...

Thanks for the feedback!

robotland · Post by **robotland** » Mon Jan 23, 2006 11:14 pm

I wouldn't bother with a camcorder, unless you were DAMN SURE to want to watch whatever you were taping AT LEAST more than once. I don't think that a lot of people who tape their WEDDINGS ever look at the footage. With a still camera you're out of the experiential loop too- I assign a "tourist day" to bike out into the open playa and shoot pics of the art, and maybe some good BRC architecture...and then keep the camera on "standby", more or less. The big stuff gets filmed, mostly, and I couldn't do a better job. Relax. Have fun.

Chai Guy · Post by **Chai Guy** » Mon Jan 23, 2006 11:24 pm

I have to agree, in fact, don't even go just watch it on Discovery Times Channel:
http://times.discovery.com/tvlistings/e ... hannel=DTC

or rent the video:
http://www.burningmanvideo.com/wst_page6.html

Kinetic IV · Post by **Kinetic IV** » Mon Jan 23, 2006 11:26 pm

I've brought and registered one for a couple of years but it rarely got used. It was kinda one of those things that after I got home I'm like why did I bother taking the thing?

This year there's been some excellent video made available that trumps anything I could do...if someone wants to see video from the event I point them to LennyJones's site and say take a look.

As for the dust I don't do anything special for protection, I simply limit the amount of time the camcorder or camera's out. In the case of my Nikon Coolpix though the dust caused some problems that required servicing. Also to me it was kind of a pain to carry a camera / camcorder because I did worry about it. If I wanted to check something out would the carrying bag get in the way, could I leave it for just a minute or two...in the end it stayed locked up 95% of the time.

robotland · Post by **robotland** » Tue Jan 24, 2006 5:53 am

I take a Coolpix out there, too...Tough little sucker, to survive the flying tackle-and-roll from a bike at high speed onto one of those goddamned balls that escaped over the trash fence. (When I kicked it.) I recommend picking up a climber's chalkbag, and snapping a carabiner onto it and onto the strap. The lining of those bags is nice and soft, and you can draw the bag tight around your camera- Not to be used instead of a camera case, but as "active storage". I also suggest unhooking one end of the neck strap and 'binering that to the bag, adjusting the length so that the camera won't hit the hard playa if it falls.....Trekking around BRC with a camera around your neck is a good way to collect dirty looks, deserved or not. You obviously know better than to go snapping away at people without permission. Mid-late week is a good time to do a camera safari on the deep playa- Early morning light works well with the big art, and most stuff's up and running by Thursday or Friday, although somehow gigantic things manage to appear mysteriously at week's end...

Post by **AntiM** » Tue Jan 24, 2006 6:37 am

I've brought a camcorder and never used it at all. I have the nikon coolpix too and only accidently took a video once. Never watched it again. Some years I even forget to take many still shots, too busy looking and doing and just plain enjoying myself. No problems with dust, I keep my cameras in ziplocks in camera bags, only out for a moment then tucked back in.

Whatever you bring, make sure it has an ID tag in case it wanders off.

Altough we did just find our old tapes of holidays and trips past, interesting changes .....

phil · Post by **phil** » Tue Jan 24, 2006 10:30 am

And now for something completely different...
I brought a camcorder for the first time last year. I posted some videos to the web -- Joan Baez singing Swing Low, Sweet Chariot for the New Orleans residents, burning art in action, people performing for me.

The Baez clip is just a short excerpt, and it gets tons of views and Louise and I get email about it frequently. I have a clip of a woman in butterfly wings and butterfly top spinning those fuzzy balls with fluttering tails, and some guy said this kind of video usually puts him to sleep, but this one amazed him and he couldn't figure out why. People with burn art ask for all the video I have of their work because they were so busy they didn't even get still photos.

Yes, you can take your videos and go home and put them in your shoebox of photos and videos and never see them again. Or you can put them on the Web or burn DVDs to give to people who you think should become burners next year.

I have no quibble with people who go to Burning Man and live it, taking neither photos nor videos. They make enormous contributions to Burning Man with their efforts.

As to playa powder, I kept the camcorder in a more-or-less dustproof plastic bag in a cargo pocket of my vest and took it out when I want to tape something. It seems to have survived okay, although I did have some static electricity sparks from it that were scary. I've taken still cameras for years and never had a playa-related failure, although I know of many people who have -- be careful and be as clean as possible, and you should be okay.