How to focus digital camcorders with manual or automatic mode

Professional cameraman Chris Price describes the best ways to focus miniDV cameras using manual and automatic settings. To get the most out of this video tutorial, grab your digital camcorder and follow along with the instructions. You don't need to be a big time camera operator to get these skills down. Focusing is super easy with digital camcorders, this is not an Arri or other film camera. This is digital were talking about, which means easy. Soon, you'll be a director of photography, or actually maybe just a assistant cameraman. See how it all begins, right here.

How to Focus

Static Subjects: When setting up for a piece to camera or an interview, don't rely on auto focus, work in manual mode. Zoom in on your subject but only enough to make them the biggest thing in frame then press the "push auto" button and hold it for 2 or 3 seconds to give the camera time to adjust. Let go to return to manual mode and re-frame your shot to the size you want.

Adjusting for Movement: Having set up your piece to camera or interview shot, if the distance between the camera and your subject changes you will need to refocus, either manually with the focus ring or pressing the "push auto" again if your subject is the biggest thing in frame.

Problems with Auto Focus: When panning with a moving subject, again don't set the focus to auto, or it may be distracted by foreground objects and focus on them rather than your subject. For shots like this adjust the focus manually.