APERTURE--The adjustable opening that controls the amount of light passing through the lens onto the sensor behind it. The aperture size is adjusted by a set of blades, controlled by the camcorder's built-in exposure meter.

ASSEMBLE EDITING--Selecting the shots required from all those recorded on the master tape and re-taping them onto a blank tape in the correct sequence.

AUDIO DUB--To replace the original sound recorded on the video tape or to add new sound to it, such as commentary or music, without erasing the video.

AUTO EXPOSURE--The Iris diaphram automatically adjusts the size of the Aperture to suit lighting conditions.

AUTO FOCUS--A system of sensors that interprets the distance of the main object or objects in the field of view and maintains their clarity.

BACKLIGHTING--A light source or strong reflective surface behind the subject to be taped.

BACKLIGHT CONTROL--A switch on the camcorder that automatically increases the Aperture when the subject is Backlit, in order to prevent the subject from being underexposed.

CCD (Charged Coupled Device)-- A solid state sensor made up of photo-sensitive elements (pixels) that convert light into electrical pulses that are then recorded on tape or saved in memory, to be extracted later as a video or still image. Most consumer Camcorders have one CCD, but some advanced consumer and most professional Camcorders have 3-CCD's (one for each primary color Red-Blue-Green) that make color reproduction more accurate.

DEPTH OF FIELD--The distance between the farthest and nearest points that will be focused in any shot.

DIFFERENTIAL FOCUSING--Focusing on one part of the scene, then shifting to another part of the scene. Best executed in the Manual Focusing mode or using the Flexizone function on a Canon Camcorder.

DIGITAL8--See Formats.

DISSOLVE--Fading one image in as the previous image is fading out. See also: OVERLAP.

FADE--The image slowly disappears into black, or to another color. In Audio, the sound slowly turns into silence.

FIREWIRE (aka: i-Link, IEEE-1394) -- A bi-directional high-speed digital interface that allows for digital download of Video from MiniDV and Digital8 camcorders and properly equipped PC's. For a more technical overview click here.

FORMATS--Camcorders come in several Formats: VHS, VHS-C, S-VHS, S-VHS-C, 8mm, Hi8, Digital8, MiniDV. For a more detailed explanation of these formats click here.

FLYING ERASE HEAD--A Head in the camcorder that precisely erases the tail end of each recording before the new one starts. This results in a "glitch free" start to the next recording.

GAIN-UP SWITCH--Triggers a sensor that amplifies the available light electronically in order to record a usable image in dark areas.

HI-FI--The system of sound recording in video that uses the same type of head arrangement as the video is recorded. Since the Audio is recorded with the video, it cannot be overdubbed on the same tape.

HI8--See Formats.

IMAGE STABILZIATION--A means by which the camcorder can maintain a stable image despite camcorder vibration or shake.
The are three types of image stabilization in use:
Digital--Magnification of the image slightly to create even overscan to appear that the camera is more stable. Results in some picture degradation.
Electronic--Use of Electronic motion sensors to sense the motion of the camera. Results in slowing of autofocus funtions.
Optical--A lens/prism assembly that moves in opposition to the camera shaking. Results in little or no change in the efficiency of the operations of the camcorder or the quality of the recorded image.

INSERT EDITING--Recording new video over the old, replacing unwanted video with a new image. Results in erasing the old video in that location.

LINEAR SOUND--A system of recording sound in video that uses a sationary head that is not on the video head drum. Results in low quality recorded sound, but since it is not recorded with the video, it can be overdubbed without erasing the video.

LUX--A scale for measuring illumination levels. This scale is not standardized between manufacturers.
LUX is a unit for measuring the amount of light illuminating a specific area. This is usually stated in terms of a candle illuminating a given area in a totally dark room.
The lower the number, the more sensitive the camcorder is to picking up the candlelight.
Noon on a Sunny Day is about 10,000 LUX
Average indoor lighting conditions are about 500-1,000 LUX.
Regarding of a camcorder's LUX rating, it takes about 100 LUX to achieve a relatively useable, noise-free picture.

MINIDV--See Formats.

NIGHT SHOT--A system employed currently only on SONY camcorders that allows its camcorders to shoot video without any visible light source. This is accomplished by an Infrared Illuminator on the camera that targets objects up to 10 feet away. The resulting image is viewed and recorded with a "greenish tint". Although not able to record in color (no camcorder or camera can record color without visible light). The results of this technique are very impressive.

OVERLAP--Like a Dissolve, except the dissolve is from a still or electronically frozen image to a new moving image. Camcorders with built-in dissolve capability use this technique.

PHOTO MODE--A function that allows the camcorder to record still images on tape, with the tape still moving. Basically functions like a motion cature device. This technique allows real time audio to still be recorded as the still photo is recorded. The resulting resolution of the still image is approximately 640x480.

PICTURE NOISE--Graininess and poor color resulting from low light conditions.

POINT AND SHOOT--Shooting video while depending on the automatic functions of the camcorder to control all parameters.

POSTERIZATION--Manipulation of the image electronically to decrease the shades of color present, thus creating a "poster" or "paint" effect. Also referred to as the "MTV" effect.

SHUTTER--Electronic control of the duration of scanning the image. The slower the shutter speed, the larger the Aperture (more light is let in). The faster the shutter speed, the smaller the Aperture (less light is let in).

STROBE--Capturing only some frames of video and electronically freezing them for very brief periods of time--can be used to creat a film effect or a rapidly moving slide show--audio is unaffected.

S-VHS -- see Formats.

S-VHS-C -- see Formats.

SYNCHRO-EDITING--Connecting Two VCRs or Camcorder and VCR together with a Synchro-edit cable (both units must be the same manufacturer and both machines must have Synchro-Edit jacks). This enables both units to be controlled by one machine (usually the record deck).

VHS--see Formats.

VHS-C -- see Formats.

WHITE BALANCE--The ability of the camcorder to adjust to the white of the light. All colors are then compared to their relationship to this white during the recording process. The white of artifical light is different that that of outdoor light.
In most consumer camcorders this function is automatic. In some higher-end and Professional camcorders this function can be done manually, which is often preferred.

WIPE--A new image moves across the frame (can be in any shape or direction), replacing the old image.

ZOOM--The focal length of the zoom lens is altered in such a way as to allow the subject to appear to be brought closer to the camera or move away from the camera. This can also be done electronically (digital zoom) in combination with a lens or without a lens. Digital Zoom results in degradation and pixellation of the image.

8MM--See Formats.

GUIDE NOTE: If you know of a camcorder term that is not defined here, just email me at homeelectronic.guide@about.com.