I have been looking to improve the quality of the videos and have upgraded to a Canon PowerShot SX220 HS This is a still camera but shoots amazing quality full HD video. If you haven't seen the results you need to click on the change quality icon under my latest videos and select 1080p HD. Try it in full screen.
Canon PowerShot SX220 HS
with power supply and video output leads connected.
I also bought a mains adaptor for the camera so I don't need to worry about the battery running out during shooting. The HD videos have a lot of information to store and are heavy on battery life.
When you are the cameraman and the actor you can't be sure that you are getting the footage you want and it's easy to move out of shot. I thought the answer to this problem would be a small monitor connected to the camera and positioned so I could see what the camera was recording. I search on ebay found a cheap monitor that was being sold as a reversing car monitor. The idea being the monitor goes on the car's dashboard and is connected to a small camera mounted at the rear of the car. 
with power supply and video output leads connected.
I also bought a mains adaptor for the camera so I don't need to worry about the battery running out during shooting. The HD videos have a lot of information to store and are heavy on battery life.
I made a box and fixed the monitor to it and connected it to a 12v sealed lead acid battery which was inside the box. An on/off switch was also included. A 5 metre phono extention lead connects the monitor to the camera. To stop glare from the reflective screen I made a card shroud that pushes on the front. The set up works realy well.
Update 23/04/12
The monitor described above has been unreliable. The second time I used it the screen went blank and could not be reset. I contacted the supplier and they sent me another. The same thing happened with this one.
I thought another option would be to get a cheap LCD TV from Ebay so I started watching a few. There are a lot of sets for sale with descriptions like " works fine exept there is no picture "! I wouldn't have minded no sound, but not no picture.
I put a bid on an LG set described as being "replaced by the store under guarantee, has not been switched on since recieved" I won this for only a few pounds more than the origional monitor was (£28.00 actualy). When the set arrived it was a new one, so good in fact I now have this one indoors and my old LCD TV is the camera monitor.
I made a plywood box to protect the set and it can be seen in use below.
The camera records onto an SD card and although I have a 16Mb card installed, the recording clip time is limited to 2Gb. This relates to about 18 minutes. By looking at the monitor I can see the time being counted down so I can check how the memory is getting on. In practice this 2Gb limit is no problem because I wouldn't do a single shot this long anyway. The full 16Gb can be used of course but each clip must be less than 2Gb.
Editing
My earlier videos were edited using Windows Movie Maker which is included with XP. This has served me well but has a few limitations and I don't think it can handle widescreen HD video.
I download a couple of 30 day trial editing software to try, Adode Premier Elements and Corel Video Studio. I was expecting to prefer the Adobe as it's software is well known, but I pefered Corel VideoStudio Pro X4 
When I went to purchase it I found that VideoStudio Pro X4 Ultimate which includes some additional editing features, was on offer and was actualy cheaper, so that's the one I went for. Also comes with 3D glasses!. You can convert your videos into 3D.
Editing the video with Corel VideoStudio
14/12/12
Clapperboard
On the Essex build videos currently being uploaded I find myself taking as many as 70 video clips for editing together. I transfer the video file from my camera onto my pc in a folder called unedited videos. When the time comes to edit the video it can be difficult getting them transferred to the editing program in the correct order so I thought a clapperboard would be the answer.
This has proved a great success. The sound of the clap is used to sync the sound and video when editing a Hollywood film but as my camera records the video and sound, a working clapper is not needed.
I drew out the layout on my CAD drawing program and printed it out on regular paper. This was put in an A4 plastic pocket with a thick card backing.
The title of the video and the scene number can now be written on the board with a white board pen. I hold the board in front of the camera for 3 seconds and then when the videos are transferred it shows as the clip thumbnail so it's obvious what order they should be in.
Call me Spielberg!
When I went to purchase it I found that VideoStudio Pro X4 Ultimate which includes some additional editing features, was on offer and was actualy cheaper, so that's the one I went for. Also comes with 3D glasses!. You can convert your videos into 3D.
14/12/12
Clapperboard
On the Essex build videos currently being uploaded I find myself taking as many as 70 video clips for editing together. I transfer the video file from my camera onto my pc in a folder called unedited videos. When the time comes to edit the video it can be difficult getting them transferred to the editing program in the correct order so I thought a clapperboard would be the answer.
This has proved a great success. The sound of the clap is used to sync the sound and video when editing a Hollywood film but as my camera records the video and sound, a working clapper is not needed.
I drew out the layout on my CAD drawing program and printed it out on regular paper. This was put in an A4 plastic pocket with a thick card backing.
The title of the video and the scene number can now be written on the board with a white board pen. I hold the board in front of the camera for 3 seconds and then when the videos are transferred it shows as the clip thumbnail so it's obvious what order they should be in.
Call me Spielberg!
