Costco Connection

nify the picture and shaky camera movement. If the cameras weren’t locked down, a small bump would look like an earthquake onscreen.

Buyer’s pıck

FRANCE FREEMAN

Mark Woodrich

Camera Buyer

For better video, don’t use the zoom. Instead, set your lens all the way wide (i.e., no zoom) and walk yourself closer to your subject. When you stay on the wide end of the lens, minor shaking becomes virtually invisible.

FOR A CAMERA so simple in design and easy to hold, the compact Nikon 1 J3 is surprisingly full-featured and functional.

With its interchangeable lenses, the J3 offers similar versatility and range of a traditional digital SLR, but it’s easy to bring along and shoot on all occasions.

Bonus tip: If you’re closer to your subjects your camera picks up better sound!

Don’t shoot until you see
the whites of their eyes

;e eyes are the window to the soul. People communicate half of what they mean with their mouths, the other half with their faces. Miss the eyes and you miss half the message.

In this latest version, the emphasis is
on speed: You can pan, zoom and focus
faster and capture those fast-moving scenes
near and far. A “Slow View” mode lets
you pick the perfect image among a
series of action shots. You also have a
whole array of creative choices, such as
continuous shooting, auto shooting
modes, which let the camera take control
of shooting settings, and the ability to
switch instantly to video mode for full HD
1080p video (with stereo sound).
Once you have the perfect photo,
it’s easier than ever to share it. The bun-
dle available at Costco includes a Wi-Fi
adapter that enables you to use your
smartphone or tablet to quickly upload the
image for sharing on social networks. You
can also use your smartphone as a remote
shutter release and as a screen
to frame yourself in a shot.
Look for the Nikon 1 J3
in your local Costco or
online at Costco.com. It
also comes with a sturdy
case and two lenses. C

For home video, you’ll also miss memories. You want to capture a moment in time: who your kids, your parents, your friends are right now. In ;ve years, those faces will look di;erent.

Stay close enough to your subjects so that you can literally see the white part of their eyes in the view;nder. You’ll get the faces, the emotion and great memories.

Bonus tip: Interviews work great in vacation videos. Asking your kids what they think cements the time and place forever.

Keep it short

Digital cameras can shoot video for hours on a single chip. But just because you can do something doesn’t mean you should. A picture may be worth a thousand words, but a thousand minutes of Niagara Falls vacation video is worth nothing. Because nobody will ever watch it, including you.

If you shoot just two 10-second shots every waking hour during your five-day road trip, you’ll end up with just over three minutes a day of footage. Unless you’re in Bhutan and run into a group of levitating monks, that’s probably enough.

Bonus tip: If you’re inclined to edit, try cutting your vacation video to exactly three minutes. Forcing yourself to cut anything that isn’t great will usually make your video better. And if not, at least shorter. C

simpler
than you
think.
saving time
and money is

Scan or click here to catch some waves
with Atomic 4 (see page 5).

Steve Stockman (www.stevestockman.com) is the author of How to Shoot Video That Doesn’t Suck (Workman, 2011).

The Costco Connection Costco sells a variety of camcorders and cameras with video capability. You’ll also find flash-memory cards and other accessories.