General Precautions for handling the GL2?
 

I was wondering if I am doing anything possibly damage or harming the camcorder...

1. Is it safe to shake the camera very fast when it's on? It's not that I do, but I was just wondering would it be safe to do that.... would it damage or harm internal electronic components? I know it should be safe to some "degree" because fast pans should be no problem...... or at least.

2. What about leaving it on for long idling periods of time? When I shoot films, I tend to leave the LCD open (I rarely use the viewfinder to be honest) and put it at VCR stop mode for say... 15+ minutes while reciting over the script/lines/discussing stuff with the actors and coordinators...... Should I just turn it off and leave the battery/tape inside?

3. Any other things I should know about?

1. I don't know how many g's are ok for this camcorder....
2. I have the camera running for hours (on the AC/DC adaptor) and no problems so far. If you're not using it, you could use the "lock" lever instead of the "power" switch to turn the camera off. This way you'll preserve the settings you already made.
3. read the manual. You have some pointers there...

Well.. the manual says "Vibration or shock can cause damage." But, there must be more to this....I'm sure faster pans are no problem, but I am lacking the knowledge of knowing the extent of the shaking/vibration....There must be a pinpoint!

I still don't know if this applies to whether when the camera is turned on or off or both.

Hi David,

My GL2 has survived being dropped, blown over by the wind while of a tripod (thankfully on grass) and a direct hit from a fast-moving soccer ball, and it still keeps ticking!

Mark, you should have started with a "don't do this at home" warning! :)

Please, anyone, if you know how much the GL2 can be turned to a point.... cause I always do fast pans and very small, but fast jitterys/shakes, and I am wondering if this is causing any harm.

In my opinion: I'm sure they are built strong enough to shake. They are a portable camera designed to withstand the abuse of amateurs and clumsy people (and extreme sports?)
However I use to have a Panasonic MX300 and when it was off you could hear a quite loud click when you tilted the camera lens down. I figured this was part of the Optical image stabiliser that is not engaged when the camera was off. But it made me think if something is loose in there, and can click, then a million clicks over a bumpy road would cause parts to wear.

No, it's not safe to do that.It's better to shut it off when not in use.The manual will have a lot of warnings about this and that.

I recently did a powerboat race and rode in 100 mph speedboats in 4ft chop. Lets just say if you can hold the camera steady enough, you will not have any problems. My camera is working wonderful. I was in the boat 4 hours total ;-)

I mean, I am trying to truly find how much shaking. I mean, what about fast pans or small jittery shakes? Like, sometimes I move the tripod very fast or accidently hit the legs of it causing a small shaky movement, which can be seen through the view of the camera when its on.... Would you say turning around (fast pans, or 360 degrees) = okay.... but actually shaking it fast = not?

David - these cameras are meant to be used! If that means fast pans or sitting in an aircraft or roller-coaster pulling x number of Gs so be it. You've really got to stop being ever so slighlty paranoid about your camera and just go out and use it., You ought to be thinking about what's in front of the lens, not behind it!
If every writer worried about the paper and not the muse, there wouldn't be many books in the world would there?

Robin.

Well, the thing is ... I have been shooting a lot of footage lately, and I was questioning my approach. I know there is no best way, but I didn't want to damage the camera too much 'cause I remembered something about electronics in general must not be shaken (only stirred! j/k) and my initial thought was that camcorders should be able to suffer more abuse because afterall, they *should* be able to handle these kinds of movement.

You should never shake a cam like the way a naughty child shakes his boxed Christmas present to find out what is inside.