Thanks, Wayne, for your response. Movie mode on the d3200 seems to be something of an afterthought. Not nearly as convenient a vehicle for obtaining source video as your typical prosumer camcorder. But then the d3200 is much easier to lug around and support. And it can take high resolution stills as well as movies.
I am leary of auto focus and auto exposure in movie mode because of the attendant hunting that can result; I prefer that focus and exposure remain constant throughout a movie clip. I think that implies that I should typically operate in M mode, with manual movie settings on, and that I should focus manually. Which in turn raises several more issues ...
Uh Oh....
I am not big into movie mode, and may not be able to contribute much about it, so keep looking for help.
The DSLR has some advantages for movies, and a regular camcorder has advantages. Camcorder will be more convenient, and its tiny sensor offers great depth of field (focus is much less a factor). However, most camcorders are very fully automatic, and the DSLR offers more choices, and typically has superb lens quality. For what little I do, I usually use a little camcorder, with which I find little fault.
How well will I be able to focus on the live screen in broad daylight? The reference manual seems to imply that one focuses manually by digitally zooming in, manually adjusting the focus ring, and then digitally zooming back out. How well does this procedure in fact work?
I may misunderstand your words, but it does not mean to zoom with the lens, it means to zoom the viewfinder (your word digital probably). D3200 manual says:
To magnify the view in the monitor up to about 9.4 ×
for precise focus, press the X button. While the view
through the lens is zoomed in, a navigation window
will appear in a gray frame at the bottom right corner
of the display. Use the multi selector to scroll to
areas of the frame not visible in the monitor
This is an excellent technique for still pictures too... not in all cases, or most cases, but certainly in difficult cases. For example, stars at night.. both the view finder and live view will be useless to focus on a star. Cannot see them. But in Live View, you can zoom the LCD display far until you can see the star, and then focus on that. Works very well, in such cases. If you cannot see it, zoom in at the LCD until you can.
Not sure that will help much in routine focusing on things you can see anyway. Can't hurt to try at any difficulty.
What is the best procedure for setting the shutter speed and aperture for movies in M mode? The reference manual seems to suggest that both parameters can be adjusted with the wheel in M mode. I am finding that I can adjust shutter speed with the wheel, but not aperture. Instead, I have to momentarily go into A mode to adjust aperture, then return to M mode to make a final adjustment to shutter speed. In any event, how do I know when I have the best choice for these two parameters? (In particular, how do I evaluate the possibility of clipping in the highlights?)
In dim light, you will be at high ISO. And 30 frames per second will mean 1/30 second shutter speed. It won't be a choice.
But in brighter light, they say 1/60 second is better, and a good choice (less blur, but not choppy). Very high shutter speeds are still shown at 30 frames per second, and a very fast shutter is said to possibly cause choppiness of motion. And of course, a high shutter speed increases ISO.
Yes, you stop and go into A mode to change aperture before starting the movie recording. Movies are many short sequences anyway. Movie mode is much more automatic than still. Except for Manual mode, it is always auto ISO. And aperture cannot be adjusted during live view, only before (high end models like D800 are different, aperture can be adjusted). At least you can choose aperture before you begin - Many camcorders have no provision at all for it. At least the DSLR shows you what ISO is being used.
Assuming that I have good lighting, will video noise be a problem?
The DSLR should have less noise (larger pixels) than a camcorder, but it probably has a f/4 lens instead of f/1.8, so the ISO gets cranked up higher.
Typically DSLR 1920x1080 movie recording will only use like every second or third row of sensor pixels, so the larger sensor concept confuses me.
I have no opinion answer I can offer.
However, noise seems not much problem either way (DSLR or camcorder), even at rather high ISO. The picture is only shown for 1/30 second, so we don't get a good look at the noise. The next frame is different, and sort of averages it out.
I guess that what I am looking for is some practical advice on how to use the d3200 in movie mode. I will be taking it on a trip to Tanzania later this fall and would like to return with some decent stills and videos of the wildlife. I will be using a bean bag to support the camera (from the roof of a Land Rover). I feel pretty confident about the stills, but not so confident about the videos.
Russ
Sounds extremely interesting. Practice some first.