Up until a few years ago, there was no question—you used a still camera for stills and a video camera for motion. Now that boundary has blurred. Many digital still cameras have a Movie mode, and many digital video cameras include a still-photo button. So, when you want to travel light, can one camera do the job of two? As with most things in life, it depends.

Though it’s easy to believe that a movie is totally made on a location or set, a film actually comes together in the editing room. The shoot produces the raw material needed for the final result, but it’s the editor who puts the pieces together into a seamless, interesting package. Yet, no matter how talented the editor, his or her skills mean little if he or she doesn’t have enough to work with, and this applies to editing your own videos, too. 

You’re on a dream vacation in Europe, on a walking tour of an old walled city. You’ve got your camcorder, so naturally you want to tape everything. But will you want to watch everything again?