Stupid camcorder tricks: we have all goofed, but these capture the prize.

Have you ever done something really dumb with your camcorder? Have you ever seen someone else do something so lame that you couldn't believe it?

I have collected a whole bunch of lamebrain stunts and mistakes that should be a warning of what not to do, unless you enjoy repairing and replacing your camcorder on a regular basis.

The worst thing about many of the following mistakes is that I did them! (All of them have, in fact, been done by either myself or users I have talked with.) So here goes! Can you find yourself among these?

One of the most common camcorder goofs is combining them with cars. Almost everyone, at one time or another, has left his or her camcorder on top of the trunk, on the hood, or on the roof, and then gotten in and started driving away. Some of us are lucky. Our significant others calmly and courteously informed us of this mistake by screeching, "Stop, the camcorder is on the car!"

OK. The smart thing is to calmly, gently, take your foot of the gas and coast to a gentle stop. The dumb thing to do is to respond to this scream by slamming on the brakes and watching the camcorder sail over the roof, down the windshield, bounce across the hood, and then, with a majestic leap, dash itself to pieces on the pavement ahead.

Oops.

Another goof I was personally responsible for was videotaping a shot of a helicopter taking off. I got down on my tummy, aimed ... and got a great shot …