I have no clue where to post this, so I figure I might as well put it in here seeing as I shoot with a VX2000.

I am well versed in what manual shutter and aperture do with a photo camera. I shoot almost exclusively in manual mode when using my dSLR. So anyway, I get what manual aperture does with the lens of a camcorder, but I can't figure out what changing the shutter could do?!? Don't these shoot at 24 or 60 fps? Isn't that the shutter?

Secondly, a mode I never use on my dSLR, ae shift. I get that it basically allows you to take multiple identical photos at different f-stops. How is this helpful with a camcorder? Do you shoot one scene 4-8 times? It obviously doesn't shift the exposure mid scene does it?

the cameras shoot 29.97 frames per second in 60i (talking about PD170/VX2100/DSR250 type cameras). Changing the shutter will affect the image much like the shutter of a SLR type still camera BUT it is a bit different. For MOST types of work 1/60th shutter works quite well.

AE works when the camera is in automatic mode. You can adjust the exposure but small increments while shooting and if you go to +4 or -4 it changes by about 1/2 stop worth.

It would behove you to take 1 tape and simply play around. Shoot the same thing under the same conditions over and over using the different settings; AE, changing shutter and iris, although a static object at different shutter speed will not really show much. Shot some cars going down the street both head on and letting them pass by you forcing you to pan and you'll see differences.

HTHs
Don