Increasing the quality of your videos

There are several ways that you can adjust your video camera to improve the quality of your video. Often, your video quality can be greatly affected by your camera's settings or the environment. We'll list some potential problems and their solutions here.

Lighting
Video cameras like the iPhone or the Flip and similar models are notorious for shooting poor quality videos in low-light conditions. Unfortunately, there isn't a whole lot that can be done with these devices to improve their light intake other than to add light to a scene. You can bring auxiliary lighting with you, though that might be cumbersome. If your device has a light, like the iPhone does, then you can also turn that on for short-range shots.
Higher quality cameras may allow you to increase the aperture size to take in more light, which is a good option to have. Another option might be to increase the gain although that will sacrifice some quality. Camcorders will often have a hotshoe where you can attach a light, some of which are more powerful and more effective than others. A diffuser can also help to dampen the spotlight effect that comes from using one of these lights.

White balance
If your camera has the option to set the white balance, then you should use this to make sure your camera recognizes what is truly white. Sometimes white images will start to look a little yellow or off-white. This is your cue to set the white balance. If you're doing this manually, then you'll want to find something white, like a clean sheet of paper, point the camera at it from up close and set the white balance. Sometimes pre-set options will be available that allow you to set white balance based on environment, but manual is always preferred.

Focus
Video cameras, like the iPhone, allow you to set the focus manually, which is a great benefit. Being able to tap on an object and instantly focus on it prevents your video from ever being out of focus from your subject. Some cameras don't have this feature though, and will instead automatically focus on whatever passes the center of the shot. If possible, use manual focus to get a bead on your subject of choice and avoid focusing on foreground distractions. If you're still in the market for a camera, keep in mind that a manual focus option is always good to have.

Stability
Shooting with a handheld camera can cause stability problems even with a steady hand. A tripod will make it easy for you to shoot stable video and easily pan from subject to subject. Many tripods exist that are compact and portable, and some like the Joby Gorillapod have flexible legs (or arms) that allow it to latch on to things like handlebars, trees, furniture or what have you.