Abstract: For the video recording of a field illuminated by a lamp, especially a surgical lamp, where at least one light beam for illuminating the field emerges from a light exit area of a lamp housing in the direction of a predetermined housing axis, the optical axis of a video camera mounted with freedom to swivel a certain distance away from the exit point of the light beam is shifted automatically by a positioning element until the axis at least approximately intersects the light beam in the area of the illuminated field. The positioning element is driven by signals from a control unit. The video camera is preferably shifted in a stepwise manner. The distance to the illuminated field is determined by the fine focusing of the camera by the autofocus function, and then signals are transmitted from the control unit to the positioning element of the camera to compensate for the parallax between the optical axis of the camera and the light beam or beams emerging from the lamp.