i have a vx2100. and every day i set it up i go through the custom presets, and set things like the white balance shift and color saturation level for what looks good that day. though i usually dont change it up much day to day, cause you dont want your shots to look all over the place. like if its sunny one day and sunny the next, ill keep the presets pretty much the same.   if light is constantly changing, like sunny to cloudy to sunny again, make sure to manual white balance with changing light conditions. even when its the same light conditions all day i white balance every hour or so, just cause it takes like 2 seconds and its just playing it safe. if you white balance in shadows, or something very light blue, you can get a nice slightly warm tone, which i do sometimes just cause it works in some situations. if its cloudy and/or snowy so low/ flat light conditions, i think it helps to have atleast one if not two of the nd filters off, you can have both on and get a plenty bright picture, but it seems like it looses detail and makes things harder to see if you have them on in low light.
for focusing, use manual focus as much as you can, and get creative with it. even for follow cams manual focus isnt a bad idea, just focus from the distance you plan to stay away from the subject, and keep that same distance while following.
for shutter speed i always keep it on 60 just cause thats pretty much the norm. Â
getting a uv filter or polarizing filter isnt a bad idea, it will give you more flexability with exposure, cause sometimes without one on sunny days i have the aperature wide open, with both nd filters on. when i could be getting more precise.
go with a wide angle rather than a fisheye. fisheyes sometimes just look amature and crappy, and dont work great with skiing cause your not very upclose with skiing like you would be with skateboarding. plus i think they just look better. look at the century .55x wide angle, or the .65? i think. the .55 is wider, but you can only zoom like half way. and im pretty sure the .65 you can zoom all the way but it isnt as wide.Â
and get a tripod!!! and not a cheap 80 dollar one from best buy. get a nice fluid head tripod. your gonna have to spend like 200+ but its worth it. look at the 501 head, or 503, they are very good for the money.  tripods just make your footage so much better, if your not really up close or doing a follow cam, just use a tripod, even though it can be a hassle.
