Express Action Sports

I am looking for a 1080p camera that I connect to my computer for editing (adding music and effects). Clear slow motion is important simply because action shots are amazing when slowed down.

I would not be looking for a camcorder that do slow motion, rather a NLE that has slow motion effect built in, less costly that way.

Getting a HD camcorder is taking a step backward in Video Quality. HD camcorders Interpolate the video, which means of every 25 frames of video, 4 or 5 frames are taken by the lens assembly, the other frames in between these are filled in by the camcorder inner circuitry, thus giving you not true video. MiniDV tape camcorders give every frame of every shot and usually cost less.

http://simplevideoediting.com/learn/part1_camcorder_choices.htm

http://simplevideoediting.com/learn/part2_connect_camcorder.htm

Consumer level HD camcorders have 4 problems. 1) Blurry, fuzzy, out of focus areas closely around people in videos taken by consumer level HD camcorders. 2) Any movement, even a wave or lifting an arm, while in front of a recording consumer level HD camcorder, results in screen ghosts and artifacts being left on the video track, following the movement. Makes for bad video, sports videos are unwatchable. 3) These Consumer level HD camcorders all have a habit of the transferred to computer files are something you need to convert, thus losing your HD quality, to work with your editing software. 4) Mandatory maximum record times – 1 hour, 30 minutes, 8 minutes, 3 minutes – four different times advertised as maximum record time for some consumer level HD camcorders. No event I have ever been to is that short. Either take multiple camcorders or pack up with out getting the end of the event on video.

MiniDV is currently the most popular format for consumer digital camcorders. MiniDV camcorders are typically more affordable than their HDD and DVD counterparts. Each MiniDV tape will typically hold an hour of footage at normal recording speed and quality. MiniDV tapes are available for purchase at not only electronic and camera stores, but also at drugs stores and grocery stores, making them easy to find while your on vacation. There are literally hundreds of MiniDV camcorders available; both in standard and high-definition.

http://www.usa.canon.com/cusa/consumer/products/camcorders/consumer_camcorders/zr960

I use a MiniDV Tape Camcorder and with my HD NLE can process video with it and upload MPEG4 1080P to youtube no problem and it looks great. See for yourself http://youtu.be/9aut9fBtmeo

do you think it’s a requirement or just a marketing tool?

It’s like autofocus and autometering. The greatest photographers in history didn’t realize they had lousy cameras and took magnificent pictures anyway!

I love the VR (vibration reduction) in my Nikon 18-200mm lens. And I recently bought an HP point & shoot for a relative that had built in IS. After all, she’s 80+ and isn’t the steadiest when taking pictures.

If you’re taking action shots, it’s a plus. If you’re taking portraits or scenics, it’s not. Here’s some sports photos I took WITHOUT any stabilization, except for using good photographer’s techniques.
http://www.spmsportspage.com/images/college/football/2007/California-45-Tennessee-31-09-01-2007/DSC_0065_GHYoung.html
http://www.spmsportspage.com/images/college/football/2007/California-42-Louisiana-Tech-12-09-15-2007/DSC_8135_GHYoung.html

That being said, I would still look for it, just as an added feature. Many wouldn’t live without it.
http://www.kenrockwell.com/tech/image-stabilization.htm

I hope you find this helpful.

I’m really into photography and I have the money to buy a pretty nice camera. Nothing like 2,000 dollars or anything, but I want to know what type of camera would be good with taking action shots like skateboarding or alot of movement, but also takes really nice portrait pictures too. Help please! 🙂

Get yourself a 35 mm, SLR (Single Lens Reflex) film camera.
A Canon EOS Rebel will do what you want for about $400.00 and it is both automatic as well as manual.
For the sports shots you want; you have to get a fast film, and preferably a fast lens, (about another $400.00) but the lens that does come with the camera should do the job you want quite adequatly.
Use an film speed with an ISO of 800 and for dusk scenes an ISO of 1600 should do. The 800 ISO can be purchased in many stores, but the 1600 ISO has to be bought from a camera shop. But not one that is a franchise like Blacks or Wal Mart. The independant camera stores will be more likely to stock those fast films.
You can get a 3200 ISO film as well but it only comes in black and white and I think that only Kodak makes it.(it’s a really fast film, you can take night scenes with that one!)
The 800 & 1600 ISO film can be bought in colour film and I would suggest Fujicolour for colour film but Kodak for all your black and white films.
For your portraiture photos use a slow speed film of 100 or 200 ISO.
You can get as low as 24 ISO in black and white film and that gives you an extreme amount of detail. However the lower your ISO the more light you will need to use it! Okay?
The higher your ISO the less light you will need.
The higher the film speed the more grainy your negatives will be, hence you will have grainier photos than a film speed of 100 ISO.
The Canon EOS is the most common SLR the students of photography buy. It’s a good strong camera and it does take good photos. It can be geared to work with a fast film to take action photos like the skateboarders you want to catch.
All the best to you in your endeavours.
EDIT: A lot of the youth today go with the digital cameras but I would caution against that. Although film looks like it is going out of style I can assure you that it will be around for a very long time. Digital cannot compare with a film speed of 800 or 400 ISO and it will be decades before they produce a digital camera that can come close to the quality of an 400 ISO film. Although the digitals give you immediate gratification it loses out in quality. Film may be more expensive in the short run but in the long run? It is the best choice.

I have a Nikon D40 and would like to take action shots of snowboarders in the snow. Which settings should I put for the best results? Please also tell me for both sunny or cloudy because I don’t know what the conditions will be.

This is a difficult question to answer in a brief manner with a blanket solution. I am assuming that whether cloudy or sunny, you will be shooting during the day.

You MUST learn how to change the exposure and read the exposure light meter. Do lots of reading (the manual). This will help you get the best shots possible.

But for a quick answer, try this:

For moving targets try Dynamic Area Auto-Focus (AF)
Here is a link discussing AF use shooting sports: http://www.sportsshooter.com/message_display.html?tid=25922

You will likely want to use "Shutter-Priority" mode when shooting.
Use shutter speeds longer than 1/100th of a second to get some motion blur. Shutter speeds shorter than 1/250th of a second will freeze the action and make the subjects look less motion blurred.

If you pan the camera with the snowboarder and use a shutter speed longer than 1/100th of a second, you may get the snowboarder to appear crisply and the whole background to be motion blurred.

When shooting pictures of air, the lower the camera is, the higher the air will look… and ideally the camera is on the peak-side, facing down the hill (if the camera is facing up the hill to look at a jump, there will not be any visual reference for height.

For a very bright, sunny day – try ISO100 first. The lower the ISO, the less digital noise your images will have and the crisper they will be. If ISO100 makes the shutter too slow or images two dark, adjust it up to 200 or 400. When you exceed 400, the noise will drastically increase. It is unlikely that you will need to go that high in daylight conditions.

800 and 1600 should be reserved for dark or indoor shots only, when you would not otherwise get the shot… or when you want a noisy grainy shot (sometimes people like noisy black and white shots).

These ideas should work in most cases; but seriously… it is all about trial and error with exposure settings… and nobody can tell you precise settings without being there and metering the light.

If you know how to, meter your shots every step between -1 to 0 to +1 EV… and when you find the most appealing setting, use that.

If you shoot in RAW, you can adjust brightness and contrast a little bit without image degradation… when you get home and put them on your computer. This only gives you a little bit of wiggle room though, not a lot.

Good luck

What is the most suitable timing to get the best out of a certain shot, like nature shots, action shots, sport shots, modelling shots etc. Please be specific,
Thanks.

Your best bet is to take a short course in slr cameras and general photography. Some, as I understand it, are available on line. Or perhaps a course at local college or university.

I’m looking into getting a camera for takeing pictures at sport events (mostly paintball) and I need a camera that can take good pictures while the person is moving….. And any upgrades?. Aslo no camera over like 375

Go for the GoPro HD Motorsports Hero.It is especially made for dynamic sports so it takes great action shots and it is well under your budget. Features include:
Professional-grade full HD video up to 1080p
60 frames per second option in 720p and WVGA resolutions provides liquid smooth slow motion playback
Videos can be easily edited with iMovie or Windows Movie Maker
Industry’s widest angle (170º) and sharpest lens captures more of the scene, including you
Includes easy-to-apply mounts for attaching camera to any helmet, motorcycle, car, ATV, jet ski, snowmobile, boat, or virtually any vehicle.
Impact-resistant housing is waterproof to 180 ft (60 meters)

Read this review on its sports shots feature:

http://www.amazon.com/review/R3BHGT18PAZT4H/ref=cm_cr_pr_perm?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B002VA57XC&nodeID=&linkCode=&tag=faumioe-20

I need to video tape my son at his basketball games and I always end up putting the camcorder away before the end of 1st quarter..lol
Thx Bryan but is there a digital that zooms for wide shots and is perfect for action shots?

panasonic or sony are 2 very good makes. Yes, there are digital vesions in both of these. And are very good for action and zoom in shots!! I use mine all the time.

I’m a horseback rider and like taking pictures of horses jumping at shows. I have found that indoor pictures especially are almost always blurry on the sports setting as well as most outdoors. I’m not super familiar with photography or cameras yet so sorry if this is a stupid question but i just feel like capturing clear action shots with a $600 camera should be possible and a lot easier than it has been. Thanks for all the help 🙂

The first situation to consider is the lighting–
The second situation is the subjects distance..
If your having a blur appear..you need to get closer..
You may also need to use a Shutter-Speed..of 1/500
A ZooM Lens requires more light..than a shorter Lens..
Consider shooting less ZooM..and Cropping your original..to achieve Zoom/
Large Resolution will give poor results in low light–
You might trry–>>1600 x 1200 [M3}..NOT Wide Screen..
Use a TriPod..and a Shutter-cable switch..
My camera has a 2-second TIMER–you might try that–on a TriPod..
I’ll use my 10-second TIMER on a TriPod for very difficult image capture..
But I would imagine 10-seconds would be a MISS–on all photo’s.

I’m considering getting a SLR, possibly a canon? I want one that I can get good shot from a distance and take action shots(for sports, etc.) without a blur.

This is how I do it; that’s as affordable as I can make it….

– Canon 500D.
– 75-300mm IS lens

In my eyes; this is as cheap and light as it is possible.
Advantage
– cheap
– light
– long reach
disadvantage
– plastic mount. not as durable
– slow lens i think it is a 6.3 at 300mm
– not protected from the elements

For sports photography, having long reach is just a small piece of a bigger puzzle.
– getting as close as you can to the player or the person. They stand on teh sideline for a reason
– fast lens (some use 300mm f/2.8 <– very expensive)
– if you are taking picture in harsh weather conditions. Dirt bikes; snow… You need weather protection… Canon 7d + 70-200mm f/2.8

edit; the rest of it is knowing the gear you are using….
fast shutter speed to freeze the action
high iso to get the faster speed
getting the proper exposure… etc

i take a lot of sport shots,during the day i have the camera set on the sport mode and i get fantastic photos,but when the light goes,and try taking shots at night at a sportsfield under lights,and still on sport mode,the pics are dark,but mainly they are very blurry,and not worth keeping.I have tried to take the same sought of photos on the Aperture mode,but the pics are too dark.Its all been very frustrating.Can someone help me please?

As mentioned, a P&S does not have the controls necessary to freeze action in low light, nor does it have a large enough sensor to produce nearly noiseless images at high ISO settings.

Here is what you could expect if you had the right tool for the job, mainly a dSLR with long, fast lens

http://s862.photobucket.com/albums/ab182/fotomanaz/Answers%20album/?action=view&current=i_AIA3008copy.jpg

That shot was made using a 300 mm lens with aperture of f/2.8 and a shutter speed of 1/500th second.

If you look on your camera, you will notice that none of those settings are possible on your SX20