Express Action Sports

i know that the $300 is not a lot for an hd video camera and that it won’t be the greatest video quality ever, but i’m just a college kid so my funds are limited to say the least. i record tennis matches with my brother, and we usually play at night, as well as basketball games (during the day). any thoughts?

no consumer HD camera can record sports action except as a blur. that is because of the super high compression. MPEG4, AVCHD and similar codecs record only one actual frame and then throw out the next 7, giving it a GOF factor of 8. on playback the missing frames have to be guessed at by interpolation, which gives blurry jumpy results.

the solution is to use the system most widely used by Action Sports videographers, which is miniDV. while not HD it can be shot in the widescreen mode so the picture will fill an HDTV screen. And you can get one for under $300, look at the Canon ZR960.

I am a fire twirler, and I’ve been making some videos using my old camcorder, but the camera really struggles to capture the fire, and handle the contrast differences. Does anyone know of any video camera which can be used to video fire, and the motion of spinning with out having a very poor frame rate, getting jumpy and coming out with very poor image quality

Your using a HD Camcorder. HD Camcorders are terrible at any type of action, as you have found out.

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. It looks like this -one frame from the lens assembly, 7or 8 from the electronic circuitry, one frame from the lens assembly, 7or 8 from the electronic circuitry, one frame from the lens assembly, 7or 8 from the electronic circuitry, one frame from the lens assembly, 7or 8 from the electronic circuitry, from front to back of the video. Near impossible to edit, even when you have the Multi processor computer with the big Graphics and sound cards that is required to edit, view, watch and work with the files a HD camcorder produces.

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. And add the fact that to get a HD camcorder that could produce better video quality footage, one would have to spend in excess of $3500 for that camcorder that could produce higher quality video.

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

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

http://www.canon.ca/inetCA/products?m=gp&pid=1017#_030

Any video cameras that are literally like looking through an empty fram. Great color, hd, stability and crystal clear image?

the frame like quality you ask about is mainly a feature of digital video and not the camera. HD digital video displayed on LCD HDTV has eliminated visible scan structure, "dots", color smear and line wave that was typical of the VHS/CRT era. Any consumer HD camera makes a photo like picture, at least when not challenged by motion. For Action Sports and similar activity, cameras with a very high bit rate like HDV or AVCHD in the 24mbps mode are better. For proper reproduction of scenes with very high illumination contrast ratios, a 3 CCD camera works best.

I’m looking for an affordable video camera that shoots HD and the GoPro is nice. It is small, affordable and is very popular.

But it doesnt have a screen to see what youre filming.

I just want something I can make high quality videos with. The most extreme way I would use it is for longboarding.

Any other suggestions if the GoPro isnt suited for me?

They are not a practical camera for all the reasons already listed in your previous answer. They are great for mounting on something.

I’m getting engaged in extreme sports photography, i want to know a good camera in the 600-700$ price range, i already own a gopro, so thats out of the question. I already plan on picking a couple more up. I just need something with clear footage and relative zoom so i can get that perfect shot!

Thanks

You can use a good entry level dSLR like the Nikon D3200 or Canon T3/1100D, but what you need is a lens like the 18-200 mm so you can get tight shots at different parts of the track or good wide shots on nearby corners.

That means that your budget is rather small for what you need for shooting any motor sports, which includes extreme sports.

I have a colleague who shoots X-Games and he uses an inexpensive Nikon D40 with a 70-200 mm f/2.8 lens and flash. With the D40, he can shoot at high shutter speeds, higher than the standard 1/200th or 1/250th second restriction of CMOS sensored cameras.

Cost wise this is the break down. A good used Nikon D40, about $350. A AF-S Nikkor 70-200 mm f/2.8, about $2,400 and the SB 800 flash, about $400

If you are planning on shooting video, then you can probably use consumer grade video camera like those made by Canon, Panasonic, JVC or Sony

Okay I want to get into videography and filming when I’m older, like for Action Sports and shows like gangland and stuff. Thing is,film school cost alot!. So do I really have to go to film school or can I just be creative and find my own way into the career of videography?
Also,will having a criminal record For like petty crimes affect my chances?.like if I had drug charges will that affect them.
And this is also sort of off subject but I was reading about a guy who is a gangmember but is trying to become a photographer and get out of the ganglife,so can gangmembers become videographers? Or will the jobs hiring just look down on them?just wondering

Thanks

there is a reason behind the enormous cost of higher education and that is results. they are not guaranteed but the lessons taught in art school WILL separate you from a guy that buys a video camera and calls himself a cinematographer. it is an expensive hobby but play around with your friends-make your own independent movies making you own story line and make it interesting with cool camera angles and special effects if you have some video editing software. if you are still interested in making movies after you have made some on your own, i would definitely apply to whichever school you might be looking at and go for it.

Im looking into making youtube videos and want a good quality camera. I want to use the camera for doing Action Sports filming as well. I want a good camera but it doesnt have to be great. Anything under $400 would be awesome.

The canon ZR960 at $250 would be a good choice. miniDV is the system used for professional sports shooting. the ZR does not take a "fisheye" lens adaptor, but neither do other cameras in this price range.

I am thinking of getting the canon HV40, but that is at the very top of my price range. Any other suggestions similar to this camera would be great. I am interested in using it to make short films along with filming Action Sports, like surfing. Any suggestions would be much appreciated. Thanks.

the HV40 is a good choice , and you will be happy with it , it performs quite well across the dynamic for the camera’s available in it’s class

What would be a good camera to film high speed video (600fps) of Action Sports or nature scenes for example? I would like something that has an interchangeable lens option for capturing distant and then perhaps macro items. If you want more information before answering, please ask.
Am looking for something that has a decent resolution say 480p or 720p as a minimum when recording at 600fps ?

There are several camcorders that can record 600fps, like the JVC Everio GZ-X900, JVC Everio GZ-HM400, Sanyo VPC-FH1A, Sanyo VPC-FH1A, etc. But none will have a f-mount. You may be able to buy a 35mm DOF adapter in F-mount but it will all depend on the camera you will be using. Brands like Letus, Cine, Jag35, etc. offer DOF adapters.

I want a HD 1080i video camcorder that I can film Action Sports with and has a handle on it. I also want to be able to upload the footage on it to my MAC computer and edit in final cut pro with out loosing any of the quality! Please help I would like it to have an hour and a half of film space on it at least thanks

I would consider JVC Everio GZ-HM200 Dual SD High-Def Camcorder
# Dual SD card slot for dual memory continuous recording
# 1920×1080 Full HD recording
# 20x optical zoom with Konica Minolta HD lens
# Laser-touch operation with sub-trigger and zoom; one-touch upload to YouTube