hd video camera

JC said:
I have a Nikon D90 with several thousand dollars worth of various prime and telephoto lens'. The HD video is a gimmick compared to almost any dedicated camcorder. For one thing there is no on the fly auto focus. It focus' one time before starting the filming and that's where the focus remains until you stop. I have not tried to film pool with it I have to admit. There are way better options though. I would not go this route if I were you.

JC

PS: I also have two point and shoot camera's that I have filmed pool with. My most recent one is a Panasonic Lumix DMC FZ-35. It takes really good video outdoors but in the pool room it has trouble with both focus and lighting. Plus no remote so you have to start and stop it by hand.
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I would tend to disagree somewhat, maybe it depends on the DSLR. The HD output of the Canon DSRLs (T2i, T3i, etc) is outstanding quality. Yes they fall short on autofocus and stabilizing, which was discussed earlier in the thread. A non-issue for filming pool tables. The choice depends on your own needs: do you have a use for DSLR photography, etc.
 
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GoPro

mohrt said:
I'd like to hear from someone that has tried one.
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I've shot a few pool videos with my GoPro. The quality is fine, but there is a definite fisheye effect with them. They're not built to shoot video as close as a pool table. I still really like it, though. Especially the head-mount.

I think I'll have to try to see if I can mount mine to the end of my cue.
 
NobodySpecial said:
I've shot a few pool videos with my GoPro. The quality is fine, but there is a definite fisheye effect with them. They're not built to shoot video as close as a pool table. I still really like it, though. Especially the head-mount.

I think I'll have to try to see if I can mount mine to the end of my cue.
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If you mount a gopro to the light, does it cover the entire playing surface?
 
Any of the Cannon PowerShot cameras work well, and record directly onto a standard class 10 memory card.

With the installed apps, you can upload clips directly to popular sites.
 
I hope all of you out there with video cameras will put them to good use.

Check out the Billiard University (BU) thread. You can use all of those great video cameras to document your BU player-rating exams, and earn a free pool diploma (Bachelors, Masters, or Doctorate in pool) in the process.

Happy filming,
Dave
 
Instead of creating a new thread to ask, I found this thread that was from last year. With technology changing all the time what is the current best "affordable" flip camera for recording shooting pool?

Things I like....

HD - this may not be too important IF it creates file sizes that are too large. My last flip camera was HD and a 15 minute video was like 1.1 gig or close to it. I want to be able to upload or save video files easier.

Length of recording - probably don't need more than an hour or two tops...

Easy to transfer files to an email or even upload say on youtube - once again goes back to probably file sizes being too large on my last one

Stand available - It has to have a stand available as in my basement we have a sort of small ledge that we would put the camera on.

Affordability - well....this can vary, but I am definitely NOT wanting to spend over $200 like we did on our last one that crapped out with a years use.
 
Spimp13 said:
Instead of creating a new thread to ask, I found this thread that was from last year. With technology changing all the time what is the current best "affordable" flip camera for recording shooting pool?

Things I like....

HD - this may not be too important IF it creates file sizes that are too large. My last flip camera was HD and a 15 minute video was like 1.1 gig or close to it. I want to be able to upload or save video files easier.

Length of recording - probably don't need more than an hour or two tops...

Easy to transfer files to an email or even upload say on youtube - once again goes back to probably file sizes being too large on my last one

Stand available - It has to have a stand available as in my basement we have a sort of small ledge that we would put the camera on.

Affordability - well....this can vary, but I am definitely NOT wanting to spend over $200 like we did on our last one that crapped out with a years use.
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Because of the requirement of long sessions (15 mins - many hours) the best bet is any hand-held HD camcorder. Camera phones run hot and can be interrupted and are limited in drive space. Point-and-shoot cameras are also typically limited in the length of video they will record, and not as good quality. GoPro and similar cameras might work ok, although they are usually designed for action/movement and not low-light conditions.

As for which hand-held camera, it is probably true to say you get what you pay for, so it depends on your expectations. Something like a Sony HDR-CX220 is probably adequate for most, where as Canon G20 would be a broadcast-quality camera (and much higher cost)
 
^^^ thanks, I probably should have clarified I did not want a phone, but a regular recorder or flip cam....The Sony did seem to get good reviews and one was priced at $178 which doesn't seem too bad.
 
Spimp13 said:
^^^ thanks, I probably should have clarified I did not want a phone, but a regular recorder or flip cam....The Sony did seem to get good reviews and one was priced at $178 which doesn't seem too bad.
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A flip cam might work ok too. I know the "flip" is non-existant, and Kodak made a decent one that is now non-existent too. But again, these are often limited in length and quality varies.
 
FWIW I ended up using my iPhone. I have yet to find a budget camcorder that matches its video quality, and it can record enough for my purposes. I just deal with the shortcomings of using a phone, but I get decent quality recordings.
 
hang-the-9 said:
This was recorded with an older PowerShot Canon camera, not too bad. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVkV079yEFI

I had a video up of my playing that I took using my Droid X2 phone, but I think YouTube deleted it because it had a song you could hear. I'll see if I can re-upload it.
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It was decent, but probably want a bit better quality. The idea is to film short matches like a race to 5 8 ball as well as maybe analyzing my break/stance...something like that which would take under an hour and have the file size not be too big so we can analyze mistakes in our games (wife, myself, friends).
 
JC said:
I have a Nikon D90 with several thousand dollars worth of various prime and telephoto lens'. The HD video is a gimmick compared to almost any dedicated camcorder.
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The Nikon D90 is quite a dated camera for video. The current D7100, D800 offers excellent HD quality images at 1080 30p. They also offer an HDMI port for recording a clean signal to external devices, dedicated mic ports etc... The most recent Nikons with Expeed 4 are beginning to offer 1080 at 60p as well.


ctyhntr said:
What is your budget, and what is the lighting situation? Can you add more lights, say 2000-4000 watts or more? Lighting will bring out the best in any camera.
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Very true, lighting is key. It allows the camera (stills and video) to use a lower iso (reducing noise) and it also makes the white balance more pleasant imo.
 
Try a Kodak 'sport' with optional remote. On a tripod or monkey claw.
Great HD, low price.
Bright lighting is key with any cam.
As a bonus the sport is water and beer proof. :cool:
 
flyvirginiaguy said:
The Nikon D90 is quite a dated camera for video. The current D7100, D800 offers excellent HD quality images at 1080 30p. They also offer an HDMI port for recording a clean signal to external devices, dedicated mic ports etc... The most recent Nikons with Expeed 4 are beginning to offer 1080 at 60p as well.
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Although possible, it is a bit more of a technical process (at this time) to make it happen. See here:

http://www.bythom.com/hdmivideo.htm

So it kind of depends on your tolerance and expectation from a camera :)
 
mohrt said:
Because of the requirement of long sessions (15 mins - many hours) the best bet is any hand-held HD camcorder. Camera phones run hot and can be interrupted and are limited in drive space. Point-and-shoot cameras are also typically limited in the length of video they will record, and not as good quality. GoPro and similar cameras might work ok, although they are usually designed for action/movement and not low-light conditions.

As for which hand-held camera, it is probably true to say you get what you pay for, so it depends on your expectations. Something like a Sony HDR-CX220 is probably adequate for most, where as Canon G20 would be a broadcast-quality camera (and much higher cost)
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Canon HF G20 is a great camera, I have the HF G10 which is pretty much the same thing. It has 32gb of built in memory and then 2 SD card slots which you can have them kick in when each runs out so you can record for hours upon hours non stop. The low light quality is very good on these. You can find the HF G20 for around a $1000 or so if you look.
 
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