Camera or Camcorder?

[kirbster123]

Hi guys,

What do you guys think is better for taking tennis video, a camera or camcorder? Any recommendations in the 300-800 dollar range?

Thanks

[stotty]

Camcorder or Camera

Hi guys,

What do you guys think is better for taking tennis video, a camera or camcorder? Any recommendations in the 300-800 dollar range?

Thanks

I have a Sanyo Xacti HD1010. It is a great little camcorder but only shoots in high speed for ten seconds at a time; just enough for player to hit two serves. This can be annoying because I'd like to record 30 seconds in high speed if I wished to do so.

A lot of people rave about the Casio Exilim range, both for quality and price. I would definitely look at the Casio range when I decide to replace my Sanyo.

http://exilim.casio.com/digital_came...Speed/EX-ZR100.

The only downside for me is that I like a camcorder to look like a camcorder and not a camera. Stupid I know...but that's just me.

One thing is for sure is that you don't have to spend the earth so long as you don't opt for camcorders with loads of features. You don't need all those features; you'll never use them.

Sorry I cannot suggest a specific camcorder for you to buy, but like I said, the Casio Exilim range are highly thought of.

I'd love to know what purchase you finally make. Be sure to post your decision in this thread.

[tennis_chiro]

Purpose?

Hi guys,

What do you guys think is better for taking tennis video, a camera or camcorder? Any recommendations in the 300-800 dollar range?

Thanks

Kirbster123,
It makes a big difference what you want to do with the video. I've been using a Casio EXLim FH20 for almost 4 years. It is great for on the court analysis. Takes great AVI shots stored on an SD chip. At 210, 420 or 1000 fps. Or HD at 30 fps. Also good stills. You can find used models on eBay. The new versions are a little different, but still very effective. And you can take the chip out and review it with very inexpensive software on an iPad or other tablet. Plus the viewfinder on the camera itself is big enough to show your student immediately.

If you are trying to do fencemount video of an entire match, you want a different kind of camera. You need a wide angle lens, good battery life and the ability to just let it run for a while. It also depends back into what system you want to bring the file. The avi file of the Casio camera can go right into the camera input of the iPad. The avchd files of the JVC Everio camera I got a couple of months ago won't work there. I am bringing that back into Dartfish. I got the EverioGZGZ1 because I wanted the wide angle advantage of an F2 lens as well as the remote control and viewer connection to my iPhone of the Everio system. It's nice for checking the view I am seeing on the fencemount without having to take the camera off the fence. And the HD video of the court is terrific. The GZGX1 comes in right at the top of your price range at B&HPhoto, but it ran me almost 1200 with wide angle lens, extra batteries and extended warranty.

Just for simpler cameras that work great for long term recording on the fence, consider the following notes I made for myself:

The Sanyo VPC FH1A looks pretty good with up to 600 FPS slomo and pretty good resolution at 240 FPS as well as shooting HD at 60 FPS. It doesn't appear to have the built in memory, but takes the SD cards. It also is set up for iFrame (whatever that means). It comes in around $600 before you start talking about additional memory cards, batteries or warranties.

The Canon Vixia HF R21 comes in a lot cheaper at $450, but it doesn't have the high speed slo mo, or anything more than 30 FPS as near as I can tell. (It does 60 interweave so maybe it has 60 FPS slomo). It does have the built in memory so it can shoot for quite a while with a card in it.

I had the Vixia before the JVC and I lost it and replaced it with the JVC. The nice thing about the Sanyo VPC is it records in files compatible with MACs, so no conversion necessary. The VPC is discontinued but you can still find some great deals on recent models on eBay. JY always comments that he likes to just use QuickTime Player. And with QuickTime 7 you can actually synchronize a couple of windows side by side. Now there are a lot of cheap software packages that enable you to do side by side analysis on tablets, iPads and PCs; not so much for the MAC.

If you are going to use John Yandell's approach and just use QuickTime Player, you are not going to be able to use AVCHD files. So watch that.

I've also seen some ads for a nice inexpensive complete system called the Volley Cam. I haven't seen the camera in action. Perhaps someone else can comment on that.



good luck,
don

[GeoffWilliams]

go hero pro. $175 used.

[studini]

Geoff, I see people wearing that on their heads for biking and stuff I don't see tennis listed as one of the sports for that camera.
What about taping a whole set of tennis?
That volley cam does look inviting, don't know if it works for macs or not. I already have an expensive camera and a tripod but it can't seem to get the whole court very well on the tripod, and it only tapes a few minutes at a time.

[GeoffWilliams]

No on court camera will show the whole court well. Only from higher up. The go hero can tape a whole set. Just get a bigger chip. It also has a variety of attachments for mounting to various surfaces.