Video Camera

[sgoat]

As a University Referees' Society we are looking into buying a video camera to go with our just purchased assessor/referee mic kit. Does anyone have any recommendations as to which one we should get?

I have asked our society cameraman which he has, but haven't yet got a response.

 

[OB..]

I know that we have recently acquired one and it is a Sennheiser, just like our listening kits. I'll ask our video man for details and comments.

 

[Dixie]

I know that we have recently acquired one and it is a Sennheiser, just like our listening kits. I'll ask our video man for details and comments.

Sennheiser is an extremely capable audio company. If it has an optical capability, it will be of secondary priority to its primary business and reputation.

The quality of any video will be determined mainly by the skills of the operator. However, assuming the same operator, then enhancements to quality will be determined by the quality of the optics, and in particular the zoom.

I imagine that extreme close-up is not really an issue, as the referee's positioning vis a vis the bigger picture is more relevant. That being so, any entry-level machine should be capable of doing the job. I'd personally go for a Panasonic, but the likes of Sony, JVC, Canon etc would do the job perfectly well.

A key consideration is what you intend to do with the recording. If you want to give a DVD to the referee, then perhaps a direct recording onto DVD within the camera would be preferable to using any intermediate capture device such as a tape or hard drive, then creating a DVD after the event. This can be time consuming in the extreme.

 

[BigDai]

Not all cameras have a mic-line input so check that. You'll probably find a tri-pod or mono-pod useful eventually so look for a screw mounting for that too.

 

[Jacko]

Something that films in widescreen Goat??

 

[sgoat]

Not any more mate, it's a high frame rate that it'll need!

 

[OB..]

Response from our video man

I have learnt the hard way that the best thing for match videos is to go for a standard definition camcorder with mini DV tape format, the tape is cheap and easy to edit and can be copied to disc on a standard duel core PC, this is why all the professionals still use it and what I would recommend if you have the budget, The RFU guy’s use Sony professional video camera’s with this format and start at £2500.

The cheap alternative is to go for a high definition camcorder like the one I have which will cost about £700 plus £40 for a 12gb Panasonic chip, the problem with this is that it is designed for the home market ( short clips about 20mins max) when you want to edit and burn 90 minutes like we do you are into a different ball game, it requires a high spec PC with a Quad core processor and a large hard-drive, this will set you back at least another £500, the (Dell Inspiron 545) fits the bill at £519 - or more from other brands.
This is something they don’t tell you when they sell you the kit, even with my quad-core processor It still takes me 3 hours to burn a master copy to disc from HD format. Plus unlike the Pro video cams which have lens covers the domestic ones can’t be used in the rain - as I have found.

I Have been given a Panasonic SD100 which is HD format and now the only cheap handy-cam on the market which has a mic input socket, the camera is ok but the software that comes with it is to basic for what we need, I have purchased Adobe premier elements 8 which you can pick-up on-line for £58, this enables me to edit games and add titles with ease.

At the end of the day it is what budget you have and weather you have access to a high spec PC which determines what you go for, if you go to www.provisualdirect.co.uk and email them with your requirement they will tell you what is available, but remember you need something with a audio input socket which limits your choice.

 

[Bryan]

I echo OB's tech-dude statement.

An HD Video Camcorder is a BITCH to get from a PC native file onto a DVD. I've tried using dual-layer DVDs (double the capacity), but stick these in a non-HD DVD player and they turn out crappy and slow.

Even with an HD camcorder, i never record games in HD mode; there's no difference for the ONE angle of shot you're going to get for refereeing. Most of us also don't look good on TV, let alone in HD!

I use 16 gig memory cards, which I can get a game on. A few more things:

1. Make sure there's an audio input for the microphone jack
2. Make sure there's an audio output so the dude recording doesn't get bored
3. Make sure the batteries last 90 minutes (or buy 2x60 minutes; one for each half)
4. Get a high-quality tripod. I've got a basic manfrotto and it does wonders for manoeuvre-ability and travels well (Read: I've dropped it a lot and it hasn't broken).