Video camera for games recording

[Last Man]

Looking to buy a an easy to use video camera to record games for analysis. Anyone got any idea what basic functions i would need. have seen footage that was practically unwatchable but it may have been down to the camera man. Any advice appreciated.

[JUst retired]

 You would want a camera with freeze frame on it,if you want to watch direct from the camera.
you also would want to use a  tripod to keep the camers steady.

[amallon]

Speaking from experience don't be scrimping on the tripod.  When we invested we got a cheap tripod (£60) and it really takes away from the quality of the video.  If you call into curry's at sprucefield they have a range of tripods on display.  There is one at £119 which looks pretty good.  They have the cheaper ones there too and you can see the difference in the smoothness when panning around and up/down.

Camera wise we are using a panasonic HDC-SD260 (around £450) which is full hd.  Its just a standard home camcorder but it was a bad buy as it struggles to keep up with the speed of the game and the footage is a bit shaky and you see some shadowing if fast moving sequences.   Also be aware of the Irish weather, is your camera going to be waterproof?  On a wet night I wrap our camera in clingfilm and work away but it can't be good for it.

You should get a video position setup so you are videoing from a bit of height.  You get a better shot of the game and you won't have people walking in front of you.

Getting someone who has a bit of experience behind the camera is a help too.  Too much zooming in/out is bad and steady movements are a must.

One last piece of advice Last Man, don't be the camera man!  Every club game I've seen this season and last season I've watched on a 2 inch camera screen which is crap!

[Last Man]

Thanks for the info fella, especially about the tripod which I wouldn't have forseen. Was thinking I would get a decent package for around the £400 mark but clearly not. I'll have a scratch around and see what I can get.