What kinda camera for racing?

[Anonymous]

I’m curious about what everyone’s opinion would be on camera selection for motocross racing. I race ATV motocross or at least I did, recently I was involved in a rather bad wreck that pretty much ended my racing career. I still wanna be involved in the sport and I love watching the movies that are made every year profiling this great sport and filming has always been something I’ve wanted to get into and did actually dabble in a few years ago but I just can’t afford to do both. Now my decision has been made for me but I still need to pick up a camera that will be good for high speed shots upwards of 80 mph. One thing that I want to be able to do is when I edit, Iwant to slow the shot down significantly i.e.; a quad goes hard down a straightaway but when he gets to the corner the shot is slowed down but when he exits the corner it’s back to real time. I don’t know if thats confusing, it’s the only way I can think of describing it. Here is a link of exactly what I’m trying to do http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CmBPV9tZQl4 Theres going to be music and everything just like that so mic quality is not a major concern and neither is low light capability. Also I wanna be able to use different filters i.e.; warming, I’m not sure if that will make a difference. I know exactly what I’m trying to do but I need a professional opinion on what I need to be able to pull it off. My price range is around $3k right now, any advice is welcome so if you feel like ranting and expressing your opinion by all means do it.

[XTR-91]

With your purpose and budget, you probably want a 3ccd HD Camcorder (most HDs are 3ccds) that can record at a high frame rate of 60. Most professional ($1k or higher) camcorders are 3ccds with 60i and 60p capabilities. Surprisingly, the only ones I can find for under $3,000 are consumer camcorders. All of the pro models I’ve looked around for are $4,000 or over. Something like this comes to mind:

http://camcorder.jvc.com/product.jsp?modelId=MODL028385&pathId=141&page=15

[Anonymous]

The XH-A1, that is shown on my profile picture, would be a sure choice in spite of it’s high price that might overcome your budget.

[Anonymous]

Interlaced video must be deinterlaced in order to do time remapping (slow motion). In the process, interlaced video will lose a lot of resolution. If you can afford it, try to find a camera that can shoot 720P. A 3 sensor camera is better, as XTR-91 recommended, and the larger the sensors, the better.

To get blur-free slow-motion, you’ll need to use a fast shutter speed. This shouldn’t be a big problem with a good professional camera, but you’ll need good light (bright sunshine) to get the best results. Luckily for you, your sport is a daytime sport.

Tom

[XTR-91]

Just wondering, this might be a simple question, but I’m not a big expert with interlaced and progressive video. Is it possible to de-interlace video that is interlaced so that it appears exactly as if it was recorded progressive? Can I do this with Cyberlink PowerDirector?

[Anonymous]

Ok thanks guys. I don’t know if it’s a good idea but I was looking at the Sony HDR-FX7, it’s suppose to be a prosumer camera and it’s listed for $2000 in B&H. I like the idea of the top handle that will allow me to carry it around the track easily and quickly which is good because I’m gonna be running around upwards of 1.5 miles during each moto. Also it will allow me to get quick low angle shots. What really has my attention is how it has the ability to increase it’s frame rate from 60fps to 240fps for 6 seconds and then it can be played back over a period of 24 seconds which is perfect for what I want to do. It sounds good and seems to have everything I need at the price I want, I just don’t know if it will be good for what I want to do. Any other ideas or suggestions?

[Anonymous]

The one and only thing I don’t like about CMOS camcorders (like the FX7) is that they have a “rolling shutter” – that is, instead of capturing the entire image in one shot, they capture it one line at a time, working from top to bottom. THis can create some wierd effects, especially in fast moving objects (like racing vehicles). The Wikipedia article on rolling shutter posts this picture to demonstrate some of the visual artifacts associated with CMOS and rolling shutters:

Those helicopter blades are straight in real life, but the rolling shutter creates the illusion that they’re bowed. Here’s a link that explains this in more detail.

If you buy from B&H, they give you a 15 day window to return a product (there are some other conditions, like you have to use it less than 120 minutes, etc). If you want to go this route, I encourage you to buy the product and immediately go test it to make sure the CMOS chips are tolerable for your use.

[Anonymous]

I’m not sure. I’m selling my quad because the wreck I was in is the second near death crash i had in a single year. If anything I may get my cousin and some of our friends who race to go out with a POV camera. What exactly do you want to know?

[Anonymous]

It’s just a guess, but he may be asking because another artifact of CMOS chips is wobble. It’s hard to describe, but shooting from a moving object while using CMOS camcorders makes the image sort of look like you’re shooting through a vat of Jello. Whats worse is that conventional stabilization software can’t easily compensate for this problem.

But that’s just a guess.

[Anonymous]

XTR-91 asked “Just wondering, this might be a simple question, but I’m not a big
expert with interlaced and progressive video. Is it possible to
de-interlace video that is interlaced so that it appears exactly as if
it was recorded progressive? Can I do this with Cyberlink PowerDirector?”

Not really. You can convert interlaced video to progressive with PowerDirector, but it won’t look the same as if it were shot as progressive scan originally. The other, obvious benefit to 720P is that you are shooting 60 frames/second… which helps you get better, smoother slow motion. Keep in mind that the guys at NFL films shoot film at up to 120 fps or higher. Later, when this is slowed down, you get those killer slow motion catches and touchdowns. The same is true for the new replay cameras… they are overcranked (resulting in higher gain and video noise, but killer slow mo replays). It’s hard for those of us on a budget to live up to the standards set by professional sports videographers and cinematographers… but I think your best bet is a 720P camera.

Rolling shutter is a real issue… but it should be minimized with a fast shutter speed, which you can achieve in good daylight conditions.

Tom

[dagunner]

I can say from experience at dirt track racing to try to film from the windward side. If not I drape a towel over the camera. I have a chamois towel i use, Lense cleaned and a can of Electronic equipment dust remover. So far So good after filming for a few months.

[Grinner Hester]

I like the FX-1 for exteriors and a helmetcam with a little DDR for POV shots.

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