Video Camera's

[Bagster]

I am going to be looking for a digital video camera and just wanted to know what everyone is using on here or what you would/wouldn't suggest. I see some of you are videoing from below the platform and some from the side. Do certain ones work better for below compared to the side, etc, etc.? Thanks.

[jumpcannon]

I think a digital camera would work. most cameras have video. just gotta have a good size memory card

[Speedbag]

I am going to be looking for a digital video camera and just wanted to know what everyone is using on here or what you would/wouldn't suggest. I see some of you are videoing from below the platform and some from the side. Do certain ones work better for below compared to the side, etc, etc.? Thanks.

The only issue for videoing underneath, straight up at the bottom of the board is having tripod that will go low enough and has enough head movement to allow the camera to be angled back. With todays light camera's the weight of the camera should not tip the tripod, especially if the legs can go wide enough. The underview shot offers a nice variation for effect but is not very helpful from a teaching standpoint (except for side techniques). I've seen some interesting Shadow punches filmed in that angle, but If someone wants a serious review of punching skills that is not a good shooting angle. IMO (only) If you want to get help from someone on a skills issue, or if you are teaching someone how to do something on the bag, I suggest you stay with a shoulder high side shot, with the camera lens about equal to the belly of the bag. Other artsy angles can make it difficult to really see fist contact points, angles of movement etc.
Also, bring plenty of light. (Why spend close to $1,000.00 on a HD camera and ruin the video for want of a $2.00 light. I just don't get it but I see a lot of it on youtube. I call them cave video's and pretty much refuse to strain my eyes trying to watch them.)

Not long ago I purchased a Sony HD CX 350 flash memory. I chose that camera because my normal editing software has been Sony Vegas Movie Studio, and I could easily upgrade to the HD version 10 HD platinum to handle the HD issues. Sony camera video seems to work better in Sony editing software.

Importing and editing video can sometimes get complicated, and HD video can make it even more difficult. I'm pretty new to HD editing and don't quite understand all the nuances of it yet. Pretty annoying to get past the interlacing fields of HD video, and there isn't an easy way that I have found to remove it. I have several video software packages that are supposed to remove it, but they are a work in progress because the finished product still has some interlacing, which really sucks on a fast movements. It really screws up the after images of the bag and fists. I am running a windows based system. If you have a MAC computer, I think the options are different. The more I mess with computer video, the more I wish I had gone the MAC route, but Lately I haven't shot enough video to mess to much with it. I think I shot a few speed bag videos back in July or August on this camera but haven't edited or hit much as of late. Other members seem to post some pretty sharp and clear video's without the interlacing issues. Maybe they use different camera's. ?

There are lots of Camera options but if you want to post a decent video you're probably going to have to have some editing software.

Hope it helps.

[Inkspill]

I use a mytouch 3g phone for pics and video.

Here's an example of pics and my last video with it

[Speedbag]

I use a mytouch 3g phone for pics and video.

Here's an example of pics and my last video with it

I'm beginning to think that some of those smaller, less complex video recorders is a better selection for quickie youtube video's. Maybe not for Professional retail quality video production but certainly for online video. Some of the smart phone video has been pretty clear.

[aad03]

I use a Flip for my videos, just because it is incredibly easy to upload, and the camera itself is so small. I can easily keep it in my pocket and hardly notice it's there. I put it on a tiny tripod for underboard footage. Like Alan said though, it's all about the lighting. An inexpensive camera does not have the low-light capabilities of a higher end camera, so the video gets dark and grainy. I am guilty of this in some of my indoor videos, but I'm also guilty of tons of mis-hits, so the poor video quality might help conceal a couple of those.

[Inkspill]

I'm beginning to think that some of those smaller, less complex video recorders is a better selection for quickie youtube video's. Maybe not for Professional retail quality video production but certainly for online video. Some of the smart phone video has been pretty clear.

I like it, easy to upload, turn on wifi, jot some details and blammo. No editing on the phone but that's not a big focus to me for speed bag vids. I have a video recorder that uses discs and it's been kind of a nightmare trying to get software that will convert it so I can read it with an editing program. Click, click, click wins in the end haha.

I use a Flip for my videos, just because it is incredibly easy to upload, and the camera itself is so small. I can easily keep it in my pocket and hardly notice it's there. I put it on a tiny tripod for underboard footage. Like Alan said though, it's all about the lighting. An inexpensive camera does not have the low-light capabilities of a higher end camera, so the video gets dark and grainy. I am guilty of this in some of my indoor videos, but I'm also guilty of tons of mis-hits, so the poor video quality might help conceal a couple of those.

That's a good one! I like blaming the "vibrations" from the standing setup. : ]

[Speedbag]

I use a Flip for my videos, just because it is incredibly easy to upload, and the camera itself is so small. I can easily keep it in my pocket and hardly notice it's there. I put it on a tiny tripod for underboard footage. Like Alan said though, it's all about the lighting. An inexpensive camera does not have the low-light capabilities of a higher end camera, so the video gets dark and grainy. I am guilty of this in some of my indoor videos, but I'm also guilty of tons of mis-hits, so the poor video quality might help conceal a couple of those.

HA! Nice way to put a positive spin on low-lighting! I would have never thought of that.

[Tim]

I use a Canon PowerShot SD780IS, similar to that pictured below. It was about $249 several years ago, and can be had for < $200 now. It does HD video (720p) and works great for speed bagging.

The thing I like about a dedicated camera (vs a cell phone camera) is that you can tripod mount it. I do all my shooting off a tripod

I upload all my movies into iPhoto (Mac OS X) and edit with iMovie HD. I then Export in HD format and upload to YouTube. I then use "handbrake" to make iPhone compatible versions and keep them on my phone (helps to have the best clips handy when explaining the art of speed baggin' to people - words don't do it justice.

And as Alan mentioned, the secret is in the lighting... the more lighting the better.

[Speedbag]

I use a Canon PowerShot SD780IS, similar to that pictured below. It was about $249 several years ago, and can be had for < $200 now. It does HD video (720p) and works great for speed bagging.

The thing I like about a dedicated camera (vs a cell phone camera) is that you can tripod mount it. I do all my shooting off a tripod

I upload all my movies into iPhoto (Mac OS X) and edit with iMovie HD. I then Export in HD format and upload to YouTube. I then use "handbrake" to make iPhone compatible versions and keep them on my phone (helps to have the best clips handy when explaining the art of speed baggin' to people - words don't do it justice.

And as Alan mentioned, the secret is in the lighting... the more lighting the better.

I have one of these also, and the import was .mov, So I had to convert to an .AVI or .WMV format for editing. My system doesn't handle .MOV very well. It's a great camera, though. Super clear pictures, both still and video.

[Tim]

I have one of these also, and the import was .mov, So I had to convert to an .AVI or .WMV format for editing. My system doesn't handle .MOV very well. It's a great camera, though. Super clear pictures, both still and video.

Good point. .MOV is quicktime format and works well with Apple , not so well with Windows. Definitely stick with a camera that shoots .AVI or .WMV if you are editing on Windows.

[PIEFURZ]

I've recorded with the camera on an Eee PC and it doesn't do well with the speed of the bag, not that I bag fast, or maybe I do. Certainly not Skunk or Scissors fast. I was thinking of putting a couple cameras on a computer for multi camera of one bagger or multi baggers just to get continuous footage but it may not work well. I've tried a web cam but not satisfied so far. Thought it would be cool at SB2011 to record everything. We do some PC recording at work from pro gear so it's probably a matter of a better camera not the recording program.

[Bagster]

Thanks for all of the info everyone. I do have a smart phone that I can take pretty good pic's and vid's with but don't have the option of tripod mounting. If there would be a way to use a tripod for my phone I would probably just stick with that for now otherwise I think I will go for one of those Flip style like aad03 uses, just seems alot simpler, plus I don't need anything to fancy.

[MsDeville]

Thanks for all of the info everyone. I do have a smart phone that I can take pretty good pic's and vid's with but don't have the option of tripod mounting. If there would be a way to use a tripod for my phone I would probably just stick with that for now otherwise I think I will go for one of those Flip style like aad03 uses, just seems alot simpler, plus I don't need anything to fancy.

I started out with a (non HD) Flip camera when I first started posting videos in 2009. Then I upgraded to an HD Flip with 2 hours of recording time. Nice if you're planning on recording a whole movie or something, but I usually only need 5-6 minutes at a time. Most — but not all — of my punch-drumming videos are done with a "first-take" style of filming. When I'm in the mood to record something, I'm IN THE MOOD and just "go with it," mis-hits, crooked camera angle, prop/wardrobe/beam malfunctions ... ...

The Flip camera is everything aad03 says, incredibly easy to use, small, and it plugs in to your computer with the built-in USB plug for recharging and uploading of videos. (You can also buy a compact wall charger for $20.) It will work well with either PCs or Mac (I'm a Mac user). The software comes pre-loaded on the camera, so if your PC is well-equipped, it should work well.

Last month I bought a used "Ultra HD Flip" on Amazon for under $125. It works great. (I had to buy another one because my first HD Flip has been [wo]man-handled and I have dropped it several times to the point where the front cover is barely staying attached to the rest of the camera frame.

Oh, one more thing. If you happen to crack the glass lens (gee, I wonder how I did that!) you can simply remove the glass altogether without affecting the quality of your videos...

As for HD-quality videos, I think it's GREAT for the price! I don't think it does too badly in mediocre lighting, but more light means more pixels in the recording, thus capturing the speed of the bag.

When I record, I use three 100-watt lights in those portable metal-shade clamp-type lamps that I position in strategic spots in my workout area, and they deflect/reflect off of the stucco wall of the garage and the white plastic tablecloths. This helps to "soften" the lighting when recording. Lighting is pretty important when filming... But, that's just me.