After several years of taking pictures and video I've finally settled down on using a 15' high camera pole. I'm using a pole from SVT Advantage (www.svtadvantage.net), but there are several different ones on the market. To me, having a pole that breaks down and fits easily into my trunk and is light enough to be carried around was very important. Getting my camera 15 feet above the ground makes a huge difference. Above are some still shots taken from the video coverage.
Below is a description of the set-up I am using. I may be overlooking some items, or may need to explain some of these better. So please feel free to reach out with any questions:
- I have started using a 2012 Sony HDR-CX190 Camcorder. The film quality is great and the camera is truly Lanc compatible – which is key. I had another Sony model which was “Lanc compatible” – but I found that the Lanc connection was not always dependable. The Lanc connection for the 2012 Sony models seem to work very well. Many of the newer camcorders are using Wi-Fi. I have tried this, and so have several others, and I just have not been too impressed yet. The Wi-Fi seems to be very slow in responding. The CX-190 does not have internal memory and uses a SD card. I prefer that since the SD memory cards are continually improving the amount of memory they have and the speed in which they record. I can also pull the card and upload the game to a computer quickly. I am using a 32 GB SD card with a 40 MB/s processing speed and can usually record 3 full soccer games (~240 minutes). These cameras can be purchased on e-bay for $100-$150 used, or around $300 new on eBay or amazon.
- I am using a camera pole manufactured by SVT Advantage. This camera pole is around 15’ tall and fits into an adjustable tripod so that I do not have to constantly hold the pole. This helps a lot with picture quality and ease of use. Having a system you have to hold creates more sway at the top of the pole. Additionally any bumps or hard adjustments create large movements at the top of the pole. The sway and bumps are not as enjoyable to view later in the film review – can make you sick. This camera pole is a great value (~$850). You can easily spend more than this amount alone in having some else record your games. Many of the competitive systems that have a tripod mounting system cost $2000+, and they are not nearly as portable. As mentioned above – portability to me is key. The SVT system collapses down and fits in a bag that is about 48-50 inches long. It fits into my daughter’s car trunk, my SUV trunk and my wife’s minivan trunk. It also weights a total of about 28 pounds, making it fairly easy to carry around from game to game during a tournament. More details on the SVT Advantage pole can be found on their website (www.svtadvantage.net).
- As far as cords and adapters to hook up my Sony CX190 camera. I use a Lanc connector to control the camera. There are several different types of Lanc controllers, I have a couple different ones, but I am currently just using a cheap one that can be purchased on amazon (http://www.amazon.com/eBenk-Controller-Remote-Tripods-Cameras/dp/B00178T5V4). Not all the buttons on this controller work with this Sony model, but the power on/power off, record on/record off and zoom buttons work. The only problem with this controller is that there is not a recording light to tell you if you are recording. I do have another Lanc controller I purchased from Studio 1 Productions (http://www.studio1productions.com/lanc-remote.htm). This controller has a red light to let you know if you are recording or not. You will also need to purchase a 4 foot Lanc Audio/Video adapter cable (http://www.studio1productions.com/lanc-sa.htm), a 12-15 foot Lanc extension cable (http://www.studio1productions.com/lanc.htm), and a 15 foot audio cable (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0001XGR1C/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1). The lanc cables will allow you to connect your camera on top of the SVT Advantage camera pole to your Lanc controller. The audio cable will be needed to connect your video output from the camera to the 7-inch video monitor.