Filming Race cars

[bfleming76]

Hello all, I am new here and new to video. I am going to be filming some auto races for an upstart company and we are going through some R and D to decide where we really need to be filming. For this process we will be using consumer style cams until we get up and running. These are all proof of concept videos. We are looking at Canon HF-R100 cams to do these POC videos. Reason 1 is the price point is good. Reason 2 we can get a good deal on multiple cams. Are there any better options that ya'll would suggest? I have done a few POC videos so far and they are a little choppy. Would this be the refresh rate or the class sd card I am using? Thanks for any and all answers/advice. I am still green in the video industry.

Once we start buying prosumer cams, what be the cam of choice for vivd color and fast paced filming?

[aedipuss]

3ccd cams and if possible ones that record 60p to prevent rolling shutter problems, interlacing jaggies, and too much blurred motion.

[edDV]

Are you going for the TV NASCAR type coverage or deep forcus film look?

What distribution formats?

DVD? Broadcast? Blu-Ray? You-Tube? Computer? Projection?

[edDV]

Once we start buying prosumer cams, what be the cam of choice for vivd color and fast paced filming?

What is your budget?

The minimum 3CCD 720p/60 cam appropriate to the task is the JVC GY-HM100U. For car racing, you would do better with the larger cams that take long TV zoom lenses.

[TreeTops]

Good one

[edDV]

This is network tennis but shows the size of the lens* vs the camera. Not saying this is what you can buy or need but indicates what to strive for to get the job done. Understand the fast action need.



*Canon in this case.

[bfleming76]

Well, we underdstand the budget limitations we have. Most of our distribution will be on our website as well as selling Dvd's to the drivers that are in the race. Quality is not the number one focus. Capturing the event and telling the story is the main focus. Obviously we want to look as good as possible, but with the equipment we start with I have to rely on well shot footage and a couple of editing techniques to to give it more of a film look. We hope within 2 years we can upgrade to decent 3ccd cams.

Thanks for all the advice, and yes it would be cool to have some of the cams shown above.

The main question I have is: THe jerky motion of the cheap cams we use, is it caused from the refresh rate? Cmos sensors? Or the class of SD cards we use? Or all of the above? Or possibly something I havnt considered?

[edDV]

Well, we underdstand the budget limitations we have. Most of our distribution will be on our website as well as selling Dvd's to the drivers that are in the race. Quality is not the number one focus. Capturing the event and telling the story is the main focus. Obviously we want to look as good as possible, but with the equipment we start with I have to rely on well shot footage and a couple of editing techniques to to give it more of a film look. We hope within 2 years we can upgrade to decent 3ccd cams.

Your main issue for your phase 1 is whether you shoot SD in DV format, HDV format or AVCHD.

DV (SD) advantages
- DV and DVD are both 720x480i (59.94 fields per second), good for action, fast to edit and convert to DVD.
- Used 3CCD SD cams are cheap, such as Sony VX-2100 or Canon GL2.
- or you can go to single CMOS HDV cams, shoot 16:9 HDV but export from camera in DV 480i mode for quick 16:9 DVD.

DV disadvantages
- Many potential customers will be expecting HD these days but conversion of 1920x1080i AVCHD to a quality DVD is very time consuming and processor intensive.
- HDV format allows DV export* for fast editing and DVD authoring but provides an HD master on tape.
- HDV 1440x1080i is directly compatible for a Blu-Ray or "AVCHD" DVDR disc (20 minutes per layer) or can be converted to AVC for 30-40 minutes per layer.

Any "film look" 24p or 30p is going to be a challenge for action and not recommended. You can't afford the equipment to do 24p right. Keep the "film look" to 480i/1080i filters.

A good alternate but more expensive strategy is to shoot 1280x720p at 59.94 frames per sec with the JVC HM100U as suggested above. Conversion to DVD is more compute intensive however.

Avoid 1280x720p @ 30p. It will be too jerky.

In all cases, race car footage should be shot from a heavy stable tripod with a good fluid head.

The main question I have is: THe jerky motion of the cheap cams we use, is it caused from the refresh rate? Cmos sensors? Or the class of SD cards we use? Or all of the above? Or possibly something I havnt considered?

Jerky motion issues: In order of importance.
1. Tripod or other camera stabilization is a must for long zoom shots.
2. Frame Rate - this needs to be 60i or 60p for smooth motion
3. Sensor - CMOS sensors have the rolling shutter "jelly wobble" issues.
4. SD class - Follow camera manufacturer recommndation (usually class 6 to class 10)

In summary, for budget recording, 3CCD DV or HDV format offer many advantages for your plan. AVCHD cams are good for HD "AVCHD" disc output (playable on Blu-Ray players) but will produce poor DVD downscale unless heavily processed.


*HDV cams shoot 1440x1080 60i but can convert to 720x480 60i in the camera hardware for realtime DV capture over IEEE-1394 (Firewire). The master tape will be HD.

Recommended HDV cameras:
Canon HV40 ~$650 (single CMOS sensor)
Canon XH-A1 ~$2500 (3x 1/3" CCD)

[edDV]

Another major issue that hits your budget is media cost.

DV/HDV tape: About $2.50/hr in bulk (Panasonic pro PQ) ... plus tape is its own backup.

SD (class 6): About $25-30/hr ... this adds up