[jaymzuk]

Hi all,

I have a question to throw out to all the knowledgeable peeps on the forum.

I'm currently competing in tenpin bowling, and in order to help me practice and analyse my game, I'm looking at purchasing a cheap digital camcorder to record me competing and practicing.

From previous threads, I've gathered a couple of decent cameras (Toshiba H20, Panasonic S15), but I'm wondering if these types of cameras would cope well with the light levels found at bowling alleys.

I've found the H20 on offer at pixmania for £125, but if people have any recommendations for camcorders that might be better suited, I'd be grateful for the advice.

Thanks

[jlearmonth]

Not an expert on Camcorders but would suggest given your requirements
1) Make sure it has a tripod mount
2) Buy a cheap lightweight triipod off ebay.
3) Some form of optical zoom, don't go over board x5 is OK.
4) While HD sounds nice I guess you can get a nice none HD for much less and probably better quality.
5) My old Camcorder had a remote control could start stop and zoom. Could be useful in your areana.
6) Take a memory stick to your choosen shop and ask if they can do some inside examples. Perhaps a few cameras. Then take it home and compare on your "good" monitor.
Hope this helps

[A n d r e w]

The lighting in bowling alleys is atrocious, so you'll definitely want something with a decent sized sensor - at least 1/4-inch or larger (1/6" or smaller will result in noisy, fuzzy pictures). The problem is that larger sensors cost more money, so I'm not sure what you might find within your budget.

How do you intend to view your video? Unless your PC is pretty up to date you may struggle to view high definition video.