New camcorder

[Nick Boots]

I’m about to purchase my first camcorder primarily to record motocross bikes from trackside,

Looking for advice as to what camcorder will do the job as there’s such a large choice ?

I’m after 4K quality, Possibly external microphone ? Any advice really ?Budget is up to £1k Possibly abit more,
Thanks in advance

 

[Terfyn]

Choose any from the "big three" Canon, Panasonic, Sony and you won't go far wrong.
Are you able to process and view 4K or would HD be better?

If you are looking at a camera mounted mic then a short shotgun electret condenser mic should work OK.
I use a BOYA BY-VM190P, it comes complete with two wind muffs which you will need when filming outside.

 

[Emerton]

Agree with Terfyn, also factor in a fluid head tripod, or at least a monopod if that's too bulky to carry around.

 

[chrishull3]

I’m about to purchase my first camcorder primarily to record motocross bikes from trackside,

Looking for advice as to what camcorder will do the job as there’s such a large choice ?

I’m after 4K quality, Possibly external microphone ? Any advice really ?Budget is up to £1k Possibly abit more,
Thanks in advance

Definitely go 4k if you can edit it,most pcs can now,also a bridge camera like Panasonics FZ1000 which is a an old model should not be dismissed they are great allrounders.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ1000 Bridge Camera, 4K Ultra HD, 20.1MP, 16x Optical Zoom, Wi-Fi, NFC, OLED Viewfinder, 3" Screen

Buy Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ1000 Bridge Camera, 4K Ultra HD, 20.1MP, 16x Optical Zoom, Wi-Fi, NFC, OLED Viewfinder, 3" Screen from our Cameras range at John Lewis & Partners. Free Delivery on orders over £50.

www.johnlewis.com

 

[Nick Boots]

Ok thanks,

I’ve been looking at something like Sony’s AX53 if it will do the job or AX100 or possibly even the AX700 ?

 

[Terfyn]

I like my monopod. It also acts as a trekking pole.
A tripod would need a free fluid head to follow the action, my Velbon would be a bit slow. This is why I personally would go for the monopod.
The advantages: It would remove any vertical shake while not impeding a rapid pan to follow the action.

I carry a velcro strap to fix the monopod to any fence or small tree. It still retains the ability to rotate quickly while supporting the camera.

 

[12harry]

Before you spend £ots of money you need to establish the route from lens to audience. Others touched on this but raw footage can be a bit boring and there will be times when you'll realise there wasn't anything interesting in view.
Ideally pre-Covid19, I'd suggest joining a film-making club, where there are many folks with camcorders and too much advice . . esp. if you "don't know" - which is most of us at one time.

Audio is usually tricky, but I suspect motocross will be rather loud, so for the moment you only need to be sure the camcorder has an "Ext mic socket" - but wait until you gain some experience at the track-side. Get a filter-glass ( UV cheapo will do to protect the lens/shutter from grit/damp. and practice, practice . View your stuff on a large TV to judge if it's sharp, smooth and acceptable.

In some respects I suspect a cheapo "Action" camera would be better, since you can buy 2/or 3 and place them to get different viewpoints . . . the snag being you may not find anywhere to attach them and their wide-angle view can be rather uninteresting...unless you are attached to the bike.. OR close-to-the-action. They tend to be more robust than a camcorder, which could be unsuited to a "rough" situation. Their audio is usually poor, so a separate recording device may be in order. These are digital and record to SD Memory. A "Zoom" basic is about £80.
You will need to Edit the footage to make it interesting, and learning how to do it may take a while... there are plenty of Video Editors about and we all have our favourites...it comes down to cost... Perfectly good from £50 and you can pay over £50/month "Subscription" for the very best... but these can be tricky to learn ... better to go with one a friend uses as they can assist .
You'll need a reasonably good PC to run it, 64-bit with lots of Memory and pref at least two HDDs. 4K recording ups the cost and memory usage. HD may be acceptable( and is more forgiving.).. and probably easier to project.

Covid19 has blown all filming interest for me and I wonder that motocross is still in operation...

However, good luck with yr choice of gear.

 

[Terfyn]

Covid19 has blown all filming interest for me and I wonder that motocross is still in operation...

Come on Harry - its not all bad. Get out there with your camera.
My only frustration is that, before the first lockdown, I filmed an event with many friends at Menai Science Park. After editing the video I was "closed down" with the first lockdown and we have yet to meet again. Still I am continuing to film for my own interest.

 

[Gordon Streeter]

I have been making films since the mid 60s, first on 8mm then S8mm film. I switched to "video" in the late 70s with a very heavy camera and separate VHS recorder that cost a fortune. I then bought a Sony video camera that took a cassette that was more portable and used that through the 80s, and then started to use the small digital taped camcorders that started to appear. I then bought a Panasonic HDC SD 700 that was "amazing" that produced brilliant HD quality that changed the playing field. !
I now have 3 HDC SD 900 and 1 HCVXF990 4k Panasonic camcorders plus a GoPro for multi camera shots. Most of the time I will shoot in 1080p unless I know that I might need to "blow up" some of the scenes in post and then I use 4k. Having been making films for over 50 years I find the camera gear that you can get now for "peanuts" in comparison to what you had to pay all those years back is terrific and the quality absolutely amazing. Feel free to take a look at my "GStree" YouTube site

 

[gingerale90]

I am more into photography then into video recording but maybe this article could help finding the right camcorder for you: 4k Kamera: Test & Empfehlungen (01/21) | FOTOSPRING. I know the article is in german but you can translate it easy in english by using Google Translator or DeepL as translating tool. It is just to give you a short overlook about the topic so that you can find the best 4k camcorder for you.

 

[Gordon Streeter]

I am more into photography then into video recording but maybe this article could help finding the right camcorder for you: 4k Kamera: Test & Empfehlungen (01/21) | FOTOSPRING. I know the article is in german but you can translate it easy in english by using Google Translator or DeepL as translating tool. It is just to give you a short overlook about the topic so that you can find the best 4k camcorder for you.

The camcorder that is advertised on the Amazon site is a cheap and cheerful model that is branded by several other names and can be bought for about £40 if you shop around, and I wouldn't touch it with a bargepole. I'm afraid you only get what you pay for in life and unless you only want it for "baby on the lawn" type videos then I wouldn't want to recommend it to anyone who was intending to try and make good quality videos.