I am a still photographer who needs to branch into video for a specific purpose, my high school daughter's possible soccer 'career.' I need to shoot a 'season-long' video of her to submit to possible college coaches.
I have attempted to gather up as much knowledge and info as I could through this forum however I have specific concerns regarding the equipment for this specific task which I can not find.
I feel that my specific needs may be (based upon my still photography experiences and attempting to forecast into video):

Highly reliable Auto Focus
High level Optical Zoom (preferably with manual adjustment capability)
High level image stability
Very good low light performance (a lot of games go into dusk)
The use of an actual view finder (not limited to only a live-view screen)
File type compatible with Mac software (MPEG4)

I would prefer a cam which is easily adjusted (particularly the optical zoom) and any other adjustments needed in actual shooting.

Is there anyone out there who does a lot of sports shooting who can suggest a camera based upon my perceived needs as outlined above? I thank you for help.

-Damon

i've done some work for a company that promotes high school athletes to college coaches, in order to get college scholarships.

i shot some football games for them, with a canon xl1s, recording to a firestore fs4 hard drive recorder... since there is a lot of stopping and starting, with a tape-based camera you'll be putting lots of wear on the heads, when the camera is in pause.

you really don't need hi-def, since it's going to go onto sd dvd, and you'll want to do some web stuff as well... do you have any video friends that are selling good used gear like the xl1s? or xl2? 16x zoom is really nice.

the ideal specs would be something like 15x optical zoom, never use digital zoom, with optical image stabilization, and a 3-ccd block.

how are you set for editing? if you have a fast computer and some money to spend, you might consider the panasonic hmc150, because it has a 3-ccd block, but it's upwards of $3500, and the zoom is limited to 13x or so.

for the cheap cmos avchd hd camcorders like my hf11, 12x zoom is usually about the max, but canon sells a 1.6x(?) multiplier, if you need it... i think that you could get away with the 12x, although shooting from the stands to the goals would be pushing it.

Thank you for your reply OSV.

I have checked out the cams you had suggested and I think that for practicality and price, I will look closer at the Canon Vixia HF11. Thank you for the link to the review as well.

I did not think about the possibility of using a tele-converter, but that is a good option if I find the 12x limiting. I usually balk at that thought in still photography because even with great optics, the tele-converter degrades the IQ as well as light gathering concerns (especially important in action/sports). However, I am under the impression that TC's may not have as much an adverse affect in video.

I will be right on the sidelines so maybe the 12x will be enough, however, based upon my still photography experience, it is best to be at a 'head-on' position in the corner of the goal end. That way the orientation is head-on rather than lateral. Shots of someone's backside, shooting on goal or making a good play are much less impressive most of the time.

Anyone else have experience with a camera for this application? Please advise.

The Canon HF-11 does not have a viewfinder, one of the criteria you outlined in your original post.

Thanks for the heads-up regarding the viewfinder. Any suggestions of another cam which gets me closest to what I'm looking for?


The Canon HF-11 does not have a viewfinder, one of the criteria you outlined in your original post.

statsdaman,

Although shooting in HD for sports is not a necessity by any means, the Sony HDR-SR11 appears to have promise. The "Official Sony HDR-SR11/12 Thread", #post14198158, discusses many of its pros and cons. Seems like a decent quality camcorder for about $850 (Costco).

I'm also in the market for a good camcorder for my son-in-law's lacrosse games and practices. No experience with any of these camcorders ..... yet......

Hope we can both find one that meets our needs.

i do a lot of drag racing photography, and i use 1/2500 shutter speed... definitely no room there for a tc on my pentax... tc on the hf11 would be a concern for low light stuff, i haven't measured the attenuation... plus, when you zoom wide all the way, there is serious vignetting.

one thing to think about with these little cameras is that you'll want to use a monopod, at the minimum... the advantage to shooting with a flip-out lcd screen instead of a viewfinder is that you can track the action easier in certain situations, you don't have to pull the camera away from your eye.