Comprehensive Camera for Filming your Golf Swing Thread

[Beachcomber]

I use my iPhone 4 which is 30fps.  If you have the right software to playback the video installed on your computer... Then you can play back the swing at speeds as slow as 0.2x.  I just posted this in another thread, but I'll post it here as well.

With my iPhone 4 and the Protosports holster... I'm able to take quality HD video without the camera moving around.  This holster is awesome.

Here is a pro tip to help with playback... For video playback on my notebook... I import the video from my iPhone, and then I use a piece of free software from VideoLAN.  The VLC player (free download) is awesome - and allows playback speeds of 0.2x (very slow) and makes it easy for me to pause the frames at the positions from A1 to A8, so that I can take screen shots to get photos of my swing sequence (see below).

Why spend money on a high speed camera?  This is the power of the iPhone?!  Yes it is.  And with the Protosports holster, you can take some very nice video of your swing without worrying about camera movement.

[JetFan1983]

I own the EX-FH100 and yes it's very good. The only downside (as I discovered this weekend for the first time) is when it's really, really bright out, it's difficult to see the LCD screen. So you have to walk and find some shade to see minute details of your swing.

I bought it in 2010 for $225, but then Casio discontinued their line and all of their prices shot up like crazy. The EX-FH100 is now $800 new on Amazon. If you can get a used one on ebay or something I'd recommend it since it's small and fits easily in my golf bag. In-camera editing is easy, and it's battery lasts a really long time. If you do get it, just make sure you get like an 8GB memory card.

[ejimsmith]

amazon gives good info on both these cameras.  i was curious myself, since i'd like to find a cheap camera that would take good video.  both the 110HS and 310HS claims this feature:

Super Slow Motion
The Super Slow Motion Movie mode* on the PowerShot ELPH 110 HS gives you a fun and useful option when shooting videos. It records video clips at a very high speed—up to approximately 240 frames per second. When the clips are played at normal speed (30 fps), the action is dramatically slower. This video shooting mode can be used to capture memorable plays at sporting events or to analyze and study motion.

*Records 640 x 480 pixels at 120 fps and 320 x 420 pixels at 240 fps.

Unfortunately, I'm tapped out on my golf purchases for a while... :(

[iacas]

Originally Posted by Beachcomber

I use my iPhone 4 which is 30fps.  If you have the right software to playback the video installed on your computer... Then you can play back the swing at speeds as slow as 0.2x.  I just posted this in another thread, but I'll post it here as well.

The playback speed is irrelevant. You're not magically getting the frames between #27 and #28. You can view 10 FPS video at one frame a minute if you want, but 10 FPS is not nearly good enough to record a golf swing.

Frame rate matters. 120 is a realistic minimum, with 200+ being more ideal.

Any video shot anywhere can play back at whatever manual rate (one frame every time you press the arrow button on your keyboard) you want.

[evre1golf]

Thanks everyone for replying. Would love to have Casio ex-fh100 but it is out of my price range (over $500).

I am looking to buy Canon powershot Elph 110 hs or Canon powershot Elph 310 hs for recording the golf swing. I looked at the specs of these two cameras. Both the cameras can record video at 120fps and 240fps. Can someone answer the question If shutter speed (1/1000th second or faster) is adjustable on Canon powershot Elph 110 hs or Canon powershot Elph 310 hs while recording video in 120 fps or 240fps frame rate mode?

[evre1golf]

I am looking to buy Canon powershot Elph 110 hs or Canon powershot Elph 310 hs for recording the golf swing. I looked at the specs of these two cameras. Both the cameras can record video at the frame rate of 120fps and 240fps.

Does anyone know If shutter speed (1/1000th second or faster) can be adjusted manually in Elph 110 hs or Elph 310 hs while recording golf swing at the frame rate of120 fps and 240fps ? Manual adjustable Shutter speed is a must to avoid golf club blurring during the down swing.

I am not considering Casio high speed cameras because Casio HS cameras are difficult to find and too expensive (over $500).

[Beachcomber]

Originally Posted by iacas

The playback speed is irrelevant. You're not magically getting the frames between #27 and #28. You can view 10 FPS video at one frame a minute if you want, but 10 FPS is not nearly good enough to record a golf swing.

Frame rate matters. 120 is a realistic minimum, with 200+ being more ideal.

Any video shot anywhere can play back at whatever manual rate (one frame every time you press the arrow button on your keyboard) you want.

I'm aware that 120 is realistic - especially to catch the true alignments at A5 to A7.  But with a 30fps iPhone camera... I can get a pretty damn good idea of what is going on.  And with the right playback software (VLC which is free) - an amatuer or every day golfer can analyze their swing on the cheap.

And lest be honest... Most folks have smartphones with 30fps HD or FullHD cameras built into them - and the iPhone 4S has a software mod that can make it operate at 60fps (better than the iPhone4 and Flip cameras I've been using).  So my point was... Using a smartphone... And getting the proper playback tools - I don't feel that I need to go out and buy a special camera to just film my swings at the range.

Why spend money on a camera - when 90% of us have a very capable video camera in our phone.

[iacas]

Originally Posted by Beachcomber

Why spend money on a camera - when 90% of us have a very capable video camera in our phone.

Because if you're a serious golfer 60 FPS doesn't really cut it all the time. At 4.6 the motions you're working on are still fairly "large scale" and not the minutiae or smaller moves that better players tend to want. But you're pretty close to the threshold where the smaller moves a 30 or 60 FPS camera will miss will become important.

90%? Yes. But 90% of golfers aren't 3.0's.

Pedantic stuff: if the clubhead is moving 80 MPH, it will travel 117 feet in a second and thus almost two feet per 1/60th of a second. You can miss impact by a foot on each side pretty easily.

[inthecup]

Here is video using the Casio  EXFH-100

http://www.smugmug.com/gallery/17350217_fDVwzg#!i=1318410358&k;=xRQz5m5&lb;=1&s;=A

[evre1golf]

Casio ex-FH100 will be nice but it it too expensive for me (over $500)

Can some one confirm that Canon Elph 110 hs or Elph 310 hs (or even 100 hs, 300 hs, 500 hs ,510 hs) has manually adjustable shutter speed (1/1000th second or faster) when golf swing is recorded at the frame rate of120 fps and 240fps ?

thanks.

[inthecup]

Can't you download the manual and read it?

[evre1golf]

Canon elph 110 hs and 310 hs Manuals talk about adjustable shutter speed but it is not clear whether shutter speed can be adjusted in recording video at 120fps and 240fps. Most of digital camera manuals are clear about pictures settings but not as much about video settings.

For example: Casio ex-fh100 has adjustable shutter speed in video recording. So i will assume that latest model casio ex-zr-100 will have adjustable shutter speed in video recording but zr100 does not have adjustable shutter speed in video recording. Someone just can not figure that out by looking at the camera manual untill someone try the camera .

If someone has used the Canon elph 110 hs and 310 hs for golf swing recording, they can tell whether shutter speed can be adjusted in recording video at 120fps and 240fps.

[newtogolf]

I've used the elph 300hs to record my swing video's here.  It works fine, the biggest issue is at highest speed the resolution drops to 320x240.

[iacas]

Originally Posted by evre1golf

If someone has used the Canon elph 110 hs and 310 hs for golf swing recording, they can tell whether shutter speed can be adjusted in recording video at 120fps and 240fps.

It doesn't look like anyone has.

Buy it from Best Buy, try it, and return it later the same day if it doesn't have adjustable shutter speeds. Or, better yet, ask them to play with one of the in-store demo models and tell them you'll buy it if it has that feature.

How's that?

[iacas]

http://thesandtrap.com/t/56325/good-camera-for-recording-golf-swing-taking-pictures/#post_688469

http://thesandtrap.com/t/60469/my-swing-tiger187126/#post_752942

There, ask those people.

[evre1golf]

thanks everyone.

[AnthonyJames]

EX-FC200S http://www.casio-intl.com/asia-mea/en/dc/ex_fc200s/ http://www.casio-intl.com/asia-mea/en/dc/ex_fc200s/spec/ Made for golf. video specs: Movies:FHD : 1920 x1080(30fps) / HD : 1280x720(15fps) / STD:640x480(30fps) / HS1000:224×64(1000fps) / HS 480 : 224 x160(480fps) / HS 240 : 512 x384(240fps) / HS 120 : 640 x480(120fps) / HS 30-240 : 512 x384(30 to 240fps) / HS 30-120 : 640 x480(30 to 120fps) about 450 from ebay -- not yet sold in US regularly. And I cannot see the club face at impact or even really see impact at all. Not sure how any camera under $1000 can. I see about as well as i used to with my 30fps Casio and wiht my iphone. Maybe i'm not doing it right? Regardless, 30fps or this are great for seeing swing path.

[darkhunter139]

I am thinking about getting the GoPro Hero 3 Silver edition so I decided to bump this thread and see if anyone has tried one to film a golf swing yet? It does 120 FPS at 848x480 resolution and 60 fps at 720p.  The black edition actually does 240 fps but its $100 more.

So anyone using one of these to film with? Seems like it would be really convenient and easy to setup as well.