Any Video Experts out there?

[turtleback]

I am a complete newby to the world of video so I am hoping that if I explain my application someone out there can give me some advice or direction.

I want to be able to mount a camera in a fixed position to record the play on a billiard table. I want the table to fill most of the field of view without distortion. I tried with a sports action camera and it did not work because if I was close enough to get the table filling the image I got tons of curvature distortion.

Other parameters:

1) needs to be light enough to allow for easy mounting 

2) should have the connection for a tripod

3) wireless control or remote control would be a plus but not a necessity

4) at least 720p video

5) clear sound and picture

6) and this is the most important: inexpensive.

Most of the cameras I've looked at have all kinds of features that I really do not need. I want to get the best quality video I can get for an application that involves no changing light condition, no movement of the camera, nothing tricky. I just want to put it in place and leave it there and just be able to turn it on and off, and have a way of recording (or transmitting to a computer for recording) the video, with good clarity.

Preferably for under $100, but if I have to go higher I might.

Thanks for any help you can give me.

[ZappyAd]

Do you mean like the sort of thing you would see if watching a cue sport on tv (this is snooker obviously but same principle).  I think the main problem is that the table is vertically long and the video frame is horizontally long so you need to get the right perspective to fit as much in as possible without the table looking too flat or without too much space on either side.

If you are going for this type of perspective then I think mounting the camera is going to be a big issue.  It looks like it needs to be pretty high up to get the right angle for the perspective and so how much space you have in the room around your table will be important.  You might be able to use a tripod but then the spread of the legs will probably get in your way when playing shots at the black ball end of the table.  Plus the tripod would have to be pretty tall the further it gets away from the table.  You could use a boom but they can be susceptible to vibration (from walking around etc).   Wall or ceiling mounting might make more sense.  Or even going for a full overhead with the camera oriented the same way as the table (HD is 16:9 and I guess a snooker table would be 16:8 so quite similar)

In all cases though you are going to have hassle every time you need to touch the camera (change batteries / memory card, reset something etc).  So it might make more sense to go for some kind of web cam attached to your computer with a long lead, or maybe via a wireless USB hub (like a security web cam).  All you would need then is power and a wifi network.  

For audio if you have the camera way back and in the air then it is going to be difficult to get good audio, especially if you are facing a different way when taking a shot or something.  A cheap lav mic hooked up to a phone or recorder (if you have one) that you carry in your pocket would probably be better, although that might get interference when you take a shot as it would be mounted in the chest/neck area.  Probably a headset mic would be even better.

Ultimately it will depend on what you want to use the footage for - if it is just for personal consumption then webcam would be fine.  For YouTube or something else then a webcam might not have enough quality and you would need probably to go above your budget to get some kind of camcorder that you could wire up with connections to power and computer.

[iacas]

I would think you could go for a direct overhead view. It's inevitable that you're going to get some distortion but directly overhead would do well… If you could get far enough away. That's the key, as I see it - being able to get far enough away that you're not relying on a 130° FOV or something.

[Club Rat]

Another option to consider is a wireless security camera. It could mount easily above the center of a table, controlled by phone or tablet, or laptop. The cost is inexpensive.

Below is the Zmodo Wireless Mini 720p HD IP WiFi Network Home Security Camera Two-Way Audio sells for $39 on Ebay. You could also broadcast a live stream to friends, cast the video to TV's. Other products:Funlux 720P HD Wireless WiFi IP Network 2-Way-Audio Surveillance Security Camera - iSmart 1.0MP HD720P P2P Night View Home Network WiFi Wireless IP Security Camera

 

 

[DaveP043]

Like @iacas, I also thought of mounting it directly above the table.  This angle would also minimize the potential for the player's body to block the view of the action on the table itself.  On the other hand, I know that at home my pool light is pretty close to the table, maybe 3 feet above the surface.  To get the entire table into the view means a pretty wide angle setting, and brings in some of the curvature and distortion that becomes objectionable.  If you have enough room to make it work, I think the wireless security cams that @Club Rat suggests would work really well.  Wifi connection means no wires, no disturbing the camera to download the files, etc.

[turtleback]

22 hours ago, DaveP043 said:

Like @iacas, I also thought of mounting it directly above the table.  This angle would also minimize the potential for the player's body to block the view of the action on the table itself.  On the other hand, I know that at home my pool light is pretty close to the table, maybe 3 feet above the surface.  To get the entire table into the view means a pretty wide angle setting, and brings in some of the curvature and distortion that becomes objectionable.  If you have enough room to make it work, I think the wireless security cams that @Club Rat suggests would work really well.  Wifi connection means no wires, no disturbing the camera to download the files, etc.

I'm responding to this message but I read and appreciated everyone's thoughts.  I tried the "right above the table" angle with the gopro clone and it was just too close (because of the light).  The sides of the table were very curved.

I have considered both a webcam and a security type camera.  My concerns with them is whether the balance between no distortion and having the table occupy most of the field of view will be OK.  I actually have a really cheap webcam on order in order to see how that work.  If it looks like it works I can always get a better one.  The security camera idea is very intriguing because of the wireless and broadcast aspect of it.

With the security camera approach, can anyone give me an idea how far away the camera would have to be from the table (which is a 5x10, BTW)?  There is also the issue that I think these have t be plugged in, rather than operate on battery.  That could be problem, as this isn't for home, and I need to check outlet availability.  

I know that I am not going to get the kind of quality that professional pool/biliards/snooker broadcasts have or anything close.  Mostly I want the videos for entertainment - reliving unusually nice shots, and personal study.

Thanks for your ideas and please, keep them coming if you think of other considerations or suggestions.