Needing some help finding a new video camera, mainly for filming youth sports (mostly football)

I dont know anything about cameras and the jargon is too much for me to understand.

Basically want some easy to use and connect to a tv to view. No need to live stream. Would like to stay around $1k or under.

Also, with everything being digital now, can you pause recording? I’m worried that when I pause the recording it’s going to start a new digital file every time. Then when I go back to view the film it won’t play back continuously, if that makes sense.

Any recs would be much appreciated

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Posted by Lonnie Utah

Utah!

Member since Jul 2012

28864 posts

Posted on 9/17/24 at 10:29 pm to GoldenSombrero

quote:
Needing some help finding a new video camera, mainly for filming youth sports (mostly football)

First off, nobody uses straight video cameras any more. They use a regular camera and use it to shoot video. I would recommend some sort of mirrorless camera like that Sony A6400 with the 18-135mm lens. It will set you back about $1100 - $1200. It truly is a do it all solution.

What's your budget?

quote:
I’m worried that when I pause the recording it’s going to start a new digital file every time.

It's going to do this, but it's not as big a deal as you think it is.

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Posted by GoldenSombrero

Member since Sep 2010

2700 posts

Posted on 9/18/24 at 8:14 am to Lonnie Utah

quote:
First off, nobody uses straight video cameras any more. They use a regular camera and use it to shoot video. I would recommend some sort of mirrorless camera like that Sony A6400 with the 18-135mm lens. It will set you back about $1100 - $1200. It truly is a do it all solution. What's your budget?

Thanks did not know this. Budget is $1k-$1.5k. Guess I understand why my local camera store didn’t have any actual video cameras for sale.

Regarding the playback. How would I watch a football game if every 15 sec clip is its own file? Do the cameras you mention playback everything you film, from one to the next? The cheap one I bought on Amazon does not. I have to scroll and push play on each file separately. So I either have to do that or leave the camera running.

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Posted by wheelr

Banned

Member since Jul 2012

5800 posts

Posted on 9/18/24 at 8:50 am to GoldenSombrero

If all you want is video (no photos) and you don't care about a 'cinematic' look, a traditional camcorder may be what you want.

They are still popular for gun-n-go situations because of their simplicity and ergonomics. They also usually have something like a 20x zoom lens for reaching across a football field.

If you are shooting sports at night or indoors, you need to check low light performance.

Some of the cheaper ones are in your price range.
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/products/Pro-Camcorders-Cameras/ci/1881?sort=PRICE_LOW_TO_HIGH

Just to push the point home, Sony just last month released new camcorders. Right in the copy it says "ideal for capturing sporting events..."
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/explora/video/news/sony-announces-pxw-z200-and-hxr-nx800-4k-camcorders

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