Camera equipment to record trainings and matches

This user has no status.
This user has no status.
Member
May 2011
122
72
216
Read 3 reviews
Hi everyone

I would like to start recording some matches of mine, and some trainings. Just for fun, and also to adjust some mistakes I make. So much easier to see frmo yourself on video.

Is there anyone who can recommend what type of camera,...? Not too expensive, just regular quality is fine. I am absolutely a noob in this, so I would appreciate the help for sure.

Thanks

Filip
 
This user has no status.
This user has no status.
Member
Jun 2016
131
127
395
I agree with using your smartphone, if it's modern enough.
I tried finding a DSLR or semi-professional camera / camcorder, but the killer feature for table tennis recordings is 60 fps and getting 60 fps with Full HD is still exotic or at least very expensive with camcorders / cameras.


- get a cheap tripod, that's tall enough, like this one:

https://www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-60-Inch-Lightweight-Tripod-Bag/dp/B005KP473Q/

- get a check smartphone tripod mount, like this one (you can probably find cheaper ones on ebay):

https://www.amazon.com/Manfrotto-Mount-Universal-Cell-Phone/dp/B0169SORDW/

If your using Android and getting simple MP4 video files, you can then use the free software AviDemux (http://avidemux.sourceforge.net/) to cut out unnecessary parts of your video (trust me, your viewers want this!)

By using this setup you're able to record much better videos then ITTF in no time and with very little money investment:

I'm using a Samsung S9+ for this example:

 

JST

This user has no status.

JST

This user has no status.
Member
Nov 2017
280
191
1,259
I'm using for my personal use just phone (some cheap Xiaomi in <200$ range), cheap tripod (I got it many years ago, it's something in ~50$ range) and holder from Aliexpress for 5$ (I personally love this one: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Uni...Handy-Promotion-phone-holder/32836404373.html ). It works great, I record from the corner of the field and unless there are people jumping around the tripod it holds well. Recording 30-minute or even longer training sequence is no problem (just limited by SD card space).
 
This user has no status.
This user has no status.
Active Member
Aug 2016
869
1,202
2,883
I generally record with an old camera I have which is a Cannon Elph 300 HS. Think it sells for less than 100 bucks. But it does 1080p.


My buddy records on his phone and I hate it. Video quality is awful. You can get a cheap 1080p camera that should do the job. I don't particularly recommend my cannon because it only records for 10 minutes at a time before turning off. I've verified with other owners and it does that with theirs also. So after every game I have to go over and stop & restart the recording usually saying game count so I can keep it straight.

I'm not big on action cameras as some of them have a pretty bad fisheye effect although you can cut that down on a lot of them in the settings. But to my knowledge, action cameras don't have zoom either. Trust me it's nice as you're allowed to keep your camera further back.

Just some final thoughts:
- Always record on a tripod. I've seen people put their phones on tables propped up and that's basically unwatchable.
- Always record in landscape. I don't know why there are still people out there who record in portrait by default. SMH at those folks.
- I like to try to record diagonally to the open side of the table. For example. I'm left handed. Well if I recorded from the back right, as a penholder you wouldn't see the action so place the camera accordingly.
- A little editing like showing the score in your video matches is a nice touch IMO.
- Pay attention to your backdrops. If you're playing with a white ball and the backdrop is also white, it might be hard to see in some of your footage.
 
  • Like
Reactions: JST
This user has no status.
This user has no status.
Well-Known Member
Aug 2017
1,069
505
2,458
Thanks for the feedback.

I have got a I phone X, so this might work. But is it not a problem to store the data? I mean, the length of the video's is pretty long...

Of course it will work. And of course you will have problems with data. It's not as if you could put an extra SD card in I-phone :D
 

JST

This user has no status.

JST

This user has no status.
Member
Nov 2017
280
191
1,259
Of course it will work. And of course you will have problems with data. It's not as if you could put an extra SD card in I-phone :D

But that is easy: you can tell in few minutes how much FullHD takes on your expensive phone without SD slot and then you can see from your available space if your training fits or if you need to delete some pictures of your last 365 lunch plates you needed to share on the instagram... indeed buying 100$ camera just for this might be another quick solution. In every case tripod is good investment.
 
This user has no status.
This user has no status.
Well-Known Member
Feb 2018
1,088
754
2,410
Read 2 reviews
I've only done recordings 2-3 times but my old i-phone 6s 64gb works great. The recordings that I've done have been about 30 minutes and the quality is great (1080p). Upload it to Youtube once you're done and just delete the original file if you have got an issue with space on your phone.

I bought a cheap 1,2m DSLR tripod for about 15€ and a small adapter for smartphones for another 4€.
 
  • Like
Reactions: JST
Top