<p>Generally I see four options:</p>

<ul>
<li>DSLR / system cam (e.g. Canon EOS, Sony Alpha)</li>
<li>Compact camera (e.g. Fuji Film)</li>
<li>Action cam (e.g. GoPro)</li>
<li>Camcorder (e.g. Samsung HMX or Sony HDR)</li>
</ul>

<p>Before talking about solutions I would propose to think about the requirements. The following topics come to my mind:</p>

<ul>
<li><strong>Field of view</strong> - Do you want to cover the whole field only, or do you also want to zoom in on single players? Camcorders and compact cams may be limited in wide angle but often offer great zoom. Action cams normally don't zoom at all. DSLR is most flexible with the right objectives, but zooming may not be as easy to operate as with camcorders. Some compact cams stop sound recording while zooming, if that's an issue.</li>
<li><strong>Light</strong> - I suspect it may be a little dark in the gym? So high ISO values and good quality at high ISO values may be important, especially when zooming in.</li>
<li><strong>Unattended operation</strong> - Do you need to leave the cam unattended? You'd probably wouldn't want to leave a DSLR unattended.</li>
<li><strong>Recording time</strong> - battery life time is helpfull, the option to record with power supply may be even better. Also some cams stop recording after some minutes (e.g. EOS 600D after 12 mins HD recording).</li>
<li><strong>Focus</strong> - Many cameras focus on the nearest objects in their field of view. This could be the spectators, not the players. So the camera should offer a deep depth of focus, or the option to manually set the focus.</li>
<li><strong>Quality</strong> - Do you need still images? Which would require you to set a short shutter time. High ISO values would be even more important then.</li>
<li><strong>Display</strong> - Where do you want to watch the recordings? If directly from the camera, you'll need an HDMI output or something similiar. Some Camcorder even offer an integrated beamer, so you could watch the recording directly in the fitting room without any further equipment. And you'll probably don't want to show the whole game, just parts of it? So you might want convenient fast-forward/rewind features. Some cams even offer very limited postprocessing capabilities, so you could cut away the uninteresting parts of the game.</li>
</ul>

<p>Accessories:</p>

<ul>
<li><p>A tripod may definitely be a good idea, but it needs its space. A smaller device to fix your camera to e.g. a fence may be even more appropriate (e.g. Gorilla pod). If you go for a tripod make sure it's high enough and strong enough to hold the weight of your cam.</p></li>
<li><p>Memory Card - it must be fast enough. If it's not, it may stop the recording in the middle of the game. How fast? Depends on the video format of your recording.</p></li>
<li><p>Replacement batteries</p></li>
</ul>

<p>Summary:
Assuming you don't want to zoom in and you want to leave the camera unattended somewhere, I tend to agree with AJ Henderson: An action cam might be the best way to go. Add a gorilla pod to fix the camera somewhere, get a big and fast memeory card and make sure the recording/battery life time fits your needs.
For more sophisticated use cases a Camcorder with integrated beamer, power supply, strong wide angle, high ISO plus a tripod may the right choice.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-06-03T14:08:42.907Z
Welcome to Video Production.SE. Great detailed answer that covers all the bases well.
AJ Henderson
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-06-03T08:11:38.617Z
2014-06-03T08:11:38.617Z
nwsp
<p>You may want to look at an action camera like the GoPro.  They are extremely limited in terms of versatility, but they are small, cheap (relatively speaking) and capture a wide field of view.  They wouldn't be suitable for broadcast use or making videos for fans, but they would be terrific at unattended capturing all the action from multiple angles to be able to review after the game to see what happened.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-05-14T02:57:49.470Z
2014-05-14T02:57:49.470Z
AJ Henderson
<p>I have used the GoPro Hero+ LCD for basketball Games and even edited them in the GoPro Editor and they are just fine.</p>

<p>https://youtu.be/XJgiQzz3mmI</p>

<p>I would like to know how to make it not as blurry though. Not too bad</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-01-08T11:47:02.727Z
Any "action cam" like a gopro, works in a fully automatic exposure mode. This means that in a dark stadium for a basketball game, the camera will make each frame expose to light for a bit longer. This results in a brighter image but also streaking or smearing of movement.
3pointedit
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-01-07T20:19:24.053Z
2016-01-07T20:19:24.053Z
Cory Ohse
<p>What features should I be looking for in a camera (typically found in cameras less than $1000) for shooting a high school basketball game?  The intent is to use the video for "Game Film" type analysis (so picture quality for rebroadcasting purposes is not as important).  </p>

<p>Some things I have noticed already (borrowing cameras from friends) </p>

<ul>
<li>Tripod is very helpful</li>
<li>Most cameras wont cover the whole court (from top bleacher position) in a single shot. (Is there a feature of the camera or tripod that would make this less painful, wide angle?)</li>
<li>Long battery life (1.5 hours)</li>
</ul>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-10-13T22:54:23.033Z
which solution did you end up using?
Crashalot
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-10-14T05:17:51.260Z
@Crashalot went with the camcorder and the tripod.  Not the best solution for basketball since you constantly have to swing the camcorder on the tripod from one end of the court to the other.  But we have been making it work for a few years now.
Matt Johnson
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-10-14T06:49:29.500Z
So someone has to manually control the camera? Or is this automated? Where do you position the camera -- sounds like midcourt? Looking into a solution for you, though have you tried a GoPro?
Crashalot
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-10-18T17:28:55.777Z
We position the Camera at midcourt and somebody has to manually move it from side to side.  We setup stops before the game on the tripod to make this easier.  I have a GoPro and it also does not have enough field of view to see the whole court, when placed at midcourt.
Matt Johnson
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-11-14T07:50:00.910Z
Hi Matt was having some email issues recently so not sure if you saw the last message sent last week? Thanks again for your help!
Crashalot
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-11-18T13:14:48.420Z
Checking email now.
Matt Johnson
<video><camera><field-recording>
Camera features useful when recording a live high school basketball game?
Matt Johnson
# Camera features useful when recording a live high school basketball game?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2014-05-13)

What features should I be looking for in a camera (typically found in cameras less than $1000) for shooting a high school basketball game? The intent is to use the video for "Game Film" type analysis (so picture quality for rebroadcasting purposes is not as important).

Some things I have noticed already (borrowing cameras from friends)

* Tripod is very helpful
* Most cameras wont cover the whole court (from top bleacher position) in a single shot. (Is there a feature of the camera or tripod that would make this less painful, wide angle?)
* Long battery life (1.5 hours)

**Tags:** video, camera, field-recording

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: which solution did you end up using?  
> **username_0**: @username_1 went with the camcorder and the tripod.  Not the best solution for basketball since you constantly have to swing the camcorder on the tripod from one end of the court to the other.  But we have been making it work for a few years now.  
> **username_1**: So someone has to manually control the camera? Or is this automated? Where do you position the camera -- sounds like midcourt? Looking into a solution for you, though have you tried a GoPro?  
> **username_0**: We position the Camera at midcourt and somebody has to manually move it from side to side.  We setup stops before the game on the tripod to make this easier.  I have a GoPro and it also does not have enough field of view to see the whole court, when placed at midcourt.  
> **username_1**: Hi Matt was having some email issues recently so not sure if you saw the last message sent last week? Thanks again for your help!  
> **username_0**: Checking email now.  

---

## 3 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2014-06-03. Score: 1 | Accepted answer

Generally I see four options:

* DSLR / system cam (e.g. Canon EOS, Sony Alpha)
* Compact camera (e.g. Fuji Film)
* Action cam (e.g. GoPro)
* Camcorder (e.g. Samsung HMX or Sony HDR)

Before talking about solutions I would propose to think about the requirements. The following topics come to my mind:

* **Field of view** - Do you want to cover the whole field only, or do you also want to zoom in on single players? Camcorders and compact cams may be limited in wide angle but often offer great zoom. Action cams normally don't zoom at all. DSLR is most flexible with the right objectives, but zooming may not be as easy to operate as with camcorders. Some compact cams stop sound recording while zooming, if that's an issue.
* **Light** - I suspect it may be a little dark in the gym? So high ISO values and good quality at high ISO values may be important, especially when zooming in.
* **Unattended operation** - Do you need to leave the cam unattended? You'd probably wouldn't want to leave a DSLR unattended.
* **Recording time** - battery life time is helpfull, the option to record with power supply may be even better. Also some cams stop recording after some minutes (e.g. EOS 600D after 12 mins HD recording).
* **Focus** - Many cameras focus on the nearest objects in their field of view. This could be the spectators, not the players. So the camera should offer a deep depth of focus, or the option to manually set the focus.
* **Quality** - Do you need still images? Which would require you to set a short shutter time. High ISO values would be even more important then.
* **Display** - Where do you want to watch the recordings? If directly from the camera, you'll need an HDMI output or something similiar. Some Camcorder even offer an integrated beamer, so you could watch the recording directly in the fitting room without any further equipment. And you'll probably don't want to show the whole game, just parts of it? So you might want convenient fast-forward/rewind features. Some cams even offer very limited postprocessing capabilities, so you could cut away the uninteresting parts of the game.

Accessories:

* A tripod may definitely be a good idea, but it needs its space. A smaller device to fix your camera to e.g. a fence may be even more appropriate (e.g. Gorilla pod). If you go for a tripod make sure it's high enough and strong enough to hold the weight of your cam.
* Memory Card - it must be fast enough. If it's not, it may stop the recording in the middle of the game. How fast? Depends on the video format of your recording.
* Replacement batteries

Summary:
Assuming you don't want to zoom in and you want to leave the camera unattended somewhere, I tend to agree with username_3: An action cam might be the best way to go. Add a gorilla pod to fix the camera somewhere, get a big and fast memeory card and make sure the recording/battery life time fits your needs.
For more sophisticated use cases a Camcorder with integrated beamer, power supply, strong wide angle, high ISO plus a tripod may the right choice.

> **Comments:**
> **username_3**: Welcome to Video Production.SE. Great detailed answer that covers all the bases well.  

---

### Answer by username_3 on 2014-05-14. Score: 1

You may want to look at an action camera like the GoPro. They are extremely limited in terms of versatility, but they are small, cheap (relatively speaking) and capture a wide field of view. They wouldn't be suitable for broadcast use or making videos for fans, but they would be terrific at unattended capturing all the action from multiple angles to be able to review after the game to see what happened.


---

### Answer by username_4 on 2016-01-07. Score: 0

I have used the GoPro Hero+ LCD for basketball Games and even edited them in the GoPro Editor and they are just fine.

https://youtu.be/XJgiQzz3mmI

I would like to know how to make it not as blurry though. Not too bad

> **Comments:**
> **username_5**: Any "action cam" like a gopro, works in a fully automatic exposure mode. This means that in a dark stadium for a basketball game, the camera will make each frame expose to light for a bit longer. This results in a brighter image but also streaking or smearing of movement.  

---

