Golf swing video

[Kormi]

Hello,

I am considering a new DSLR, and while not my main concern or factor, it would be nice if I could take videos of my golf swing for analysis with it. I noticed most DSLRs can take 60fps videos. Does anyone here have any experience with this? Is 60fps enough to see downswing in reasonable detail and number of frames?

TIA...

 

[Chas Tennis]

I'm not a golfer.

Let's say that the club head reaches as speed of 100 MPH. That is 1760 inches/second. Sampling at just 60 fps means that over that part of the swing with the highest club head speed you capture one frame every

1760"/s / 60 frames/s = 29.3" club head movement between each frame

It would be difficult to catch impact or the club head approaching close to impact.

Many important parts of the golf swing are much slower and continuous such as the body's motions or how the hands and wrists are moving. You would get a much better idea of what is going on for those slower objects with just 60 fps.

Some good news is that some DSLRs are now capable of setting very fast shutter speeds in 60 fps video mode, for example, 1/4000 sec. Motion blur can be made small for most objects although there is still considerable blur on the head of the golf club and ball.

1760"/s X (1/4000s) = 0.044"

Another issue of unknown significance until tested is the amount of Jello Effect distortion. For example, Jello Effect causes a false bending of the golf club when viewed from the side.

For details -

Search this Sport and Action Photography forum: Jello Effect + Distortion + Chas Tennis

See CasioTalk in these dpreview forums for many high speed video threads.

Search Internet- Casio Camera Thread

Search Internet- Kinovea + Basic High Speed Video Considerations and Cameras

Chas Tennis

 

[Chas Tennis]

..................................................................................
Some good news is that some DSLRs are now capable of setting very fast shutter speeds in 60 fps video mode, for example, 1/4000 sec. Motion blur can be made small for most objects although there is still considerable blur on the head of the golf club and ball.

1760"/s X (1/4000s) = 0.044"
CORRECTION 0.44 inches of motion blur.

...................................................................

Chas Tennis

 

[Kormi]

Hello Chas,

thank you for taking time to reply to my question.

First of all, I recently had my friend take video of my swing with iPhone 5 (30fps), and it was already very beneficial and showed be 6 or 7 frames of my downswing. So I though with 60fps I could be better of (even though not get perfect video).

Second, you're not quite right about the calculation of the club speed. The head of the club has the speed you say it does, but only in the final phase of the swing (near approaching the ball). For most of the swing's part, it's much slower and only gets faster in the final about 90 degrees of the curve. So even from this perspective, the camera with 60fps video should be OK. I'd still would like to hear from somebody with more experience.

Unfortunately, I need video. Taking picture in particular moment of the swing is nearly impossible, and you can only see most mistakes in the continuous swing, not individual picture.

However, I have looked at the searches you recommended, and they are very useful reading, thanks a lot for that!

Kormi

Chas Tennis wrote:

I'm not a golfer.

Let's say that the club head reaches as speed of 100 MPH. That is 1760 inches/second. Sampling at just 60 fps means that over that part of the swing with the highest club head speed you capture one frame every

1760"/s / 60 frames/s = 29.3" club head movement between each frame

It would be difficult to catch impact or the club head approaching close to impact.

Many important parts of the golf swing are much slower and continuous such as the body's motions or how the hands and wrists are moving. You would get a much better idea of what is going on for those slower objects with just 60 fps.

Some good news is that some DSLRs are now capable of setting very fast shutter speeds in 60 fps video mode, for example, 1/4000 sec. Motion blur can be made small for most objects although there is still considerable blur on the head of the golf club and ball.

1760"/s X (1/4000s) = 0.044"

Another issue of unknown significance until tested is the amount of Jello Effect distortion. For example, Jello Effect causes a false bending of the golf club when viewed from the side.

For details -

Search this Sport and Action Photography forum: Jello Effect + Distortion + Chas Tennis

See CasioTalk in these dpreview forums for many high speed video threads.

Search Internet- Casio Camera Thread

Search Internet- Kinovea + Basic High Speed Video Considerations and Cameras

Chas Tennis

 

[wazu]

I've got a GoPro Black which can shoot 240fps WVGA. You can definately see what's going on at that rate.

Here is an example posted on youtube of a golfer analysing their driver swing.

 

[mat536]

Good article on high speed digital cameras here...

Wanted: a cheap compact camera for shooting slow-motion videos | Ask Jack

Mustafa Kurtay would like to have a go at making slow-motion videos and wonders which digital compact cameras can do the job…

www.guardian.co.uk

 

[003tvd]

1000fps (yes, that's one thousand) is available to us Nikon J1 owners. I've captured lightning with it and you can watch the bolt as it appears to slowly travel across the sky. At 1000fps it's actually too fast for most applications, but it might be worth a look. My dog's ears flapping at 1000fps is kinda funny looking too.

 

[Chas Tennis]

mat536 wrote:

Good article on high speed digital cameras here...

http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/askjack/2013/jan/10/camera-shooting-slow-motion-videos

This article completely leaves out a well know feature of great importance in high speed video: shutter speed. ???

[Shutter speed is directly related to motion blur.]

The currently offered Casio cameras such as the EX ZR100 do not offer MANUAL exposure but only AUTO exposure. The exposure time AUTO is unknown buried in some camera software. I don't believe that you will be able to find a rapidly moving object at 100 MPH that has small motion blur on Youtube. Read the details in many discussions in the Casio Talk forum.

1) The Casio EX F1(2008), FH20, FH25, FH100(2010) offered manual exposure control. FH100 discontinued in 2011.

2) Users - the largest group were golfers - did not appreciate the effect of shutter speed on motion blur an did not buy enough of these great cameras and Casio discontinued them.

3) Now enough users appreciate fast shutter speeds that the price of used F1, FH20, F4H25 and FH100 cameras has risen.

4) The Casio people never read internet threads about their great high speed video cameras so they emphasize new capabilities and lose performance in high speed video -

Classic case of an idea just a little ahead of its time and poor marketing when done.

Chas Tennis

Chas Tennis

 

[Digetydog]

Kormi wrote:

Hello,

I am considering a new DSLR, and while not my main concern or factor, it would be nice if I could take videos of my golf swing for analysis with it. I noticed most DSLRs can take 60fps videos. Does anyone here have any experience with this? Is 60fps enough to see downswing in reasonable detail and number of frames?

TIA...

As an avid golfer, I have had my swing videotaped a few times. Most of the time, a normal video camera does the trick. My new pro uses an iPad and a cool app.

Bottom line: you don't need a dlsr for swing analysis. Get something light and cheap designed to take video.

 

[003tvd]

I was watching the Golf Channel the other day, and noticed reknown golf instructor, Butch Harmon (I think, formerly Tiger Woods swing coach) using exactly that, an iPad to both shoot and playback for analysis of a client's swing. The playback is instant, so the student can receive the corrections right on the driving range tee. Way cool. If it's good enough for him.....