When you play paintball, you will want to record the play for later references. In every tactical sport like paintball, the players need to study the gameplay to improve their game.
Paintball is a moving game where players move through the field. In such a field, the recording of games is a tricky subject. Therefore, you need good-quality cameras for recording the game at a minute level.
Special Paintball Camera
There are special paintball cameras that a player uses for recording his game. He affixes these cameras to the gun so that the play records in front of view.
While professional players often have special cameras for the recording, amateurs can look beyond it. Instead, amateurs can record the gameplay using normal cameras.
However, a waterproof camera is a must for the player. The field is full of mud and water. A waterproof camera is the best choice to make in such a terrain.
This works favor amateurs since makers make waterproof cameras even with normal capabilities. Next, the player needs to figure out how to fix the camera to their gun.
A Normal Camera For Recording
You must choose a small, compact camera for the job. Small, compact cameras are easy to fix to the gun or to your paintball mask and carry around.
A small camera with a greater focus is a good choice. There are many small video cameras available on the market for this purpose.
Manual Exposure
To ensure the even brightness of the recording, keep the camera set on manual exposure. Manual exposure maintains footage brightness over different lights. In addition, manual exposure allows the player to control how bright or dark the recording is.
For maximum exposure and brightness, it’s better to choose this option. This is because your camera will move through different terrain through different light levels. Manual exposure keeps the recording even.
Shutter Speed
If you do not see the manual exposure option, choose the shutter priority option via the dial. This does not let the shutter rate change while recording. This helps record at the same speed so that no moments go amiss.
Constant shutter rate stops fluctuations and blurry videos from taking over. Once all the footage is recorded precisely, the player adjusts the exposure for desired brightness.
The shutter speed matters a lot for uninterrupted video footage. The shutter speed determines how fast the video records on the camera. Slower shutter speeds like 1/48th are not right for sports videos.
Therefore, set the shutter speed at a high rate of 24 FPS. The higher shutter speeds are ideal for adventure sports like paintball. Even when you choose a GoPro, the 24 FPS is the right option for shutter speed.
ISO
The ISO of a camera is the light sensitivity of the camera. This determines the lighting and quality of the recorded video. For outdoor footage or in daylight, the recorder needs an ISO of 100 or 200.
Choose a camera that offers good light sensitivity and image stabilization for videos. Without image stabilization, the video of this fast-paced sport comes out blurry.
Prefer to Shoot At a Highest Resolution
While using a normal camera, you should shoot at the highest possible resolution. But make sure your computer can edit the video recorded at such a resolution. As per the experts, you can try to shoot at 1080p.
Remember that shooting a higher resolution can make your video appear better when exported or converted to a lower resolution. This is because the final video clip will look cleaner.
Properly Check The Position and Angle of The Camera
Some players prefer to install the cameras on their helmets. But you don’t need to follow this. Before heading out to the paintball field to shoot, you can test your camera footage.
To test your camera, record some clips while playing the game, moving around, using trees or corners as bunkers. This way, you can know where you should place your camera to record everything clearly.
Try To Eliminate Camera Movement
This is an important point to consider. While playing paintball, you will be running and jumping around a lot. And the slightest movement of the camera can affect your video.
Some players place their cameras on the top of their mask’s vents. Why? Because this particular section is generally made using hard plastic or rubber and doesn’t produce much movement.
If you are using a professional paintball camera, then this camera mounting point is good. Otherwise, you will have to buy a decent camera mount to prevent excess camera movement.
Final Thought
There are many video cameras available for this purpose in the market. Of course, it is always better to choose specific paintball cameras for recording. However, some good-quality normal cameras also fulfill the purpose.
Just follow the tips mentioned above, and you can shoot good quality videos and photos during your paintball game using a normal camera.
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