How to Use a Camcorder (Video Camera) to Videotape Table Tennis Matches

Get a sturdy tripod, with fully adjustable legs that spread nice and wide when fully extended, and one that can get up to around 6 feet in height. You are about to put an expensive piece of equipment on this thing, so make sure it's strong, and tough to tip over! A 6 foot tripod also allows you to get a good view from ground level, and it can also be handy when there are a number of other people videotaping the same match in the same position that you want to tape from, since you can usually put your tripod behind theirs and tape from over the top of their shorter tripods. That way you can always get the position you want.

Good adjustable leg height is also handy when taping from grandstands, since you can drop the tripod to a much smaller leg length, and place it in front of your seat. That way you don't block anybody else's view, and you can still get a great steady shot of the action.

Also, don't use the power cord while filming, unless you are prepared to stay beside the camera at all times. Power cords that dangle from the camera and run along the floor are just begging someone to trip over them and pull the whole lot down.

You could always try using long play mode on a standard tape as well, provided you can live with the reduced video quality.

In narrow places you can practically guarantee that someone is going to bump the tripod, so I would suggest staying next to the camera to stop it from tipping over, and to check that it is still focused on the action. Keep your camcorder bag and equipment underneath the tripod to reduce the chances of someone kicking your gear into the tripod legs and shifting your camera angle. Also, beware putting your camera right up against the barriers of the court - you might just end up with a close up of a player running through the barrier smack into your camera! But if you put the camera too far from the court, you can end up with people walking between the players and the camera.

Try to get a good viewing background as well. Empty stands with bright shiny seats are difficult to view the ball against. Try for full grandstands or solid colored walls. A higher camera angle will also allow the barriers at the back of the court to take up more screen background, which will make the ball easier to follow.

1. Get a good idea of your battery life. Very handy if you have to be away from your camera a lot.
2. Remember that many camcorders will also pick up sound from directly behind the camera as well. So don't say anything you don't want recorded for posterity! Actually, I've recorded a few interesting conversations from other people that way.
3. Double check that you have started the recording, and check every so often that it is still running. This will save you from those occasions where you have forgotten to start recording, or paused the recording between games of a match and forgotten to start taping again. Or when the battery has unexpectedly run out of power. Believe me, I've had this happen to me a few times over the years.
4. Watch out for lefties. Apart from the fact that they are buggers to play, a good camera position for a right hander is looking straight at the backside of a left hander. So when you have a right hander vs a left hander, you may want to shift the camera between games.
5. Keep your sense of humor. While most spectators are quite obliging where videotaping is concerned, and will do their best to keep out of the camera's way, there are always a few people who remain completely oblivious of what's going on around them, and will decide to stand right in front of your camera while you are taping. A polite "Excuse me" or a gently humorous "Down in front!" will usually do the trick. But if you do have to leave your camera unattended for a while, don't be surprised when you review your footage later and find that you've ended up taping half an hour of the back of someone's head! A friend who can attend your camera and keep spectators out of the way (and stop them running off with your camera too!), can be a real help in this situation.