If you have been looking for a sideline camera system, you will have discovered that the height of sports video camera towers can vary quite a lot. Some of the cheaper models are 12ft high, or less, while the more expensive models, like some Hi Pod video camera towers, extend to 30ft. Most high quality mid-range sideline camera systems, such as the Hi Rise Camera tower, extend to 20ft.
The height of a sideline camera tower is very important when it comes to filming games like soccer. Too small, and you won’t be able to capture the end-to-end video footage that you need. Too tall, and the tower will be unwieldy, and it may be unstable in high winds. Most coaches agree that the optimal height for a sideline camera is 20ft tall. Here’s why:
Why Do You Need a Sideline Camera Tower?
If you are taking video footage of a game like soccer, the best place to locate your camera is at the half way line on the sideline. That will give you a vantage point from which you can film the entire pitch. To be able to film the far ends of the pitch, though, you will need an elevated camera position. That will give you the right angles to be able to zoom in on players and to zoom out to film the positioning of players as well. Even in games like basketball, where the court is much smaller, you still need an elevated camera angle. Without it, you won’t be able to capture the type of footage that you will need to use with coaching software like Hudl.
Bigger is Better?
On the basis that an elevated camera position will provide the best angles for filming field sports, you might think that the taller the sideline camera tower is, the better footage you will get. This, however, is not true.
While a 12ft high camera tower would not give you the camera angles that you need, there is a limit at which going higher does not bring you any more benefit. Once you get to 20ft high, any further height will only improve the angle by a few degrees. When you weigh up the extra cost of buying a 30ft sports video camera tower, it really doesn’t make a lot sense to spend that extra money for just a few degrees of better camera angle.
20ft elevated sideline cameras like the Hi Rise Camera tower have other important advantages over taller camera towers as well. They are lighter, and they pack away into smaller carrying cases. That makes much easier to transport the tower from one venue to another.
The other important aspect to consider is safety. At 20ft, a sideline camera is going to be stable, even in quite high winds. 30ft camera towers like Hi Pod could be unstable in higher winds and would need to be taken down. Even in moderate winds, if the tower is too tall, it will sway, and that will have an impact on the quality of the video footage.
20ft Is the Optimal Height of a Sideline Camera Tower
The main things to look for in a sideline camera system are portability, durability and height. Carbon fiber poles, for example, are lighter and more durable than metal poles. In terms of the height of a sports video camera, you will get the right camera angle you need to film games like soccer from a 20ft telescoping sideline camera tower. Much more than that, and you will be paying more money than you need to for virtually no extra benefit.