File Size, Frame Rate and Resolution: Their Vital Role for Sports Cameras
Posted by chinavasion on December 15th, 2015
If you are planning to take on an adventure or any other sporting activity then owning a sports camera should be the first thing on your bucket list. A sports camera has all the required features to capture the most stunning moments from attractive angles. If you plan to buy to one then placing emphasis over the configuration of the device shall the help the buyers to get the best available ones. Whether you wish to record crystal-clear videos or capture lengthy footages, considering the functionality aspect of your action camera becomes a must before making a purchase.
Understanding File Size
The size of a video can usually mount up to megabytes and gigabytes. It is simply the amount of space required for a video to get stored in any storage medium. Adjusting the resolution and the frame rate of your sporting camera shall allow the users to either increase or decrease your file size. Users can accordingly record their footages as per the clarity they require. Shooting high resolution videos record high quality videos whereas recording at lower resolution help to capture video with low storage space.
It’s necessary for the users to place emphasis over the encoding part of the videos since it can dramatically reduce the size of the recorded footages. The only time file size becomes a real issue is when the raw video is being recorded on the storage medium aboard or connected to your sports camera.
Understanding Resolution
Simply put, the resolution of your sports camera will define the clarity of the video or images the camera captures. Resolutions typical of most digital sporting camera models include 360p (low-resolution), 480p (standard resolution), 720p (high-definition resolution) and 1080p (Ultra high or Blu-ray definition).
It is worth noting that higher resolution videos will result in larger file sizes. You will get clearer images from, say, your helmet camera while hiking but you will quickly fill up the memory card aboard the camera.
Understanding Frame Rate
Frame rate is the number and speed of still images being consecutively displayed on-screen and is expressed as frames-per-second (or FPS). Capturing videos on higher FPS settings will result in movements that are smoother and clearer but will require more storage space as a result.
Common frame rates include 24p, 30p, 60i – the latter yielding silky smooth movement at the cost of significantly higher file sizes.
Defining Your Resolution Needs
It is tempting to immediately switch the settings on your sports camera to the highest resolution and frame rate possible. While there is nothing to stop you from doing that, you may want to think twice when you consider the limited storage space available on your device. It can be very easy for raw, un-encoded HD videos to eat up a few gigabytes after just a dozen or so minutes of footage.
If you want to be smart about the videos you capture, then you can start by examining the nature of the activity you will undertake.
Will you be using a waterproof camera to capture slow-moving underwater scenes? Reduce the frame rate and increase the resolution.
Will you be expecting a lot of jarring movements as you speed downhill on your bike? Reduce the resolution and increase the frame rate.
Will you be planning to make a living off of uploading videos of your extreme sporting achievements on the Internet? Invest in a high-quality remote sports camera, crank up the settings and work with multiple storage cards that have storage capacities around the 64 or 128 gigabyte ranges.
Keep all these bits of trivia in mind and you will be able to make so much better use of your sports camera!
Those looking for a low-cost but reliable and feature-rich sports camera will definitely want to check out what Chinavasion has to offer. The Shenzhen-based wholesaler lists an extensive catalogue of cameras and other gadgets, so visit Chinavasion.com today to learn more!
