[egershna]

I am an avid golf fan, and want to record my golf swing to practice/learn. I signed up for this place called golftec which charges about $1500 per 6 months. Their main service is being able to record your golf swing. Their equipment doesnt look very expensive and their software is pretty low tech. So I figured I could write my own software that could do the same thing. However I cant seem to figure out what type of camera to use along with my computer. I've tried using a few webcams, with the best result being a Logitech Quickcam 9000 pro, but I am afraid my swing motion is too fast and I cant capture the exact location of the club shaft throughout the swing. It doesnt need to be perfectly clear just somewhat. The equipment they use at the place that charges $1500 has some old cameras hooked up through s-video to the computer and the image quality is pretty fuzzy but you get a pretty good indication of where the club is, its not crystal clear but you pretty much know where it is. I was hoping I could duplicate it with some type of USB camera to cut down cost. I am guessing an average golf swing is about 2- 3 seconds. I'd probably need 10 clear frames per second, but im guessing i need a camera with 60 or 90 fps? Do you guys have any suggestions as to what to buy and what settings to use? I am currently using 320x240 frame size and 15 fps. I've written alot of the software already just dont have the right equipment.

Thanks, Tony

[kristloken]

We use a Samsung HD camcorder and you can tell by some of our videos that it works quite well. As for software, there are tons of options out there but V1 Pro is the best that I have come across.

[Todilrdc]

I'm not sure how much cameras cost, but maybe look into one that is slightly high speed, if money is no issue, it is easier to get every detail of your swing with a higher speed camera.

[egershna]

Im trying to keep cost as low as possible since I am just building this for myself at home. Like I said previously I wrote most of the software already, not trying to spend the money on something like V1 Pro, but basically my software would do the same thing. Record my swing from front and side view and allow me to draw lines. The camera I need would need drivers for a computer since the cameras would be attached directly to the computer. I was hoping to get a higher end webcam since they are cheap, but not sure if there are any that can capture the speed of a swing.

[kristloken]

V1 Pro is free.

[RadcliffXX]

Im trying to keep cost as low as possible since I am just building this for myself at home. Like I said previously I wrote most of the software already, not trying to spend the money on something like V1 Pro, but basically my software would do the same thing. Record my swing from front and side view and allow me to draw lines. The camera I need would need drivers for a computer since the cameras would be attached directly to the computer. I was hoping to get a higher end webcam since they are cheap, but not sure if there are any that can capture the speed of a swing.

Most webcams won't be fast enough. They generally capture 30fps, and you need at least 60fps. 100fps would be better.

[RadcliffXX]

Okay, this is absolute, pure speculation because I have no personal experience with it, but it looks like there is a working hack for the Sony PS3eye webcam which has a higher frame rate:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PlayStation_Eye

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16879261091

I have no idea if it would work with V1 or CSwing software though or if it would record live at high frame rates.

[egershna]

V1 Pro is free.

The free version doesnt have all the features I want, and even the paid version is lacking something I want to incorporate, thats why I am writing my own software.
Software isnt the biggest concern, its finding a decent camera/webcam that has a USB passthrough, which means that it can be recognized by the computer through either firewire plug or usb plug, and the computer could then use it as a web cam. Also I wanted to keep cost as low as possible. So my guess is I am looking for a camera with atleast 320x240 recording with min 60fps, however i dont think webcams have shutter speeds. I am def gonna look into that ps3 eye seems like it might be able to do the job

[kristloken]

Our camera does all of that and was 700 bucks. Samsung HD Video Camera. 320x240 is a pretty small image to analyze the swing with the eye and see what mistakes the software is pointing out.

[RadcliffXX]

The free version doesnt have all the features I want, and even the paid version is lacking something I want to incorporate, thats why I am writing my own software.
Software isnt the biggest concern, its finding a decent camera/webcam that has a USB passthrough, which means that it can be recognized by the computer through either firewire plug or usb plug, and the computer could then use it as a web cam. Also I wanted to keep cost as low as possible. So my guess is I am looking for a camera with atleast 320x240 recording with min 60fps, however i dont think webcams have shutter speeds. I am def gonna look into that ps3 eye seems like it might be able to do the job

Tony,

IF it works, please let us know. That could be a cheap alternative for many of us since the PS Eye seems to be going for about $35 and can record speeds up to 120 fps at 320 X 240 or 60 fps at 640 x 480.

For that price, you could buy two and get the head-on and down the line views at the same time. (I think V1 Pro supports that IIRC)

[syptopsygieds]

So I did a search for what camera’s folks use to record their swings and found this tread. I’m taking lessons at GolfTec, and wanted to set something up at home to work on my swing. (Currently working on swinging from the inside, and not casting my hands.) I saw that the OP hasn’t updated the thread, so I’ll try and add something here…

I picked up the PS3 Eye off of Craigslist for $20. Hooked it up to a laptop running the V1 software and to my surprise, it seems to work pretty well. You’ll need to download third party drivers to get it to work with your computer. (You can get those here - Code Laboratories > About Product ) The camera is capable of getting 120 fps, but, I could only get it to do 60. (Which is a major step up from my camcorder’s 30 fps.) I didn’t have a lot of time to tinker with it last night, so I’m hoping I can dedicate some time tonight. I’ll try and post my results. I can tell you this though – the camera requires a lot of light. If you don’t provide enough light, the camera gets really grainy. (When there is a low light level, the camera has to turn up the image gain.) But even in lower light levels, you can definitely get a decent video feed and see your swing.

But all in all – if someone is looking for a cheap setup, this is it! Even brand new – the PS3 Eye is $35, and cheaper than that on eBay.

[enentique]

Interesting. I have an Eye Toy from my kids' now-gone PS2. Do you think the Code Labs driver will work with that? I'll give it a go to see if it will. Thanks for the tip!

[blodwarttufla]

If anyone wants to splurge...

Casio Exilim EX-FH20

DSLR that isn't quite on par with the other DLSR's out there picture-taking wise, but unmatched for its price in fps video recording. Up to 1000fps...

If you think that's overkill, Swing Vision is 40,000 fps.

[myspacepro]

V1 Pro is free.

where is it available for free? I've been looking for it.

[kristloken]

It looks like they just changed it. Their individual user program was free when that was posted. Now they charge $40 for it.

[PolPitasc]

Glad I got it when it was free. Hope it still works.

[artenotreah]

It looks like they just changed it. Their individual user program was free when that was posted. Now they charge $40 for it.

I think it is still there, it just isn't very obvious. At the "V1 Home overview page there is a link to the Basic (free) version.