Choosing camera for slow motion recording and playback

[MrGreenJeans]

I am seeking guidance because Im considering purchasing a camera with the ability to video record footage and have the ability to save and playback the footage in slow motion.....I have no knowledge at all in this field and don't know where to start and upon researching without any knowledge and very limited time it becomes overwhelming to understand and research the information I find with my workload.....Any help from experienced fellow videographers would be much appreciated.....

The main purpose and intent for my camera needs are for the purpose of taking videos in a motorsport we are involved in....We primarily compete in daylight or dusk and at nighttime...in nighttime there is generally fair lighting from lights set up around the track.

We would be recording the vehicle anywhere from a distance range of 30 feet up to 320 feet....I would need to slow recording down to playback in a speed where it takes up to around 10 seconds to view 1 second of footage...smooth and clear playback footage is pretty important....would prefer a nice smooth clear image with no blur or jitter upon playback....Im speculating here but Im assuming smoothness, clarity, etc... to some degree go hand in hand with cost....Recording would be done either handheld or on a tripod and ability to zoom in and out during recording would be ideal...

I don't to my knowledge need a lot of bells and whistles...I would mainly use it for the above purpose and prefer it is somewhat simple and basic yet does the things necessary to get relatively good/high quality footage...would have to run off battery because a/c voltage wouldn't be accessible.....Auto focus and Auto zoom?...if there is such a thing that maintains a set zoom distance from camera to vehicle would be nice features and anything that can compensate to keep adequate lighting would be beneficial as well....

again any help for this clueless beginner would be greatly appreciated!!!

Thank You

Mr Green Jeans

[rs-eos]

To achieve a 10x slowdown, you'd need equipment capable of capturing at 240 fps.  You could then play that back at 24 fps.

Note that the gear you'd need to pull that off would be quite expensive.  Canon's EOS C70 maxes out at 180 fps, but that will only use part of the sensor (crop mode).  If needing the entire sensor, it will max out at 120 fps.   More expensive cinema cameras in Canon's line will allow for higher frame rates, possibly without having to crop.

If instead you can get by with 5x slowdown, then 120 fps would be more achievable.  You could play back that footage at 24 fps.   However, you'd need to ask what framerate the final footage needs to be.  If it's 30 fps, then 5x would require 150 fps capture.  10x would require 300 fps capture.

[MrGreenJeans]

This helps....sounds like the 10x slowdown may be out of my range?  doing the math what would be ideal is about 7x slower...I put down 10x as a cushion.....5X slower would probably suffice but that would be the minimum I would need....Seems like a saw a camera with 180fps?......

I had to start somewhere to get a base knowledge so I can hone in on a choice in  conjunction with the guidance you guys give me....May be some leeway here but Im thinking up to $1000 to 1500 range would be my comfort zone provided it gets me reasonably within my performance expectations

[MrGreenJeans]

Again being clueless I don't even know the pricing of these cameras....If Im not in the ballpark I may consider used or refurbished.....although Im reluctant unless it's through a reputable source

[rs-eos]

For $1000 to $1500, you'd need to explore something like a GoPro.   One of its models can do 240 fps, though at a resolution between HD and 4K (2704 x 1520p).  No idea what the tradeoffs would be if going that route.  e.g. I don't see any info on what the lens is capable of.

If sticking with Canon gear, you'd need a much larger budget.  Though as with everything, such gear would be far better than a GoPro for certain situations.

Recommend perhaps you rent some gear to see which would fit your needs.

Details about a couple of Canon's offerings:

Canon's XF-series professional camcorders can allow for UHD (3840 x 2160) at 60 fps, but to achieve 120 fps, you'd need to drop the resolution to capture HD (1920 x 1080).   And that cam is $4,700.

An EOS C70 (body only) runs around $5,500 and you'd need to add media cards, a lens and microphone (you wouldn't want to rely on the internal mic at all).   It could capture either 4K or UHD at 120 fps and up to 180 fps at 2K or HD.

[MrGreenJeans]

Thank You for the input…. It’s helpful in giving me direction and a sense of the cost range etc….

Thanks Again 

Much Appreciated!