It is difficult to recommend specific camera models for video analysis because consumer-grade electronics, such as video cameras, change frequently.

Instead of recommending a specific model (only to have it replaced by another that may or may not work well for video analysis), we offer general recommendations for types of cameras that work well and do not work well.

Cameras That Work Well

1) Digital still cameras (with a video mode) are the best solution. However, these cameras can be expensive. 

Necessary Characteristics

• You will need to find a camera with a global shutter (this is an alternative to a rolling shutter, see below).
• Look for a camera that lets you specify the shutter speed in addition to frame rate. Sometimes the shutter speed setting is concealed by a “sports” mode setting. In any case, you will need lots of light to force the camera to use a fast shutter. Outdoors is much better than even dual 250 W flood lights. Some cameras offer a 60 or 120 fps mode, which is excellent for many physics applications. 
• Usually a camera that outputs a file in .mp4 or .mov formats can be used, but only a test will determine compatibility.

For simple video analysis, take a video and transfer the file to the computer or tablet for analysis.

2) Modern cell phone cameras can often produce good to excellent videos if plenty of light is available to force a high shutter speed. There are also phone apps that allow you to manually adjust the shutter speed and other settings that will help reduce motion blur. 

It is helpful to configure your camera app to create compatible files, so that students do not spend time converting the videos. See Why does a video captured on an iOS device give a codec error or render as a gray or black box in Logger Pro, Graphical Analysis Pro, or Vernier Video Analysis? for more information.

Regardless of the camera type, a telephoto lens is generally better than a wide-angle lens. A telephoto lens will have much lower parallax error. For more information about parallax error and other issues, there is an excellent article on Systematic Errors in Video Analysis by Martin, Frisch, and Zwart in the March 2020 issue of The Physics Teacher, accessible to AAPT members here: https://doi.org/10.1119/1.5145415

Cameras That are Less Optimum (but not bad)

3) USB web cameras that provide at least 720p and a frame rate of 30 fps do an adequate job of collecting video. They present challenges with their field of view and requirement for a connected device to capture video. However, for a budget-limited solution, they can work.

4) Used Digital Video (DV) cameras: DV cameras are largely obsolete at this time, but they can collect very good videos. For video analysis you need a consumer-grade DV or miniDV camera sold by brand name manufacturers (e.g., Sony, Canon, or Panasonic). These cameras typically cost $100 to $200 in online auctions. 

Get a camera that allows you to manually set the shutter speed to at least 1/500 second. Some cameras are too automatic and don’t allow you to set the shutter speed. You need to set the shutter speed so that fast moving objects aren’t blurred on individual frames. If the camera does not allow you to set the shutter speed, look at a camera that has a “sports” mode. That mode has a fast shutter speed. It is also helpful to have a camera that has manual focus capabilities.

There are two common ways to transfer DV to your computer: 1) video stream and 2) as a file transferred on an SD card or similar storage medium. If you have an older used camera, make sure you will be able to connect the camera or the storage medium to your computer. For example, if your computer does not have a firewire (aka i.Link) port, you won’t be able to connect a firewire cable.

Additional Considerations

Rolling Shutter in Modern Cameras

Many modern cameras suffer from the “rolling shutter” effect. A rolling shutter does not expose the frame all at once, creating a peculiar spatial distortion. It can lead to measurement errors of several percent or even more, depending on the kind of motion and the camera. See an explainer video at https://youtu.be/oETTunUVJio from the Interactive Video Vignettes group. Look for cameras that have a global shutter. Older cameras that have CCD image sensors do not have this problem.

Unfortunately the things that make a camera useful as a consumer product for social media videos are often different from the very specific needs for video analysis. This means that cameras must be selected carefully, and should be well tested before a large purchase.

It is just as important to use good technique as to use a good camera. See How do I collect good videos for analysis in Vernier Video Analysis, Video Physics or Logger Pro?

And a final note:

In the mid-2020s, some districts and states started implementing bans on cell phone use by students, hampering the ability for students to collect videos for video analysis.

Many teachers don’t have much budget for purchasing cameras. We have heard suggestions such as

• Ask for donations from parents of older digital cameras that are going unused because phone cameras are so good. See the “digital still cameras” section above for tips about assessing the camera for usability for video analysis. 
• Similarly, parents may have unused older phones that can be used without an account on them. Have them set the phone back to factory settings.
• Ask on social media “buy nothing” groups for older digital cameras.
• The school PTO may be able to help solicit donations.

If you are asking for older digital cameras, we suggest setting parameters such as:

• No webcams below 720p
• If the camera requires a proprietary battery, the battery and its charger must be included with the camera (older cameras may not recharge by USB)
• Global shutter only, no rolling shutter

Apps for video analysis

Vernier Video Analysis (Most versatile choice)

Video Physics (iOS only) (no built-in analysis features – you must export the data for analysis)

Logger Pro (Mac OS and Windows only) (Note that Logger Pro is no longer being updated)