Let's talk about cameras

The number one thing I get asked on the sideline is “What kind of camera is that?”. Full disclosure, my kid is a goalkeeper and the Veo footage, or the Trace footage, just won’t do. The tracking on a 17-year-old’s volley shot for these cameras really can’t keep up.

That being said, it’s captured better footage for defenders and strikers as well. If you have a mid-fielder, this post may not be helpful for you. You should keep using the Veo/Trace/Hudl footage.

Otherwise, here it is, I use the DJI Pocket 2. If you can find it, get it. They’ve since updated to the 3, which I assume is even better, but the Pocket 2’s price range is rarely beaten for the quality and support. DJI also offers a ton of other options, and I would recommend their products all day.

A Breakdown of the DJI Pocket 2 (and probably 3)

The camera has its own gimbal that helps if you’re moving with the play. I don’t, but I’ve seen people who do.

Battery life is good. It charges quickly and lasts 1 full length (45min halves) game.

Not sure if it’s water proof or not, but I cover mine with plastic wrap just in case and j leave the camera’s eye itself uncovered, and it’s never been an issue.

It does have a tracking feature

Quality: unmatched. This thing boasts 4K quality up to 2x zoom and still retains very good quality if zooming in further. I sit on the far ends of the pitch each half and move the camera with me, so I never really need to zoom more than 2x, but in testing, the quality is still great.

Bonus feature and why I love it: Bluetooth with remote capability from my phone. The holy grail of this setup is that I set up the camera on a tripod and connect it via Bluetooth. Open the app and control everything from my phone. As a GK mom, not every play involves my kid. So, going back and watching a whole game to get the clips is not something I want to do. That’s for my kid to do on his own time if he needs. Instead, I can start and stop the recording anytime the ball advances on our defensive half. I can zoom, move the camera, and start recording all in a second, from my phone. Then the app stores the clips and you can instantly download them to your phone, delete them if nothing of note happens, or favorite them to go back and watch later.

This has worked wonders when my husband and I have to be in two different places and can’t both be at the game. I can start the recording, film the save, follow the distribution, stop the recording, download the clip, and text it to my husband in a matter of a minute. My son will go through the individual clips in the car on the way home, delete what’s unnecessary to keep, and we only have a handful of clips that need to be saved for the highlight reel, already ready to go.

Here’s an example of zoom, follow on a punt, and the quality of a clip filmed with the DJI.

And a follow on the distribution here as well on a clear day, with 2x zoom.

The quality is fantastic and I can control the zoom which is truly the best option in any video camera. With a GoPro you set it and leave it. You can’t change the zoom, see the play developed before the save or defense (which is what college coaches want to see) and you have to watch the entire game back to find your clips.

If you’ve tried to video from your phone in the heat, you know that the battery will overheat and you can’t get a full game. No problem with this guy, it’s never overheated and has spent many a Texas Saturday in full heat.

The Software

The DJI suite of support, learning modules, video tutorials, and editing capabilities is vast and accessible without additional cost. This includes their AI editor.

The camera is powerful, but the accessories and support are high-quality as well. The app on my phone was super easy to connect to and figure out. The camera itself does require a micro SD card, but in 2025 those are super cheap and hold a ton. The one I use has over 4 hours of video on it and isn’t even halfway full. (256 GB at $29)

My favorite edit feature is to remove the sound, as I am 9/10 times gasping or yelling during these games, IYKYK.

Overall

I have had this camera for 3 seasons now and I have not had a single issue with it. The battery life is basically the same, minimal decrease, and it charges fast. Quality is still better than having to hold my iPhone up the entire time and getting too excited watching the play that I accidentally film the ground, or the sky, or miss the play completely.

It allows me to get only what I need, so that I can control how much of the play leading up to the shot I get, and also the fact that I can actually hear my son communicating from the back. It is very important to have communication from the GK in college recruitment videos, and with the Veo it’s impossible to get, considering it’s windy most of the time, and all you get are wind noises and referee whistles.

This is an amazing camera. When I forget to charge it, I use my phone, but I curse myself for forgetting because those clips rarely have what we need and instead are shaky, miss half the action, or my phone overheats (and I do have the newest iPhone Pro).

For high school games, setting this camera up on the tripod, leaving it on the track and still getting to sit in the stands while controlling it from afar is a super bonus.

So there it is, folks, once and for all, that weird, long, skinny camera the lady at the field has is this one. You can catch her still getting to pay attention to all the action and clap because she’s hands-free recording the game and not missing a play while getting a great angle and sharing with the other parent who is at a baseball field doing the same thing with the same camera, just a different sport. Happy filming!