Video camera recommendations please

[enjay]

The Headteacher has asked me to get a decent quality video camera with external microphone. He recorded video messages to parents on his laptop over lockdown, and would like to keep doing these but wants something a bit more pro-looking.

 

Any advice gratefully received.

[dhicks]

He recorded video messages to parents on his laptop over lockdown, and would like to keep doing these but wants something a bit more pro-looking.

 

We've got a Logitech PTZ Pro - plus motorised pan / tilt and zoom, all operable from a simple remote control. Plugs in to a PC / Chromebook as a standard USB camera, no extra drivers needed. It produces a nice image, btter than your average webcam, and can zoom out to a good wide shot and in to focus on the speaker.

 

That camera is currently around £750 on Amazon, which might be a bit expensive - we plan to use ours come Christmas, etc, for streaming plays and so forth. I've got an external USB mic interface for use with the above, £30, which then allows you to attach a proper condenser mic, complete with 48v phantom power, for sound. Again, plugs in to any PC / Chromebook and is seen as a standard USB micr, no driver needed. We're going to try a cheap (£30) shotgun mic and see how we get on. For a "pro" effect on videos, sorting the sound might be as important as the actual video - recording with a decent mic and in a not-too-echoy room is probably going to help.

[Davit2005]

How is he intending to distribute the recordings, are they going to be available by website links to YouTube.

 

It also depends how far you want to go and avenue you want to go. Do you need to edit the messages afterwards or do you just want like a live recording just a file that you can distribute/link to?

 

You could for instance use a GoPro with external Mic, CamCorder with external MIC or DSLR with external MIC. Don't go with a system that you need to use proprietary editing software though. Bear in mind with DLSRs you are normally limited to 30mins recording time.

[enjay]

We've got a Logitech PTZ Pro - plus motorised pan / tilt and zoom, all operable from a simple remote control. Plugs in to a PC / Chromebook as a standard USB camera, no extra drivers needed. It produces a nice image, btter than your average webcam, and can zoom out to a good wide shot and in to focus on the speaker.

 

That camera is currently around £750 on Amazon, which might be a bit expensive - we plan to use ours come Christmas, etc, for streaming plays and so forth. I've got an external USB mic interface for use with the above, £30, which then allows you to attach a proper condenser mic, complete with 48v phantom power, for sound. Again, plugs in to any PC / Chromebook and is seen as a standard USB micr, no driver needed. We're going to try a cheap (£30) shotgun mic and see how we get on. For a "pro" effect on videos, sorting the sound might be as important as the actual video - recording with a decent mic and in a not-too-echoy room is probably going to help.

 

What software are you using to actually record it, and does it save the video and audio as one? I don't want to mess around syncing up the video and audio.

[enjay]

How is he intending to distribute the recordings, are they going to be available by website links to YouTube.

 

Either via upload to Google Photos or Twitter.

 

Do you need to edit the messages afterwards or do you just want like a live recording just a file that you can distribute/link to?

 

Generally not, it will be a live piece-to-camera. We have a WeVideo subscription and Adobe Premiere, so could edit via one of those if needed.

 

You could for instance use a GoPro with external Mic, CamCorder with external MIC or DSLR with external MIC

 

Probably the middle one. GoPro doesn't allow him to set the shot up nicely and check it looks right.

[Davit2005]

Either via upload to Google Photos or Twitter.

 

 

 

Generally not, it will be a live piece-to-camera. We have a WeVideo subscription and Adobe Premiere, so could edit via one of those if needed.

 

 

 

Probably the middle one. GoPro doesn't allow him to set the shot up nicely and check it looks right.

 

CamCorder may be easiset route out of the those 3 I listed, may be other options though :-) .

 

Some CamCorder makers used to use a proprietary video format and normally force use of their own editing software, if possible I'd avoid those and use Premiere as you have access to it, but as you prob want as less admin or post involvement anyway :-)

Edited September 8, 2020 by Davit2005

[enjay]

CamCorder may be easiset route out of the those 3 I listed, may be other options though :-) .

 

Some CamCorder makers used to use a proprietary video format and normally force use of their own editing software, if possible I'd avoid those and use Premiere as you have access to it, but as you prob want as less admin or post involvement anyway :-)

 

Agreed. Any ideas which brands to avoid?

[Davit2005]

Agreed. Any ideas which brands to avoid?

 

None spring to mind. It may of just been an old thing with more support these days for formats, to be fair it has been a while since I went down this route but sure it was a thing at one time, the last CamCorder I owned was a Sony Hi8, lol.

 

Been working mostly with DSLRs and lately GoPros and just copying direct from the SD to PC and editing within Premiere.

Edited September 8, 2020 by Davit2005

[enjay]

Been working mostly with DSLRs and lately GoPros and just copying direct from the SD to PC and editing within Premiere.

 

I did wonder about the GoPro, since it seems like a lot of camera for the money, plus it could be used in ways which a more conventional camcorder might not. Can you get a live feed off it though, so you can see what you're recording? I'd hate for the HT to record a whole piece then watch it back and realise he'd sat with his head out of frame!

[Davit2005]

I did wonder about the GoPro, since it seems like a lot of camera for the money, plus it could be used in ways which a more conventional camcorder might not. Can you get a live feed off it though, so you can see what you're recording? I'd hate for the HT to record a whole piece then watch it back and realise he'd sat with his head out of frame!

 

It is one disadvantage with GoPro to not have a swivel camera, I'm not sure but you maybe able to use it like a WebCam, you can plug in a HDMI although with my GoPro it disables the onboard screen when I do that. The other thing you will need of course is an audio interface for the GoPro on top of the MIC if you want to go down the external MIC route.

[dhicks]

What software are you using to actually record it, and does it save the video and audio as one? I don't want to mess around syncing up the video and audio.

 

We're generally using Google Meet to live-stream video (which does have a record option), we also have a WeVideo subscription. Both the camera input and the mic input are seen as standard no-drivers-needed USB camera / audio inputs by both Windows and ChromeOS (haven't tried on MacOS yet, but should be the same), so just make sure you have the relevant input selected before you start.

 

If you want to go for a camcorder (quite cheap, gives the person being filmed a swivel screen to check position), we use Panasonics with HDMI out and a 5V power input, which means you can power them from a standard USB battery pack. This means you can stand the camera in a busy room without cable clutter everywhere, which is very handy. Personally, I prefer the stackable single-pole mic style stands with a thread adaptor to take a camera than a traditional tripod stand, there's less for people to trip over. I've just bought (but not tested yet) a £20 HDMI-to-USB adaptor from Amazon, if I get a chance to try it out soon I'll let you know how I get on. Otherwise, there's the BlackMagic Atem Mini if you want to be able to switch between 4 different HDMI channels and have a standard USB camera input.

 

A USB sound interface will generally give you a output for zero-latency monitoring which you can plug a set of headphones in to hear yourself speaking. I've set ours up with a 4-way headphones splitter so both the person talking and myself can monitor the sound. Again, this is a 5V-powered device so I can power it from a battery pack or the same computer the sound interface is plugged in to, reducing hum on the headphones circuit.

[dhicks]

It is one disadvantage with GoPro to not have a swivel camera, I'm not sure but you maybe able to use it like a WebCam, you can plug in a HDMI although with my GoPro it disables the onboard screen when I do that.

 

Depending on what you're filming and what sort of run-time you need, GoPros can get quite hot in use - or at least previous models did, the newest generation might be better. I've tried plugging them in to an external power supply and leaving them to run for 2 hours to record a play or similar and they tend to overheat.

 

Might be worth considering the Padcaster if you already have / use iPads - turns an iPad into a camera, complete with wider lense and external mic.

[SamanthaD]

That Padcaster looks great - think I need to invest some time into looking at that. Thanks!

[enjay]

We went for a Panasonic Lumix DMC-G80 camera kit with 12-60mm lens and a Rode VideoMic Pro R. Padcaster does look interesting though, I'll stick that on the list to have a look some time, I can see Media Studies making good use of that.

[dhicks]

I've just bought (but not tested yet) a £20 HDMI-to-USB adaptor from Amazon, if I get a chance to try it out soon I'll let you know how I get on.

 

So, that's this HDMI-to-USB adaptor:

 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0888PBG1D/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

£17, worked perfectly - plugged in a mini-HDMI-to-HDMI cable to a Panasonic HDC-SD90 camcorder, plugged the USB part into a Windows machine and it recognised the camera right away, even switching over the current live view on Google Meet. No drivers needed, I should imagine it would work fine on ChromeOS too.

 

We have a screen, NUC and speakers bolted to one of these mic stands:

 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/MS002-Round-Microphone-Stackable-Stand/dp/B08121NKWR/ref=sr_1_5

 

I'd also recommend this very handy tray:

 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B005GDGE2Y/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

Clips to the mic stand, then tightens with a spring-loaded screw - solid enough to hold a monitor and PC or a couple fo speakers, no problem.