Camcorders and Cameras

[Debbie99]

In my role as Network Manager / School Photographer I will need to video the "School Show" the camcorders I inherited are old so I would like to get 1 decent one.

I could also do with a good digital SLR as again the ones belonging to the school are poor quality and up to now I have been using my own with a school owned SDCard.

I will also need a set of backdrops and lighting to take the individual child shots.

They would like to use me rather than pay for an official photographer, partly because they think I am good and partly because I can try again tomorrow if the student is not in the mood or off sick - I work in an SEN school.

Does anyone have any recommendations?

I like the look of this one: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B08MXPXY9K/?coliid=I1IQXCMAXR3JSV&colid=ZWRQFVP3B8KW&psc=1&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it

 

Thanks

Edited April 29, 2021 by Debbie99

[mavhc]

Micro 4/3rds are decent (Although they're not DSLRs, they're EVIL). Do you need a camcorder if you have a decent camera?

 

You'd probably want a 50mm prime lens for portraits though, and get a camera with hdmi out and a remote shutter, so you don't need to be at the camera to take the photo.

 

If you're recording a show have one camera on a tripod for a master shot, and then during the show have the camera you're controlling do the close-ups, but record for the entire length of the show, don't stop and start. Record the audio via the sound system if you have one, then sync all the footage, and switch cameras.

 

Make sure there's no 30 min video limit on the camera you pick, or that you can remove it as it's just a software limit to avoid taxes.

[Bompalompalomp]

We purchased the Canon Legria HF G50 when schools first reopened because it was basically the only decent thing under 1K that had a clean HDMI out for livestreaming in stock for months.

Works pretty well - we have been doing all of our services and assemblies remotely with it for some months paired with wireless microphones.

Example:

 

For a "School show" you may struggle with low light.

[Debbie99]

Thank you for this. Will have to make sure that I consider everything. As you are right it is probably best to get one good camera for video and stills and make sure that it can cope with low light.

[hardtailstar]

If you are videoing the school show, you will also need an external microphone to pick up the sound so make sure the video camera has a mic jack too. Unless you are going to record the audio separately.

[gpjt]

Worth investing in getting a decent DSLR for your photography for the school. I have to use mostly my own equipment, but do have some of the items i requested when taking on the role. The one you linked is high end and without knowing the full story/background of yourself and expectations of the school, is it over the top in what's needed. On the flip side fair play if the school buy it in though, i'd be very jealous! Most DSLR's have a video recording limit of 30mins, so if shows are longer than that you'll need both.

 

As for videoing performances, it all depends on where you are going to post/produce the shows and the quality you want to produce. For example for performances i've used GoPro's and external mics which did a good enough job for what was needed. I.E posting on our youtube as a private link to parents to view. On the flip side for larger scale performances and needing better quality i hire in a main camera from https://www.mediadoghire.com/ and setup up multiple camera's for other shots. Then there is the editing!!!

 

So, there are lots of options, but i'd think about what you want as the end result and if you'd like some more info/help please feel free to PM.

Edited April 30, 2021 by gpjt

[Andrew_C]

If you are asked to record a school show with a separate audio to be re-mastered later - refuse. That takes skill, and a LOT of time. In real life, the show will be on Friday, and they will expect the finished film to be ready to distribute on Monday. This is one of the laws of nature.

 

The whole thing is MUCH harder than people expect.

[Davit2005]

If you are asked to record a school show with a separate audio to be re-mastered later - refuse. That takes skill, and a LOT of time. In real life, the show will be on Friday, and they will expect the finished film to be ready to distribute on Monday. This is one of the laws of nature.

 

The whole thing is MUCH harder than people expect.

 

Yeah I second this.

 

I used to use the clap technique when had separate audio. I also have a Zoom which can send a tone to the output, so for instance can plug mics into Zoom then plug output of Zoom into the input of the camera then monitor with some headphones etc.

 

The 30min cap on DLSR for Video is def something to consider, also if you do look at a DLSR for video see if you can get one with Clean HDMI output so you don't end up with focus boxes etc on the output from HDMI.

Edited April 30, 2021 by Davit2005

[Bompalompalomp]

If you are asked to record a school show with a separate audio to be re-mastered later - refuse. That takes skill, and a LOT of time. In real life, the show will be on Friday, and they will expect the finished film to be ready to distribute on Monday. This is one of the laws of nature.

 

The whole thing is MUCH harder than people expect.

 

Very much this.

My role in lockdown adapted quite heavily. We saw that virtual services were going to become more frequent so I spent my time working from home learning to become a more proficient video editor and doing video production. We spent weeks researching and £2k+ on equipment on return to facilitate this. Definitely not something they can just throw you into without giving you the resources or time to adapt to achieve a semi-professional outcome.

[mavhc]

https://magiclantern.fm/about.html for Canon

https://github.com/ma1co/OpenMemories-Tweak for Sony

https://www.borrowlenses.com/blog/video-recording-limits-in-mirrorless-and-dslr-cameras/

[stevejp]

When you don’t quite realise how times have moved on:

 

One of our more intelligent kids, quoting from a book he’s reading:

 

“Sir, what’s a camcorder?”

 

(He was being perfectly serious)

[dhicks]

When you don’t quite realise how times have moved on

 

We use a couple of Panasonic camcorders we've had in the cupboard for several years - searching through previous posts, it would seem I've been recommending them since around 2015:

 

http://www.edugeek.net/forums/av-multimedia-related/163324-recommend-me.html

 

http://www.edugeek.net/forums/av-multimedia-related/217200-video-camera-recommendations-please.html

 

They still work perfectly well, manage 1080p video, can take power from an external power supply or USB battery charger to last pretty much all day, and even work with a £17 HDMI-to-USB cable to plug in to a computer to use as a USB webcam for live streaming. I prefer to use them on a nice, solid mic stand with a screw thread adaptor and positionable ball mount (or a fancy fluid head, if you need to track something in motion) rather than a camera tripod.

 

If you already have an iPad or two around, the Padcaster might be what you're looking for - adds a better lens and an external mic, plus more mount points for other equipment like lights, to an iPad. We are getting on quite nicely with a £30 phone mount on a mic stand, I guess it depends on whether you need something with a zoom lens or whether you can get a bit closer to the subject you're filming.

[geohanson]

I do some filming and editing for our music department, using my own kit with school supplied SD cards.

I have a Canon 60D and 80D, and I usually borrow a 1200D from the media department when I’m doing multi-cam projects. Audio is all recorded separately usually using a Focusrite audio interface and Logic X on a Mac. I use FCPX to create the multi-cam clip, choose the angles, and sync the audio up. Takes a while, but looks pretty good once done.

 

That was done with the 60D, 80D and a borrowed 7D and 5DMKII if I remember correctly. I’m pretty inexperienced with video and still learning, especially when it comes to lighting and trying to be creative with the angles…

 

I would never want to record a live theatre performance/assembly with a DSLR, mainly because of the time limits mentioned earlier. We have a Canon XA20 which is what we usually use for most general school filming. It’s got much better audio recording built in, records to dual memory cards, and is easier to use (It’s a purpose built video camera). The downside is the end result never looks quite as good as what gets shot on a DSLR, especially in low light.

 

Recording performances in theatres is probably one of the most difficult scenarios - low light and fast action. The XA20 gives a useable result but it’s not amazing.

 

I’d probably be looking at a GH4/GH5 or Sony mirrorless. The newer version of the Canon XA would be better if it’s going to operated by ‘non technical’ people as they are far easier to use than a DLSR.

 

Don’t forget to factor in decent storage media, additional batteries, AC adapter, and a good quality tripod.