Anyone have any advice on getting started with video recording? What all would be needed to make a quality sounding video recording affordably? I don’t have any experience but would like to start playing around with it. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated.
Getting started recording and posting
- Thread starter TxStrat
- Start date
artyman
Fareham UK
A decent microphone, sound is actually more important than the image side of things. What kit do you have or are you starting from scratch. I mostly use a Canon 7D with a Rode Videomic attached, however my phone does a reasonable job provided it isn't windy ( then I get wind roar) a dead cat on the Rode solves that problem.
The first questions I would ask are:
- What kind of quality video are you looking for?
- Will you be shooting at home in a controlled environment or in a club with a possibly high noise environment?
- What quality of audio are you looking for?
- What's your budget?
The first step is to look at what kind of smartphone you have. If it is a newer Samsung Galaxy or an iPhone, you may have the answer right there. There are a lot of people using iPhones and getting both excellent video and extremely good audio.
Next option is if you have a laptop or tablet. Some of them have excellent video cameras built in and the audio isn't usually too bad.
If you will have a desktop computer in the same room (or even a laptop), an outboard webcam can be had nowadays for less than $100 that will give you 1080p video and pretty decent audio.
Beyond that, the sky is the limit. Zoom offers their Q2n, which is a fixed focus lens (no fancy video effects, no optical zoom, but with what Zoom calls Point Of View settings, which is essentially an electronic zoom. These tend to lose resolution and start to get pixelated or grainy as you zoom in. The upside is these are small and run on regular AA batteries. They also record audio extremely well. This has always been Zoom's strong point.
Zoom also offers their Q8, which is basically the same camera, but with some audio enhancements. The mics are removable and can be replace with task specific mic "capsules," probably of little or no use in a home environment. But the Q8 (which I have) also has the ability to accept two mic or line level inputs via an XLR/TRS cable. This allows you to use another source for your audio. The video is just OK. It's pretty decent in a well lit environment, but gets pretty noisy in anything less. The camera also has a fixed focus lens with only electronic zoom capabilities. The Q8 uses a proprietary battery and spares aren't cheap. However, if you have a USB battery pack for charging a cell phone, you can avoid buying spare batteries. Both the Q2 and Q8 will run from an external pack.
Another upside to both of the Zoom cameras is they will connect directly to a computer via USB and both the Q2n and the Q8 will function as a webcam on your computer. The mics can also be used with the webcam. A Q2 will run around $220. The Q8 is closer to $400.
I did a livestream with my Q8 back in May, which might give you an idea of the video quality. It's on Facebook and FB will only stream to 720p and not 1080p. The video quality difference between the two levels on the Q8 is pretty much negligible. The video is public, so you don't need a FB account to view it. You'll find it here: https://www.facebook.com/paparaptor/videos/10222898014061857
The audio was done through a mixing board and the outputs were fed into the Q8 via the XLR/TRS connections. The audio quality wouldn't be quite as crisp and clear from the built-in mics.
Next option is if you have a laptop or tablet. Some of them have excellent video cameras built in and the audio isn't usually too bad.
If you will have a desktop computer in the same room (or even a laptop), an outboard webcam can be had nowadays for less than $100 that will give you 1080p video and pretty decent audio.
Beyond that, the sky is the limit. Zoom offers their Q2n, which is a fixed focus lens (no fancy video effects, no optical zoom, but with what Zoom calls Point Of View settings, which is essentially an electronic zoom. These tend to lose resolution and start to get pixelated or grainy as you zoom in. The upside is these are small and run on regular AA batteries. They also record audio extremely well. This has always been Zoom's strong point.
Zoom also offers their Q8, which is basically the same camera, but with some audio enhancements. The mics are removable and can be replace with task specific mic "capsules," probably of little or no use in a home environment. But the Q8 (which I have) also has the ability to accept two mic or line level inputs via an XLR/TRS cable. This allows you to use another source for your audio. The video is just OK. It's pretty decent in a well lit environment, but gets pretty noisy in anything less. The camera also has a fixed focus lens with only electronic zoom capabilities. The Q8 uses a proprietary battery and spares aren't cheap. However, if you have a USB battery pack for charging a cell phone, you can avoid buying spare batteries. Both the Q2 and Q8 will run from an external pack.
Another upside to both of the Zoom cameras is they will connect directly to a computer via USB and both the Q2n and the Q8 will function as a webcam on your computer. The mics can also be used with the webcam. A Q2 will run around $220. The Q8 is closer to $400.
I did a livestream with my Q8 back in May, which might give you an idea of the video quality. It's on Facebook and FB will only stream to 720p and not 1080p. The video quality difference between the two levels on the Q8 is pretty much negligible. The video is public, so you don't need a FB account to view it. You'll find it here: https://www.facebook.com/paparaptor/videos/10222898014061857
The audio was done through a mixing board and the outputs were fed into the Q8 via the XLR/TRS connections. The audio quality wouldn't be quite as crisp and clear from the built-in mics.
FWIW, I do everything with my Samaung Galaxy S9+ (Video and Sudio)
Here's a sample of an outdoor video:
5/20 Corona Concert
Here's a sample of an outdoor video:
5/20 Corona Concert
That's certainly one way. If your laptop has a mic input, you can usually find an adapter to make it work. If you don't already have a mic, getting a mic with USB connectivity is another option.
This can turn into quite a rabbit hole (not to mention a real money sponge) and as I mentioned previously, can go from something as simple as a smartphone to many thousands of dollars in a home studio setup. This is why it is important to try and nail down your expectations.
Elwood
Blues
I was just going to send something similar. I might add that, at least I, outgrew the usb mic way too quick.
It gets you going, all the way to where you know you want....
the rabbit hole. Mics and interfaces and software oh my! BEWARE! There are enablers amongst us.
Seriously, it does get deep quick, but it is tons of fun and you will get good tips here (from others)
what about those Zoom gizmos guys?
It gets you going, all the way to where you know you want....the rabbit hole.
Mics and interfaces and software oh my! BEWARE! There are enablers amongst us.Seriously, it does get deep quick, but it is tons of fun and you will get good tips here (from others)
what about those Zoom gizmos guys?
Zoom's portable audio recorders can't be beat. I have an older H1 audio recorder that I have dragged all over the country. I use it with a pair of Rode Video Micro Pro mini-shotgun mics. I've recorded everything from a year or two's worth of Open Mic/Live Jams at a local bar to the audio for most of the BGU Live 2018 videos. It's no longer made, but the H1n is an updated version of it. It looks to be a lot more user friendly than mine. Zoom's whole line of audio recorders is excellent. I'm not quite as sold on the Q series (Q2, Q4, Q8). The audio on them is unbeatable, but the video just doesn't impress me that much.
To be fair, my current video camera is a Sony RX-100 MKIII. The Q8 video quality can't hold a candle to the Sony. But having said that, the Sony does a lousy job of recording quality audio and it costs about twice as much as the Q8. I'm debating at the moment about buying an HDMI video capture device so I can use the Sony as a webcam for live streaming. It doesn't support live video over the USB connection. The only way to get live video out of the Sony is by connecting to the HDMI port and an interface into my PC. Rabbit hole indeed.
Portable recording rig:
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If you take a look at the BGU Live Arrowhead 2017 videos, most of those were shot using @MikeR's Q2 cam.