Action cam/Camcorder Advice

The Lounge General Discussion
21

The preamp on the ZV1 is quite clean and has plenty of gain.
I have and use regularly several (video) cameras and the ZV1 surprises me every time with how much punch/features/quality it packs in such a compact form.
I would go with the original one, even an used one locally, if it’s been treated well.

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22

Oh that definitely looks interesting, thank you, I’ll read into it.

23

Duly noted, thank you.
Definitely something I’ll need to keep an eye on and spec-check before making any final purchases.

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24

Ooh that’s good to know, thank you!
This one is definitely looking like a good choice.

25

This is useful if you go OBS route and have spare smart devices.

Warning! They will get very hot during use potentially! I ran my iPad as an over head shot above my Akai Force and the resolution of the iPad camera is just great but it got very hot.

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26

Why not use Apple’s native Continuity Camera? Came in an update for Apple devices last year, and allows you to use your iPhone/iPad cameras for photos or video. I use it with OBS to have a high quality wireless camera.

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27

Amazing, looking into it! Thanks!

28

Thanks. Whether I use this as the final choice or not it will at least be another string to my bow.

29

@Specular-D I picked up the Zoom Q8n-4K today (found one at a decent price). I’ll update with audio tests later tomorrow. Far lighter than I expected, but that’s a good thing for me considering the use case.

IMG_9304
IMG_93043024×4032 1.61 MB

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30

Correct, that’s the whole point of using LAN cameras and OBS: to avoid transferring footage from each cam and then have to manually sync it with audio. Also no wires, no video capture interface, no hassle

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31

Action cams are designed for daytime outdoor activities, where small size, durability and good stabilisation are most important. I tried GoPro for recording indoor jam videos and the quality was not good. Even my old iPhone SE (1st gen) performed better, although with narrower field of view, and that camera is pretty bad for low light video, compared to newer phones. iPhones can also record audio via USB using Apple Camera Adapter, not sure about Androids.

For best quality I think DSLR with good lens might be the best, at least that’s what I see being used most often in various youtuber’s “studio tours”. You’ll still need to provide good lightning though.

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32

Oh wow!
Please do keep me posted, I’d be most intrigued to find out how you get on.
It certainly looks very nice.

33

Thanks for the feedback. Deffo seems like action cams are NOT the way to go for this project.
My general understanding of DSLRs is that their max video time is around 30 minutes, though I need to work out if I can use them along with some of the wireless options discussed above, because a DSLR with very long record time would be the best quality results.

34

I’m not a video expert but AFAIK the 30min limit of video recording time on DSLRs is because if it can record for longer its classed as a camcorder and thus is subject to different tax/import duties etc. There are workarounds.

Magic Lantern firmware for Canon EOS may unlock the time limit.

Or if you have a DSLR with HDMI out you can use a USB capture device like this one to stream directly to your computer running OBS.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Loop-Out-Streaming-Recorder-Broadcasts-Conference/dp/B08PLXT6PW/ref=asc_df_B08PLXT6PW/?tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=501043374885&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=11034310731886851805&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9046325&hvtargid=pla-1186592668211&psc=1&th=1&psc=1

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35

Yeah I heard the same thing last night from a photographer!
He recommended I save the money and get a Blackmagic camera as it covers all bases with good quality.

What you’re suggesting sounds like very good alternatives.
DSLR with HDMI could be good.

Thanks for your input.

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