I think eaves shows his old setup in one of those threads that I linked. it was like, his iphone on top of a book on top of a shelf or something.
His videos were pretty good so, you know, just comes down to your expectations, I guess.
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Thank you all for the replies! I donât plan to dive in head-deep and am actually looking for just a minimum viable ghetto setup. But itâs cool to know that I can get by with just a phone so iâll get one with a better camera for now. See from there if I feel like upgrading to better lightning and production value etc. along the road.
Yeah I understand that it doesnât have to be top notch. Im not asking how to film one or two synthesizer on desk like he tend to do but my whole setup at once.
From my very limited experience in filming things that were not synths, for something which is mostly static (as in the camera films from a fixed location and doesnât pan around or have to keep up with rapid movements) lighting is more crucial than the actual camera.
I donât think that theyâre inexpensive but most professional photoshoots and âprofessionalâ youtubers use a light diffuser, so something approximately like this:
Although these days it looks like they can be purchased for somewhat reasonable prices on Amazon or other similar. I wouldnât know how to tell you which ones are quality or if some work better than others, but I think that by doing a little simple research into photography lighting and experimenting a bit, you could get some very nice results by spending your money more efficiently.
My concern would be that someone ends up buying the decent camera and then ends up with shit video footage anyways due to inefficient lighting and then has to make a second investment in lights and lighting equipment.
If you were filming extreme sports, you definitely need something with a high enough framerate to capture all of the in-between shots, but I can mostly guarantee you that playing the synths wonât be lost on most cameras / camera phones and that the audio, syncing of the audio and the lighting will have a much greater impact on presentation.
Framing your shots, as mentioned somewhere above, also has a great impact on the final product.
Just one perspective though, youâre already doing your own research, so youâll come up with the solution thatâs best for your circumstances.
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Thanks for a quality reply. I donât want to undermine the effort some are putting into this hobby at all. Iâm fine with having shit production quality for now though. Just wanted to know if phone camera is good enough for some casual videos basically. Maybe I will have to open the blinds for a while if I mean to recordâŚ
My only point is that if you think about some of these videos we watch online, whether it be instagram or something random where I wonât mention any specific varieties but letâs just say any video which is filmed by someone who is not utilizing a planned lighting set up or filming with the light behind them, the results of a very high quality camera are still that it can be quite difficult to see the subjects or that it may not appear very defined.
If you compare that against a professionally filmed production with the quality reduced to something like 360P, the lower resolution video of a high-quality production is almost always easier to make out whatâs going on in the video.
Itâs going to be on a person-to-person basis how we interpret quality though, so the main thing is making sure youâre satisfied with the results. I donât have a bottomless supply of money so I do exactly what youâre doing now, in that I try to research my options and then make the best decision that I can within my budget.
Itâs a bit like buying your first semi-modular or something like that, and then realizing after you receive it that you forgot the extra hundred which you need to spend on patch cables to get going though
yeah but isnât the talk about lighting kinda secondary topic which i didnât ask about? iâll get the lights if it becomes a problem like everyone else
Yeah I guess you can have a conversation about shoes without mentioning the laces, but try walking in shoes without laces. Itâs possible, but the results may not be as desired.
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im not opposed to getting the lighting at all. itâs just not what i was asking about. but yeah i can see how important it is for having good quality. do you have any low budget suggestions of a setup yourself?
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Having recently invested in a cheap light ring from Amazon, I can confidently say that lighting is more important than the camera. I use my phone (Oppo Find X5) which has a decent camera, but not up to Apple quality, and far from a DSLR. But with the light ring, the results look like I upgraded the camera.
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You asked about videoing synths, and lighting is a pretty big part of photo / video work.
Being sloppy can work:
Neither attempt captured the true color of the Perkons, but both are interesting enough that Iâm happy.
If you are cool with the punk/DIY approach, then you just take what you get and roll with it. But if you find that you arenât so happy with this or that detail you may find yourself entering a lengthy rabbit hole.
Edit: my own view is that if you have any kind of video recording device then you are probably better off working on getting really good sound (audio interface, and syncing) and really good lighting before you start spending $$$ on a better video device. Most phones from the last decade are really good camera and video devices.
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So it seems judging from the all raving comments about importance of lighting. I own a really bad phone camera myself so I was just trying to find out if the modern phone cameras can do the job of filming from a distance.
I will have to do some research on the lighting but good to know that even cheap light rings can do good.
Yeah, thatâs true. My bad! Valuable information here shared, noted.
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All phones cameras are crap in low light. Sensors are too small and phones try to make so called âcomputational photographyâ by merging multiple shots and applying tons of fancy stuff on top of that.
Video is much more demanding (24-60 frames per second), so even iPhones record mess in low light.
Room light is not enough unless itâs 3+ bulbs or really bright led lamp. Also, you and your gear will produce unwanted shadows. Even table lamp placed correctly significantly improves a shot. Cheap led ring or panel even better.
Thatâs why a half of this thread is about light.
If you want to justify a new phone, yes better phone can improve video quality (not always).
But if you want to improve video quality, then itâs more important what you record with your camera than camera itself. Shit in - shit out.
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I use my tablet because the camera and recorder are better than my phone. I donât video synths, but Iâve done quite a bit of online sales just using a subpar phone camera in the past with some overhead bookshelf type lights, the ones that have a curved flexible metal base.
I never purchased a diffuser because for some reason I have an excess of the type of white tissue paper that you use for stuffing gifts into bags. Iâm sure I would have better luck with a proper diffuser, but by using one or two sheets of the semi opaque thin paper suspended creatively, I was able to effectively substitute a diffuser.
I have never used a proper reflector, but Iâve used a white, kid finish, panel sized piece of posterboard to the same effect and it worked pretty well on a smaller scale for medium sized items.
Having more than one light source is important, and using a high bleed light source such as a window can create problems as youâre basically not in control of the light dispersion unless you have something like a semi opaque shade already installed on your window that acts as a natural diffuser.
My experience just from presenting things for sale is that people are more likely to purchase an attractively lit, well-presented item than the exact same item photographed poorly, and Iâm not a good photographer by any means, nothing artistic about it, just being able to frame the shot and see everything in it, having it level or at an attractive angle, and avoiding light glare or other ghosting effects makes even really mediocre photos look better.
In my opinion thereâs no difference between filming a static object and filming a synth from a static angle, the same principles apply so you could definitely use some budget hacks like I have, but it does sound like youâre prepared to spend money, and Iâm not one of those people who will tell you the budget workaround hacks are just as good as the real thing, however the difference between something and nothing is night and day.
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Go for it, dude. Get yourself some clippy phone holder on an adjustable arm and go crazy.
I have very different full-time work, but I really like my hobby of making noise with my synths. Iâm also lazy when Iâm off the clock, so finding ways to make it easy to start has been the best thing for me. Less steps between startup and playing music the better.
Stuff like Audio/USB on synths has been awesome. Recently I use my P-6 as an interface with smaller synths because I can just plug a USB-C cable into it and my iPad and go wild wherever.
Syntakt is always set up on my desk now with a USB connector for grabbing its audio and anything routed through it into my iPad.
I used to record audio separately on a Zoom recorder and stitch it together into the video after, but that was enough of a barrier that I would resist doing it.
I probably should care more about lighting and stuff but usually itâs pretty spontaneous.
Iâll have an idea and just want to get it down.
TLDR: My haphazard advice is If you just want to get it recorded and out there, donât worry too much and just make it easy for yourself. It feels good to share!
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I agree with the many voices saying that lighting is important.
In my opinion, real light from a window is the most pleasingâŚso I film everything in daylight these days.
iPhone will definitely be good enough.
Also, if you are looking for something to attach a phone/camera to something, I recommend these: Amazon.co.jp: SmallRig 9.5" (24cm) Magic Arm Super Clamp Articulating Magic Arm Monitor Arm Crab Scissors Clamp - KBUM2732B : Electronics
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Newer phones are great for video, and are often more flexible in some ways than mid-range cameras.
If you have an iPhone, you can generally connect a class-compliant audio device to the USB port, and just hit record in the camera app to capture it along with the video.
I do recommend the Blackmagic Camera app rather than the stock camera app though.
Itâs a free app that gives you full control over the camera settings, along with manual selection of audio devices, while providing monitoring.
That might sound a bit daunting at first, but I actually find it is less frustrating to be able to set the camera up and frame your shot, adjust the settings to look good, and not have to worry about that changing during recording.
I had a quick look around, and this seemed to be a good introduction to the app.
When starting out, you probably donât need to pay attention to more than the first third or so of the video.
Before getting into things like lighting setups (beyond making sure you have the lights on in the room, maybe moving a lamp, etc) Iâd focus on making videos and seeing how you like it.
Experiment as you go.
Learn how to use the camera controls in BMC - like how to adjust the focus and exposure to make the screen easy to read, if you are trying to show that off.
Getting a tripod/clamp for it and experimenting with framing the shot, etc. You might find that clamping the camera to the same surface youâre playing on results in a lot of shake though.
There are plenty of channels with a lot of subscribers that donât focus on any of this.
They just connect an audio cable to the phone/camera and hit record.
People care far more about how your video sounds than how professionally shot it looks, and you donât have to start at a high point right out of the gate. You can see what you like, what you donât, and then focus on improving that as you go if you want to stick with it.
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Guys get a good bright and diffuse light, then the cam on your phones is (probably) more than enough!
It is! Phone lenses need a lot of light to look great.
(I record with a Galaxy A71 which is over 4 yo.)
Also you can use the class compliant interfaces on your Elektrons to record the audio directly to your videos.
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Did the artistic one get more views?