Company Vlog - Buying advice
Hi All, we want a camera to start producing short videos in our office.The videos will mostly be in one location which we we can set up with some extra lighting.
What i need to make a start is a camera with a mic input, a mic, and a tripod. Was thinking of buying something like the Canon EOS 750D DSLR Camera with 18-55mm Lens. Would yu say that would be ok? Any others i should consider? Any ideas on what Mic will be of decent enough quality to produce clear and concise voice reproduction? At this stage, we would prefer to keep the total budget under £1k. Any advice appreciated. Suggest you also look at camcorders. DSLRs have been known to overheat when recording long videos. Canon have a good range.
Mics will depend on what you are filming. In some cases the camera mic is enough. For face to camera a tie clip or Lavalier mic would be good but you could use a electret condenser mic, on a stand, outside the camera's line of sight. Thanks Terfyn. These vids will be a maximum of 5 minutes long. Most are going to be around 1 or two minute long clips. Would prefer a lapel mic to be honest to begin with and see how we get on. Just want a starter package to get us going easily. If it proves to be worthwhile, we can invest more into it.
Can you fire off a model number for me to have a look at? It does not need to be 4k as the vids will be put on our website anyway. They just need to look good enough and sound very clear. The only nice to have feature is low light performance really to reduce the need for external lighting sources. Have you considered a Smartphone on a tripod, to start with?
For ideas Getting Started Vlogging Using Your Smartphone Thats a good idea.
Iphone 8 with this https://www.amazon.co.uk/Rode-SC6-L-Mobile-Interview-Lightning/dp/B07GCDYXQZ?tag=podcastinsigh-21 IMO you need a camcorder with a zoom lens and an external mic socket. First it will give you a 16:9 wide picture and NOT a vertical letter box. Second the zoom will let you frame the shot easily from any distance. For good low light performance I would suggest a Panasonic HC-V800 (my camera so I know it)
For a Lavalier mic you could look at a BOYA BY-M1, I use BOYA and find them very good. The Panasonic has a small voltage at the mic socket so will drive most electret condenser mics.
With the HC-V800 you will probably not need extra lighting but, in case you feel you do, there are various LED floods on the market. Have a look at Neewer® CN-LUX360 three little lights that will sit easily on the camera and you can use them one, two or three at a time. Hope they help Whilst I will accept the Camcorder that Terfyn suggested is fine. However, in modest-light conditions the purpose of additional lighting isn't always to overcome camera-limitations.
.......You haven't said "what" these "short videos"(?) are promoting.....?
Lighting is there to help highlight the scene and either the person (in the case of an Interview), or the Product. Far too often products are in black plastic and very difficult to see clearly, esp against a bright background.
You might consider a ~£100 investment in a continuous background with two (pref. 3) lights which can beset-up quickly. If the background is something to do with the business, that might be worth including.... but it needs to be just out of focus, which implies being several feet behind the objects you are filming. For demonstrations the contrast between the Demonstrator and the Object should be considered..... after all, it is your Product that is most likely to promote Sales....
Another useful(?) point is that anything plugged into your camcorder should present no strain on the internal circuitry... this means making sure there is no leverage, or untied wiring. Folk that don't heed this can end up with non-working sockets ( once the solder breaks).Repair is expensive.
Finally, you will need to do some Editing.... to get the footage polished and give the viewer a reason to continue. This means cutting-out Ums and Ers(as well as silly mishandling), or getting their sleeves in the way..... etc.
The choice of Location is important, esp if you don't notice external noises, or flickering lights.
Using lapel-mics is tempting, but few non-media-professionals know how to wear them and you can get rubbing/breathing noises that are almost impossible to remove.
You should have a camcorder that allows you to monitor the Audio: - using large-muff, "Closed-Back" headphones with the correct plug.... modest ones about £60.
Having a stand-alone audio recorder AS WELL, is a prudent move - beware though, that "Knowing your Kit" is also never easy - and can take several months to get it slick.... If you are presenting the Videos to Seniors in the Company, you could suggest they do one as well - That can help youdodge any bullets.
For a Business, you might like to Open/Close with a paid-for jingle.... someone in the Co will know a musician that can do this, for a modest 1-off fee. You can get no-end of Royalty-free music off the Internet and elsewhere here...provided you give them a plug. But having your-own is much more professional.... something about 10 seconds should do.
(PS My pet-hate is drumming ). You will need to learn about audio-levels as most presentations are far too loud - an average level is -12dB ( as set by the Editor software). However, for consumer camcorders you only get "about right" metering - although a modest stand-alone recorder (like basic £80 "Zoom"recorders), have a display which shows levels ( Check before buying - they are not the easiest things to set-up!)
Cheers.... hope that helps . . . . For audio Sorry to bring this back but its now becoming imminent. Before i pull the trigger on the HC-V800, is there any reason to just pay the little extra and go for the 4k version of it (i beleive) the HC-VX1?
We will be shooting in the office under mediocre lighting and i will buy some extra lighting to assist anyway.
Also, any recommendation on what to connect to the mic? A decent yet affordable microphone gun?