Cheap camcorder with remote control for zoom........

stevewill

Hello, Our church is looking to set up a remote video camera for our services, nothing really elaborate or technical. Currently we have a camcorder on a trip-pod on top of a pew in front of the sound desk. Not the most practical as we are at full stretch to reach up and over the desk to operate the camera & use the zoom function.
  We have a balcony above us which we can bolt a camera bracket to,
     https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00GOMRVQE/?coliid=I12O79THDVNE2O&colid=3LHXVTHC866YO&psc=1&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it

I've seen these for the remote pan & tilt function,
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07DL7YF5S/?coliid=I1JNSQUQY2TNNB&colid=1Z01G8M3W5LZA&psc=1&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it  https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B018FM0QH6/?coliid=I3CDEBKFWRJOLV&colid=1Z01G8M3W5LZA&psc=1&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00ADKR7EY/?coliid=I2D3AW3OXK48LU&colid=1Z01G8M3W5LZA&psc=1&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_itThe first 2 i think are mainly for action cameras, i think, as their weight limit is not very high but the third is 3 times the price but built more for a "regular" video camera.

As for the camera the only ones i can find are non branded variations of one design,

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07GJHP18X/ref=twister_B07LG1WMSZ?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&coliid=I38WF8WDN9X54G&colid=3LHXVTHC866YOTheres no point in putting more camera links in, If you scroll down when on the Amazon page of the camera you will see what i mean as they all look very similar.

I appreciate these cameras are very basic, some of the reviews say that they can't focus on images unless the subject is at least 5-6 ft away but as we sit further away than that, thats ok, the flip side is none of them have an optical which would be much better that the digital version.

There may not be an easy, or cheap, way to achieve this but thank you in anticipation of your responses.

SteveWill

Terfyn

It can be done but at a price. The Panasonic range of consumer cams particularly the HC-V770 and the HC-V800 can be controlled using a smartphone app. This covers video/photo, start/stop and camera zoom PLUS the VW-CTR1 remote pan/tilt cradle. The camera is mounted on the cradle which is connected via the USB link on the camera. The app will control the pan and tilt on the cradle as well as controlling the camera operation.
Amazon have both the cameras and the pan/tilt cradle.

eagleseeker

Do you really need pan and tilt? If not there are some very cheap options for you out there. Old style handycams (tape) are cheap and can be powered by AC cable instead of batteries. Sony Handycam  TR range and Panasonic NV-DS-15B (Digital tape) both have remotes for record/stop and zoom etc. Digital (Hard Drive) JVC Everio also has remote functionality. These are all available for peanuts.

Terfyn

Question:- What is the outcome for the recording? Is it to pass round parishoners who, for many reasons, cannot attend church in person. (my dad did audio recordings for this reason)
I gave up on tape based camcorders, for the reason that tape mechanisms wear, back in 2010. I now use SD card based cameras, the cards are cheap and there are no moving parts to fail.

Incidentally both the cameras I suggested run and can be recharged using a 5V USB source so mains, car or USB chargers and Power Bank batteries can all be used to run the cameras. I have two 20,000mAh Power Bank batteries which can run the HC-V800 for up to 12 hours.

stevewill

The first image is the veiw from where I would  like the camera to be, so pan & tilt is definitely required plus the zoom function too as things happen all over the front of the church.
I've looked at some of the older cameras, most have remote function but their age can sometimes rule out digital/HDMI use, which is what we have in the church.
The second image is what we have at the moment - which is a basic JVC camcorder with a mini HDMI socket & only 720!

stevewill

At the moment we are not going to be recording services as we too use audio recordings via YouTube channel, just as a more visual engaging service, although it is something we may look at later down the line.

Terfyn

Not clear - why the need for a camera? A good audio recorder would do the job better.

I also use a Tascam DR-60D MkII recorder with two Behringer C-2 condenser mics for quality recordings. The Tascam produces .wav files to add to video or as stand alone recordings.

12harry

Provided you can stop folks touching the microphone(s) then a pure-audio set-up should be far easier. By having separate recorders ( using SD Cards and fresh batteries), the whole service should be covered.
[ However, you will need an experienced Editor to perform the necessary "cuts" to make the whole move along smoothly ].
If there are any gaps ( as the clergy move about), this can be edited-out with some soft organ music, or previously recorded "Ambient"​Going for remote control video adds a whole range of troubles - esp. if you plan to reach the full length of the church - it's very likely to be  a lower quality than the main recording. An alternative would be to take stills prior.... then use them with the audio. By having several still shots at each location, you can add some "extra" to the presentation.... which may help the delivery, as viewed.
I don't recall a Budget being mentioned - almost always "too little" as there are extras to buy whatever you do.​Tripods are useful and flexible as they can be repositioned as needed.... however,  for a church service,  equipment should be fixed, to avoid distracting worshipers.
Cheers. H.

noiseboy72

So I am assuming you just put the image up onto the screens, interspersed with song words, bible readings and notices?

If so, older cameras will have less "lag" than newer ones, but probably won't have an HDMI output. Depending upon how you switch sources, this may or may not be an issue.

Action cams will not be suitable, as they are designed for really wide angle pickup. The camera you have linked to has a very wide angle lens and I think only digital zoom. This will look terrible at anything more than 2x or so. You need a good optical zoom - 12X should be fine.

The issue you may find with the remote on domestic camcorders is that being infrared, you won't get a reliable signal. Something with a wired remote would be preferable - LANC or similar. You can then get a nice proportional zoom demand that will be very smooth.

The pan and tilt heads will be quite slow - at least the 3rd one you linked to is, I used to have one and it was about 60 seconds to fully rotate!

If you try and do this on the cheap, it going to be a massive compromise. I am not sure you will get the result you are looking for. There's a reason that Hillsong spend $60K on each camera and it's not just because they have tons of cash sloshing around!

Terfyn

Not seen IR control since my ancient Canon. Remote control is all NFC now.
The VW-CTR1 is fairly slow but pan/tilt heads are not all about speed. If you use one, you realise that it is all about small movements and slight changes in angles. Consider a Pan shot, it is normally executed so that the audience can see and adsorb the changes in scenery, so is slow and deliberate.