What is the perfect camera for filming video at the hospital?

mehlsen

Hi, I am looking for a camera to film (semi)-professional videoes at a hospital, e.g patient stories, employee presentations and events. Most of the filming is in an indoor setting. Thus i dont know what camera is useful for that. I prefer both filming handheld and on a tripod, both with a shotgun mic. My budget is 1000-1500 dollars for the camera incl lens. I dont know if i have to choose dslr or mirrorless camera, but i prefer great autofocus and stabilization. Somebody who has an opinion for that

Terfyn

Why not a camcorder? Most high end consumer cams from Canon, Panasonic or Sony will work. I suggest the high end consumer cams as they will have decent low light performance and an external mic socket. All will have autofocus and optical image stabilisation. Most hospitals have decent lighting (to make sure that the doctors and nurses can "hit the mark") but there are a number of LED based camera lights on the market. I use a Neewer LED with a pink filter (supplied with the light) to give a warmer effect.

As you will be working fairly close up, have you considered a Lavalier (Tie-Clip) mic. There are dual mics on the market for both the interviewer and interviewee. You may need a TRRS to TRS adapter for some of these.

mehlsen

I had not considered a camcorder, but maybe that is a great option. I have try to google different types of high end consumer cams, and they look good. Can you recommend a specific one?

Thank you.

Terfyn

Well, because I know it will work, a Panasonic HC-V800 would be my choice if you want to stay with HD and not go into the realms of 4K.

12harry

Doing "interviews" is not quite as easy as it appears ( eg on TV ) since this is often the result of several "Crew" and a script editor.

I suggest you don't go for a"Pro" camcorder as these can present pitfalls for the unwary ( and always at the least inconvenient moment).
A modest consumer camcorder as Terfyn suggested should be perfectly acceptable - but I wonder why you want good autofocus.
If the patient is static you can get a far better image using "Manual" .
Also, whilst hospital light may be bright, they are rarely of good photo-quality - so a modest fill-in may help and I like the idea of a filter, so the patient looks in reasonably rude health.
Shotgun mics don't really like indoors (due to multiple sound reflective sources).... a Tie-clip mic, as suggested is probably far easier ( AND more certain )..... but you should monitor the audio using headphones with closed-back and large surround muffs, to make sure you hear the actual microphone sound only. Check that your chosen camcorder has a 3.5mm headphone output and that yr headphones are also 3.5mm. Do not use an "Adaptor".

Good Luck, practice makes perfect.
Buy extra batteries (and memory cards), marking them #1, #2, #3 etc. so they aren't used/charged out of sequence.

Terfyn

I would agree with this but Panasonic cameras use 5V USB as a supply for charging and for running. This means that, instead of buying Panasonic batteries, you can use any USB 5V source to run the camera. I use a Power Bank sold to recharge phones etc. It is cheaper than the batteries and will last 4-5 times as long before it needs to be recharged.