Video camera advice sought.

I'm looking for a suitable video camera to make videos.
I need to put together some short videos, up to 5 minutes in length. These would be used on youtube, kickstarter, and a farmsteading website that should be up within the next few weeks.

Features
THIS IS KEY: It needs to be easy to use-I am not a camera geek. Aim and shoot is ideal.
Gotta have sound and fairly decent video quality, grainy just wont do, but I'm not filming a cinema blockbuster. The content is more important than the quality, but it should look as good as anything on youtube.
If it plugs into USB stuff it would be handy. I've got a USB external hard drive storage kinda thing.
Price range of a couple hundred bucks. Less is better, but if a few bucks offers greatly improved quality, ease, and features, I can give it a look.

After that I'll probably need some software to edit clips. If the camera came with useful software, that would be a plus.

Pretend I know NOTHING about cameras or video clip production and editing.

If I produced a dozen videos, that would be a lot. If the process was easy, who knows, I might make a hobby of it.

Scuba diving guy I know is telling me the GoPro Black belongs on the short list.
Ever heard of this thing?

For youtube, almost any video camera will do. A newer iphone has a very good camera. You will want a tripod.

Microphone quality is perhaps the most relevant limiting factor.

If you are filming indoors, a lightbox is almost mandatory. Maybe you can repurpose a solar oven.

The "Hero" is the best all around camera I've seen. Image stabilized, underwater capabilities, super HD stills, $350 here in Canada. Every skateboarder and surfer wants one. A diver told me that it replaces $10,000 worth of equipment, rendering it obsolete.

Edit- I think the go pro black is the top of the line hero.

Ken Peavey wrote:I'm looking for a suitable video camera to make videos.
I need to put together some short videos, up to 5 minutes in length. These would be used on youtube, kickstarter, and a farmsteading website that should be up within the next few weeks.

Most digital cameras do video -- I have a Panasonic Lumix that I think cost well under $150 and it does good video and the sound is fine if you are close to the camera - also takes great pictures and is usb just plug it in.

My "editing" is just keep trying until I get a usable clip - it is very easy to upload to youtube -- the camera outputs MP4 format that I am sure most software can deal with.

Just ordered a Sony Bloggie Touch from Amazon. Used, 70 bucks.
I'll make the leap to a GOPRO if I get deeper into this. I'll screw up a cheapo first.

The thing has arrived. Not a scratch on it.
I wonder how it works.

Did it come with a manual?
If not, download one here:
http://www.docs.sony.com/release/MHSTSseries_handbook.pdf

EDITED to correct mishspelling

Thanks for the link!
It came with everything, including the original box. Got a couple of pics already.
The thing has one of those screens you touch!

I'm so far behind on technology it don't make sense.

Camera works just fine. As you can see I'm really excited about it.

Here I am in a dark closet

No judgment here Ken. Come out of the closet whenever you feel like you're ready.

Will you be doing the sort of videos that Paul does for just your projects or will you cover events that you attend?

I'm on my new (used) laptop. Your serious look is the first photographic image I've seen.

So far I'm about as 'into' the camera as I am my plunger.
I'm not a shutterbug, but there are some things I'd like to do.
I've got some kickstarter/crowdfunding projects that I'm looking into. One is goofy as all out, but could be as popular and useful as the Pet Rock.
I've got a website being pieced together. Plenty of use for photos and videos there. It's a tool. If I want to build a house, I'll need a hammer. If I want to promote the idea of small scale farmsteading, I'll be able to make good use of a camera.
A full length documentary is not in my immediate plans. I'll start small, work my way up.

Bumping this thread for up to date advice please.

It looks like I don't have a camera that will take film for future GAMCOD for example. The microphone on the phone I use as a camera appears to be broken :( It records pictures but no sounds.

Much the same as Ken; I want something easy to operate, point and shoot, that will connect to a PC via usb. Preferably one that would connect live too so I could use it for zoom type meetings. One that would allow simple stitching of scenes to avoid too much post editing would be good. Maybe simple features like time lapse and slow motion. Possibly one that could take an external microphone. it's almost always windy here so sound quality has been a problem in the past. Probably one that can be stood on a tripod. Ideally one that doesn't involve me having to call tech support (aka my husband) to enable viewing of the recordings.
If it were to be a good still photo camera too that would be a bonus!

Where do I start looking? I don't want to spend a fortune. I'd probably rather spend £100 on a reasonable quality simple camera than a cheaper one with more features.

Nancy Reading wrote:Bumping this thread for up to date advice please.

It looks like I don't have a camera that will take film for future GAMCOD for example. The microphone on the phone I use as a camera appears to be broken :( It records pictures but no sounds.

Much the same as Ken; I want something easy to operate, point and shoot, that will connect to a PC via usb. Preferably one that would connect live too so I could use it for zoom type meetings. One that would allow simple stitching of scenes to avoid too much post editing would be good. Maybe simple features like time lapse and slow motion. Possibly one that could take an external microphone. it's almost always windy here so sound quality has been a problem in the past. Probably one that can be stood on a tripod. Ideally one that doesn't involve me having to call tech support (aka my husband) to enable viewing of the recordings.
If it were to be a good still photo camera too that would be a bonus!

Where do I start looking? I don't want to spend a fortune. I'd probably rather spend £100 on a reasonable quality simple camera than a cheaper one with more features.

I think the dji pocket is a great option that also works as a webcam, plus it comes with its one stabilization device so anything you record will look super pro without that much effort. My understanding is that this product is made to help anyone create very high quality content with little effort.

The latest version is over $500 buckaroos: https://store.dji.com/product/osmo-pocket-3?site=brandsite&from=landing_page&vid=153291

the previous one which is also great is around $200: https://store.dji.com/product/pocket-2?site=brandsite&from=landing_page&vid=98631

Also now a days phones come with insane camera systems, the latest iphones have been used to make hollywood movies... So maybe theres some options there too with your budget.

A dslr is another option like the Canon EOS 50D Camera but then you have to get into lenses, tripods, and the rest...

A review of the pocket 2 which for its price is a really good contender imho:

Disclaimer:  I'm no pro, nor good at picture taking.

I use an inexpensive drone for landscapes and designs...it might help.  Or a tablet can take pictures with sound.

...now I want a DJI Pocket 2...whether I need it or not!  Lol

Thanks for the suggestions Andrés.

Andrés Bernal wrote:I think the dji pocket is a great option that also works as a webcam, plus it comes with its one stabilization device so anything you record will look super pro without that much effort. My understanding is that this product is made to help anyone create very high quality content with little effort.

That looks just a cute little gadget! I love the way the head peers round. I suspect it would take be about three weeks to break it! I may be reading it wrong, but it looks like it only talks to mobile phones or tablets too? from amazon

Required operating system: iOS 11.0 or later and Android 7.0 or later

I don't have a mobile phone, or at least I do. but not one that connects to the outside world, and my tablet is Raspad, so different operating system I think. It occurs to me that I do have quite a few Amazon vouchers and this would be a way of using them...so maybe I could stretch my budget a little.

Also now a days phones come with insane camera systems, the latest iphones have been used to make hollywood movies... So maybe theres some options there too with your budget.

Do I really want a phone, when all I want is a video camera? I certainly don't want one that needs connecting to the internet and updating every other week.

A dslr is another option like the Canon EOS 50D Camera but then you have to get into lenses, tripods, and the rest...

We have a Canon EOS 40D; technically it is my husbands, but I was thinking of 'borrowing' it this year in order to take some better quality photos for calenders and jigsaws. That only takes still photos and as far as I can see so does the Canon EOS 50D?

Nancy Reading wrote:We have a Canon EOS 40D

The camera body is not the important part. The lenses are. And you already have lenses for the EOS 40D.
Find a used camera body with the same lens mount that has the video features you need and fits the budget. I am sure you can find that.

No camera has good audio. If you want to record people, then the voice you want to record is in a different place than the camera and the microphone needs to be very close to the person you want to record.

There are handheld microphones ("portable audio recorders") with pretty decent audio quality. And you can plug in a lavaliere microphone if you are in noisy environments. (see "Zoom H1n" for example)
They should all have USB if you don't want to take out the SD card.

That means you will need to synchronize the audio later, but it isn't too difficult.

A lavalier mic solves the problem of "big ugly mic hogging the screen", not "too much wind". Lav mics are tiny and clip on your shirt/lapel/etc. They are still susceptible to wind noise unless you put a big foamy/furry wind cover on it, but the same is true for any other mic.

It might sometimes be the case that clipping a mic on a lapel or shirt gets it more out of the way of wind, depending on what the subject is wearing, how the wind is blowing, and how the subject is oriented with respect to the wind.

In any case you do indeed want to get the mic close to the subject's mouth (or whatever orifice the sounds you want to record are coming from).

Oops, forgot to add: if ambient noise in general is the issue (e.g. if you're in a noisy echoey room) then what you want is a highly directional mic. Often these are called "shotgun mics"; they are long and thin and look like rods. If you keep it pointed at your subject's mouth and within some manufacturer-recommended distance, it will do a good job of picking up the subject's speech while rejecting ambient noise. Some of these mics even have built-in noise canceling technology applied to off-axis sound.

(Keep in mind no mic will completely reject unwanted/off-axis noise, except maybe some kind of parabolic or laser microphone, but these are typically used more for industrial or scientific purposes; they don't capture the frequencies of human speech all that well.)

Lavalier mics tend to be rather omnidirectional, so to whatever extent they "reject" ambient noise it's by being placed close to the subject's mouth, allowing the voice to come through quite loud, then you turn down the recording volume so that the ambient sounds are relatively quiet enough to be easy to tune out.

I wonder whether Andres meant Canon EOS 250D? That would make sense.....

Nancy Reading wrote:I wonder whether Andres meant Canon EOS 250D? That would make sense.....

Oh lord! There's hundreds of Canon DSLR cameras, how to start narrowing them down? Apart from cost - wow you can spend a lot of money on these things! There seem to be a few coming up second hand on ebay for about £150, which would be do able. It looks like for video you are likely to need a stabilising lens for Canon cameras, although the more modern ones have body stabilisation too. That stops the picture wobbling so much when you walk and film at the same time.

Sebastian Köln wrote:That means you will need to synchronize the audio later, but it isn't too difficult.

Hmm, If I can start with half way reasonable sound with the camera it would probably be best I'll try that first. They mostly don't seem to have the ability to plug a microphone in. Mind you that would be another thing I would have to buy. I do have a headphones with microphone, which some might take, but they are the more modern ones which are likely beyond my budget.

.....back down the rabbit hole......

Nancy Reading wrote:The microphone on the phone I use as a camera appears to be broken :( It records pictures but no sounds.

Does the microphone of your headset work with the phone?
Maybe there is a way to connect a microphone and keep using the phone.

Sebastian Köln wrote:Does the microphone of your headset work with the phone?
Maybe there is a way to connect a microphone and keep using the phone.

It should do. It does have a compatible socket, but I have tried every way (the microphone can be switched off and it isn't obvious which way is 'on') and that doesn't appear to work either. I'm assuming, either something internally on the phone has broken, or a software setting has been disabled. I have tried, and I don't think it's just me missing something. That would be the easiest solution if I could get it to work! So far I have not made that microphone work on any of my devices! It plugs in my PC too, but does not talk to it. The headphone bit works....

I just went ahead and bought myself a second hand DSLR canon 600D:

source
It's a bit more than my budget (about £180 including insured and tracked postage], but means I have my own camera rather than borrowing my husband's for the better quality photos I want to try and take this year. It comes with a basic lens with image stabilisation, bag, memory stick and a couple of batteries. We do have a fair zoom lens and if I get on well I may treat myself to a macro lens in future. We'll see how it does on flower pictures, I seem to take a few of those and my phone does struggle with close ups.
It should be more than adequate for the video, albeit I'm not sure how good the quality of the audio will be and I don't think it has a separate socket for a microphone. However Paul normally does quite a bit of voice over and music on his videos, so I'm hoping the picture and content is the main thing there.
It should be here at the end of the week, and it'll probably take me a few days to get to grips with it (or I could be back asking for more advice!)


edit: flower not lower!

Yay! my Canon 600D camera came a day sooner than I expected. I'm struggling slightly with the still camera side settings, but the video has turned out fairly well. The sound is pretty good whether I do 'selfie' side or stay behind the camera. I don't think the selfie side works ergonomicallly however, so will have to work out setting up a tripod if I want to be in the shot.

Meet Dyson:



Considering the lenses all need cleaning, the picture quality is not too bad. It seemed to struggle more in wider landscape shots as if it was focusing on something else. This is a very still day, so the background noise is as quiet as I am likely to achieve.

Andrés Bernal wrote:A review of the pocket 2 which for its price is a really good contender imho:

DJI Pocket 3 is now out as well!