seby wrote: Mon Jan 17, 2022 7:57 am So does anyone here know anything about cameras? Blackmagic, Cannon etc.?

I am looking for a platform on which to film high quality content for academia (lectures and vlogs etc).

I have gone from “maybe I can just use my phone” to “hey those cine lenses look cool, I wonder how much they cos…SWEETHOLYJESUS!”

Things I know already:

GoPros are absolute junk. I have had two faulty out of the box hero9’s in a row so I think I am done with them.

New iPhone 13’s are great - but 1.5 hrs at 4K pro-res will be a monster file, and until Apple move from lightening to USB C I cannot imagine that getting them from the phone and onto a computer for grading and editing is going to be anything other than hellish.

So, BM pocket cinema 4/6k (pro?)…Sony ZV-1… Panasonic Lumix GH5 …some other blasted thing?

Help

Geiginni wrote: Mon Jan 17, 2022 3:00 pm

seby wrote: Mon Jan 17, 2022 7:57 am So does anyone here know anything about cameras? Blackmagic, Cannon etc.?

I am looking for a platform on which to film high quality content for academia (lectures and vlogs etc).

I have gone from “maybe I can just use my phone” to “hey those cine lenses look cool, I wonder how much they cos…SWEETHOLYJESUS!”

Things I know already:

GoPros are absolute junk. I have had two faulty out of the box hero9’s in a row so I think I am done with them.

New iPhone 13’s are great - but 1.5 hrs at 4K pro-res will be a monster file, and until Apple move from lightening to USB C I cannot imagine that getting them from the phone and onto a computer for grading and editing is going to be anything other than hellish.

So, BM pocket cinema 4/6k (pro?)…Sony ZV-1… Panasonic Lumix GH5 …some other blasted thing?

Help

Your question states "high quality content for academia". I'm assuming the "high quality" part also indicates you intend to use production staff for capture this content and there's not an underlying demand for self-produced content that could be installed in the room(s) or "studio in a box" type production of content by faculty themselves, right? When I design spaces for ready-to-go lecture or instructional capture without tech staff, I'm generally building a system around fixed PTZ cameras in the room, with built-in audio, microphones, wireless lavs, etc... that will feed to a UC application for direct publish to web through an LMS/CMS, or perhaps a rack-mount capture device like a Epiphan Pearl-Mini or something along those lines. Sometimes these are 'flip class' recording booths that have a small chroma wall and built-in studio lighting and the controls are "start" "stop" "publish" kind of simplicity.

If you're just looking for a quality camera that tech staff will be operating from a tripod or stability grip, then It'd be worth taking a look at Fuji-Film X-series - particularly the X-T4 and X-H2 (coming soon, successor to the X-H1). The X-H2 is designed for videography. The lenses are smaller than full-frame (APS-C sensor) and lower cost. There is a whole world of camera rigging frames, matte boxes, mic mounts, etc etc.... out there for them. The video is gorgeous, the film simulation modes are great, and they will record log-scaled video. You can still get uber-expensive T-stop zooms from Fuji that are geared for remote zoom/focus-pulling, but they work just as well with the F-stop photo lenses. The optics on all are almost second-to-none. I don't shoot much video, I'm mostly a stills guy, but I love my X-T4 and set of about 6 lenses.

Cheers!

Dr Tony Balls wrote: Tue Jan 18, 2022 8:28 am I was all excited to talk about my pandemic purchase Minolta CLE and then realized...oh...wrong kind of film camera.

Geiginni wrote: Tue Jan 18, 2022 10:01 am

Dr Tony Balls wrote: Tue Jan 18, 2022 8:28 am I was all excited to talk about my pandemic purchase Minolta CLE and then realized...oh...wrong kind of film camera.

I’d like to hear about your Minolta CLE. That’s a pretty great find. Certainly more exciting than the few cameras I’ve found during the pandemic: a 1917-1921 Kodak 1A Autographic Special, which was the first camera to offer a built-in rangefinder, and a Bolex D-8L from around 1959, a 8mm double-eight movie camera with three Kern-Switar lenses on a single turret and variable shutter. Neither of these will ever see use, but that CLE is worth bulk loading some rolls for. I’ve been collecting cameras for about 26 years, BTW, and enjoy hearing about others’ collections.

Dr Tony Balls wrote: Wed Jan 19, 2022 9:07 am
Yeah I hadnt really shot anything in AGES and the only camera I ha left was my Pentax 67 rig. Fully awesome, but impractical for me at this stage in my life. I finally got up the guts and sold it to a photographer that a good friend works with often. It gets used on the regular and i'm super happy about that. Of course in doing that I got to thinking about how much fun shooting film is, real cameras, limited exposures....all that and then I started looking around. Figured an about-face was appropriate and I went small. Got a Minolta CLE with a Voigtlander 40mm/1.4 and I love it. It's a Leica that has aperture priority....what's not to love? Small and fun. Have I shot much on it? No...but I'm warming up to it.

bishopdante wrote: Sat Jan 22, 2022 8:33 am

seby wrote: Mon Jan 17, 2022 3:28 pm

Geiginni wrote: Mon Jan 17, 2022 3:00 pm

Your question states "high quality content for academia". I'm assuming the "high quality" part also indicates you intend to use production staff for capture this content and there's not an underlying demand for self-produced content that could be installed in the room(s) or "studio in a box" type production of content by faculty themselves, right? When I design spaces for ready-to-go lecture or instructional capture without tech staff, I'm generally building a system around fixed PTZ cameras in the room, with built-in audio, microphones, wireless lavs, etc... that will feed to a UC application for direct publish to web through an LMS/CMS, or perhaps a rack-mount capture device like a Epiphan Pearl-Mini or something along those lines. Sometimes these are 'flip class' recording booths that have a small chroma wall and built-in studio lighting and the controls are "start" "stop" "publish" kind of simplicity.

If you're just looking for a quality camera that tech staff will be operating from a tripod or stability grip, then It'd be worth taking a look at Fuji-Film X-series - particularly the X-T4 and X-H2 (coming soon, successor to the X-H1). The X-H2 is designed for videography. The lenses are smaller than full-frame (APS-C sensor) and lower cost. There is a whole world of camera rigging frames, matte boxes, mic mounts, etc etc.... out there for them. The video is gorgeous, the film simulation modes are great, and they will record log-scaled video. You can still get uber-expensive T-stop zooms from Fuji that are geared for remote zoom/focus-pulling, but they work just as well with the F-stop photo lenses. The optics on all are almost second-to-none. I don't shoot much video, I'm mostly a stills guy, but I love my X-T4 and set of about 6 lenses.

Cheers!

Thank you!!!

I shall be doing all of this myself. Post with davinci resolve and possibly separate audio capture. A lot of me running around in front of large whiteboards as well as sitting in a chair etc. Probably running about outside too.

A really good idea is a blackmagic ATEM and some SDI camera heads. That way the cameras and on-the-fly live edit are immediately routed to the ATEM and dumped onto the resolve timeline, and you can edit live or in post.

Recording onboard to camera is useful in the context of a location shoot, particularly where you need wireless or highly mobile operation, but if you have a venue or a lecture theater, and you can have cabling permanently installed, there is a lot of benefit to be had from a wired system with centralised capture.