What are /r/videography's favorite Products & Services?

From 3.5 billion Reddit comments

That is a great setup!

If I may make one additional recommendation for protection (especially for filming while skating). They sell super long arca swiss plates, like 150-200mm long. I like to skrew those into the quarter inch on the bottom of my cage, and this gives me a metal protective foot that extends down under my lens. That way the bottom of the lens will never scrape the ground, and you can also put the camera down without the lens bonking.

Here's what I use (150 or 200mm option for me) :

https://www.amazon.com/Fotasy-Release-Arca-Swiss-Standard-Ballhead/dp/B00KC9V8IC?th=1

​

Good luck!

If I’m spending that much on ND, I’d go with a clip on matte box (SmallRig makes one) and 4x5.65” glass. It’ll be a more flexible solution than screw-on filters, especially if you plan on using cinema (or photo) lenses with larger front diameters in the future. And most importantly, looks super expensive and professional to clients. Which is both a tongue-in-cheek joke, and also frankly really useful for the business side of your business

Used to own one of those back when the dinosaurs were still warm.

The video out is the PL259 connector. You'll need an adapter to get video. It's black-and-white.

Me neither when I first heard about it I was surprised. But after trial and error, I finally figured it out and here it goes!

The setup is pretty basic. You need a micro HDMI to HDMI cable + Video Capture Card 3.0 USB + OTG USB 3.0 to USB-C adapter and finally a phone that is MHL capable. The MHL bit is important. I have a Xiaomi Redmi 8 and it is not MHL capable so when I plugged the camera in, nothing happened, and it drove me nuts. I ordered another capture card thinking the first one was faulty, but it was just my phone, so I looked up Facebook market for a Samsung phone and got that for 10 bucks. It's a Samsung A3. Like this, not only do you get live feed from your camera, but also an AMOLED external monitor, which would you cost a lot if you were to buy it specifically for cameras! Also install this app https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=io.grus.otgcamera.endoscope&hl=en It enables you to pinch zoom into the live feed and like this my camera assistant will be able to pull focus, while I concentrate on composition from the camera LCD while not wanting to kill himself :D Pulling focus form the LCD screen while the camera is mounted on the gimbal was painful. I think it is the best app out there because it upscales the live feed to fit the screen too.

If you have a semi-recent smartphone, you can probably do it right from there. Otherwise you'd be looking at something like the Xiaomi Yi Action Cam.

I don' think there's a compact camera you can buy at any point that has 4K at 60fps, stablisation and great autofocus. There's always a tradeoff... The sony's have great autofocus and stablisation, but not 4K 60, the canons lack stabalisation and their 4K is punched in in the smaller models, the Panasonic GH5 has terrible autofocus, the Fujifilm x-t3 lacks stablisation.

For less than $500 used, you're going to be throwing away most of those requirements. I own at Panasonic G85 recommended below and it has terrible autofocus, the 4K quality is poor, and doesn't do 60fps at 4K. I wouldn't recommend it for UHD at all, as the bit rate isn't high enough to make the quality usable.

Probably the closest camera to what you're describing is the Panasonic GH5 which meets all those except usable autofocus. You can probably pick it up used for around $1200.

EDIT: I think you don't actually need a compact camera at all. What would suit your budget and needs much more is a small camcorder. There's one from Sony that does almost everything you need - 4k60, stablisation, tiny form factor etc. Video quality isn't going to be on par with a DSLR, but it'll be way easier to use, and have better battery life, better sound etc etc. Check it out here - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01LZH8K43?tag=kit-gl-20

8TB HDD is $140 on Amazon. That's just $17.5 per TB.

If you're doing commercial work, storing 20 hours of footage for $17.5 is nothing.

Nice video. You covered basically everything I bring. I ended up buying a cart on Amazon though and it's made my life 10x easier. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BUUUIGK/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o09_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I also bring bug spray because I've been outside with bugs a few times and there's nothing more miserable than getting eaten alive when you're trying to focus on shooting.

A small power strip comes in handy so you can charge multiple devices at the same time.

Drinks were something I forgot only once.

Noticed you didn't have a light. I just got a smaller one and I loved it for my last shoot. Was an Aputure Amaran AL-F7.

There are three principal reasons professional XLR mic jacks are preferable to consumer 3.5mm mic inputs.

I. Balanced XLR versus unbalanced 3.5mm

If you plan to put your mic on a boom and run a long cable (here is why you would want to do that), you should avoid mics with "unbalanced" 3.5mm output, such as the Rode Videomic Pro (VMP).

Unbalanced output from consumer mics is subject to Radio Frequency Interference (RFI) over long cable runs.

The 3 pin XLR output from a real pro mic, on the other hand, would be balanced - reducing susceptibility to RFI and noise.

II. Pro XLR microphone performance

A typical pro shotgun mic (such as the Azden SGM-250) will give you better performance than an amateur 3.5mm mic such as the Rode VMP, e.g.:

• 20-20,000 Hz frequency response (compared to the VMP's 40-20,000 Hz)

• 77 dB of signal to noise (compared to the VMP's 74 dB)

High end XLR mics are even better than the Azden.

III. Phantom power

Many pro cameras provide 48V of power through their XLR jacks. This allows you to power your mic and your camera from the same source (for pro camcorders and cinema cameras this usually means large V-mount or Anton-Bauer batteries) - and eliminates the self-noise generated by microphone batteries. If you look at the specs for microphones offering both battery and phantom power, you will see that they are quieter when powered through the XLR jack.

Bottom line: 3.5mm inputs are unbalanced and cannot provide 48V phantom power. To make things worse, even the best 3.5mm mics aren't that good. If you want decent in-camera sound, you want a camera with an XLR input.

Hope this is helpful!

I did live event webcasting for many years and I'm super curious. What live streaming service are you planning to use? Do people still use dedicated providers like akamai and limelight?

Gear is important, but for what it is worth, dependable connectivity and bandwidth at the venue is huge for live events. It's a highly vulnerable link in the production chain that is too easily taken for granted. But it is a black box that can unleash recalcitrant demons without warning that can be a catastrophe for live events.

Here is my unsolicited checklist/advice for live event connectivity:

1. Don't rely on ad hoc testing before the event to determine upstream bandwidth. Insist to the client that you need to speak to IT directly at the venue to find out about the connection you will be using, its CIR, and whether it is dedicated or shared.
2. If it is shared, ask about the possibility of utilization spikes during the event.
3. Avoid using venue Wifi to acquire connectivity. Ask for a CAT5 instead.
   
4. Use a bonding VPN service (like Speedify) to mux your connectivity with a dedicated mobile phone with a reliable carrier.
5. If you are not relying on server-side archiving, consider using UDP rather than TCP protocol at the encoder.

(Full disclosure: We never actually did #4 because it was still too new in my day. Instead, we would use redundant connectivity and a backup encoder with failover built into either the server or the client player!)

If any of the above points give you concern, consider lowering the bitrate of your stream. Full 1080p can be very demanding, and it's a lot easier to set it to 720p before troubles start than afterward.

You’re looking for a magic arm or super clamp. Lots of brands around from $20-$60 or so.

I’m a fan of the smallrig super clamp, but have a knockoff from Neewer as well that works fine.

I can’t identify a specific brand from the photo but something like below should serve well in this role. They’re also really handy for placing lights and microphones where you need them, which is what I mostly use them for.

SmallRig Super Clamp w/ 1/4" and 3/8" Thread and 5.8 Inches Adjustable Friction Power Articulating Magic Arm with 1/4" Thread Screw for LCD Monitor/LED Lights - KBUM2730 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B087TL6XCH/

Sure thing. Download it from here.

The "Wishlist" page helps you see whether or not you can afford something. It prioritizes paying off debts (like credit cards, etc.) first before making new purchases. So for example, if you are saving up $3000 for something, have $1000 in credit debt, and $3500 in cash, it assumes that you will pay off the credit card first: so $3500 - $1000 = $2500 actually saved...so you'd still have to save $500.

Then you can't use it. It's the only stipulation of the attribution license.

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

You're violating the license if you do not give credit, even if it's "not in your control". If OP didn't care about attribution they could've used any number of other public licenses that do not require it.

>All CC licenses require that others who use your work in any way must give you credit the way you request, but not in a way that suggests you endorse them or their use. If they want to use your work without giving you credit or for endorsement purposes, they must get your permission first.

Frame.io and fromsmash.com are good. Smash lets you send any file size for free, though it is slower, as in, even though the upload was complete, free users are kicked to the back of the que for notification emails.

You don't want a DSLR. You want a vlog camera. Look into a DJI osmo. If al you're doing is walkaround vlogs, that's what you want. You don't have to worry about focus or exposure or stability. It's fully handheld and shoots in the quality you need.

DJI Osmo Pocket

By the way if there's some budget or if these people you're interviewing are regulars one thing I've found is it doesn't take much to bump up phone production a little bit. I've sent people some rather inexpensive ring light + stand kits and even a mic that can plug into a phone (though you'd have to know if it's an iPhone/samsung/etc). Even just some things like this...

https://www.amazon.com/Dimmable-Brightness-Heighten-Streaming-Shooting/dp/B082P2GZR1/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?dchild=1&keywords=phone+ring+light&qid=1600273577&sr=8-2-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUExMDRBTUdQSEcyUVlIJmVuY3J5...

https://www.amazon.com/Shure-MV88-Digital-Condenser-Microphone/dp/B010W6W8OW/ref=sr_1_38?dchild=1&keywords=phone+mic&qid=1600273673&sr=8-38

If you have two hours, this is fairly comprehensive.

Regardless of what NLE you're using, this is an incredibly informative video about using scopes. Larry Jordan has many more useful videos on YouTube.

Adobe has this built into many of its applications, and you can also access it here https://color.adobe.com/create. The trends tab on the website, especially, helps put this into context.

My only issue with this theory is that there should be two big red Xs through the orange and teal shades, with a "fucking stop already" disclaimer below each of them.

For me it all comes down to pre-production. A lot of times i also have a general vision in my head and I've realized that i often overestimate how clear that vision actually is. A great way (and industry standard way) of testing your vision is to make a storyboard. Making a storyboard forces you to think about the details and specifics for a scene or for a shot and what you want to tell the audience.

Storyboarder is a great free open-source software that lets you creat storyboards either by drawing in the software, importing sketches made by hand or using something they call "shot generator". Essentially shot generator lets you build a scene in 3D with the help of simple characters and objects and then you can save different shots from that scene and import it into your storyboard, very effective!

Having a script is also very important to let the people you work with understand your idea so everybody can be on the same page.

Good luck to you with your idea and hope it goes well!

I recommend Blender, over the years the video editing abilities have matured and now it achieves all of the things you basically need, here is a video introduction, the same channel has further videos that help to explain how to add transitions and other effects. It's a very deep piece of software, you can even achieve complex compositing and color grading with it.

https://www.apple.com/final-cut-pro/docs/Apple_ProRes_White_Paper.pdf

Scroll to page 23 to see the data rates, it all scales to the resolution and framerate… so is that h.264 100mbps a 1080p 60fps or a 4K 24fps are pretty different.

There aren't any limits on how long an MP4 can be, so perhaps premier is having issues with your long timeline. You could try exporting in a mastering codec like DNxHD or ProRes and then using another program like Handbrake to encode to mp4.

To be honest, it might make more sense to pickup a cheap DVD or BluRay player and authouring a looping disc, or plugging a laptop into the TV.

If you were fancied getting technical, you could grab a Rasbery Pi kit, install VLC, and loop playback that way.

A spiral as in hypnosis-style spiral?

Edit: Like this?

This is a golden age of good+cheap lighting. We can come up with something for just about any budget. What does "affordable" mean to you? $50? $100? $500? $2500?

Anything else you need from the kit? Portability? Battery power? Size/weight/heat restrictions?

If you just want something cheap, simple, and "good enough", CFL softboxes from Amazon https://www.amazon.com/ePhoto-Photography-Continuous-Lighting-H9060SB/dp/B005NJNY9M will work well for most people. I hate them because they're large, slow, and flimsy while I need a solution that I can move around with less care and greater ease. However, if you're always shooting in the same room they can be a good solution.

The 4tb Seagate is $99 on Amazon, and a 4tb WD Blue is $117. These are US prices - I can't speak for other countries.

If you're firm on your limit, then probably the Evo Shift 3 for £99 off Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/EVO-Handheld-Gimbal-Android-Smartphones/dp/B06XP6GRGR/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1533989555&sr=8-2&keywords=EVO+SHIFT+3

If you can spend a little more, an Osmo 2.

Your white balance is set incorrectly, it's probably due to your phone using automatic white balance so when the screen changes it recalculates what it thinks 'white' should be which is making everything look a bit orange.

That's the setting that'll be down as 'Daylight, Tungsten, Shade' etc in your recording app. What you want to do is make sure it's not set at auto (probably called 'AWB' or 'Auto White Balance') and instead pick one of the presets that looks best based on your lighting.

If your built-in camera app does not allow manual white balance settings, then you'll need to use a 3rd party app. Filmic Pro is a good one if you don't mind paying for it; there are probably free ones that offer similar functionality too.

You can also aleviate the issue in post production through colour correction in your NLE (for example, here's the process in Premiere); however white balance is something that's best to get right when you're shooting as opposed to trying to fix later, especially if it's auto white balance as it'll jump all over the place.

Do you need to stream the hangouts session live? You can use OBS to stream the hangouts session live to YouTube with an unlisted url. The videos will automatically be archived. Also, you can choose to not record to hard drive, so you don't have to upload later. It'll already be on YouTube.

4:2:2 gives you half resolution of the cb and cr channels, which is much better for any color correction work when compared to 4:2:0 which gives you cb and cr information on alternating lines, about 1/8th color resolution, which is quite shitty for color correction.

1/2 and 1/8th color resolution is a pretty huge difference.

The best way to visualize this is imagine a 1920x1080 greyscale image (your Y Channel and the 4). In 4:2:2, the color information would be 960x540 (half of the y channel) scaled up to match with the Y channel.

in 4:2:0, the color information would be 1/8th the resolution, 240x135, scaled up to match with the Y channel.

This might not technically be correct, but it's just an illustration to aid visualization.

Other than color correction, 4;2;2 color space will not give you leverage in any other way.

However, shooting at 4:2:2 generally means you're shooting in a format that has a higher bitrate, which means less compression artifacts.

Shooting in 4k doesn't make it "sharper" but you do record a lot more detail which aids in the perception of "sharpness."

Check out this really awesome comparison video between 5dIII vs BMCC.

Yup! Here's the license:

> Share — copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format

> Adapt — remix, transform, and build upon the material for any purpose, even commercially.

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

You should check out the Yelangu S60t. Theres a pretty good review of it here. I ordered mine from aliexpress. It's about £72 and free shipping in the UK. I've only gotten to use it a couple of times, it's not the best, but gets the job done, and really good for the price.

I am interested to see what people have to say about this. My initial thoughts would be to not do the talking head intro. In my opinion, your work should speak for itself.

Here is my reel- https://vimeo.com/70152098

Hey. I've live-streamed a few sport events (albeit with motion in them) with some very minimal equipment and I can definitely give you feedback. First of all, if you're using a laptop there is no easy way to "upgrade" the video card, so you'd probably need to buy a better laptop with better built-in graphics capabilities. Also, who is your target audience? If you're mainly trying to show to people who have phones, 720p could be fine- although I recently streamed in 480p and wished for a bit more aswell. For one of the events I streamed, I used a friend's iphone with a unlimited 4G connection to stream off of(only problem was phone battery life, although that shouldn't be an issue if you're using a laptop). If it's a stationary platform, then you probably can get away fine with a webcam, but using a dedicated camera with webcam capabilites will work fine. If you do want to take the video quality to the next level, consider investing in a new camcorder that has a clear 1080p output over hdmi (hard to find these days) and plug it into something like a Blackmagic Intensity. I have livestreamed to youtube and can tell you that using free software like OBS to change the stream quality settings and mix video inputs can help to improve stream quality. If there's anything I didn't cover please ask.

OP editing software is free here, he can literally upload and edit ✍️ it in less than a minute. There isn’t any excuse why he shouldn’t learn on his own. He clearly has all the time in the world to learn a new skill, it doesn’t make sense why he makes excuses that he can’t because he needs to make more videos. You friend can literally watch YouTube vids and tutorials on how to make a good video. It doesn’t make any sense that he lacks judgment on this, it all there and it’s free.

>What's a good HD DSLR to get on a budget?

Canon EOS M. ALL of the functionality of Canon DSLR. HDMI out, microphone in. Mounts ALL Canon lenses (only Canon camera that can make that boast). Accepts Magic Lantern firmware to provide 14bit 4:2:2 2.5K raw video. $369 WITH 22mm f/2.0 STM lens. There are adapters to mount Nikon lenses. See https://www.flickr.com/groups/eos-m/discuss/72157632009916678/

• 18.0 MP CMOS (APS-C) Sensor
• DIGIC 5 Image Processor
• Full HD 1080p Movie with Focus Tracking
• 3.0" Touch Screen LCD with 1040K-dots
• Touch AF and Multi-touch Operation
• Hybrid CMOS Auto-focus for Photo & Video
• ISO 100-12800,

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/883304-REG/Canon_6609b033_EOS_M_Digital_Camera_with.html

Yes, I have one. Love it.

Yes - I plug the line out from my Zoom H1 into the GH4's mic in with a $26.95 Sescom LN2MIC-ZOOMH4N, as seen here.

This cable matches line level to mic level to give you a clean recording.

Hope this is helpful and good luck!

I used to be a fan of Celtx as well, but they stopped developing the open source version. For anyone that wants the legacy Celtx Desktop Classic, here's a link.

https://www.celtx.com/desktop.html

Also, I hear WriterDuet is quite popular too. WriterDuet is not open source, but it's free.

Been a pro video editor for 10 years and I can confirm that Resolve is the best you're going to find for free. I'd even rank it above some paid options like Vegas, but just below Premiere, Avid, and FCPX as far as editing work goes. It is by far the best for color grading since that is what the software was originally designed for.

So unless you're looking for something more simple, or have the money to blow on any of the top three (note: FCPX is Mac only though), Resolve is a no-brainer.

https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/products/davinciresolve

I don't know much about astronomy, but I can recommend a good streaming application...

Open Broadcaster Software (OBS)

Check with some astronomy related subreddits to see if they would be interested in watching your show.

I didn’t want to buy a crazy expensive charger. So I bought just 2 cheap chargers. For 2 reasons. Usually when you get a big charger where you can attach multiple batteries onto it, well those things only charge one battery at a time. So if you are on set and need to cycle through batteries, your charger is only charging one at a time. So with these 2 cheap chargers I can charge 2 at a time and that has been plenty for me. My chargers are pretty much these ones: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08MF35MJP/ref=cm_sw_r_oth_api_glt_fabc_5HN45YTYX76EXQ9F47DZ?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

Smallrig makes 25mm clamps designed for the classic ronin mx handles. Using those quick clamps will always suck. Use these instead SmallRig 25mm 1 inch Rod Clamp... https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B01LWMPJOL?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share. And try to hard mount the monitor with a nato rail or something too if you can, 1/4 20’s kinda stink

Go with the a6400 — I have it and it’s a fantastic little camera that shoots amazing video. Two solutions for the mic blocking the screen:

You can get a hot shoe adapter that moves the position of the mic to the side of the camera (as mentioned in another comment) which you can find here: https://www.amazon.ca/SMALLRIG-Adapter-Relocation-Plate-A6100/dp/B07RMX2BS7

OR do what I do and get a rig that is essentially two handles with spots for a mic and a camera like the one here: https://www.shoulderpod.com/shoulderpod-x1 (this one is marketed for smartphones but I use my camera on it too)

Either way, two simple solutions that allow you to use a microphone with the a6400 in “vlogger mode”

Hope this helps!

The NInja V is a fairly small monitor. You need a better quality arm. I use this: https://www.amazon.com/SmallRig-Articulating-Ballheads-Monitor-Recorders/dp/B077XF7FXL/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=smallrig+magic+arm&qid=1560954154&s=gateway&sr=8-3

​

It supports my Small HD Focus 7 w/ NP-F970 just fine. You can also find the longer version of that arm on Amazon as well.

Neewer 2-Pack Camera Handle Grip Handheld Stabilizer with 1/4" Screw for DSLR Camera Such As Canon,Nikon ,Panasonic,Sony,Pentax,iPhone 6s/6/5s/5/4s/4,Samsung Galaxy S6/S5/S4 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01IMRRVKO/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_nRnzFbDN4Q0V6

However, I decided to return them and get two of these: UURig Handheld Grip 1/4" Screw for Camera Stabilizer Smartphone Handy Grip Tripod System Compatible with GoPro Action Cam Canon Nikon Sony Digital Camera Mobile Video Shooting Vlog Camcorder - R003 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07MDX2HVJ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_kSnzFbJBPXRDW

The ears on the first pair block my hand from sliding up to control the gimbal.

I'd suggest the new DJI Phantom 3. My company bought the Inspire and I got to test drive that one, but for the price....ehh. Once the Phantom 4 was announced at half the price yet having essentially the same function/quality, it was a no-brainer to make the switch. Check it out here

My dad found the files on a 3d printing website, we customized it a little such as the writing on the front. I not quiet such if this is the same one we used.

http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:633436

The licenses are on my youtube and soundcloud pages- I removed the links so that there would be any issues with posting on this sub but the license details can be seen here:

> You are free to:

> * Share — copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format

> * Adapt — remix, transform, and build upon the material for any purpose, even commercially.

> Under the following terms:

> * Attribution — You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use.

> No additional restrictions — You may not apply legal terms or technological measures that legally restrict others from doing anything the license permits.

Was helping on set for a music video shoot for this group called "Prayers." These guys define their genre as "cholo goth." It sounds really out there but if you see them and hear their music, it makes sense. These dudes have been born and raised in gang culture.

Anyways, one of the scenes called for a huge brawl so they got all their friends to help out. Since they're not professional actors or anything, they just fought -- for real. As in, no punches were being pulled. There's a few clips of it on their instagram page.

The clip doesn't show it but it got a little out of hand because some dudes were ganging up on others and whatnot and they continued to fight for a bit once the cameras stopped rolling. Others stepped in and stopped it eventually but it was just kind of surreal standing barely on the outskirts of this fake~ish brawl.

The music video itself isn't released yet but I'm excited to see how that scene in particular looked from the perspective of the main cams (Red Epics).

Hello! My girlfriend and I recently started our own small production company, and wedding videos are one arm of our business. We're based in Pittsburgh but my girlfriend's family lives in Cleveland, so a job in the area would be easy.

Anyway, we can definitely work with you in that price range. Send me a message if you'd like to talk more. If you're interested, here's a video of our latest work: https://vimeo.com/90935705

Either way, good luck in your search!

Having used both, I would say it definitely shoots better video than the Mark III. Much sharper image, more dynamic range, and the ability to record in Canon LOG mode is great for color grading. Also, throw on an atoms ninja 2 and you can record in ProRes 4:2:2 instead of AVCHD 4:2:0 - so 2x the color information. All of that being said, there isn't a whole lot of creative, narrative work shot on the C100...yet. There is loads more shot on the 5D, probably because it's been around longer and is arguable the preferred camera of the 'DSLR revolution'.

If you want to watch some comparison videos of C100 and Mark III:
* https://vimeo.com/66083155 * https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y4aBsma1mPw

EDIT: 4:2:2 is 2x the color information as 4:2:0 which is what the C100 shoots internally. I believe you can also use the ninja 2 with the Mark III. But IMO the C100's sharpness, dynamic range, focus peaking, waveforms, ND filters, etc are a must for the work I do.

Hi /u/xvvt - after reading this zdnet article, I recommend the 2009-era Canon VIXIA HV40. It is one of the few camcorders left that you can use as a webcam.

Hope this is helpful!

Bill

I have owned this camera (seen here) since 2014 and would buy it again in a heartbeat - but it does have a few challenges:

1. Lack of internal stabilization (can be fixed with a rig or stabilizer)

2. Panasonic makes you pay extra for a LOG profile (comes free with Sony and higher end Canon cameras)

3. Needs a focal reducer/Speed Booster to get closer to Super 35 (cinema) crop (native crop of Sony and Canon APS-C cameras is close to Super 35)

4. 1080/96p slow motion is impressive, but more modern cameras record at up to 1080/120p (A6500) or 1080/180p (GH5)

All of that said, the GH4 is still a very capable video camera and, at $749 from a reputable retailer with a 3 month warranty, a very good value for your money.

Again, hope this is helpful!

They need to get off their high horse producing cheesy shit like this I've see more professional work from unemployed hobbyist.

This happens in ALL creative fields. The people that constantly whine and complain are the ones that go after the low hanging fruit: craigslist ads and terrible music videos.

This is known as a moire pattern. Google it for more information, but basically it's caused by the pattern of pixels on the screen not quite lining up with the pixels on your image sensor.

See http://www.wikiwand.com/en/Moiré_pattern

There's not much you can do about it other than digitally replacing the screen (or using the moire pattern as an artistic effect).

Check Slickdeals for powerful gaming laptops for a couple of weeks, and you will get a good one.

http://slickdeals.net/

You will need a fast CPU and lots of RAM, not so much the GPU. Though if you're planning to use GPU encoding, you might consider a good one too.

Fastest CPUs: http://www.cpubenchmark.net/high_end_cpus.html

The mobile ones end in QM or MQ or MX or XM.

As requested, here is information regarding variable frame rate footage (VFR).

Some devices and software will produce video with a variable framerate. Most notably this includes things like:

• Smartphones
• Screen recordings/game capture software
• Recordings from teleconferencing apps
• Some drones and all-in-one gimbals

VFR footage tends to cause significant issues with professional software, which is designed around working with constant framerate footage.

Most commonly this could result in really poor performance while editing or exporting, glitches while editing or in your exported video, audio desync issues, and even instability and crashes.

It is recommended to transcode VFR footage to CFR before you import into your editing software. If you're already working on a project, you can transcode your footage and you should be able to replace/relink the footage in your project so you don't have to re-edit anything.

For this purpose, the /r/videography moderators recommend using Shutter Encoder, which will automatically convert VFR to CFR regardless of which function is used.

Ideally, transcoding to a professional editing codec like ProRes will get you effectively no quality loss, but will result in a much larger file than you started with. Alternatively, transcoding to h.264 at a ~50-100% higher bitrate should result in minimal quality loss.

If you see a post where this information may be useful, anyone can summon this message by commenting !vfr

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/videography) if you have any questions or concerns.

How can I monetize my skills - but wait you have no skills as you mentioned it haha. I think you can start with making instagram and tiktok videos, it might be a good start. The film(ing) industry is one of the hardest to break through and monetize, there are tons of people who spend years not earning before they start earning money. So I think stick with your restaurant job for the meantime, but do tiktok/instagram/youtube videos. To start with editing, you can either use the phone app, or you can download davinci for free here : https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/products/davinciresolve

I think the most crucial thing is writing, I think this is the most important skill in this industry, you need a story. I think what you can start with, is go to restaurants, and create tiktok videos of their food, and create a following, and once you have that, you can probably get paid - basically, create a channel, obtain followers, then advertise.

Downloadable from here.

The "Wishlist" page helps you see whether or not you can afford something. It prioritizes paying off debts (like credit cards, etc.) first before making new purchases. So for example, if you are saving up $3000 for something, have $1000 in credit debt, and $3500 in cash, it assumes that you will pay off the credit card first: so $3500 cash - $1000 debt = $2500 actually saved...so you'd still have to save $500 before making the purchase.

Competition is a good thing. With cameras like the XiaoMi Yi 1080P for 70-80 bucks Gopro needs to compete a bit more. This is a good thing for consumers!

Comparing the Session and the XiaoMi:

https://youtu.be/_95qhOK1uh0

You'll need authoring software to create a DVD Video compatible disc as well as a drive.

Adobe discontinued Encore, but if you have a CC account and can hunt down a trial installer you should still be able to activate it providing you're on Windows or an older version of OSX. (You need Photoshop too for menu design, but you should be able to do it with any version of Photoshop.)

Otherwise DVDStyler will work, though it's capabilities in terms of menu customisation is very basic, but at least it's free!

Use single-layer DVD-R's. Dual layer ones don't work very well on some players and are more prone to bad burns.

I use a 20cm hot shoe extension, as seen here.

Costs less than a cage and works just fine if you don't overload it.

Hope this is helpful and best of the holidays!

I think you're being too hard on yourself. It looks and sounds better than 99% of the content on the web (and your color balance is better than in many of the clips you showed ;))

That said, you might want to either upgrade to a faster lens or bring a light to the event next year to reduce the ISO. I put an F&V R-300 ring light in front of my GH3 last year at NAB (seen here) and it made a world of difference.

Good luck!

You might catch some guff trying to put different file types on the same timeline. I don't know the magic of what does play well and what doesn't, but if you do converting can make the whole thing move along easier.

Mpeg Streamclip is a good program that you should be familiar with anyway. It's industry standard. Since you have Premiere I'd imagine you have Media Encoder as well. It's an excellent program. Don't take it for granted.

> Visually, I can't tell the difference between the two even after pixel peeping.

Then you probably don't have a problem, but there is a catch.

Handbrake doesn't support any h.264 profiles that allow for a 4:2:2 h.264 file, so you are throwing out colour information in your video.

This is especially problematic if you intend to use the footage for chroma key or VFX work.

If you go through Shutter Encoder instead you can preserve 422 in h.264:

• Set function to h.264
• Under 'bitrates adjustment' click 'VBR' until it says 'CQ' and set the value to 18
• Under 'advanced features' set 'force profile' and set the profile to 'High422'

MJPEG is notoriously inefficient in terms of bitrate. It's totally possible you could end up with a visually lossless transcode to h.264 at a low bitrate (even with the High422 profile), especially if there isn't much motion and/or detail in what you shot.

If in doubt, do a PSNR analysis on the source MJPEG file versus the transcode with FFmpeg:

Windows:

ffmpeg -i "mjpeg.avi" -i "h264.mp4" -filter_complex "psnr" -f null NUL

OSX/linux:

ffmpeg -i "mjpeg.avi" -i "h264.mp4" -filter_complex "psnr" -f null /dev/null

A result of about 35dB or lower is a good indication you have a perceptually lossless transcode.

MJPEG isn't raw btw ;-)

I bought the Rode Videomic last month and was very skeptical. Then I used it for the first time and I was pretty blown away. I shot from about 6-8 feet away and the quality was really good.

You can hear an example at the beginning here https://vimeo.com/41668158 and again at the 0:49 mark.

I haven't used the Videomic Pro. I'm sure there are examples on youtube or vimeo. But I've been pretty happy with the former.

EDIT: I should also point out that the first shot in that link I sent you was really windy and there were non-stop cars driving by about 100ft away and you can hardly hear them.

I was just looking into this earlier this week. Due to the "jello" effect, I'm very hesitant to make the purchase.

Here's the cheapest setup I found:

https://vimeo.com/31668353

AR.Drone 2.0 ----- 299.99

MacG Mod ------- 135.99

GoPro Mount ------ 85.00

Battery ----------- 50.00

570.98

You can save money on video editing software and get Blackmagic Davinci Resolve 12.1 free version instead. Absolutely mind blowing they offer software like this with 4k UHD output for free.

And looks like G7 is getting no less love than GH4.

Try the free and open source OBS (Open Broadcaster Software) in "File Output Only" mode. You can manually enter bitrate and resolution for h.264/aac mp4 file. Add "Video Capture Device" to sources and select your camera.

You can also add text, images, voice over on the fly.

OBS is meant for live streaming which requires the best compression possible whilst still being watchable.

It's been a while since I've had to do this on OSX but I think you could do it with a virtual sound remapping device like JACK or Loopback.

I believe those programs will let you do all your audio routing virtually rather than relying on two hardware interfaces.

First off, your intro is way too long. Nobody wants to wait 10 seconds to find out what your name/moniker is, especially if you're making web content where people's attention span is already as short as a fly's. For something like this, anything longer then 4, MAYBE 5, is too long. Keep it short. Secondly, it's compositionally horrible in my opinion. You start out in the middle, and my eye is jumping back and forth, so by the time the 10 seconds is up, I'm already exhausted. Remember, you always want to lead the viewer's eye from the beginning to the end. Thirdly, it's just kinda of boring. Sure the bricks flying in is cool, but it's all greys and very low contrast. Here's what I'd say, start out by making the effect wipe from left to right, so the viewer's eyes are lead from start to finish, but make that effect last about a second (maybe a tad more), and then hold it for 2-3 seconds. See if you can figure out anything else to make it more interesting to the eye, as well. Maybe light flares that shoot out from between the bricks before they fall completely into place. It doesn't have to be too complex. And of course, sound effects. You might be able to find something here: http://www.freesound.org There's a youtuber, fouseytube. You'll notice that his intro is short, snappy, and to the point. And it's no longer than 4.5 seconds. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nmAPR76dbkQ&spfreload=10

Hope this helps, and I hope you post an updated version of your intro cause I'd like to see it. :)

We use wetransfer for most of our digital deliveries. It's free for up to 2GB.

Best way I think to use it is to set your own e-mail as the recipient address. You'll get a URL which you can then paste in an e-mail to the client.

I like the length. Shorter videos will keep people's attention. Shorter, more specific videos, rather than one long video, will get people watching what they need to watch, rather than waiting through a longer video.

Wistia suggests to make 5 videos, not 1

Airtable. I don't know how I organized my gear before this... Specifically http://blog.airtable.com/post/135723460962/using-barcodes-for-asset-tracking

If you decide to create an account please use my invite link so I can reap the "referral" reward. https://airtable.com/invite/YhU3ufy3

torrent technology was created for exactly this reason. Otherwise set up a VPN (custom not like NordVPN) and have the editors copy the files off your PC directly. Another maybe a bit cumbersome but a Plex server will also work. All of these solutions are free btw (excluding your normal internet costs)

I got these tie down hook straps to go along the edges of the hatch or door, secured with ratchet straps through the eye bolts.

They're using a set of Rycote Undercovers - basically custom tapes for hiding mic underneath and protecting it from the shirt ruffle. Add Rode invisilav into the mix and it should be gucci 99% of the time

https://www.thomann.de/pl/rycote_undercovers.htm https://www.amazon.com/Rode-invisiLav-Discreet-Microphones-Pack/dp/B00J44LP6G

^ this. Something like a used Google Pixel 3 or 4 would be better than a camcorder at your budget; if you don't already have a decent smartphone. Get a cage and smartphone compatible microphone and you'll be set!

I don't have this device, but with a few simple cables and adapters you should be able to plug into and record on this: https://www.amazon.com/Video-Recorder-Capture-Analog-Output/dp/B07L15WLM6/ref=sr_1_15?dchild=1&keywords=analog+video+recorder&qid=1624125120&sr=8-15

Are you shooting in 4k? Do you shoot in 8-bit, or 10-bit? Do you need any particular color space? (does this matter for you?) That Viewsonic looks pretty nice from a capabilities standpoint for color/picture quality.

Those will all impact cost and options.

I'm using one of these- amazon.com/gp/product/B088G1PKKN/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 - Not the greatest for gaming but I do use it for gaming too. The 4k, DCI color space and 10bit color depth was important to me than dropping a bunch of cash on a 144hz or better monitor.

100% agreed. I'm an audio engineer and I often use wireless headphones to monitor sessions while I walk around the studio. I don't mind the Bluetooth latency since I'm listening to other musicians/podcasts so I don't notice any delay, but it's hard to talk at all when I have them on in the live room since the mics pick up my voice the delay is super disorienting.

I ended up testing the setup with a super cheap wireless lav kit that has a headphone jack on the receiver and it worked really well with zero latency. This is not the one I own but looks like it should work just fine.

https://www.amazon.com/Movo-12-Channel-Microphone-Transmitter-Smartphones/dp/B0849K5XVY/ref=mp_s_a_1_17?dchild=1&keywords=wireless+lav&qid=1623591224&sr=8-17

I agree with Smooth, you want something like this, they're very easy to hide, discreet and sound good: https://www.amazon.com/Shure-SE215-CL-Isolating-Earphones-MicroDriver/dp/B004PO10E2

They go on sale for $90 all the time.

Check out the Falconeyes so-28td. Small, compact and diffuses light like no other. Great for smaller spaced were setting up a softbox or light + diffusion cloth is too bulky and cumbersome.

You could buy it on german Amazon https://www.amazon.de/dp/B0006GAOO0?ref_=imdbref_tt_wbr_amazon&tag=imdbtag_tt_wbr_amazon_de-21

Get one of the quick setup ones, trust me, spend the money. It's such a pain in the ass to try and put them together. It's worth every penny

Get something like this with the quick assembly, it's basically the same as the aputure light dome, and yeah, make sure you get a light with a bowens mount.

https://www.amazon.com/Parabolic-Umbrella-Falconeyes-Honeycomb-90cm/dp/B0863MQD5Y?tag=geraldundone-20&ref_=ast_bbp_dp&th=1

Yes to both. You’ll want something like this. They also come in USB-C variants.

Don’t waste your money on the Atomos Docking Station. It’s literally the exact same thing for $80.

You you already have any sort of stabilization equipment, or do you not need it?

I have work primarily with lumix cameras so my suggestion will reflect that.

I would say a used lumix g6, due to the great low light iso performance and a used lens off of keh.com.

A lens like this and a lumix g6 off of Amazon. Also an adapter like this is needed. All in all I think that's 470$ usd.

You misunderstand me, I was comparing the price of the RED viewfinder vs the Panasonic Lumix camera body, both of which were pictured in the OP. The viewfinder costs $1074 according to the link I was replying to, and the Lumix GH4 is $924 on Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/Panasonic-GH4-DMC-GH4GC-K-Mirrorless-Cinematic/dp/B00L8YWT5G

That viewfinder really is more expensive than the camera body.

The Amazon customer reviews for this product say:

• "Completely sucked. Tried contacting manufacturer because the camera kept wiping out the formatting on the memory card."

• "I got this camera brand new out of the box from someone who returned the first one because of the formatting of the card and erasing files. I tried to format the card to NTFS, thinking the camera is so new. Didn't work. Then I formatted the SD card to FAT 16 and it is working... so far. Thought I would let you folks know to try it, if you still have the camera...Oh! And just to update, the camera 100% quit working after 1 - 2 hours (total usage time) and only the pilot light works. Don't buy it."

• "I've been through 3 of these, one was a gift the other two were replacements from the company. None have worked. They just crap out on you maybe the third time you try to use it. One was a fluke, two was a coincidence, three is a crappy product. Don't waste your money."

Hopefully, the camera is still inside the return period and you can get your money back.

Sorry, I couldn't be more helpful. Good luck!

I use a Neewer slider and it's worked great and was affordable (<$80). You can find it on amazon at the link below and I'll post a link to where I've used it. https://www.amazon.com/Neewer-Stabilizer-Stabilization-Capacity-Photography/dp/B00KMTVU1C/ref=as_sl_pc_qf_sp_asin_til?tag=hatchedvids-20&amp;linkCode=w00&amp;linkId=5ce98a2513621ff7bb833427985ace20&amp;creativeASIN=B00KMTVU1C

I see a lot of people concerned with his monopod strength. I was too so I bought a heavy duty extendable painter's pole after I found this adapter on Amazon. It's worked really well for me and my A7Sii.

(Note: that's not a sponsor or referral link. I'm just trying to share the love.)

I also did this. Gives you a good feel for the controls without risking the expensive equipment. You're going to want that knowledge if you experience a loss of GPS signal with the mavic.

Except I went with this one: Amazon

That's a bad idea.

First off, no one really knows how to use gimbals or handle them. It will likely end up broken. Crane with a 5Dii isn't exactly portable or light, and from what i can remember, the low light for video is going to be pretty bad.

Just rent a GX85 or G85 with IBIS and a wide lens and let them go to town. Could maybe throw it on this so it's a little less shakey - https://www.amazon.com/Zeadio-Stabilizing-Stabilizer-Panasonic-Camcorder/dp/B00LKK99QA/ref=sr_1_5?keywords=camera+stabilizer&amp;qid=1553814104&amp;s=electronics&amp;sr=1-5 . Still gonna run you close to $100 probably including shipping and insurance.

Or tell a couple people to bring GoPros maybe. Depending how rowdy people get, it's likely that people will hit buttons and mess a normal DSLR/Mirrorless up.

I'm sure there are others far more organized than I am but here are a few tips I find important:

• Use a time tracker app. I use the Timesheet app. I don't know how I survived before it, it makes time tracking multiple projects super easy.
• Backup your shit.
• Don't delete your projects for at minimum at least a year. Your former client might need them again because they accidentally deleted it/need something changed or whatever.
• Keep making stuff and putting it out there, word of mouth is great.

That's all I can think of for now.

Operating the follow focus while holding the new handle looks like it would be awkward. My dream gimbal is something with two grips, fourth axis stabilization springs, and a twist grip like the zacuto tornado to control a motorized follow focus.

It should. You will need a cord like this or similar:

https://www.amazon.com/HDMI-cable-SONY-ALPHA-A6300/dp/B0716PC5GW

The smallHD focus takes a micro input, so the cords you will need may vary depending on the model.

I bought a $35 radio shack lav mic and plugged it into my Samsung S4 Android and it worked with no adapter. In fact, the adapter messed it up.

For what you are doing you might look into this type of mic. http://www.amazon.com/Light-weight-Profile-Headworn-Microphone-Wireless/dp/B00K721BBI/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1435163616&amp;sr=8-11&amp;keywords=jk+headset+mic

That particular mic won't work. You would need to find a normal 1/8" plug on the end.

For an app I used the Smart voice recorder https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.andrwq.recorder&amp;hl=en

I think a better way to go would be to get an actual voice recorder. The Zoom H1 is under $100 and will sound way better than your android phone.

I ended up buying the H4n with the Sennheiser wireless mic combo. It's expensive but I love it.

I'm sure just propping a phone with a stopwatch app somewhere next to the camera would be the easiest.

Edit: Quick search yeilded this app for android and this one for ios

From what you've commented why don't you try to script the segment a little ? Not so far as every word but you should try to get him to write down the point of the video. Categorize what questions are being answered and jot down some bullet points. That way, in his head he'll know he's addressed each bullet point and hopefully continue to the next topic.

Not a videographer at all, but fairly experienced with video signals and livestreaming, amongst other things.

I'm not familiar with them beyond mucking about with one at a store display, but check the settings in your Vixia and see if there's a resolution select for your output, and see if it has something compatible with the Intensity. (Better question: for the money, why can't the Intensity do 1080p60...?) I can't speak from anecdotal experience whether or not the camera can actually work with the Intensity, regardless of what their list says.

Where are you streaming your video to? Twitch, Ustream, Livestream, or a custom streaming video server?

As for your Xsplit resolution woes: what is your actual upload rate at your streaming location? 5Mbps+ is more than fine to do 1080p30, and I've run 720p60 streams on less. Further, if you're using Twitch (and are not partnered), you're limited to streaming in at 3500Kbps anyway, meaning anything above 3.5Mbps upload should gladly suffice. Are you using the free (resolution-limited) version of Xsplit? (Might be personal bias, but: unless you have any particular reason to stick with Xsplit - such as plugins, addons, whatever - I highly recommend trying OBS Studio.)

As for a laptop: just shop around, anything with a 4th-gen or forward i5 will probably do alright. (The last project I was involved in, I bought a used HP Elitebook with a 3rd-gen i7-QM variant and 8GB RAM and it never so much as hiccuped, it was fantastic.)

First off.. nice job. I am no professional. I have been editing my own videos for about a year or so. I also do some wedding photography. Technically speaking, I would try to steady the cam a little bit on some of the shots. It seems like you had the camera in your hands a lot, which is fine, but maybe you want to mix it up by putting the camera on a monopod or something. Also, When everyone is dancing, there were parts that were a tad to dark. Maybe bump up the ISO or open the lens up. What I like to do and could have possibly worked also for your footage is, i like to shoot at like 60FPS then slow it down. it gives it a nice airy feel. I find its better for capturing those candid moments of people laughing and talking amongst themselves. Again, I am no professional, just some things I've done with some of my videos. Here is a video I did this weekend of my nephews bday party, on my Canon 5D Mk III also with a 50mm 1.8

https://vimeo.com/100036930

Hope it helps.

The inspiration, certainly what I'm attempting to mimic (obviously at a beginner level) is this video by a guy called Louis du Mont: https://vimeo.com/87279060

If you watch that video, you'll also notice there is no concern for actual areas, only his artistic approach and framing. If I get you right, you're talking about a touristy video type approach?

You'll notice his video is in 2.35:1 format, as is mine, only difference being that I filmed in 16:9 and cropped so the framing isn't solid. I don't know if he filmed in 2.35:1 but his framing is much better.

By the way, the '20 odd seconds' may not translate to American English but it means '20 something seconds'.. In other words '20-30 seconds'.

Any constructive criticism is more than welcome :)