Members Notes_Norton Posted September 1, 2020 Members Share Posted September 1, 2020 Recommendation please: A good camera for live performance. We're really missing gigging, and many of our 'extended family' of fans have been asking us to record performances and put them on YouTube. So we're thinking about setting up, putting a stationary camera on a tripod, and recording some live performances. The camera would be stationary as we have no one to run it, especially in COVID times, and if possible I'd like to take a balanced output of my PA and feed that into the camera directly. If not I suppose an external mic might be a good option unless the camera itself has a good mic. Since we are unemployed, I don't want to break the bank on this, but want decent quality. Any suggestions? Thanks, Notes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members leftyjay Posted September 2, 2020 Members Share Posted September 2, 2020 dont know what you mean by breaking the bank, but i use 3 Canon XA10 semi-pro camcorders. they have XLR inputs and an internal 64gb memory with 2 extra slots for more memory. They are now 7-8 years old, but i love using these cameras live. New they were 1599. but they can be had for 500-600 on ebay. they also have a wireless remote and great zoom. the newer models are the xa20 and xa40 and are really overkill for just recording a gig. one thing i'll say about going cheap with a camcorder or dslr, the 1/8" audio inputs have terrible preamps. hiss and distortion even in the best situations. pro-consumer camcorders have excellent preamps and you can buy used for a great discount on a great camera. i've used 3 on live gigs. (one on each side of stage with a stereo direct line from the pa to one camera.) (and one in the back of the room on a high tripod above the crowds heads zoomed in to the stage) this video has 3 cameras that all work off the same remote. the front view was 120 ft away from the stage. i just set it and forget it for each set. you can easily record 3 hours on the internal memory Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Notes_Norton Posted September 2, 2020 Author Members Share Posted September 2, 2020 Thanks. Sounds like good advice. Bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators daddymack Posted September 4, 2020 Moderators Share Posted September 4, 2020 on the budget side, I use a little Zoom Q2n. It will live stream, you can add external mic, so you may be able to give it a mic/line feed. The LED viewer is a PITA and the controls are basic but functional. These can be found used under $150. There are many complaints about battery life, so adding an external battery pack maybe worth it. I have one, only needed it once on a long picnic gig. Use the energizer batteries with this, nothing else will last, not even 'coppertop's. Also put in the largest SD card it will take [128?]. The new version will shoot 4k video quality, and goes at $220 online. The one I have is older, but shoots HD [720 &1080, and at either 32 or 24 fps]. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Notes_Norton Posted September 5, 2020 Author Members Share Posted September 5, 2020 Thanks. I'll be a while. I just found out my roof needs work, and since I'm unemployed from gigging, I might try to do it myself. The guy who put the roof on asked for pictures and he'll let me know if I can do it myself, or if he only needs to do the repairs and I can repaint. Aaaaaarrrrrrgggggghhhhhh. If I was gigging, I'd just have the roofer do it. It's an old Florida Flat Roof that was tar and gravel. I replaced it with foam 20 years ago, and every 10 years or so it needs maintenance. But 2" of the foam has the insulating value of 2.5 feet of fiberglass so it keeps us cool without the AC. I'd rather work at gigging than roof painting though Notes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Notes_Norton Posted September 7, 2020 Author Members Share Posted September 7, 2020 Thanks again y'all. I decided to go with the Zoom Q2N-4K with a 128G SD card. Notes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members pogo97 Posted September 14, 2020 Members Share Posted September 14, 2020 On 9/7/2020 at 9:36 AM, Notes_Norton said: Thanks again y'all. I decided to go with the Zoom Q2N-4K with a 128G SD card. Notes Hi Notes, how has this worked out? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Notes_Norton Posted September 15, 2020 Author Members Share Posted September 15, 2020 It just arrived. I haven't tried it out yet, I downloaded the manual last night (all it comes with is the quick start). It seems there will be a bit of experimentation before I get something I want. A lot of features to consider, plus we still don't have a good backdrop for the shot. We plan on seeing how some things work in camera. Notes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members pogo97 Posted September 15, 2020 Members Share Posted September 15, 2020 4 hours ago, Notes_Norton said: It just arrived. I haven't tried it out yet, I downloaded the manual last night (all it comes with is the quick start). It seems there will be a bit of experimentation before I get something I want. A lot of features to consider, plus we still don't have a good backdrop for the shot. We plan on seeing how some things work in camera. Notes Keep me posted! I recorded a few videos back in April or May. Getting a good backdrop was a big deal (I don't care for the contents of someone's closet as a set). Used a Tascam DR-22WL recorder to get the sound and an elderly iPad for the video then replaced the iPad audio with the Tascam audio in iMovie. It certainly could be more convenient but I already had all that, so it was basically free. Here's one: http://jazzagejazz.ca/resources/videos/Dance Mary Ann.mov Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Notes_Norton Posted September 16, 2020 Author Members Share Posted September 16, 2020 Couldn't get it to play I have a very old copy of Sony Vegas on CD ROM that I might try to install in Win10 for editing. I used it years ago for our promo I think it was installed on Win 7. First I have to figure out how to use the camera. I'm finishing up sequencing a song for our duo, and after that comes the camera. The to-do list is long and full of interesting projects. Notes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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