I don’t think a G6 will go for under 6k… 
1 Like
Oh I was referring to components required to build a quantum station for molecular transportation 
1 Like
Oh, I’m thinking just hit them with a shotgun and use carrier pidgeons?
1 Like
Mostly tripod, internal recording, maybe even resolve… I think you might want to take a look at the Blackmagic Design Pocket Cinema Camera 4K. Get an XLR mic and the adapter and you don’t even need any other audio gear. External battery, USB-C SSD, all rigged up should be pretty light weight and easy to use.
I am on the waiting list here in Germany but I would assume you should be able to get the camera quite a bit easier in the US.
The cheap alternative for the camera would be a Panasonic G7 used. Joker is using one of those and Epos Vox has one as well. The G7 is using a compressed format which does make it harder for the computer to deal with the files in the editing process. I also think you might need additional audio stuff for it, pretty sure the pre-amps in that are kinda crap.
A Panasonic 12-35mm f/2.8 should cover most of your needs and if you have to handhold at some point it has an OS built in. (Get the old one used, those are dirt cheap.)
1 Like
Oh wow, thanks man! Looks pretty, I’ve never seen a screen on a camera that big
I’ll update the thread when I start spending money and getting tracking numbers for sure 
Appreciate the alternative option, but I think your first suggestion fits the bill. Utility and ease of use are definitely up there on my list of wants.
Awesome, thanks!
Man, I really appreciate it. Will definitely give you guys a huge shout out on the channel when this all starts to come together.
Only problem is that you can’t flip it. So you have to frame and focus before the shoot or get something hooked up. Autofocus is gonna be the biggest weak point on that camera I would think. If you are ok with those restrictions you should be fine.
1 Like
Been meaning to circle back around to this; the short version is:
Don’t use a lav unless you need to be mobile.
Audio gear (especially mics) age well and rarely change in the high end; it’s mostly workflow improvements you don’t need for podcast/yt work. Get a quality supercardioid mic you can set up on a c-stand.
If you’re not too creeped out by internet randos and you can make it a bit northward in the metro then I can meet you somewhere for coffee and we can chat it up about workflow and gear.
3 Likes
Agreed. Lav mics have a place but if mobility isn’t the single most important thing, just go with something else. Dumb and dumber over at Awesome Hardware have switched to lav mics lately and in comparison it sounds muddy and bad.
1 Like
Alright, back with a few questions:
-
What do you want your videos to look like? Screen cap with an overlay of you talking? Direct address bits intermingled with and voicing over the screen capped portions? Something entirely different?
-
Do you expect that all your videos will be the same format? Is this uncut vlog-at-work style, presentations, “webinar,” or maybe more along the L1T/tech-tuber type format? Perhaps an audio-only podcast, separate from the videos?
-
Do you want a music bed, and what is your budget for licensing tracks?
-
How portable do you want to be? Always in the same part of the same room, or might want to shoot around? Interviews or bits with other people? Which leads me to…
-
If you want to be mobile, how discreet do you want to be?
-
How many people do you expect to have on camera, and do you expect that they move around more than a half step or so?
-
Where do you want this to lead?
I’m expecting that this is more of a solo voice over screencap type thing, but the questions are important, when it comes to getting the appropriate gear.
2 Likes
Better version of this
Inspired from this guy
Yeah, either uncut-vlog-at-work style or the webinar/PowerPoint style
Not sure what this is, but I can play piano and guitar 
Going to be this route, likely.
CIA level
Just me, and it’s going to be in front of a keyboard or a white board. I’ll do maybe a full step to either side of the whiteboard to demonstrate the flowchart/logic/write up.
?
Jk. I want this to be very educational, in the style of PluralSight, The New Boston (RIP in Peace), and even that guy that did game reviews:
1 Like
This sounds a lot more like a thing that does not benefit too much from an expensive camera setup to be honest.
1 Like
Interesting 
Maybe I’m over-complicating it. I would think something that would resist/see through glare of computer monitors would be a little bit more high end.
I’d recommend the SD mix pre 3:
It’ll allow you to move around if you need to, but is a high quality interface as well. Really the best of both worlds between field recording and small studio broadcast/live stream type stuff, if you can handle the price. There are much cheaper interfaces ($100-200) that will get the job done, but the mixpre really is the best bang for the buck, especially for long form content; i.e., the clocks in lower end gear tend to drift quite a bit (and unpredictably), while the SD mixers are rock solid. This is also why I don’t recommend zoom recorders. If you record a video that’s a 20 min lecture, 40 mins, whatever, the cam scratch audio can end up 20-30 seconds or even minutes out of sync, by the end. You can get around this by using only the cam audio, but then you’re using shit ADCs and you get higher noise and distortion (classic youtube).
You can get a c-stand from a local shop my buddies run (to avoid shipping a heavy stand and optionally a sandbag):
Although you can probably find them cheaper at B&H, you may have to pay shipping. Either way, just don’t use a mic stand. You’ll overpay to get a studio mic stand height you need for stand-up whiteboard stuff. Only downside is it might be a bit bulky for videos at a desk. It’ll reach over monitors, but ymmv. If you want to split the difference and don’t mind seeing the mic in the shot, get a c-stand for the stand ups, and a mic stand for the desk. Put a quick-release on both.
Mic-wise, get something supercardioid. For convenience, you can get a condenser in the “pencil” form factor; however, getting good mics in this size are expensive. More on this in a bit… I can’t recommend it yet, but I recently acquired a deity s-mic 2 (
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1424787-REG), and early testing is promising for the price. I’ll let you know if I get a proper test in.
If you do want to go high end on a budget, either track down a schoeps CMC41 and have it converted to P48 power by Pete (another local guy): http://cmc4upgrade.com/cmc4upgrade.com.html
Or get a decent multi pattern LDC like the SE 4400a:
https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/SE4400a--se-electronics-se4400a-large-diaphragm-condenser-microphone
With a multi pattern mic, you can switch the pattern to supercardioid for stand ups or keeping it out of frame, and then click over to cardioid for any VO or mic-in-frame streams at the desk.
If those are too $$$, you can track down a Sennheiser me66/k6 for $200, which sounds quite good for the price. You can use the ever-popular NT-1, but it’s overpriced for what it is, IMO.
Your budget is non unreasonable, and although cam gear invariably costs more, spending a fair percentage on audio will really ensure you many more years of use from your audio gear than video. To give you an idea, those schoeps and some high end Sennheiser mics were used in the original Star Wars, Jaws, and so many other films, and are still the de-facto standard for sound, not exceeding $1-2k per mic, on average. All that to say that if you can budget around $1500 for all your audio hardware, you’re probably in good shape. If not, you can absolutely get good sound if you use a cheap interface and still use a decent mic. If you want to dabble in the mid to high end, Dallas audio post has rentals you can play around with; they may let you come demo gear at the studio before renting anything.
Software is something else; more on that later.
Also see this post for a mic demo and more chat on cheaper mics:
One more thing:
The only reason I suggest gear in this range is because you stated a budget. If you recalculate and decide it isn’t worth that, you can scale down, without a doubt.
1 Like
That seems excessive to me.
You could get a pre-amp for XLR and feed a good signal directly into the camera. No need for timecode and no drifting, maybe not the best but completely fine audio quality.
Alternatively (and in my mind the best solution) is to let the computer do the recording. You’ll have mostly one camera perspective, almost no editing, no movement and pretty much a fixed setup, right?
Used Panasonic G7, Elgato Camlink 4k, a Focusrite Scarlett and a mic. Add sound treatment for the room, maybe something that handles the last bit of noise like a DBX 286s and a couple lights and you’re good to go.
And if you want to add to that, you can always get another camera + capture thingy and have a second angle in OBS.
1 Like
I say avoid camera ADCs as much as possible. Recording direct into a PC would be a good way to go, but not always possible when moving everything across the room or to another room to shoot the stand ups. That would indeed bypass the cam converters.
Realistically, it’ll be a DSLR, and I have yet to see one with half decent sound. Using an external preamp is ok, but at that point, just use external converters, too, and do the interface or mix pre route, with cam audio as sync scratch.
And yes I agree it would be wiser to save a few bucks for acoustic treatment. Budget for at least a few panels of Owens Corning 703 or 705. More on panel construction another time. Just don’t get less than 3 or 4" foam. The 1" and 2" auralex foam does basically nothing unless you have a metric ton of it, and even then, it doesn’t catch mids and lows in the vocal range
1 Like
I have to disagree for someone Vlogging/Self shooting this is a bad option, the screen does not flip out so you will have to buy a second monitor to view yourself. Secondly it really is intended as a camera for someone who has some experience under their belt. Its battery life is fine too good if your used to shooting on film but is bad by most modern standards, It is built to a cost and does not have continuous auto focus so if you move around in the shot or frame you will become out of focus unless you have enough light to crank down your iris.
If I were to recommend a camera to get I would honestly go to BH’s used section and look under the prosumer video section for a good deal.
After watching your video I would say focus on the Video editing and audio capture and start by spending 60-100 on a decent webcam.
2 Likes
IMO a used GH4 would be badass and sharp cam for general vlog and educational use (and relatively cheap), but I have not worked with it enough to know its limitations
1 Like
I definitely dont have any direct experience with it either but seen as a lot of Youtube channels have started and thrived on much more potato cameras so you could do a lot worse.
To use one of Casey Neistat’s good ideals around video production, its not the image quality that matters its your ability to convey your message.
1 Like
This literally showed up in my feed yesterday. Small world.
Wait, what happened to him?
I thought he was still around, just working on a private project.
1 Like
He’s VP of Engineering somewhere, didn’t actually pass.
Sorry, twisted sense of humor 