what video cameras to use to record a shoot

[shake the cove]

hey guys what type of video cameras do you suggest for filming a display shoot. I have heard the go-pro is ok but the reviews say its marginal for this . I do not want to spend more than $600 on this as this is all I will use it for recording shoots and demos. Yes it will be placed on a tripod.

[Zippster]

I saw the GoPro Hero on sale for $89 black friday / cyber Monday deals. Never used one but definitely sparked my interest.

[Rick_In_Tampa]

I use a "Sony HDR-CX440 9.2 MP Full HD 60p Handycam Camcorder." It has a ton of features, including a "fireworks mode" setting. It's also $299 from this particular site.

http://www.fullcompass.com/prod/275393-Sony-HDR-CX440?utm_source=googleps&utm_medium=shopping&utm_campaign=googleps&st-t=googleshopping-video&vt-k=&vt-mt=&vt-pti=275393&gclid=Cj0KEQiAperBBRDfuMf72sr56fIBEiQAPFXszTy5y2EK 3B4sBpaX4JYh02jzF4TFHWDfNWDPG9CLqrUaAh498P8HAQ

Here's a link to my 4th of July show this year. I didn't use a tripod, but you can get an idea of the picture quality over the course of the 40+ minute show.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UeYLNzkuUHk

Hope this helps.

[PGH_Pyro]

dont use gopro for main camera. the video quality is too crappy .
get a 4K camera and external microphone for best quality .

[Bazerk]

dont use gopro for main camera. the video quality is too crappy .
get a 4K camera and external microphone for best quality .

If I am not mistaken, you can add an external mic to a gopro and the hero5 is a 4k camera. You can get this setup for less than an entry level camcorder.

[PGH_Pyro]

still, the gopro lens is tiny and it seems to warp the image, too much.
it's better than no video camera but, i'd invest in a proper camera.
if pyronation rob is here, he might chime in. i know he uses a real nice 4K Sony camera with a Rode mic and he gets nice results with that rig. look his videos of cakes and shell demos out .
night and day better than any gopro .

[Bazerk]

still, the gopro lens is tiny and it seems to warp the image, too much.
it's better than no video camera but, i'd invest in a proper camera.

The lens is small and it does have a slight fish eye effect, however, it does capture a large area because of the lens and the software that comes with it corrects that and makes it perfect. Understand that I am not disagreeing with you in that a camcorder would be a better setup, but for half the price you can get into 4k, good audio and waterproof gear.

[FlyingDutchman]

What are the key specs to look for in a camcorder to film fireworks? I know nothing about camcorders but would like to start filming my shows. My last show was filmed by a friend on an iPhone and it looked good (wasn't a wide enough lens) but it looked and sounded pretty decent.

[Bazerk]

What are the key specs to look for in a camcorder to film fireworks? I know nothing about camcorders but would like to start filming my shows. My last show was filmed by a friend on an iPhone and it looked good (wasn't a wide enough lens) but it looked and sounded pretty decent.

The wide lens issue is where the gopro shines. You would have the same issue with a camcorder as your friend did with the iphone. You could use a dslr camera with a wide angle lens but then you have the fisheye thing to worry about. The only important thing you need to do when filming fireworks is turn off auto focus and set the focus to "infinity"

[liame]

Personally i use a gopro its small its tough its waterproof. Audio is not important to me with fireworks, if i did need great audio i personally would just record it separately with a digital recorder and just sync it up in post. there are tons of good cameras out there that shoot great video, my suggestion would be head to your local best buy and "play" with the display units going through the menus and setting to see which is easiest to use. (There is so much about cameras I could cover to help you but i dont want to you or everyone else to fall asleep) Just my 2 cents.

gopro has a correction for the lens issue/effect in their software when you edit it.
https://gopro.com/support/articles/how-can-i-remove-the-distortion-fisheye-effect-in-gopro-studio

Also i posted this video before but ill post again so you can see my gopro (hero 4 black) on a boat that i was shooting from If you need any more info on setting i am sure i can find them for you.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OCKIijoW0aY&t=92s

[Bazerk]

The hero 5 has the lens correction built in as well which eliminates the need for post which is nice.

[PGH_Pyro]

the audio is half or more of what you want to properly and accurately, capture... dunno how anyone could not care bout what they're hearing ... this is why you must use an external mic to capture the low-end frequencies of the salutes and so on ... gopro audio is shit . i know they're cheap but, you get what you pay for, as in everything ... as for DSLRs ... yeah, you'd want to use a wider-than-usual lens for pyro capture ...too many fireworks videos out there are crap because the person filming is way too close and only gets the middle third of the action on video and there's just no point in wasting your time, if you're gonna do that... get back a good distance if you don't have a good wide lens... takes some fore-thought ...



Personally i use a gopro its small its tough its waterproof. Audio is not important to me with fireworks, if i did need great audio i personally would just record it separately with a digital recorder and just sync it up in post.

[ilovecrackle]

I saw the GoPro Hero on sale for $89 black friday / cyber Monday deals. Never used one but definitely sparked my interest.

Someone took video of my 4th of July show last year with the gopro hero 4. I thought it turned out good quality. Yes, it did have that slight fish eye effect but I'm not as anal about that as some so it didn't bother me at all.
I also have a cannon vixia hf-200 iv been using for years with a wide angle lens for my shows and individual product videos that gives me that slight fish eye effect and it doesn't bother me nor has anyone else even mentioned the fish eye effect. Most the time Idon't even notice it.
In my opinion, the fish eye effect is not as bad as some may make it out to be.
And as for 4k, remember that even though you may record in 4k, you or anyone else that views your video is only gonna see as high a resolution as their TV, monitor or cell phone allows.

[PGH_Pyro]

crackle - the color saturation/density is still much higher even when not viewing on a 4K monitor ...
it's noticeable and better.

[ilovecrackle]

crackle - the color saturation/density is still much higher even when not viewing on a 4K monitor ...
it's noticeable and better.

Your right. I just looked it up and understand why now.
Thanks for the info.

[shake the cove]

thanks rick. sounds like the one I will go with for now

[shake the cove]

Thanks for the link rick.

[reverser]

I use the Canon M506 with DM-100 mic for my videos. Superb combination:cool


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mWiyr97X_Bk