Help me choose the right path please.

[Alan Maughan]

Guys,

Im an engineer who works from a relatively small 20'x20' workshop that is filled with machinery, space is always at a premium but I do have good overhead LED lighting as well as additional studio LED lights to fill in if needed.

I want to start filming the work that I do for a Youtube chanel, it will be a combination of machine work, hand work at a bench, some painting, shot blasting and general restoration of things.

I have some experience with DSLRs having done quite a lot of filming between 2009 and 2012 with a pair of Canon 7Ds and some L series glass. I feel I understand enough to get quality footage with the right equipment. Very recently I upgraded the camera to a Canon 70D but have been disappointed with what I consider soft footage. I did the usual flat picture profile and sharpen in FCPX but the footage to be honest is no better than from my 7D, Ive been using lenses I consider to be sharp and there is nothing basic like vibrations of camera movement happening during the filming.

I have an articulated arm system hanging from the ceiling which is solid and the camera doesnt suffer from any machine vibrations or shake. I also have a 40" 1080p monitor to allow me to easier compose shots and check focus.

Im starting to wonder though if Im going the best way with this and maybe DSLRs aren't necessarily ideal for this type of move and recompose type of shooting.

Ive been thinking about possibly prosumer level cam corders or action cameras like the GoPro.

Ultimately Im looking for something that give sharp picture quality and with easy to deal with file sizes to enable simple editing and uploading to Youtube, quality needs to be good but Im not remaking Saving Private Ryan either.

I would be grateful for your thoughts on whether I should either upgrade the 70D to get footage of the quality I want or maybe head in a different direction?

All thoughts gratefully received.

[Andrew Smith]

Are you using a stock lens or one of the more expensive but nicer ones?

Also, could do with some links to examples of your 'soft' looking work to date.

Andrew

[Chris Soucy]

Just got caught by the "same problem, two forums" trick. Works every time.

CS

[Alan Maughan]

Anyone got anything useful?

[Andrew Smith]

Re "Anyone got anything useful?"

Alan, you need to answer the standing questions above or it's near impossible to help you further as we would merely be guessing.

Andrew

[Doug Jensen]

Originally Posted by Alan Maughan

Anyone got anything useful?

Alan, regardless of what lens(s) you use, a DSLR is a poor choice for this type of production. The only advantage of a DSLR for video is shallow DoF, and that would actually be counter-productive in this situation. Working with a DSLR, and also adding one or two other different cameras to the mix, is going to be a mess -- both visually and logistcally. You won't like it and it the whole thing will feel more like a chore rather than the enjoyable experience you envision it to be. There are no serious professionals still using DSLRs for video. Everyone who wants shallow DoF has moved to mirrorless or cinema cameras.

My advice would be to find a couple (or three) inexpensive matching camcorders such as the Sony Z90, NX80, or AX700 that are perfectly suited for this kind of work with high-quality audio, great image quality, excellent auto-focus, full manual exposure control, etc. The cameras won't overheat or shutdown after a certain amount of time. They are easy to monitor. They have very efficient codecs and that are easy to work with in post. You can shoot 4K or HD. You can even transfer your custom settings from one camera to another in seconds.

The Z90, NX80, or AX700 are all basically the same camera, so you cam mix and match them however you want. They have been out long enough that you might find some good deals on used ones.

I have a friend who did a series videos with the Z90's about rebuilding a sailboat and he was very happy with how it worked out.

There's some advice for you.

[Paul R Johnson]

I'm intrigued by the "sharpen in FCPX" - I've never had a need to sharpen clips? The image you posted? Is that a 1980 x 1080 frame grab - the writing on the paper is quite soft. Have you ascertained where the softness is coming from. The images from my ⅓" JVC cameras is sharper than that. Do you have a link to some moving images?

[Gary Nattrass]

I use Veho Muvi K2 go pro type cameras for doing videos on my boat and the 4k version gives some pretty good HD pictures for other projects that fit in with my two Panasonic HPX P2 cameras. I also have an old Canon HF11 that still gives very good HD footage too.

I personally still stream and do a lot of things for on-line in 720p as it is far more robust and looks fine for most things.

As someone once said we don't need more pixels just better ones and most broadcasters are still on 1080i or even SD.

That screen shot has some pretty bad interlacing problems and as Paul says you need to check where the problems are coming from but I suspect it is as usual the DSLR's

[David Peterson]

Video with a Canon DSLRs have always been infamous for being soft.

Get yourself a Panasonic mirrorless instead (Sony or Nikon or Fujfilm are also decent choices too).

[David Mathew Bonner]

I would stick with what you have for now. Truth is, content and growth matter more at the point. As your channel grows, you can improve image and production but none of that matters if you don't have an audience and the content they want.
And if done right, they will care more about what you are showing them than how it shows.


Good luck!
dMb

[Allan Black]

I agree with David. Producing one uTube program is one thing, a series of programs is a different ball game altogether, it’s almost a 2 man job. You’ll be writer, producer, cameraman, sound, editing etc.

I’d take it slow, maybe watch a few similar uTube channels and take notes. Write out the list of aspects you want to cover and the times for each. Shoot a few tests, paying attention to your narration, get opinions from friends, or post a test. Good luck.

Cheers.