4k easy to use camera for videos up to $1500

User108

User108

User108

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Good day to all of you nice people, I could use an advice from the experts.

I'm looking for a very good but easy to use automatic 4k camcorder/camera for educational videos.

1) 4k 30fps or preferably 60fps, with good enough quality for a local television.
2) Very good automatic filming with a good auto-focus too, as it's for my aunt professor, she is not the best with technology. She will be doing free educational videos for students, YouTube and television.
3) Duration of filming sessions: 1 - 2 hours.
4) Support of an external microphone. USB 3 or C would be nice, but for some reasons most cameras stuck with an old USB 2 which is useless for 4k data transfer, but it's fine to transfer with SDXC.
5) She will be using tripod, so good image stabilization (while very nice to have) is not absolutely necessary. Will also use proper lighting, so camera good for a low light filming is not absolutely necessary, but again - it's nice to have camera suitable for every occasion.
6) It would be good if camera has a flip screen, so aunt could see herself in the camera screen, as she won't always have someone filming her.
7) Some green screen filming.
8) Camera for a reasonable price, i.e up to 1500 £/USD. If there is a much better option for 2000 £/USD, good also.

We will be buying within next couple of weeks in UK.
 
Not that I'm an expert, but I think the Panasonnic GH5 is a common choice for video in this sort of price range. It's what I bought and aside some initial auto focus issues, which generally seem much better after firmware updates, I'm very happy with it.
 
Thank you Andy, but Panasonic GH5 a little too complex for newbie, and as EsaT mentioned most photo cameras have duration limitation. For example I was seriously looking into Sony RX100 VII, but it can only film for 30 minutes or just 20 minutes at 40°C, its ridiculous. Its one of the reasons why I'm looking at camcorders.
 
It's an odd request this. You're asking for something that can be used by someone who isn't good with technology but then say you're using good lighting and a green screen?

I run a video production company and beyond the kit there's far more to it besides. It's not like buying a plane and a chisel suddenl makes you a craftsman.

You'll follow that up by saying this doesn't need to be that good quality, in which case why do you need 4K @ 60fps etc. Why do you even need 2 hours recording? She's not going to talk solid for 2 hours surely?

If I was her/you I'd just use a webcam.
 
No need to talk down like this, Russi.

Where do I say good quality isnt needed? It will be aired on a local TV too. I can imagine you are using equipment worth of hundreds of thousands, but there are more options in between than a webcam, which is useless for the task at hand.

And yes, duration will frequently will be in 1-2 hour range, she is a professor. What duration were your lectures at Uni if you find this odd?
 
Honestly, I'm with Russ. Maybe not a webcam though, maybe a GoPro?

Also, most local television would likely only need 720p 30fps surely?

Mind you, I would still say a GH5. It's not complicated, you switch it to M and press record... (I don't think there's a 30 minute limit)
 
User108 said:
No need to talk down like this, Russi.
Click to expand...

There is no tone intended to my post other than advice. Welcome to the forum, and to the internet, apparently.

You're asking to spend no more than £1,200 on something that needs to be used by someone who can't operate a GH5 in auto mode. Who's setting the camera/tripod, microphone, lights and green screen up?

The fact that it's on local TV is largely irrelevant to spec. As above, it'll be 720p at most. Even national TVC specs are 1080p 25fps. The QC - if any - will be more to do with quality of production which is largely separate from what camera you're using and down to lighting, composition, editing, general production/content etc.

And I'm not saying nobody delivers a 2 hour lecture. But I guarantee nobody delivers 2 hours of content specifically for video in one go. I work with several universities creating pedagogical content for elearning and moocs; videos are no more than 10 minutes else they fail many platform's QC for learner engagement. Even those 10 minute videos will be the edit of dozens or more takes, cuts and edits.

If she is simply conducting 2 hour lectures and filming them - which you never mentioned in your OP - then a webcam probably is the best option. It's what all universities use to record and disseminate lectures. If she wants to create videos/courses/lectures (whatever you want to call them) that total 2 hours, then the recording limit should be a non-issue.

If she's doing this as an alternative to her "day job" because of COVID-19 then webcams are absolutely appropriate and expected and/or accepted by pretty much every audience now.

You specifically asked for help from experts. I'm an expert. You can take or leave my advice, I don't mind!
 
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