Youtube advice needed

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5abi

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Ali
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Hey guys

Would like to hear your views on the choices that I have for video equipment that I have selected in my shortlist. I want to invest in something that I will shoot some youtube videos with at home for my daughter's youtube channel. I am aiming for 4K capabilities

I am very new to the video scene and would like all the advice I can get. I have done a lot of photography but not as much video, not invested in anything for video before.

The videos so far are OK for starting out, but I know I can do a lot better. I used a mix of mobile phones and a Canon 6D. I really want to improve the videos, post production and editing capabilities.

So far, I have selected the following 4k cameras.
  • Blackmagic Cinema EF mount 4K camera (plan to use my 24-70 2.8 on it, or could consider a samyang lens)
  • Panasonic GH4 with a couple of MFT lenses
  • Sony A7R II already have a 24-70 F4 E mount lens but can also use EF lenses with metabones

Some more questions for the experts.
  • Please suggest which editing suite is the best and easiest to handle 4k footage in pro res or raw (for the blackmagic stuff)
  • Please suggest what lighting equipment and backdrops I should consider.
  • Which microphone setup should I consider?

Thanks and much appreciated.
 
The answer is:

it depends on what you're shooting.

What do you want to take video of?
 
I've put that in the post above. I'm shooting videos for my daughters YouTube channel at home. She will be reviewing toys and games etc. We shoot I'm her bedroom :)
 
For editing I use Premiere Pro for a few reasons. The first is I have an Adobe CC subscription so I have it, the second is once you're used to one Adobe product (say Photoshop) it's very easy to learn, and thirdly is excellent. Can't comment on other editing suites as I've not used them.

Editing 4k footage takes a lot of processing power so you will need a fairly powerful PC/Mac.

Backdrops - what's the wall like? Sounds obvious but if it's for toys and games it may already be the ideal backdrop.

Lighting - I'm no pro at video lighting but it's easier than photography lighting in that just a cheap set of 2/3 eBay lights will do the job. If budget allows then I've read good things about this set (and tempted myself) http://www.amazon.co.uk/Emgreat®-Ap...qid=1451928894&sr=1-1&keywords=aputure+lights

Microphone doesn't have to be a lot of money. I use a Zoom H1 in a shock mount and it's very good.

Camera wise all the ones you listed are good. Personal choice would be the Sony, but just because I'd love to justify buying it ;)

Does it have to be 4k? If it's for YouTube then up-sampling good 1080p footage before uploading will give a similar result.
 
You didn't say what you need it for. For a locked off shot you don't need to be able to pull focus quickly or need higher frame rates.

For locked off, you can't beat a wired levalier mic.

I've used Premiere, Final Cut, Lightworks, Media Composer, DaVinci.... All much the same. DaVinci will work well with Raw, but all are good.

Flicker free lighting can be problematic. Make sure you're shooting at 25 or 50 in Europe.

So the big question is "Why 4k?"
 
Wissel said:
For editing I use Premiere Pro for a few reasons. The first is I have an Adobe CC subscription so I have it, the second is once you're used to one Adobe product (say Photoshop) it's very easy to learn, and thirdly is excellent. Can't comment on other editing suites as I've not used them.

Editing 4k footage takes a lot of processing power so you will need a fairly powerful PC/Mac.

Backdrops - what's the wall like? Sounds obvious but if it's for toys and games it may already be the ideal backdrop.

Lighting - I'm no pro at video lighting but it's easier than photography lighting in that just a cheap set of 2/3 eBay lights will do the job. If budget allows then I've read good things about this set (and tempted myself) http://www.amazon.co.uk/Emgreat®-Aputure-Lighting-Rechargeable-Batteries/dp/B00X7C2CBI/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1451928894&sr=1-1&keywords=aputure+lights

Microphone doesn't have to be a lot of money. I use a Zoom H1 in a shock mount and it's very good.

Camera wise all the ones you listed are good. Personal choice would be the Sony, but just because I'd love to justify buying it ;)

Does it have to be 4k? If it's for YouTube then up-sampling good 1080p footage before uploading will give a similar result.
Click to expand...

I can check out Premiere pro, just need to learn how to use the thing. It will be pretty basic editing to start off with. All outtakes are included in the videos to give it an honest and fun feel. I dont want to edit too much, its too fake.

I have a souped up laptop as well as an HTPC I can use for editing. Throw anything at it type stuff.

That looks like a pretty sweet kit. Might look into that.

For the Zoom h1, to you tether to the camera or do you record separately and mix later?

I know, the Sony is good for so many reasons, but for this purchase, I want the camera to outshine all others for video which is why I put a selection there. Why else do you recommend Sony apart from your lust for it :)

Why 4k? Why not?
 
Adobe Premiere does give you great control when rendering and loads of help online especially youtube as you gradually want to do more and more.
Why shoot at 50fps? 30fps seems to be youtube standard, you might have to use NTFS rther than PAL to get the option - it makes no difference for online video and must modern TVs will cope with either anyway. Still not entirely convinced 4K is needed but if updating now I think you may as welll start using it.
Viewing youtube here I can't stream 4K but do appreciate and choose the 1440p which looks significantly better than 1080p on larger screens.
A quick look at last video made me think sound could be better but not something I know much about!
 
Hi Ali, I just watched a couple of your daughter's videos, very good and looks like something fun you can do together.

Regarding the backdrop, how about some shelving displaying other toys that have been reviewed? You could add links over these toys to the video of that product which might encourage other children to keep watching episodes.

I think the lights I linked to earlier would be a good choice as they could be used via battery which would make it far easier to set up each time in a child's bedroom.

As I said earlier, I've only used Premiere Pro, but something that is very useful is it's so easy to search YouTube for a quick video explaining how to do something as there are so many tutorials for it. This is probably the case for most editing suites I guess though.

I use the Zoom H1 separately from the camera. It's very easy to sync in Prem Pro - just get your daughter to do a loud clap in front of the camera when you first start filming, then use the auto sync feature. It's not available (I don't think) as a stand alone product so you would need an Adobe CC subscription, but as it's primarily for a child you should be able to get the student licence which is much cheaper. You would then have other software like After Effects and Photoshop to add extra features to your videos in the future.

An area that the Sony camera may excel in is the focusing. I'm sure you've noticed how much your 6d hunts when changing focus - the new Sony does this very well (if you do a YouTube search you'll see what I mean). I haven't tried any of the cameras you've listed for video, but judging by how much of a big deal a lot of reviewers are making out of the Sony focus I'll guess this is an improvement.
 
I have just a Panasonic HC x-900M (now upgraded to the 910 I think) My camcorder produces excellent video . Together with a sennheiser mike MK400 for first class directional sound and the camcorder itself has stereo facilities.
 
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5abi said:
You will see that its pretty static. Which levalier mic would you recommend?
Why 4k? Why not 4k?
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There's an Audio Technica that's not too bad, or Sennheiser or Rode. By getting the mic as close as possible, you'll have a really high signal to noise level and drown out all the background noises.

Why not 4k? Most of the research organisations (EBU, ARIB, CableLabs) show negligible difference between upscaled HD and native 4k - provided you have a decent enough bitrate. UltraHD on the other hand (4k + high frame rate + high dynamic range + better colours) is starting to trickle through and makes a much bigger difference - https://tech.ebu.ch/docs/techreports/tr028.pdf

4wd said:
Why shoot at 50fps? 30fps seems to be youtube standard, you might have to use NTFS rther than PAL to get the option - it makes no difference for online video and must modern TVs will cope with either anyway.
Click to expand...

Sorry, this is wrong - it makes a big difference as mains lighting is 50Hz and if you don't use a multiple of 25 then you'll get flicker. This may or may not be visible to the eye, but it affects codecs too.

Wissel said:
I use the Zoom H1 separately from the camera. It's very easy to sync in Prem Pro - just get your daughter to do a loud clap in front of the camera when you first start filming, then use the auto sync feature.

An area that the Sony camera may excel in is the focusing. I'm sure you've noticed how much your 6d hunts when changing focus.
Click to expand...

The timing in the audio and video devices can drift if they aren't locked. Not an issue on short clips, but it can mean on longer ones you have perfect synch at the start but it drifts out later in the video.

Why would you use auto-focus on a locked off video?
 
Wissel said:
I mentioned it as I watched one of his daughters videos where she bought something closer to the camera and the camera hunted for a few seconds. The Sony seems smoother from what I've seen in reviews (haven't tried it).
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I don't have a follow focus so it was done via manual focus on that video
 
Of course. I personally would like the Sony too. I have an a7r already. Selling that off soon to fund the next 4k enabled camera.
 
st599 said:
There's an Audio Technica that's not too bad, or Sennheiser or Rode. By getting the mic as close as possible, you'll have a really high signal to noise level and drown out all the background noises.

Why not 4k? Most of the research organisations (EBU, ARIB, CableLabs) show negligible difference between upscaled HD and native 4k - provided you have a decent enough bitrate. UltraHD on the other hand (4k + high frame rate + high dynamic range + better colours) is starting to trickle through and makes a much bigger difference - https://tech.ebu.ch/docs/techreports/tr028.pdf



Sorry, this is wrong - it makes a big difference as mains lighting is 50Hz and if you don't use a multiple of 25 then you'll get flicker. This may or may not be visible to the eye, but it affects codecs too.



The timing in the audio and video devices can drift if they aren't locked. Not an issue on short clips, but it can mean on longer ones you have perfect synch at the start but it drifts out later in the video.

Why would you use auto-focus on a locked off video?
Click to expand...
Thanks for this will read into it. I would like to future proof my videos as much as possible which is the reason I am going after 4k. I don't have any other reason for it.

Can you please recommend an exact model for me for the mic? I shouldn't consider tascam or zoom then?
 
Just a comment on the 25hz vs 30hz vs 50hz argument. I personally don't understand how that makes a difference. If light flickers at 50hz here on the UK is that also applicable to LED light powered by batteries or mains? My understanding is that there is no flicker with LED.

Moreover if light flickers at 50 times a second, how you sync that flicker to the frames in the video? All a bit if a mystery to me
 
5abi said:
Thanks for this will read into it. I would like to future proof my videos as much as possible which is the reason I am going after 4k. I don't have any other reason for it.

Can you please recommend an exact model for me for the mic? I shouldn't consider tascam or zoom then?
Click to expand...

Might help if you mention what type of mike first of all, a surround sound one or directional or even stick type. If directional again different types depending on range you want to pick sound up from.


I have this one, not cheap but excellent sound a. Sennheiser MKE 400


On my Nikon D800 with dead cat- extn lead (3300mm 0r 13ft in english money) - small widget to raise the height for when it is on my camcorder. The sennheiser MKE 400. RRP £180. you wont find a mike with better sound quality
 
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I'll take a guess that the Audio Technica lavalier mentioned was the ATR3350? If so it is incredibly good for the money (I have one). Having said that wired lavalier mic's are a pain in the backside IMO. I literally never use it any more. Every time you use a wired lavalier you have to fit it, hide the cables and not trip on it. It's awkward (again, just my opinion).

I prefer a stand alone mic. I've already said I use the Zoom H1 and I love it. The Tascam seems to be great as well. Whatever mic you go for, sound is more important that video quality (yet again, in my opinion :)).
 
I think I'm leaning towards either a directional mic that's tethered to the camera or a zoom h1. Wires are scary and I have children running around.
 
Another question for yiu st995. Do you not think that the Sony a7r2 or the blackmagic is able to do Ultra HD with HDR?
 
Thanks to you guys, I have a good set of suggestions now for a lot of things.

Editing = Premiere or Final Cut Pro
Lighting = a good place to start would be the kit that Wissel suggested. Affordable too.
Mic = Have to have another think about directional or off camera mic Zoom H1 or Senheiser MKE 400 have been suggested.

No advice on which camera may be best so still researching that.

My requirement has increased actually so also including camcorders into the mix.

Wants: 4K / UHD with HDR and 60p
Nice to have: Changeable lenses (EF ideally)
 
5abi said:
Another question for yiu st995. Do you not think that the Sony a7r2 or the blackmagic is able to do Ultra HD with HDR?
Click to expand...

Yes they both have a Raw video modes which can capture ~12 stops dynamic range (where a stop is a doubling/halving light intensity). This adds complexity - so start in the non-Raw mode then build up.

HDR screens are hitting the market now - so you'll be future proof for quite a few years. For those interested in where video is going, pages 7&8 are a good, but slightly technical start: https://www.dvb.org/resources/public/scene/dvb-scene44.pdf#page=7

For reference, if you implement the HD spec as written, you can capture 6 stops. (People forget it is 25 years since the first HD broadcast and it was designed to work on a low brightness CRT).


5abi said:
Lighting = a good place to start would be the kit that Wissel suggested. Affordable too.
Click to expand...

Lights can cause issues, I mentioned flicker earlier, the other factor is how good they are at reproducing colours https://www.slrlounge.com/cri-important-lighting-factor-youre-likely-overlooking-purchasing-light/
The ones listed have a decent CRI rating - I know a few people who bought some site lamps from Screwfix and changed the halogen lamps to high CRI versions.

A good website for ideas is: www.bbc.co.uk/academy/production/television
 
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