A camera for YouTube

[Joey Shabadoo]

Mrs S is a crafter and would quite like to make videos of the projects she does and post them on Youtube. It's mainly papercrafts so it would be a static shot of work on a white desk etc. Can anyone recommend a reasonably priced camera good enough to catch the fine detail but simple to use?

 

[machew]

Go-Pro or a Go-Pro clone.

 

[steve50]

Something like this would probably be up to the job and as it is connected directly to the pc you could upload direct to youtube etc, https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01IMRB4VQ?psc=1

 

[Yellow Saddle]

Static shots with good detail are best done with a still camera. Making a video of various static scenes is then a matter for a simple video editor which can do the fades and sequences.

If she wants to show detail, a good macro lens will be required since most point and shoot cameras cannot get up close enough. Sports cameras are not suited to this. The macro lens will probably need a ring flash or a ring light to get perfect illumination without shadows from just one side. Further, a camera copy stand with lights may create even better results.

I say start with a good point and shoot with good macro which will also have a video setting. The best of the best is a circa 2002 or thereabouts Nikon Coolpix 4500. It has a tiny screen and terrible battery life but in all other aspects it cannot be beaten. Look out for second hand ones. I also use a Pentax WGIII which has an excellent macro lens and a built in ring flash. I use this for showing detail on my crafts.

Here's detail of leather stitching I did. The thread in that photo is 0.8mm thick. Note the absence of shadows and flash reflections. This is done with a ring flash or more often nowadays, a ring light. This is a ring that fits right around the lens and full of LEDs.

Here's a picture I quickly took to demonstrate what I come up against in picturing craft. Often you want to show the entire item, as in these mushrooms I hunted this morning.

And then you want to zoom in to detail, as in this picture of the pores in the top left mushroom. The latter was taken with the macro setting and again, ring flash.

A problem you will come across is photographic pure white, as I suspect you may have with paper craft. It is very difficult to show detail in white (and pure black too). You must be able to manipulate the light source as well as settings for under exposure and, keeping that underexposure setting as a default - perhaps in a programmable mode.

The Pentax can do all that. Nikon has no current alternative to a SLR that can fulfill this requirement.

In summary, think still, not video. Even for YouTube.

 

[jonny jeez]

If its static, tripop stuff then a digital canon eos is a great option.

The still and video options in most ate outstanding with all sorts of white balance depth of field and exposure settings.

Fir a cheap step into it, try the smart phone that's in your hand.

You can get surprisingly good results from them

 

[jonny jeez]

Bit like this, sorry could t insert this in my last post...Starbucks wifi!!

 

[Joey Shabadoo]

It's going to be mostly video with her making stuff and talking while she's doing it.

 

[Yellow Saddle]

It's going to be mostly video with her making stuff and talking while she's doing it.

That changes the picture.

 

[fossyant]

You want an SLR with an external Mike for video. Far better than go-pro etc which are for action shots.

Yellow Saddle explains it all.

 

[jonny jeez]

It's going to be mostly video with her making stuff and talking while she's doing it.

Will she want to talk to the camera?...if so, she will need to think about a microphone or some audio dubbing software...it all gets pretty complicated if you want to get a result that encourages people to spend time watching.

Badly made videos tend to get closed pretty quickly.

On the other hand if the videos are for a select audience, like an instruction video embedded into her website, poorer production values can cut it.

If she is trying to build. A you tube presence...production values are very competitive.

If she cannot invest in production kit, play with technique. Poor quality sound and image values can be compensated with lively chop shot editing. This often requires two or three takes of the same action, often from different angles, edited together.

A lot of footage has played on this (even Hollywood films) to produce a deliberate "hand held" quality.

My personal hints, avoid long zooms and periods of focussing on small items, cut to a close up, framed, focussed and zoomed.

Also, if she is camera shy, just record the audio and add it later.

 

[Old jon]

I use a Canon EOS M3 for video, its also the medium size camera I take out on the bike. With the Canon, I use a Rode Stereo Video Mic Pro, and some continuous LED lights. Not tried real macro video with this and I am not sure how well that would work with this setup.
I am camera shy and mic shy, but can hide behind both articles.

 

[ufkacbln]

Don't forget that YouTube is limited in quality, and as many people stream on data plans that they use lower resolutions to save bandwidth, so massive resolution is counter productive 720p ia about as far as you can realistically expect

Almost any modern DSLR, Compact system or Bridge will suit your needs

 

[G3CWI]

I have recently bought a Canon EOS 700D for Youtube videos. It was on offer and Canon were doing a £40 cashback deal too. Unbeatable value and works well.

 

[Joey Shabadoo]

Took the plunge and the advice of the independent camera shop owner and bought a Sony DSC-HX90V Cybershot. Advantages are it's very lightweight with a flip up screen so she can easily position it without getting out of her wheelchair. Being so lightweight also means I should be able to easily knock up a bracket to position it above her desk. It's also possible to lock the focus so it doesn't zoom around a lot as her hands move in and out of shot - a feature not available on cheaper models.

Thanks for the advice - you may think I didn't take it but it pointed me in the right direction and allowed me to make an informed decision.

 

[Joey Shabadoo]

Not had a go at the video but first attempts with the camera -