Need gear recommendations for talking-head videos

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Imamacuser

Veteran
My parents would like to make talking-head workshop videos, and I'd like to get them up & running with an autonomous setup that doesn't require me or my gear, so that they will have the flexibility of making a video whenever they want.

They really ought to get something like a used Canon XA20, Panasonic HMC-150 or AF100, but they can't really put much money towards the setup right now, so I'm trying to jury-rig a setup with inexpensive components and gear they already have.

My Dad used to run his own photography studio, so he has photo mono lights, umbrellas, light stands, backdrop, tripods etc. The challenge is audio and continuous video recording with no time limit.

Camera options (needs an equivalent focal length around 42-50mm full frame):
1. My Dad's Canon 5D MK II with MagicLantern hacks to enable clean 1620x910 HDMI output run to an HDMI-USB capture device and recorded with OBS. The downside to this setup is that it's rather convoluted, and introduces a lot of failure points.

2. iPhone with Lightning to HDMI adapter run to an HDMI-USB capture device and recorded with OBS.

Audio options:
1. Two lavs run into a cold-shoe mixer.

2. One supercardioid mic placed between them or boomed above them and run into an XLR preamp.

Any recommendations, thought, ideas, or suggestions?

P.S. The last shoot I did for them wasn't very fancy, my Dad set up his photo mono lights, and I just put an Audio-Technica AT875R between them, and shot it with my Sony 18-105mm on my A6300, and they were happy with the video & audio quality.
 
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a6400: inexpensive - improved quality over the a6300 - amazing face-tracking AF - unlimited recording. (Just would need a few batteries.)

Could use existing shotgun mic or lavs with any mic level preamp or passive mixer straight into the camera (and program thumb wheel for audio control for easy change in levels).
 
P.S. I'm assuming if they would be navigating OBS, the option is there to import files off a SD card and trim in QT (if no editing software will be used).
 
They don't have much money to put into this at the moment, and I want them to prioritize audio, so that's why I'm trying to make it work with cameras that they already have.

I plan to make an OBS preset so that it's simplified as much as possible.

They have Final Cut X on a 2009 iMac, so they can use that or iMovie for any edits, but I'll probably have to teach them how at some point. :)
 
A used one is about $400, but totally understood.

I'd look into the iPhone then unless you feel comfortable with the 5D hack being stable (continuous recording for longer periods could be an issue...or just use it in its regular factory state), and one of your parents can make sure focus will be okay on the full-frame sensor. You could stop down a lot too and add copious light which sounds doable.
 
My dad would be comfortable manually focusing with his 5D, But I still have to convince him to let me install magic lantern on his camera, he’s rather nervous about that sort of thing, I on the other hand have hacked my canon point-and-shoot’s with CHDK, my Nikon with NikonHackers hacks, And my Sony with the open memories tweak, not to mention rooting my kindle & jail breaking iPod Touchs & iPhones.

I’m not sure whether the 5D cuts the HDMI output after 20 minutes or so. The iPhones probably won’t have enough space to record internally, so that’s why I want to capture the feed on a computer, But now that I think about it, battery life might be an issue on an iPhone, as My parents aren’t prone to charging them or putting them in sleep mode to conserve power..
 
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Can it be podcast style talking into a blue yeti or something? That always sounds the best to me.

Do they really need to roll unlimitedly? They can't restart the roll every 25 min?
 
Imamacuser said:
The iPhones probably won’t have enough space to record internally, so that’s why I want to capture the feed on a computer, But now that I think about it, battery life might be an issue on an iPhone, as My parents aren’t prone to charging them or putting them in sleep mode to conserve power..
Click to expand...

Depending on the quality, you could record many hours on the iPhone. Power could be a problem though based on production/time management.
 
ahalpert said:
Can it be podcast style talking into a blue yeti or something? That always sounds the best to me.

Do they really need to roll unlimitedly? They can't restart the roll every 25 min?
Click to expand...

My Mom doesn't want any mics in the shot, but I think she'd be okay with lavs. They want to sit side-by-side and look directly into the lens, so they could definitely get by with one supercardioid mic, as long as they apply some audio compression in post. The AT875R can be had as low as $70-$100 used, are there any good Chinese mics that I'm overlooking?

The 5D MK II has the 4GB FAT32 clip limit, so you can only record about 12 minutes, but I might be able to extend that if I reduce the bitrate in ML. My parents want to focus on the presentation and not worry about restarting the camera. They don't need unlimited recording in the sense of a telethon, just 45 minutes to an hour. I think ML has an auto restart recording feature, but you lose a few frames & a second of audio, so it wouldn't be a viable option.
 
I'm leaning toward a lav option for mics, but want to also consider supercardioid options. I just remembered the Takstar sgc-598, but it has a regular cardioid polar pattern, so it probably wouldn't pickup a wide enough area for two people.

I know you get what you pay for, so I'm not expecting broadcast quality, just something decent that's not painful to listen to.
 
Keep it simple, man...hundreds of thousands of YouTubers use some type of Rode VideoMic-like microphone in front of groups of people and it sounds perfect (I'm sure the +20dB on the actual VideoMic Pro helps).

Almost any microphone on today's market will sound okay if it's decently close to the subjects.

More importantly is limiting the hiss inside the camera by bringing those levels way down and boosting the captured audio with a mic's gain or preamp. (You know this stuff...just reaffirming.)
 
I wish I could be more specific on a budget for audio gear, but I think it's best to present my parents with a few different options at different price points and see if they like any of them.
 
For about 4-5 years early on in my career, the most inexpensive way I recorded audio with two people interviews was with these two pieces of hardware:

(1) Aspen Mics - https://aspenmics.com/products/hq-s

(2) Beachtek Preamp - https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/prod...cro_pro_dxa_micro_pro_active_xlr_compact.html

Back then you could have told me I didn't know any better - which might have been true from a certain perspective - but even today on this day right now, I think that combination above sounds just as good as 99% of audio out there, and 0% of any audience on this planet would be able to tell the difference, IMO.

Today, there are so many mic options on Amazon that similar lav microphones like above might even be half the price (the challenge is the research/finding them).

The preamp above even has a safety track (for one mic) if the first one is accidentally too hot.

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If not that then using a FF sensor around 35-50mm (like you mentioned) with a shotgun about 4-5' away from them on top of the camera will be great.

___

If you don't use cheap lavs or a shotgun straight into the camera or straight into an inexpensive preamp, what else is there on a budget? Not much.
 
Specific gear recommendations are helpful, as there may be good options that I've overlooked.

I didn't have a C-stand on the last video I shot for my parents, so I just put the AT875R on a regular mic stand, set it between them, and lowered the stand till the mic was just out of frame. It seemed to work pretty well, and should sound better than mounting it on a camera, but camera mounting would probably be sufficient.
 
I agree with NorBro that a cheap shotgun mounted on or off camera should sound fine, provided that the room is quiet. If the room isn't quiet, I think they need lavs. But the shotgun will be easiest for a few reasons (mounting, straight into camera...)

Man the 5dmk2 is ancient... but 10 minutes is still a long time. They could cut and reroll every 10 minutes.

Or they could get a used gh2 for $270 which I think has a 30-minute limit? Can't remember... and use EF lenses on it with a cheap adapter. (You can also set electronic aperture with the 5d and then put the lens on a dumb adapter on the gh2, you dont even need to buy a smart adapter)
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Panasonic-...-/283990258387?_trksid=p2349624.m46890.l49292
 
I know the situation is far from ideal, but I'm just trying to roll with the punches.

I read that the 5D doesn't output audio over HDMI, so I tried this HDMI capture device with a mic input, but I think it's really a line level input, as max output from my Sennheiser AVX came through very faintly. As an alternate audio workaround, I could run the mic directly into the computer with a USB audio interface, and set a delay in OBS to get audio & video to sync.

That sure equals a lot of potential failure points, I know it's a crazy setup, but I just can't think of anything else without spending $300-$1,000.

P.S. My Dad has a Canon 24-105mm f/4L that should be fine wide open.
 
ahalpert said:
I agree with NorBro that a cheap shotgun mounted on or off camera should sound fine, provided that the room is quiet. If the room isn't quiet, I think they need lavs. But the shotgun will be easiest for a few reasons (mounting, straight into camera...)

Man the 5dmk2 is ancient... but 10 minutes is still a long time. They could cut and reroll every 10 minutes.

Or they could get a used gh2 for $270 which I think has a 30-minute limit? Can't remember... and use EF lenses on it with a cheap adapter. (You can also set electronic aperture with the 5d and then put the lens on a dumb adapter on the gh2, you dont even need to buy a smart adapter)
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Panasonic-...-/283990258387?_trksid=p2349624.m46890.l49292
Click to expand...

The GH2 can have the limit removed.

Not sure if I'd recommend the GH2 though, the G7 is much better and only slightly more expensive secondhand
 
A mirrorless camera seems to be the cheapest continuous record option, outside of a consumer camcorder, but I wonder how cheap they could get a used 1080P camcorder with XLR inputs that writes to flash memory. I thought I saw someone on here sell an AF100 for $500 a few months ago.

Any other supercardioid mic recommendations, Deity V-MIC D3?
 
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