Our church needs a stationary camera.. suggestions?

J

jrm27

Active member
Hello all,

our church would like to install a camera in order to transmit what is going on in our main sanctuary to the overflow areas. I am more versed (not much) in DSLR, but I don't think that is the correct solution (heating the sensor up doesnt sound like a great idea). Perhaps I'm wrong? What might you recommend? It would be mounted stationary at the back of the room with probably a 40 foot throw to get to the front of the stage where the pastor is. Not sure what our budget would be, so any ideas are welcomed. Thanks!

-jon
 
No, you wont be using a DSLR. You need a camera that can remote zoom, long continuos recording/monitoring, cheap, decent quality video (1080i/p should suffice), and be fully automatic.
You need a Camcorder. Im sure you can find a sub $1000 camcorder, I just did a small search and came up with a 10 cameras for under $600 that can output live HD streams from HDMI.
Most video feed systems too projectors/monitors, would be 720 HD quality anyhow, so anything live would need to hit that mark.
SD is of course easier and simpler to setup... which cameras 10 years old can do.
Please give us a hard question (specifics), as there are too! many solutions to your problem! :P
 
Thanks guys. This is very helpful! The camera will be fed through a modulation box (which has a ton of different inputs, HDMI included). The signal will be modulated over a coax and then reconverted at the other end on a 55" HD TV screen (I believe it gets remodulated at 720). I don't think we'll need remote zoom or anything. We don't have a video team, it will be very much a "set it and forget it" type of thing.... We'll mount it in the back of the room and go from there. Sub $1000 would be great! Keep the info coming please!

-jon
 
Whether you get decent IQ out of a sub-thousand dollar handycam will be very dependent on how well lit your stage is. Lots of light will probably work. Not so much, well, not so much as the noise will become unacceptable.

Grant
 
I really dont think there will be any issues with a sub $500, 720HD - HDMI output camera.
Most consumer cameras can handle indoor lit circumstances relatively well (you can even set the camera to auto backlight).
I cant imagine the rows of pews, not being decently lit. Of course the front stage will be lit more, but most churches will be well lit throughout... especially during service.
Old peeps need ta see, yo!
 
Thanks guys. This is good news. Any specific models/brands you would recommend? Lighting is not great for video, but its better than nothing.
 
This is not a scenario where I would use a camcorder, consumer or pro. It's just not what they're designed for.

What I typically see churches doing these days is a PTZ (pan-tilt-zoom) camera and some sort of controller. This thread shows an example of a full system (with recording for shut-ins) that I threw together very quickly for another DVXUser's church; in your case, you could look at just getting the PTZ camera, wiring it to the monitor, and then using the remote that comes with the camera to move the camera. There are relatively inexpensive ways to place an IR receiver in the room where the TV is so you can control the camera while seeing the picture. (This is an SD camera, but their HD versions are substantially more expensive.)

If you really don't think you're going to want to move the camera or zoom in, I would look at a CCTV/security camera. What kind, and what lens you'd need, would vary depending on the dimensions of the church, but it shouldn't be too hard to find somebody reasonably local to advise you on that. I don't do a lot with these products, so I don't know if HD is available or not; the ones I've worked with are all SD.

Honestly, I don't see HD as something you desperately need in this situation. Most people with HDTV's are still watching SD DVD's and cable on them, so as long as you get a quality camera, it should look similar to that.
 
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