Which camera to buy for interviews?

K

Ken1212

Well-known member
What camera under $4k is best suited for for interviews and seminar videography. I am getting into two camera shoots and need to look into buying two cameras. Most of my work is taping seminars and corporate/business interviews. Some of the shoots the clients want raw footage as they already have an editor. I currently shoot 1080p but 4k resolution would be nice so it's future proof but not a must. Unlimited time recording is a must. I have used DSLR's so I do own canon and Nikon glass. I am open to either cinema type cameras such as the canon C100 or fixed lens video cameras. I am impressed with the specs on the newly released Panasonic UX90 and UX180. What's your take?
 
Tough to mix the two. Seminars would benefit from long lenses and smaller chips where interviews are just the opposite. Maybe a one-two punch with the interview camera being a wider lockoff type of shot in the seminars and the longer lens camera like a UX180 for the closeups. This might go over your budget though. Unlimited 4k in a larger sensor is going to be more expensive. 1080p has plenty of choices. 4k is going to a little more challenged for light gathering on the long end of the lenses.

How shallow of DOF do you need for the interviews? The GH5 might be a great option once we get to see its thermal performance in 4k. The used C100 is a great choice but color matching is not optimal for the two camera shooting by mixing brands... One of the new Panny 4k cameras and the GH5 would probably be the best from a color matching standpoint. Or a Sony mix.
 
Extreme DOF is not of utmost importance for my shoots, color matching and unlimited recording is. I was leaning towards the Panasonic UX90 and UX180 because of the features. I do like the idea of a mix with a GH5 as it will also provide unlimited recording time. Some of my shoots are over 30 minutes and clients need the raw to do their own editing. The C100 is a very attractive option with it's amazing low light capability but lacks the 4k which might come in handy if I use the same camera angle to crop from a wide to a medium or from a medium to a close up. I currently use a Panasonic HMC-80 which has worked good for the most part, It has some great features such as XLR audio, Wave form, live HDMI out while recording etc. It's weaknesses include low light and lens width. In addition I use a canon 70D as a B camera. Color matching has always been an issue but most of my work so far I edited myself and got the colors close. Now that some clients want the raw to do their own editing and some sessions are an hour or longer I feel the need to upgrade with something has has the same file formats, close color and open record times. Panasonic appeals to me because I can still use my HMC-80 with the new cameras. I need to decide weather I need the extra width and zoom in 4k available with the UX180 as it is almost twice as much as the UX90, I am not sure if I will need the timecode in and out !! One of those cameras with a GH5 might be a great option. Any other suggestions?
 
There is not guaranty that 4k recording will be unlimited on the GH5. Probably will, but it is best to wait and see. I agree with staying within a brand for color matching. Sony does not have the 1" camcorders in their line but I would think they will be there sometime in the future. $4,000 is a bit low for two cameras. If you are doing corporate work with clients you should be charging enough to justify some purchases.
 
if you MUST go sony, i would look at their 1" offering in the RX10mk2 or mk3.

the RX10mk2/mk3 has ND filters and both headphone and 3.5mm mic input.

there is also a slog2 setting.

the reviews of the video footage has generally been very positive.

be well.

rob
smalltalk.prouctions
 
I should have been more clear, the up to $4000 is per camera. I can not justify spending more from a business return stand point at the moment, even though I would love to buy the C300 II or the Sony FS7. I just can not justify it, and can always rent them if the need arises. The 4:2:2 10bit in the GH5 also appeals to me since I do some Green Screen. I do hope it is unlimited recording in 4K even though it's not a must as I could record in 1080p.
 
Bassman2003 said:
Tough to mix the two. Seminars would benefit from long lenses and smaller chips where interviews are just the opposite.
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This.

The used market is full of quality 2/3" ENG cameras that used to be $40K+ and can be had now for even less than the viewfinders alone cost. I've seen P2 VariCams on eBay going for a few $K and tape models going for well under $1000. I paid ~$45k for my tape one and my P2's listed for $40k/each. They're only native 720, but slap an external recorder on the tape cam and you have a beautiful image with the convenience of solid state recording. There is a tape Vari on eBay right now for $739 with a 90 day warranty. Insane
 
Interesting suggestion, however if the camera records 720p only internally, can you record 1080p to an external recorder with the same quality as a 1080p camera?
 
It is insane, but I would not step back in time. The image from my PX270 is just wonderful and is a better fit than the Varicam I used to own with the massive broadcast lens. 1080p is fine for most deliveries while 4k is more for you and the convenience it might offer.
 
Two GH4's, with the external recorders. 4/3rds is a perfect format for both interviews and the seminars (though, you'd have to change to the appropriate lenses for the right occasion). Plus, one can deliver a very decent narrative footage too.
 
I bought a Canon C100 in mid 2016 and haven't had a second thought once. I use it for corporate videos and commercial shoots.
 
A 70-200 with 2x extender is all I've ever needed doing conference stuff. I'd advise against the GH4s - you will have so many clips after a big event - single system sound is a godsend.
 
Ken1212 said:
Rob are you referring to the 4gb file limit? Is the GH5 going to have the same issue?
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Because the GH4 uses FAT32 card formatting, it will segment any recording over 4GB into multiple 4GB segments. It's not that big of a deal to import all the segments into a single timeline, but you may have to sort out which segments belong to which shot.

The GH5 uses ExFAT card formatting and it will segment any recording over 96GB into multiple 96GB segments. So this is a definite improvement over the GH4's file handling.
 
I sure like the 96gb limit way better. I am assuming the canon C100 is going to be limited to the 4gb files and the newly announced Panasonic UX90 and UX190 are also the ExFAT 96gb limit, is this correct?
 
Ken1212 said:
I sure like the 96gb limit way better. I am assuming the canon C100 is going to be limited to the 4gb files and the newly announced Panasonic UX90 and UX190 are also the ExFAT 96gb limit, is this correct?
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I can't say for sure, but I would expect this to be true. ( I haven't checked the UX90 or UX180 specs for this )
 
No I'm talking about sound recording - XLRs straight into camera. If the new gh5 audio add on works well with the gh4 then I support what DLD says and could use gh4s
 
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