Advice on choice of video recording equipment

beaugester

Hi all,

My partner has been asked to record a play for 2 nights. She is doing it as a favour. We are debating whether to record on her Nikon D3400 with a 35mm f1.4 lens and buy a 70-200 f2.8 sigma lens
Or buy an iPhone 11 pro (she is due a new phone anyway but probably wouldn’t spend on a iPhone unless for this purpose).
The software built into phones these days is incredible and I wonder would she have less work to do in post with a phone&tripod/gimbal.

I would really appreciate any thoughts...

Kevin

CelticRambler

In the absence of anyone more qualified, I would say the Nikon with appropriate lenses would be considerably better for that job. While the software in smartphones is "impressive", it's still no match for physical hardware - a decent sized sensor and "proper" lenses.

On the other hand, if you/your partner is not used to recording video of live events with the Nikon, then the results might be better with a smartphone.

For that kind of a shoot, I would use two cameras at a minimum - one for close-up/mobile shots, the other for longer/whole stage shots; a third camera would be even better (additional point-of-view from left or right of the auditorium, or from the wings). One of these could be a smartphone.

If this is to be more than just a souvenir recording, your partner will get much better results recording the whole thing from multiple (simultaneous) angles on the first night, reviewing the footage straight away and recording additional/alternative material at the next performance.

CelticRambler

Another thing: memory! Video - especially HD - uses massive amounts of memory. If the play is one hour long, and you're recording the whole thing (to be edited later) you'll need about 24GB of spare memory. Double that (obviously) for a two-hour performance. You should, ideally, be able to record all of that onto removable memory (SD card) for processing, regardless of whether it's in a camera or on a phone. A quick bit of googling suggests that the 256GB iPhone is the minimum you should consider if you're serious about recording video (and keeping it to HD).

beaugester

That is very useful, thank you so much for that. We will take your advice on the camera!

twowheelsonly

Battery life is another thing to watch out for if you don't have the power adapter. DSLRs' are notorious for burning up batteries when using either video or live-view.

5uspect

The iPhone 11 has some nice low light tricks but these are mostly for still images (often combining several exposures) and not video. It can do 4K60 but don’t expect miracles in challenging light.

Your best bet is going to be a pair of proper cameras each with a fast lens and a tripod. Use a wide lens to capture the entire stage and have a long lens to take closeups during the performance.

As mentioned power and memory are essential. Bear in mind a typical SLR will write to a FAT32 formatted card so it’ll stop recording once 4GB is written so you won’t get continuous recording. Also get into the venue, ideally during a rehearsal, and make sure you’re happy with the quality of the video you capture.

Consider renting some gear.

kirving

Best to rent as suggested I think. Will be much darker than you think in an auditorium.

Phones make incredible video these days, but they're no match for a big sensor.

CelticRambler

5uspect wrote: »

Bear in mind a typical SLR will write to a FAT32 formatted card so it’ll stop recording once 4GB is written so you won’t get continuous recording.

"Stop" and "continuous" depend on the camera. My Canon DSLRs interrupt the recording at 4GB but don't stop. The recording continues almost imperceptibly in a new file.

ED E

CelticRambler wrote: »

"Stop" and "continuous" depend on the camera. My Canon DSLRs interrupt the recording at 4GB but don't stop. The recording continues almost imperceptibly in a new file.

Lots of canons STOP. Canon did this so the D line didnt eat into the C line. You need to be really careful here.

B1gft

I have a Nikon D3300 and I find the auto focus not good and sometimes you can hear, on the video (Clicks sounds) when it is trying to auto focus, hence I do not use it for video.

CelticRambler

ED E wrote: »

Lots of canons STOP. Canon did this so the D line didnt eat into the C line. You need to be really careful here.

Hence my use of the phrase depend on the camera! My 1200D stops, my 70D keeps going with a new file. That said a bit of googling suggests that there's a separate <30min limit built into the recording length for some legal reason. My cameras are too useful to be left recording the same scene from the same angle for that length of time, so I've never hit that limit in practice. Something else to be check out ...

B1gft wrote: »

I have a Nikon D3300 and I find the auto focus not good and sometimes you can hear, on the video (Clicks sounds) when it is trying to auto focus, hence I do not use it for video.

In a theatre setting, autofocus should be turned off to avoid the risk of focussing on the wrong target if/when someone moves in front of the camera (member of the public leaving their seat, member of the cast crossing in front of the actor speaking).

But the clicking (or other extraneous noise) shouldn't be a problem because the camera audio should only be used for synchronising with audio taken directly from the sound-deck, or if there isn't one, an independent audio recording device placed in an optimal position in the auditorium. Wherever the camera is, that's not going to be optimal! A smartphone can be great for this, either using the in-built mic or an external feed, unless you're looking for really high quality sound.