Lighting and cameras

[R A Jones]

Hi all, not sure if this is the right forum to be post in.

Had a long break from uploading but before I get back into it, I want to add more equipment to my arsenal.

I'm a guitarist so most of my content will be recorded indoors, does anyone have any advice or can point me in the right direction of using lighting to brighten up the videos and which cameras to use for decent quality, preferably 1080p and possibly with camera stands. (Not looking to spend a fortune)

 

[Siege H.]

Hi all, not sure if this is the right forum to be post in.

Had a long break from uploading but before I get back into it, I want to add more equipment to my arsenal.

I'm a guitarist so most of my content will be recorded indoors, does anyone have any advice or can point me in the right direction of using lighting to brighten up the videos and which cameras to use for decent quality, preferably 1080p and possibly with camera stands. (Not looking to spend a fortune)

If you are looking for a cheap way of getting some lighting I'd recommend going out and picking up some natural light bulbs with lighting clamps (easily found at any local hardware store), it's a cheap alternative method to getting some decent lighting; also be sure and purchase some white baking sheet paper to act as a diffuser. If you want even cheaper I'd just suggest shooting in front of a window during the day!

I'm actually going to be making a video on this topic pretty soon about picking out a camera that is right for you, but I would suggest that you go out and look for whatever specifics you need. If you don't need a camera that can shoot 4k then don't buy one, if you don't need 60fps then don't get it, buy whatever camera is going to suit what you are going to use it for. Honestly most cell phones have great cameras on them, and some even have somewhat decent audio, so I'd tinker with that idea as well if you are just starting out.

 

[UhoohExtra]

As a bare minimum you will need a couple of cheap soft boxes. With Natural light bulbs like Siege says. They normally come with the energy saving equivalent of about 800W per bulb.. and will use around 100W each. Thats not enough! You still need some decent natural light from a window or some additional top lighting.
If you get the lighting nice and bright then the camera doesn't matter. You don't need a fancy dslr. If you have an iPhone 6 or over it will shoot 60fps and decent quality. Or so will most other phones. x2 light box only about £30-£50.

 

[Siege H.]

As a bare minimum you will need a couple of cheap soft boxes. With Natural light bulbs like Siege says. They normally come with the energy saving equivalent of about 800W per bulb.. and will use around 100W each. Thats not enough! You still need some decent natural light from a window or some additional top lighting.
If you get the lighting nice and bright then the camera doesn't matter. You don't need a fancy dslr. If you have an iPhone 6 or over it will shoot 60fps and decent quality. Or so will most other phones. x2 light box only about £30-£50.

Just reminded me, it'd probably be best to learn a bit about three point lighting as well, or at least utilize two of the three lights needed!

 

[R A Jones]

I've done some research and I don't really have the room for soft boxes, so bought a Tolifo PT 176, easily mountable and dimmable, plus it's small.

I'll have to make room for the three point lighting, as well as trying to darken the background and placing the Tolifo so the side.

I've got quite an old Samsung camera, I'm pretty sure it should do HD but it's been a few years since it's been used and I'm unable to use my phone as there's dust in the camera lens.
But if the lighting can make up for the lower quality, it shouldn't be a problem!

Also looked into frame rates and I don't think I'll need anything more than 30fps, got no plans for slow-mo and I won't need the videos to seem more "life like".

 

[Siege H.]

I've done some research and I don't really have the room for soft boxes, so bought a Tolifo PT 176, easily mountable and dimmable, plus it's small.

I'll have to make room for the three point lighting, as well as trying to darken the background and placing the Tolifo so the side.

I've got quite an old Samsung camera, I'm pretty sure it should do HD but it's been a few years since it's been used and I'm unable to use my phone as there's dust in the camera lens.
But if the lighting can make up for the lower quality, it shouldn't be a problem!

Also looked into frame rates and I don't think I'll need anything more than 30fps, got no plans for slow-mo and I won't need the videos to seem more "life like".

If you get the light clamps with the natural bulbs they won't take up much space and you can also clamp them to nearly anything with a well enough foundation. I look forward to seeing your progress, and good luck!

 

[Crown]

Moved to the recording / editing / production / software / hardware forum.

 

[R A Jones]

Want to re-open this thread.
Am not particularly happy with my current camera which is a Samsung PL122 and from what I've read, the fps is only 6 and I want at least 30.

Are there any recommendations which are at least 1080p and 30fps that can be made?
My price range is about £300 at max.
Not looking for a DSLR or any sort of 4k res.