Which video camera(s) do you use?

Hi everyone -- I know a few people have mentioned the types of cameras they have used for the building to building broadcasts and I'm also aware of the recommended requirements listed in the new Meetinghouse Webcast guide.

I wanted to start a thread that was dedicated to discussing video cameras (i.e. camcorders, PTZ, etc.) for use in building to building broadcasts.

Right now, we are considering the Sony EVI-D70 which goes for just under $900. This camera meets all of the suggested requirements and is a PTZ camera.

We have a VERY old Panasonic camera. We've considered donating it to the Smithsonian, as we're sure it was the first video camera ever produced, but keep putting it off. It works, so we keep it. During our last Stake Conf. I was considering a replacement, but have yet to pull the trigger.

I am also interested to find out what cameras people use. I have been using a personal camcorder for stake conferences but the focus is a bit off and tends to drift in and out of focus. We have used cameras for years because our building has the gym perpendicular to the chapel so if you sit on the sides you can't see the stand. We use projectors and screens to display the video on the walls so people on the side can see.

With this new technology we won't have to do the screens anymore but I want to resolve the picture issues as focus issues etc will be accentuated by the MPEG encoding. I have looked around and figure a $300-400 camcorder should work fine as the feed is composite or S-video so no HD. I have wondered if a still camera would work almost as well since they often have video out too.

I have also wondered about a remote for a camera. Before using my personal camcorder we used a camcorder from a now released member of the Stake Presidency and I liked it because he had a remote. This allowed me to zoom in for talks and out for choir numbers without making the audience seasick. The zoom also had a nice slow speed. I fear a still camera with zoom control on a remote may be too fast.

Has anyone found a good basic camera that handles the indoor lighting issues, can keep a good focus on a speaker and has a remote with slow zoom?

When I borrowed the church's webcast technology kit last year (when it was still in beta) they sent me the Sony EVI-D70, which worked quite well. It was a remote control PTZ camera with preset capabilities and steady/slow zoom in/out.

The only negative is that it doesn't have a view finder so you have to plug a tv in to see where it's pointed and the presets didn't have a nice smooth transition and was quite jerky.

I'm also attempting to find a good video mixer so that I can have two remote control cameras coming into the mixer and toggle between them. Again, the problem is "seeing" where the cameras are pointing so unless we use a higher end video broadcasting technology like TriCaster, I'm not sure if a two camera setup is going to work very well.

Cameron

Wow, I like the idea of the EVI-D70 but for the number of uses I am not sure my Stake will pay for one of those.

My technique in the past has been to lock the tilt and leave the pan somewhat loose on the tripod. I am left with zoom and pan only. This avoids the vertical bounce that tends to induce the seasick feeling. Nothing like the human touch to get a good smooth pan. Now I just need a good camcorder. Any other good camera experiences?


As far as the Tricaster idea, does anyone know if the separate video input jacks on the Webcast Communicator feed into separate actual inputs? Has anyone actually hooked a monitor up to one of these to see what you get? I am curious if the hardware may actually support some more advanced 'tricaster' type functions.