Which Camera for YouTube and Software video editing?
Discussion
I'm looking to start a hobby YouTube channel and need a camera/camcorder to record videos. I will require 1080p recording with a device capable of holding an external mic as I don't want the audio to be of bad quality.
I had a look at the Canon Legria HF R606 but noticed it doesn't have external mic input. Will I need a camcorder or will a DSLR camera suffice? What are my options for creating crisp videos that don't look novice?
Also, which video editing software is best to use? Preferably free but I'm unaware of any that will allow the full 1080p options, Lightworks is one example I can think of. Footage will be included from a second camera (I have a Canon Ixus 125 HS).
Finally, my budget is £200.
I'm hoping some of you clued up guys can help me out here as I haven't the faintest idea of where to start.
Thanks in advance.
I had a look at the Canon Legria HF R606 but noticed it doesn't have external mic input. Will I need a camcorder or will a DSLR camera suffice? What are my options for creating crisp videos that don't look novice?
Also, which video editing software is best to use? Preferably free but I'm unaware of any that will allow the full 1080p options, Lightworks is one example I can think of. Footage will be included from a second camera (I have a Canon Ixus 125 HS).
Finally, my budget is £200.
I'm hoping some of you clued up guys can help me out here as I haven't the faintest idea of where to start.
Thanks in advance.
I currently use a sony hdr cx240 which is nice cheap and cheerful from argos. HD quality. Not sure if you can have an external mic though but the sound quality is imo decent enough. Much much better than a gopro.
Could always start with that and see where you go?
The only downside is you can get some wind noise but then all my filming has been done on windy days in open areas. There is a setting you can use which reduces it (which I didn't know when I shot this video)
Heres a vid shot on Mp4 (you can dual record)
https://youtu.be/4JshaE3GwCc
Could always start with that and see where you go?
The only downside is you can get some wind noise but then all my filming has been done on windy days in open areas. There is a setting you can use which reduces it (which I didn't know when I shot this video)
Heres a vid shot on Mp4 (you can dual record)
https://youtu.be/4JshaE3GwCc
How much editing do you need to do? I believe that YouTube provides some editing capability, though I've not used it myself. Plenty of tutorials on ...........YouTube.
Camera-wise you need external mic input so it's mainly a question of finding one that does that within your budget. I would be looking on eBay etc for a used camera because at that price new isn't going to be much good.
Get a lapel mic with a cable, they've very cheap. Audio Technica is the go to make for the cash strapped. Using the built-in mic is NFG, and as soon as viewers hear the echoes etc they'll know they are watching an amateur and might well go on to the next video in the category.
Camera-wise you need external mic input so it's mainly a question of finding one that does that within your budget. I would be looking on eBay etc for a used camera because at that price new isn't going to be much good.
Get a lapel mic with a cable, they've very cheap. Audio Technica is the go to make for the cash strapped. Using the built-in mic is NFG, and as soon as viewers hear the echoes etc they'll know they are watching an amateur and might well go on to the next video in the category.
Thank you SC.
I'll be doing a fair amount of editing as different angles need accounting for (hence the 2 cameras). Was thinking somewhere along the lines of a video every fortnight to begin with.
I may have to look at the used market but don't mind this if I can get yesteryears top of the range model for a good price to allow all the FHD and ext mic options I need.
I'm hoping others who have video editing experience as well as cameras can contribute as there's a lot for me to learn. Google results bring up no comparison sites for me to know what kind of thing I should be looking at either.
I'll be doing a fair amount of editing as different angles need accounting for (hence the 2 cameras). Was thinking somewhere along the lines of a video every fortnight to begin with.
I may have to look at the used market but don't mind this if I can get yesteryears top of the range model for a good price to allow all the FHD and ext mic options I need.
I'm hoping others who have video editing experience as well as cameras can contribute as there's a lot for me to learn. Google results bring up no comparison sites for me to know what kind of thing I should be looking at either.
Did you look at my suggestions?
Adobe premiere is another option that's a bit more pricey I think but it's used by the BBC for editing...
Powerdirector has plenty of cool features and loads of tutorials on youtube. Try powerdirector university channel for an idea of what you can achieve (a lot!)
I quite rate the Sony cx240 as it's very cheap and combined with the powerdirector that's well in your budget.
Adobe premiere is another option that's a bit more pricey I think but it's used by the BBC for editing...
Powerdirector has plenty of cool features and loads of tutorials on youtube. Try powerdirector university channel for an idea of what you can achieve (a lot!)
I quite rate the Sony cx240 as it's very cheap and combined with the powerdirector that's well in your budget.
Presumably you will want to record the sound on one camera and keep the sound going while you cut in closeups etc from the other? If so then the basic version of Sony Vegas at around £45 can do that, you just run the main video track on top of the other, then drop the opacity on the top track to zero when you want to cut to the other camera. You can put a slope on the opacity drop so as to fade the transition from one camera to the other if you want. Titles etc are easy to add as well as stills (which you can pan and zoom in on too to keep the sense of movement going).
Having two cameras is great because you can cut from one camera to the other to hide the bits where you fluff your lines and have to restart.
Having two cameras is great because you can cut from one camera to the other to hide the bits where you fluff your lines and have to restart.
JM, sorry for not replying. Yes, did have a look but it appears as though there's no external mic. Was looking at my options before committing to a purchase. It's very similar to the Canon I mentioned though, but the Canon can be had for £130.
In regards to the Editing software, Cyberlink looks good, I'll have to see what other features it has.
SC, Sony Vegas was one that I looked at too. Wasn't aware you could buy a standard version . I thought it was all or nothing. You are spot on about the format of my videos that I'm trying to follow though. Keeping sound on one cam and overlaying the visuals from the other.
In regards to the Editing software, Cyberlink looks good, I'll have to see what other features it has.
SC, Sony Vegas was one that I looked at too. Wasn't aware you could buy a standard version . I thought it was all or nothing. You are spot on about the format of my videos that I'm trying to follow though. Keeping sound on one cam and overlaying the visuals from the other.
If you are filming indoors the Sony will be more than fine with no external mic. You can hear me very clearly and that was outside on a windy day.
You'll probably find you may need to update your laptop or PC for video editing too as for me it's very difficult as my laptop is quite slow.
You'll probably find you may need to update your laptop or PC for video editing too as for me it's very difficult as my laptop is quite slow.
How does the your Sony compare to the Canon I looked at? I have a sneaky suspicion my wife may have purchased it for me on the sly.
If it's good enough for audio, and the Editing software can manipulate the audio to sound that little bit better, I guess it's worth a shot.
Video Editing software I'll have a look at now as I just got home.
If it's good enough for audio, and the Editing software can manipulate the audio to sound that little bit better, I guess it's worth a shot.
Video Editing software I'll have a look at now as I just got home.
Not too sure. I think it's "old tech" now as it's been replaced with a new Sony model which is why it's probably so cheap now.
I did my research by watching loads of youtube videos from it and decided for the price it was the one worth getting.
I rate it highly enough that I'm now going to be using it to capture in car footage and audio and use the gopro solely for no audio shots. It's light and easy to use and has image stabilisation etc combined with the youtube stabilisation it's pretty good although a tripod might come in handy
At the end of the day at first you just want to keep it cheap and cheerful. I probably don't even need the HD feature as I've just been uploading it in Mp4 as my broadband connection upload speed is so slow (moved to the country) it would take me ages to upload it full HD quality.
Also when editing HD video it requires a fairly decent laptop or PC and mine isn't that great I actually thought 8GB of RAM was a decent amount but when I tried editing 3 videos together to make one they were all 3 GB each which made it virtually impossible to edit as the laptop couldn't handle playing the preview!
I did my research by watching loads of youtube videos from it and decided for the price it was the one worth getting.
I rate it highly enough that I'm now going to be using it to capture in car footage and audio and use the gopro solely for no audio shots. It's light and easy to use and has image stabilisation etc combined with the youtube stabilisation it's pretty good although a tripod might come in handy
At the end of the day at first you just want to keep it cheap and cheerful. I probably don't even need the HD feature as I've just been uploading it in Mp4 as my broadband connection upload speed is so slow (moved to the country) it would take me ages to upload it full HD quality.
Also when editing HD video it requires a fairly decent laptop or PC and mine isn't that great I actually thought 8GB of RAM was a decent amount but when I tried editing 3 videos together to make one they were all 3 GB each which made it virtually impossible to edit as the laptop couldn't handle playing the preview!
I should be good for Video Editing with my PC. My spec is the below (copied from another thread I started):
Asus Z170M-P Micro-ATX Motherboard
32Gb Corsair Vengeance LPX RAM at 2666Mhz (4x8Gb)
120Gb Samsung 850 Evo M.2 (For Windows 10)
Raijintek Pallas cooler (2 years old but bloody good piece of kit)
Silverstone SFX series modular 450W PSU
Intel i7 6700k CPU
LG 21:9 25" monitor
In addition, I've managed to find a 500Gb Seagate 2.5" HDD and a 320Gb Hitachi 2.5" HDD from old laptops that I've decommissioned.
Funny enough, I'm going to be doing my first video on building my editing PC and then using the footage to edit on said built PC.
Asus Z170M-P Micro-ATX Motherboard
32Gb Corsair Vengeance LPX RAM at 2666Mhz (4x8Gb)
120Gb Samsung 850 Evo M.2 (For Windows 10)
Raijintek Pallas cooler (2 years old but bloody good piece of kit)
Silverstone SFX series modular 450W PSU
Intel i7 6700k CPU
LG 21:9 25" monitor
In addition, I've managed to find a 500Gb Seagate 2.5" HDD and a 320Gb Hitachi 2.5" HDD from old laptops that I've decommissioned.
Funny enough, I'm going to be doing my first video on building my editing PC and then using the footage to edit on said built PC.
If you have a phone which can record sound, then I'd use that instead with a Rode LavMic+ we've tested this with good results.
This would also mean you don't need to find a camera that can take an external microphone. Just sync up the audio in the edit (easy!)
Or just record to the phone directly, see here:
https://wistia.com/library/recording-audio-for-bus...
This would also mean you don't need to find a camera that can take an external microphone. Just sync up the audio in the edit (easy!)
Or just record to the phone directly, see here:
https://wistia.com/library/recording-audio-for-bus...
TotalControl said:
If it's good enough for audio, and the Editing software can manipulate the audio to sound that little bit better, I guess it's worth a shot.
What are you going to be doing, is it anything that makes noise? You probably will be ok with the internal mic if what you are doing is quiet (apart from the talking, or course). Phunk, thanks for that. Seems to be a great workaround.
SC, I'll be making videos and tutorials in my garage to start with (there's no space anywhere else). To start with, it'll be mainly PC building but may involve heavy customisations. A majority of the sound will be generated by myself.
The reason I'm worried about the sound is because, being partially deaf, I don't want my perception of what seems fine to end up being too different to what the majority of people will hear, if that makes sense? I can't quite hear some frequencies but once done, maybe can get the videos listened to to see if they are OK. I might be overthinking this though.
SC, I'll be making videos and tutorials in my garage to start with (there's no space anywhere else). To start with, it'll be mainly PC building but may involve heavy customisations. A majority of the sound will be generated by myself.
The reason I'm worried about the sound is because, being partially deaf, I don't want my perception of what seems fine to end up being too different to what the majority of people will hear, if that makes sense? I can't quite hear some frequencies but once done, maybe can get the videos listened to to see if they are OK. I might be overthinking this though.
Lapel mic with 6 metres of cable for £25.
http://www.gear4music.com/PA-DJ-and-Lighting/Audio...
Forget the mic input (wasn't thinking earlier, sorry) record the sound separately on a PC or whatever, and sync the sound up in post production. Make a sharp loud noise at the start and you will easily see the spike in the waveform, you'll need to do this anyway to sync the camera videos. In Vegas, and I expect other editors, you can just drag the tracks on the timeline until the spikes line up.
http://www.gear4music.com/PA-DJ-and-Lighting/Audio...
Forget the mic input (wasn't thinking earlier, sorry) record the sound separately on a PC or whatever, and sync the sound up in post production. Make a sharp loud noise at the start and you will easily see the spike in the waveform, you'll need to do this anyway to sync the camera videos. In Vegas, and I expect other editors, you can just drag the tracks on the timeline until the spikes line up.
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