best all in one camera for picture and sound

[gfirob]

Well here is the truth: the majority of videos of people playing the guitar on Youtube have poor audio and poor video. It is just very hard to do these things with any quality without learning what makes the image and the sound good and getting the equipment to make that happen. You can do it good, cheap or fast, but you only get to pick two. If it is about the music, why put up with crappy audio? If it is for any kind of promotion, why put up with crappy video?

[troggg]

Originally Posted by steve_mac

I am just in the market for something similar and am thinking the Zoom video recorders maybe just the thing. They have a great reputation for sound and I would prefer an all-in-one device for ease of use.

Hey I have a somewhat older Zoom Q2HD which is a basic camera with a really nice stereo ball mic, the whole thing is about the size of a pack of cigarettes.
Sound is/was pretty darned good. Minuses are the display is so tiny that unless you're great at reading fine print, it's hard to set up shots. So the viewfinding is severely hampered. Also, you'll want to make sure the limited options for ins and outs includes being able to get to something at least the size of an iPad so once again you can see how to set up the shoot. For instance, the only out on mine is HDMI ... but my nice Dell monitor doesn't have HDMI in. So the connections are gonna be a factor too. No complaints with the sound but you may be constrained on the video side of things.

[Tico]

Originally Posted by troggg

Tico, is this setup what we're looking for? And what would you offer this local craigslist guy assuming he's kept it in excellent condition? Thanks.

https://santafe.craigslist.org/pho/d...578405869.html

Nice set up ... but I don't know "what you are looking for".
Look up each component on KEH and add up prices.
Adorama and B&H are also reputable sellers of used gear.

I'd offer 70 to 80% of KEH's price since private party means no warranty or return period - IOW higher risk.
eBay is another price reference but I'm totally ignorant about eBay.

BTW, notice the shutter count of 20,000.
That's as important as the odometer reading of a used car, but KEH does not report that .... perhaps it's taken into account in their ratings. Call them and ask.

Consider the shutter count life expectancy of the Nikon D7100.
Shutter durability goes up with price and the 7000 series is near the middle of Nikon's body lineup.
Nikon rates D7100's shutter at 150,000 cycles so 20,000 is pretty low mileage.

http://imaging.nikon.com/lineup/dslr...features03.htm

For a large CL purchase I'd meet in a very public place with security cameras and a friend or two since lots of cash would be changing hands.

[troggg]

Originally Posted by Tico

Nice set up ... but I don't know "what you are looking for".
Look up each component on KEH and add up prices.
Adorama and B&H are also reputable sellers of used gear.

I'd offer 70 to 80% of what KEH would charge since there's higher risk, no warranty or return period from a private party.
eBay is another price reference but I'm ignorant about eBay.

BTW, notice the shutter count of 20,000.
That's as important as the odometer reading of a used car, but KEH does not report that .... perhaps it's taken into account in their ratings. Call them and ask.

Consider the shutter count life expectancy of the Nikon D7100.
Shutter durability goes up with price and the 7000 series is near the middle of Nikon's body lineup.
Nikon rates D7100's shutter at 150,000 cycles so 20,000 is pretty low mileage.

http://imaging.nikon.com/lineup/dslr...features03.htm

For a large CL purchase I'd meet in a very public place with security cameras and a friend or two since lots of cash would be changing hands.

I appreciate you taking the time to write that detailed response. Thanks!

[Chriscom]

Originally Posted by Tico

I'm an advanced photo geek, with 50 years experience upgrading my gear, and currently have about $15,000 in Nikon's pro gear.
Nikon and Canon are neck and neck in quality, but you must pick one brand and stick with it because lenses and other gizmos are not brand-interchangeable...

Man AGF rocks. Thanks for that, right down to linking to a reputable source.

I'm building a website promoting how awesome I am with photos, audio and some video. While high-quality audio in the video would be nice, its main purpose for my project is to show potential clients I can sing in front of an audience without fainting. A camera-based video will do that; obviously that does not fit the bill for everyone. Audio files recorded into my home studio will handle the quality audio side, then back to the camera for stills.

Much appreciated!

[Caddy]

Originally Posted by Gordon Currie

The Canon SL1 is a great camera, has the same sensor and processing chip as bigger brothers and is somewhat smaller as well.

Plus one on this. I have the Canon Rebel T6 camera and a good number of lenses, filters, external flash, etc. Very happy with it (and it does do video).The nice thing for me was the fact that the lenses, flash, etc. that I had for my 20 year old Canon 35mm film SLR work on the new digital Canon SLR.

[brokenpretzel]

meanwhile back at the one piece audio video solution....
or the nearest thing to....

[troggg]

Originally Posted by brokenpretzel

meanwhile back at the one piece audio video solution....
or the nearest thing to....

https://www.amazon.com/Sony-HDR-MV1-...techsounded-20

No personal experience with it but ran into it during my own research.

[AeroUSA]

I was using a fancy Sony SLR and microphones for my videos and then matching up the audio in Final Cut Pro. I’m still using the mics but now using my iPhone X for video as it’s a little more convenient. I feel it still looks good but not AS good but it’s made me more productive so I’m ok with that.

[steve_mac]

Originally Posted by troggg

https://www.amazon.com/Sony-HDR-MV1-...techsounded-20

No personal experience with it but ran into it during my own research.

Thanks for posting this, it looks the business.
As an ex owner of 1 series Canon SLRs, I wouldn't recommend them for this use. Far too much trouble/expense, much easier to simply use a device like this.

[Silly Moustache]

Originally Posted by brokenpretzel

thanks Tico
it seems you are referring to a regular camera but i am looking for a video camera and i do want to keep it simple as i am not particularly techie

I am on my third "Zoom" camera, the Q4.

See: https://zoom-na.com/products/field-v...video-recorder

See some of my more recent videos.
The image has some barrel distortion (not a zoom - two focal lengths only) but the sound is excellent. I do not processing at all. It is a remarkably simple piece to use.

e.g. -

As Zoom issue a new model every time I buy one, there is probably some newer versions now.

[cotten]

As much as I enjoy more advanced cameras, I think Silly M. is right on target with the Q4 for what the OP wants. Simple. Easy. Relatively inexpensive. Good enough for the purposes intended. Our son prefers his GoPro, which he sets up, views, and controls from his phone. It works, and offers more flexibility in more situations, I think, than the Q4, but for the particular needs being asked about in this thread, the Q4 will be hard to beat.

Thanks, Tico, for your very helpful, interesting posts. I once burned a lot of 35mm film in my trusty Olympus OM system cameras, but have yet to buy a DSLR. Recently back from a trip on which there were dozens of different types of cameras, not to mention skills at using them, I can readily see the difference between my "advanced, long zoom compact" Canon SX40, and a quality DSLR. The SX40 is a wonderfully handy travel camera, but cannot begin to match a good DSLR. I'm thinking seriously about taking the plunge, and appreciate your excellent advice!

cotten

[MikeBmusic]

I've been using Sony point & shoot DSC model cameras for years now. 20 MP still, 1080 video. Some models (including the 2 I've had) have two small microphones built into the top of the body which are really not bad for picking up audio indoors (if volume is not too high) - perfect for videoing acoustic guitar performances, or even low-volume acoustic bands. Different models with different zoom lengths - and you can zoom and take still pictures, while videoing. Simple budget solution.

[zhunter]

How about a camcorder? Strictly consumer grade Canon VIXIA HF R800. The low light video is not spectacular though it shoots well enough in good light. The sound is not high quality. Why bother? Well...

Ultra convenient aim and shoot is a small easy to handle configuration. Uses SD drives for storage which are readily available, readily replaced, and readily transferred to PC for edit/upload. And 2 bills isn't bad. Not many choices in the video cam market now days. Everyone is happy with phone vids I guess. The Canon is better than a phone though.

Bought one last year and it has worked for youtube vids. Sound, while not tragic, is really the compromise. If you are lucky enough to have a camera operator, the sound moves/changes as the camera moves. OTOH, stagnant, tripod mounted video is stagnant. Even when stagnant, the sound is not CD ready. But for $200 the risk is pretty low.

I do think, for optimum sound, a Zoom type setup is a good way to go. Probably trades video quality for sound quality but that may be the best compromise depending on the objective.

And yes, a camcorder is so yesterday. Still works for me.

hunter

[brokenpretzel]

thanks everyone for your thoughtful replies
wondering about comparison of audio and video for zoom, sony hdr mv1 and the go pro?

and then which zoom and which go pro