Choosing Your Camera (How to Live Stream Church 2020) [Part 1 of 4]

With everything going on with the corona-virus COVID-19 around the world and especially in America, I’ve seen a huge spike in emails, and people reaching out for help getting their church up in streaming. In these four videos we will go into more detail on setting up your live stream system. These videos are also geared toward setting up a live streaming PC and not a traditional dedicated hardware switcher.
My strong suggestion to churches is to build your streaming system around bringing your video cameras and sources into a Windows machine and not a traditional hardware type switcher. The reason for this is software-based switching and streaming through a program like vMix is much more easily scalable and upgradable than a hardware switcher. When you buy a hardware switcher you are stuck with the capabilities of that hardware, whereas a software base switcher can be upgraded with more ram, processing power, graphics card, and new software features as technology progresses.
There are a few things to keep in mind when choosing your camera.
1. Live video connection type - The first requirement of your camera is that it has a physical video feed that comes out of the camera. The only exception to this is the IP camera which we will talk about later. The most common connectors in modern cameras will be HDMI, mini HDMI, micro HDMI, and SDI. The connection type of your video output from the camera will affect how you run your cables as well as how you capture your video in your computer.
2. Resolution and Frame Rate. - without going into great detail, I would recommend making sure your camera can shoot at least 1080P30. You want to be sure your camera can output a progressive video signal and not only an interlaced signal. As you are looking at different cameras, look for that letter P or Progressive in the cameras frame rate. This would be listed like 1080p30 or 1080 30p which stands for 1920x1080 resolution progressive at 30 frames a second.
3. Zoom - Zoom is an important feature to consider when choosing a camera. If you have a deep sanctuary and the distance from your camera to the stage is long, a typical camera may not have the zoom capability to get the desired shot. Check the optical zoom on the camera as you choose your camera. Do not base it off a digital zoom but an optical zoom.
Here are the different types of cameras for live streaming I get asked about.
DSLR - A DSLR camera will absolutely work for live streaming. These would be cameras like a Canon 5D, Sony A6000, Nikon, etc. Here are a few things to consider with DSLR’s
-Clean Live Feed - Depending on the camera that you have, the HDMI feed coming from the camera may have on screen data in the feed. All of the text and data on your camera’s screen may come through the HDMI feed, however most DSLR’s have an option in the settings to turn this off on the HDMI feed. If you are going to use a DSLR be sure that the camera can supply you with a clean video feed with no on screen display information.
-Zooming - The majority of DSLR’s zoom by physically twisting the lens versus pressing the zoom in and zoom out button. This can make smooth zooming and handling of the camera a bit more difficult. You can always use a DSLR for an easy static shot that doesn’t require any zooming.
Webcams - USB Webcams are typically usable for live streaming. Most webcams don’t have the greatest picture so I would recommend staying away from them if you can.
Phones - Don't do it. . .
GoPros - Go Pros are fantastic cameras for auxiliary camera shots for live streaming. They especially go well on things like drummers, in front of keyboard players, or in areas of the stage where being low profile is important.
IP cameras - IP cameras are also great for live streaming. This would include cameras that output NDI, RTSP, RTP, and RTMP. Many times IP cameras are going to be PTZ or (Pan Tilt Zoom) cameras. These cameras can be very handy as many can be controlled remotely by a joystick or software and do not require a camera operator physically in front of the camera.
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Equipment Used In Review Video
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Sony Alpha a6000 Digital Camera: amzn.to/33yRkap
Neewer LED Studio Ring Light: amzn.to/2PszFta
ZOOM H1 Digital Recorder: amzn.to/2IJeWOV
Yuan 4 Channel PCI-E Card: amzn.to/3abW746
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My Recommended Church Streaming Video Cameras
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Sony FDR-AX700: amzn.to/39epRMs ($1900)
Sony FDR-AX100: amzn.to/33znfaF ($1500)
Sony FDRAX33: amzn.to/2U6kmec ($700)
Canon VIXIA HF R80: amzn.to/2J0LNQq ($320)
GoPro Hero 8 Black: amzn.to/2Uw76yK ($350)
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My Recommended PTZ Streaming Video Cameras
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PTZOptics 20X Zoom SDI/HDMI Camera - amzn.to/3aah3bF ($1700)
PTZOptics 30X Zoom SDI/HDMI Camera - amzn.to/397Suur ($1800)