Camera recommendation for YouTube channel?

Kornel2211

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Hi ,

Can someone please recommend me a good camera or a phone with a good camera to record overhead videos for YouTube?


I have a art channel where I do Timelapse of drawings and have been using my phone Xiaomi mi max 3 to record videos but I feel that the quality could be much improved.

I have never used a dedicated camera to record videos and I like the simplicity of a phone.

My videos are Timelapse of drawings and I would like to have something with a good autofocus and image stabilization.

I am looking for something that would be a clear improvement over my current phone but doesn't break the bank , I have started my channel recently and I am looking to improve the video quality.

I have been looking at something like a gopro but I am unsure if it would be ideal for shooting close up videos without disttoring the image , also Sony cds rx100 caught my eye , the video doesn't have to be 4k I would be more than happy with a good 1080p recordings.

Many thanks!
 
I follow a number YouTubers who use higher-end phones to record their videos (talking iPhone 11, Samsung or Huawei). If you can get a decent LED light array that will help.
I think the other big issue is sound, although if you're talking about an overhead camera than the mic would be close to your head so should be OK picking up your voice.
 
I follow a number YouTubers who use higher-end phones to record their videos (talking iPhone 11, Samsung or Huawei). If you can get a decent LED light array that will help.
I think the other big issue is sound, although if you're talking about an overhead camera than the mic would be close to your head so should be OK picking up your voice.
Awesome thanks for the suggestions ! What do you think about samsung s10 cameras? I was looking at them the other day as they seem to be affordable now.

Thanks!
 
You mentioned good autofocus and stabilisation but neither of those features are particularly important if you're mounting the phone/camera solidly above the drawing.
Stabilisation is only necessary if the phone is moving around while shooting.
Likewise autofocus is only important if the subject and/or phone are moving around.
As long as the phone is secure and it's further from the workspace than the minimum focus distance - very likely with a phone - then it should be capable.

My guess is your footage would be improved with more powerful, even lighting but without seeing it, it's hard to make suggestions.
 
What do you think about samsung s10 cameras?

Sorry - I'm an Apple fan-boy so can't really help, beyond looking at the specs, and they look very good. I'm particulate, if you're working close-to, the ultra-wide lens would be really useful I would imagine.
 
You mentioned good autofocus and stabilisation but neither of those features are particularly important if you're mounting the phone/camera solidly above the drawing.
Stabilisation is only necessary if the phone is moving around while shooting.
Likewise autofocus is only important if the subject and/or phone are moving around.
As long as the phone is secure and it's further from the workspace than the minimum focus distance - very likely with a phone - then it should be capable.

My guess is your footage would be improved with more powerful, even lighting but without seeing it, it's hard to make suggestions.

Thank you for your input , this is my channel if you want to have a look , the video quality leaves a lot to desire to be honest


I realised that the lighting is not the best and I am buying two studio lighting kits of 5500k but still my phone doesn't record with a decent quality.

Thanks!
 
Sorry - I'm an Apple fan-boy so can't really help, beyond looking at the specs, and they look very good. I'm particulate, if you're working close-to, the ultra-wide lens would be really useful I would imagine.
Thank you for answering, the latest iPhones are a bit out of my price range (I don't buy phones with contract only sim free and unlocked)
 
OK I took a quick look at a couple of videos - I think there are things that will make a difference.
First of all it looks like the camera/phone is adjusting focus as sometimes the paper is blurred from moment to moment.
Secondly the exposure of the image is changing from shot to shot - which is why it's flickering.
Auto exposure tries to get a uniform level "grey" level across the image - when the paper is white and your hand isn't in shot then the camera is underexposing to try and tame the over white scene. When your hand is taking up a lot of frame then the camera is increasing the exposure to try and brighten up the image to the same level.

What you should also try to do is set a exposure (fixed shutter speed/ISO assuming you don't have aperture control) and fixed focus.
If you can set up the camera/phone at the beginning using a finished, coloured sketch then fix the focus and exposure.
When you start with the bright white paper it may be over exposed to you'll have to try and test the best balance between it looking right at the start and end - or maybe making a new set of settings after a few minutes of drawing making the paper darker.

Better, brighter light will make a big difference to the quality.
My guess is with the right a stop motion app and the lights you've got coming you will be able to make something much better.

:thumbsup:
 
OK I took a quick look at a couple of videos - I think there are things that will make a difference.
First of all it looks like the camera/phone is adjusting focus as sometimes the paper is blurred from moment to moment.
Secondly the exposure of the image is changing from shot to shot - which is why it's flickering.
Auto exposure tries to get a uniform level "grey" level across the image - when the paper is white and your hand isn't in shot then the camera is underexposing to try and tame the over white scene. When your hand is taking up a lot of frame then the camera is increasing the exposure to try and brighten up the image to the same level.

What you should also try to do is set a exposure (fixed shutter speed/ISO assuming you don't have aperture control) and fixed focus.
If you can set up the camera/phone at the beginning using a finished, coloured sketch then fix the focus and exposure.
When you start with the bright white paper it may be over exposed to you'll have to try and test the best balance between it looking right at the start and end - or maybe making a new set of settings after a few minutes of drawing making the paper darker.

Better, brighter light will make a big difference to the quality.
My guess is with the right a stop motion app and the lights you've got coming you will be able to make something much better.

:thumbsup:
Thank you so much for the advice I had no idea that this could be done and I will definitely do it when I record my next video , can't thank you enough for your help!

Edit:

I just checked and my camera app doesn't have any of those options to adjust the shutter speed/iso or exposure I will try to download a different app and see if I can adjust the settings better , thabks
 

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