gopro for wood working videos


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so i had thought that perhaps i would see about making some wood working videos to post on my web site and on youtube. the gopro seems to be a decent video camera and very versitile what do you folks think of it that own it.  if you do have a video camera for filming your wood working what do you use? if you have a go pro, does it work well for still images or am i better off going with a traditional camera to take photos?

 

if you don't feel a gopro is a usable camera what would your recommend.  need something to take still photos for the web site and need a all purpose video camera. 

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I had a gopro for a while to record stupid stuff when we were out canoeing and fly fishing and what-not.  The fisheye lens is cool for action and underwater shots, and it's a durable little piece of tech, but the audio sucks and there's no zoom.  I'm no camera buff so I can't give recommendations, but I would advise you to get something else to film woodworking in a shop.

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thought i would do little talking more build and have music playing.  part i hate about wood working videos that i watch is all the chips and cutting sounds for 3/4 of the video.  listening and watching a half hour of a turning tool running over the wood gets boring.  I plan on start with a quick intro of the projects and then start building and dub the steps in text on the video as i go.  

 

mostly i need something to take photos of my work for publication on my web site and for shows.  i have a few friends who are professional photographers but its a pain to get your stuff to them. because we all have our own hobbies and lives to live.    rather be more self reliant and do what i need as i need it. . then after i get a semi decent camera and get decent at taking pictures ill buy a video camera and start doing tutorials.  that is unless i can buy a video camera/still camera in the same machine.  i know alot of digital cameras can do that but i dont know much about cameras and filming. 

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I follow this machinist on YouTube, and all of his videos are done with a GoPro.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCw3UZn1tcVe7pH3R6C3Gcng

I'd recommend you get what the industry calls a "bridge" camera. They are a step above point and shoot cameras, but a step below a digital SLR. a bridge will usually get you 12+ mega pixels, more zoom than you can use by hand, a macro mode,1080P video, and a stereo microphone. They run from $200 - $700 depending on how new the model is.

You need to step up to a digital SLR, if you want to use an external microphone. The industry refuses to put a mic jack on a bridge, despite my dissatisfaction.  <_<

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I have a couple of GoPro cameras and I have mounts on several machines. The GoPro is great for cutaways but not as the primary camera. 

 

I already run 2 video cameras at one time and so I do not end up using the GoPro most of the time, it just creates more footage I have to deal with. 

 

I am on a Mac so I upgraded from iMovie to Final Cut Pro X so it makes synchronizing all the camera angles easy. I can import up to 64 camera angles, click on the footage, then click on "Create Multicam Clip" and it automatically synchronizes everything. All I have to do is flip between the camera angles at that point and turn off the audio except for the main camera sound that I want. 

 

But back to the original question, GoPro is great for a second camera or interesting points of view in the videos. 

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I follow this machinist on YouTube, and all of his videos are done with a GoPro.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCw3UZn1tcVe7pH3R6C3Gcng

I'd recommend you get what the industry calls a "bridge" camera. They are a step above point and shoot cameras, but a step below a digital SLR. a bridge will usually get you 12+ mega pixels, more zoom than you can use by hand, a macro mode,1080P video, and a stereo microphone. They run from $200 - $700 depending on how new the model is.

You need to step up to a digital SLR, if you want to use an external microphone. The industry refuses to put a mic jack on a bridge, despite my dissatisfaction.  <_<

 

Dan can you recommend a camera? i can probably find something with those requirements a couple years older or used for a good price. but if i have a bases to go off of of a specific camera that would be awesome.  thinking in the 300-400 range at most.   

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Actually there are some videos out there that look great and have been made entirely on the GoPro. So it is not like it can't be done. 

 

But I still suggest that if you wanted to get into making videos, use a main camera (camcorder, DSLR, or whatever) and use the GoPro for the cutaways. 

ill probably skip the gopro does not seem to be the solution for what i need.   going to see if i can find some kind of DSLR that can take videos. then i can take pictures of my work and do some basic videos for my web site. 

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The Canon T series are a reasonable buy if you want to get into a DSLR. That would the the T3, T4, or T5i series. The T3 and T4 are very reasonable. 

 

The 18-55 or 18-135 lenses are pretty good wide angle for in the shop and for average run around photo shoots on a daily basis. 

 

I bought the Canon 70D  and am using the 18-135mm lens. I asked a few other guys using the T4 & T5 cameras running the same lens about dust and they have not had an issue. I have been going through point and shoot cameras about every 14 months due to dust getting inside the lens barrel. 

 

If dust becomes an issue I will step up to the "L" series Canon lenses since they are dust & water resistant. Those are the lenses the pro's are using. 

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What I really like about going to the DSLR is that I have full manual control over everything, especially exposure and focus point. 

 

But that also means I have a lot more manual work to do, but I am sure that with practice I will get proficient at it. 

 

I have been shooting a ton of photos and already have become better at shooting stills. Even after shooting just a few videos I am getting more adept at the controls for video. 

 

A perfect example of the increase in the video quality is my most recent videos in the Business of Woodworking Series. All of the outdoor interviews on site were done on the Canon 70D. Episodes 36 & 37 had the intro and ending done in the shop on the 70D too. 

 

But Episode 35 intro and ending was shot in the shop with the camcorder and Epsiode 34 & everything previous was done on Canon HD camcorders. There is a big difference in the quality. 

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No matter what camera you choose to use, it is probably more important to have good lighting. I blow out the shop with lots of light when doing photos & video or highly detailed work that requires more light. I only run 1/2 the total lights for normal "work mode."

 

 

Bulb data: 

 

Bulb Type: T-12 40W 

Lumens: 3350

Color Rendering Index: 80 (CRI rating of 90 or above is considered photographic quality but the cost increases dramatically.)

 

 

Total number of bulbs - 84

Work Mode Bulbs in Use - 38 

Video and Photo Mode Bulbs in Use - 84

 

I have been looking at changing out my bulbs to 5000K Natural Daylight color temperature to blend better with outside lighting when the blinds are open. The upside of that is that there will be less conflicting color temperature in photos and video. The down side is that it will cost about $400 and I will lose 1000 lumens per bulb with the change. 

 

At the time I installed all of the bulbs, I went to a bulb that had the highest lumens rating for the brightest light output. Now I am more concerned with color temperature as I do more video and photography. 

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Here is an album of my video equipment setup before I got the DSLR. 

 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/toddclippinger/sets/72157647033166322/

 

I will still use the Canon HD video cameras, they still are good. I just have much better control with the DSLR. 

 

There are some benefits with the Canon HD camcorders -

 

They are simple to use.

If you put a UV lens on the camcorder, there is never an issue with dust getting in the camera. 

I found that Canon was good about manufacturing a wide angle lens for their camcorders. I bought the wide angle lenses and for shooting indoors it makes a world of difference. 

Canon is good about putting a mic jack on most of their camcorders. 

Check these out at B&H photo, they have mic jacks for better audio

 

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1023205-REG/canon_vixia_hf_r52_full.html

 

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1023206-REG/canon_vixia_hf_r500_full.html

 

I also discovered recently to stop shooting my video with camcorders on the interlaced setting and shoot on progressive mode. That made an improvement in my video from the camcorders. 

 

I hope this information helps you in your decision. 

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do those cameras operate as both camera and camcorder? and it does not appear as though i can attach different lenses to these. 

 

i have bought a few things for good deals on this site do you see anything on here that is usable?  http://www.overstock.com/Electronics/Cameras-Photo/6/dept.html?TID=TN:ELEC:Camera

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The camcorders I have take pictures but not very good ones. I would not use them for photography.

 

But I have always kept a separate camera for still shots anyway, that is until recently since I bought the DSLR. So I am not sure how I will be working this, since sometimes I have the camcorders set up and I used  the separate camera for stills. Now I am using the DSLR for both. 

 

It is sort of like my iPhone and iPod. I only want to use my phone for calls and a little internet access or shooting reference photos. I would rather use an iPod as my music source and keep that separate from my phone functions. 

 

The zoom range on camcorders is good, where most cameras fail is in the wide angle department. That is why I got the wide angle lenses that screw onto the front of the cameras. They are genuine Canon lenses and work great of for indoor shooting. 

 

This is my camcorder with the wide angle lens:  https://www.flickr.com/photos/toddclippinger/14899160889/

 

I will have to go over and look at your overstock link.

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I was close to buying the Pentax K-50 due to it's weather proof construction and ability to do video. 

 

http://www.costco.com/.product.100071823.html?cm_sp=RichRelevance-_-categorypageHorizontalTop-_-CategoryTopProducts&cm_vc=categorypageHorizontalTop%7CCategoryTopProducts

 

The body is weather proof and the lenses with the "WR" designator are weather proof. While not quite as popular as Canon and Nikon, Pentax still makes good cameras. 

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Dan can you recommend a camera? i can probably find something with those requirements a couple years older or used for a good price. but if i have a bases to go off of of a specific camera that would be awesome.  thinking in the 300-400 range at most.   

 

with whats currently on the market Id recommend this camera, or else a step up to a digital SLR.

http://www.amazon.com/Nikon-COOLPIX-Digital-Camera-NIKKOR/dp/B00IA9LOZS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1409430312&sr=8-1&keywords=nikon+p600

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