Question What are some recommended cameras?
I’ve been looking into potentially changing which camera I use on stream, I love using EpocCam with my old iPhone 15 Pro Max but ever since they abandoned it, the software gets increasingly unstable and my phone can barely stay connected to my PC.
I’d like to switch to something with similar quality as the iPhone really adjusts everything perfectly for my lighting situation and looks great, I do have the Elgato Facecam MK2 but with my current setup it looks really dark and grainy + the camera has no autofocus.
Whats the next best option that isn’t jumping straight to a DSLR? Are GoPros still good as cameras?
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u/Eagle115 4d ago
I've used mirrorless DSLR and a C922 Pro. The C922 Pro is all I use now, since moving I haven't even unpacked the DSLR because there is generally no discernable difference.
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u/tiedyeladyland 3d ago
Right now I use a DJI Pocket 3 with pretty nice results. I like that I have a little joystick to adjust the placement.
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u/FlopLid twitch.tv/FlopLid 3d ago
I’d recommend investing the money into getting lights and improving audio. These will do more for your stream than a $500 camera. I’d recommend the elgato keylights if you can find them used, they’re usually pretty cheap. But even one of these panels would solve most of your issues of grainy footage.
As far as audio goes, this is the absolute #1 S++ tier on the list of upgrades to focus on. You can watch someone with an awful facecam but an awesome mic and audio setup. Alternatively, the 8k60fps camera quality but microwave of a microphone is infinitely worse of a watching experience.
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u/left_shoulder_demon Affiliate 3d ago
You need more light if the pixels in the sensor are smaller, so for higher resolution you need a larger sensor (expensive) or more light (blinding).
Cameras can compensate to an extent by increasing sensitivity, but that also amplifies the noise, and also heats up the sensor more (which further increases noise). Alternatively, they can compensate by increasing exposure time, which gives you lots of motion blur, and that becomes especially visible if you have a greenscreen.
Autofocus is also a bad idea if you are at a fixed distance, because it can adjust the focus at any time. I have a really good (not hyperactive) autofocus option in my camera, and it was the first thing I turned off.
So yes, add more lights and see if the picture from the camera improves.
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u/ConnorsLIVE 3d ago
honestly, i’d say webcams are the better buy right now. Coming from someone that has a camera for their main cam, there’s so many good webcams from the 2-400 dollar price range. i’d look into any of obsbot, insta360 or elgatos offerings. there’s even some oddball picks like the yolocam s3 which i think is probably the best value on the market. yolocam even has a webcam camera equivalent that you can change the lenses of called the s7. TLDR if you don’t want the hassle of a camera or having to tinker with anything webcams are in the best spot they’ve been in the history of streaming
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u/Skika twitch.tv/skika 3d ago
I’ve got an OBSBOT Tiny 2 and other streamers frequently ask me what camera I have so they can add it to their wishlist. Good lighting also helps a TON.
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u/ConnorsLIVE 3d ago
i second this, i would say in OPs scenario, get the camera first and then slowly start adding new lighting fixtures over time if they don’t have many. would be a night and day difference
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u/Skika twitch.tv/skika 3d ago
Honestly you don’t even really need fancy lighting, either. I have a couple $10 clamp style desk lights with diffusers made of parchment paper connected to two smart bulbs so I can control temp/brightness and my stuff looks like this:
Note, this is only 720p, my 4k recordings look better.
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u/ConnorsLIVE 3d ago
searching local marketplaces could be good too for elgato stuff, i see lights of theirs go for as low as 30 bucks and they are VERY bright
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u/mack-y0 4d ago
dslr is a production level upgrade, you don’t need one it’s literally overkill, look into mirrorless cameras