What are you using for a safety camera?
 

I have been using action cams in conjunction with my two Sony EA-50's at wedding ceremonies and sometimes the image isn't that great so I don't use the footage ... I was thinking about Sony's NX30 on a lighting stand instead of a GoPro but I'm not too sure if it would cover a decent wide angle like around 120 degrees

What is everyone else using as a high up camera on a lighting stand to give a semi-aerial shot of the ceremony ? OK, A Hero Black would give a good image but they are almost the price of a conventional video camera?

Roger was also looking at Panasonic FZ1000's but I'm not sure what the wide coverage would be like?

Chris

Re: What are you using for a safety camera?
 

I use a Canon G20 as my safety camera because it has decent dynamic range, shoots in 24p native, has manual controls but can also be set to full auto, and it matches very well with my other Canon cameras. It also does surprisingly well in low light but not like a DSLR with a prime lens would. I've found that the auto-iris is very helpful when shooting outdoor ceremonies because if the lighting changes then it will adjust itself as needed. I got it for $900 and it's done a great job for me.

If I wasn't using all Canon gear then I'd probably get the Sony FDR-AX100 because it's 4K and has a nice 1" sensor. Being able to get a wide shot and a tight shot from the 4K image would be quite helpful for a safety shot. I'm not sure if it would give you a super wide shot but I think you could do some pretty cool stuff with the 4K image (pans, zooms, tilts, reframing, etc).

Re: What are you using for a safety camera?
 

I use a Sony RX100 on alight stand in the back as my safety camera. It's very small and discreet and matches the look of my 70D.

Re: What are you using for a safety camera?
 

I am using my ax100 as safety cam now, I point it towards the front to have the altar and lectern in one shot so I can reframe as needed afterwards, I point a second unmanned camera (cx730) towards the lectern so I have a close up of all readers and then I walk around with a rx10 on a velbon ultratstick L50 with a manftotto 234rc head, folded in that's a really tiny and light monopod but extends to full length. with the rx10 I film closeups from people in the church and to get some other views.

Re: What are you using for a safety camera?
 

Always use the Gopro 3 Silver as an overall view, plus the SJ4000 for a different angle. I also have a pair of Panasonic SD 700/800s that are also good in fairly low light. I always carry a LumixFZ200 for various stills and video clips where I can use the long zoom.

I haven't yet been able to find a stockist of the Lumix FX1000 close enough to do some test recordings and check the field of view, but reports seem to suggest that the FOV is not as wide as my 200s.

Roger

Re: What are you using for a safety camera?
 

I have 2 Sony CX730 on light stands, one at the front and one at the back for the ceremony and one wide and one on the B&G for speeches.

They come packing a relatively wide Zeiss lens and the image is nice and sharp and colours can easily be tweaked to match my EA50.

A bit off topic but I wanted to go even wider for smaller venues so after looking at the recommended accessories bought a VCL-HGA07B wide adapter - wrong move - it vignetted BADLY - like looking down a tube!I got in touch with sony support and asked about this only to be told this was the correct adapter - I told them they were wrong and they never got back to me... It's still listed as a compatible adapter!

...I'm still looking :(

Re: What are you using for a safety camera?
 

Thanks guys

Much appreciated!

Roger? There is a new SJ4000 called the SJ5000 Plus - New 16mp sensor and chipset so that might be the one to go for as I'd still like a wide view (with the 4000 I go to digital zoom 1.5 and it makes the angle magic but sucks in low light!!) List price in the USA is $179.00 ... I wonder if the new simple GoPro Hero has a similar sensor?? I got tired of Hero's locking up on me!!

Camcorders still have the same problem as Peter has ..just not wide enough!!! My brides love the wide view so I really don't want to have the normal wide and a DSLR plus wide lens is too much money for me to justify the usage!!

Chris

Re: What are you using for a safety camera?
 

Chris, I'm not sure about the SJ5000 as I seem to recall a couple of dodgy reviews, but I'll do a bit more research. I'm not sure what GP you've got, but my GP3 silver seems to hold up quite well in moderately low light, I've also never had a lock up with it.

I don't know about the chipsets, but there is probably a limited number available so they may well be the same. I think the GoPro probably uses a much better quality lens, with the cheaper cameras using plastic ones, which would explain the much lower prices.

Roger

Re: What are you using for a safety camera?
 

Chris, there's quite a bit of discussion on the RC forum about the SJ5000 and it seems there there are fake versions of this camera just as there are with the SJ4000. Even worse, there seems to be a fake SJCam website which is sjcam.com. The genuine SJCam website is apparently sjcamhd.com, although why they didn't reserve the other domain name is a mystery.

The whole SJCam situation seems to be a bit of an unknown at the moment, with some saying that the genuine SJCam SJ5000 hasn't been released yet and that the fake SJ5000 is the same as the current SJCam SJ4000. So if you can get your head round it all you are a better man than I :-)

Roger

Re: What are you using for a safety camera?
 

Peter, does it vignet if you disable the balanced optical steadyshot?

Re: What are you using for a safety camera?
 

Hi Roger

That's interesting! The fake site has the more realistic domain name. On sjcam.com, they are showing the 5000 plus as on pre-order only at this stage. It's hard to know what you are getting and from who? These to me look identical so I wonder if they are simply not being churned out by a third party factory and being supplied to whoever wants them. The so called "fake site" seems to provide heaps of support with firmware downloads and manuals so it might just be a marketing ploy! Even you show enough interest to any manufacturer in China they are quite happy to rebrand a product for you and they don't know the meaning of the work copyright. My current steadycam is available for nearly $400 less IF you are happy to buy it from the factory without branding ... same thing but "no name" brand!!

Oh well at the advertised price the SJ5000 Plus is still a fairly good purchase risk ...I certainly would want to fork out $8,000 for a fake main camera but I can live with a hundred bucks or so and I must admit both my SJ4000's have performed well ...a little shaky on the white balance but no GoPro lockups/freezes

Chris

Re: What are you using for a safety camera?
 

I'm still waiting for my super cheap Novatek SJ4000 to arrive from China, it will be interesting to see how that performs.

Roger

Re: What are you using for a safety camera?
 

Yes Matt - first thing I tried - it improved somewhat but was still bad

Pete

Re: What are you using for a safety camera?
 

In the back, I use a Canon XA20 for my "wide shot", which runs beside my NX5U normally.

Then for the wedding party entrance, I usually try and stick a Canon HV40 up front pointed down the aisle.

Re: What are you using for a safety camera?
 

Hi Roger

Just received this cable and it works perfectly on the SJ4000 if you want to send a signal out of the unit.

Qumox USB TO AV TV OUT Cable FOR SJ4000 Wifi Action Camera CAM | eBay

Chris

Re: What are you using for a safety camera?
 

Hi Chris,

I use the hdmi out at the moment, but does the lead you show allow you to record while viewing?

Roger

Re: What are you using for a safety camera?
 

Hi Roger

Absolutely yes! In record mode the rear tiny LCD blanks out and it feeds to the new connected monitor...it also shows the full data that the LCD screen shows. However it does has a strange "quirk" ...If you set TV Out on it feeds everything to the output cable (even setup) but when you turn the camera off it defaults back to TV Out as "off" Recording therefore to an external monitor means going to setup first...via the little LCD on the camera and changing TV Out from off to on. The screen then blanks and it transferred to the new output. If you turn the camera off you have to re-initiate the TV Out!!

However yes, I can absolutely confirm that you can record and view your recording via an external monitor and also play it back on the external monitor!!

Chris

Re: What are you using for a safety camera?
 

Excellent Chris and thanks, I'll order one :-)

Roger

Re: What are you using for a safety camera?
 

Hi Roger

If it assists at all the packet the cable came in has a cable number sticker on it and it reads "DCST2385" ..I guess that's a Part Number???

Your cable should have a right angle Micro USB plug at one end and then a split in the other end, one cable going to a stand USB and the other going to a male RCA plug (that's obviously the video output)

They also sent me a standard USB to computer USB cable ..for what I have no idea!! The split cable with the USB offshoot bit is supposedly for access 5 volt power from..for what device, I again don't know but I doubt if it would power up a monitor?

Chris

Re: What are you using for a safety camera?
 

Doesn't the Sony RX100 have a time limit for recording?

Re: What are you using for a safety camera?
 

RX100 has a 29 minute limit, good enough for most ceremonies... and you can of course stop/start again until the card is full.

Re: What are you using for a safety camera?
 

a safetycamera is often not monitored so you have to track time to know when to restart, if I use a dslr with such a timelimit it requires me to re-start 2 times to have the entire ceremony which is a big pain, that's why I don't consider camera's with a recording timelimit suitable as safety.

Re: What are you using for a safety camera?
 

I use a Lumix FZ200 as a back/safety cam. It will record over 2 hours of continuous video. But that's here in the states. I know the EU has weird limits on such things.

Re: What are you using for a safety camera?
 

I'm interested in a safety cam that can be left alone and can get on with the job unlike my Canon 700D DSLR which looks great when everything is ok but can't handle changes in auto very well. I have a Canon C100 as a main cam, a Go pro hero4 as a super wide and trick cam but I'm looking at all the small cams that Noa and others keep going on about.
Has anyone had experience of a Sony HDR PJ780 or a Sony HDR PJ810? Would that do a job as a safety cam? I have seen 2nd hand ones for 500€. Are they wide enough to get a general shot? I used to have a Canon G25 but I wasn't that fond of it.

Re: What are you using for a safety camera?
 

Andrew, if you don't need to buy one immediately, I would look at the new Canon XC-10 which is slated to be announced in a couple months: XC10 « Canon Rumors The specs that have been released list internal 4K and a 1" sensor. This camera will likely match the sharpness of your C100 and be better in low light than most prosumer/consumer cameras due to the 1" sensor. Also, by sticking with Canon you will have a much easier time matching it with your other Canon cameras as I've found that Sony and Canon cameras tend to interpret colors differently making it difficult to match them in some situations.

The cost of the XC-10 hasn't been announced but I think it will likely cost a bit more than the Sony cameras you listed. However, it sounds like it will be a camera you can use for more than just a safety cam since it is going to compete with the Sony PXW‑X70. If you do any event work where you need a camera with power zoom and lots of detail then this could be your A Camera for those jobs as well as a great safety cam to complement what you already have.

Re: What are you using for a safety camera?
 

On a typical wedding I use 5 Panny GH3's

One of which is a import model so has no record limit. I put the dedicated battery grip on this one and mount it at the back on a robust light stand or I clamp it to something using a manfrotto easy clamp with a ball head attached.

Using 5 matching cameras makes colour matching in the edit a lot easier then when you have different models or makes.

Re: What are you using for a safety camera?
 

Michael Silverman,
it certainly looks very interesting but probably too expensive for me for next season (unless I get a lot of new bookings before May)

Re: What are you using for a safety camera?
 

Don't underestimate those little sony handycams, my cx730 is equally lightsensitive as my ax100 and less noisy at it's highest iso setting, the only obvious difference is in detail.
If you say that rumored canon camera is going to compete with the x70 you can expect a price which is 3 times of those sony little handicams, I don't doubt it will be a better camera but for a safetycamera those sony cxxxx versions are hard to beat, especially because you can find them cheap second hand, they will require some sharpening in post to match up with c100 alike camera's but like you said color difference might be an issue.

My cx730 goes very wide, it think it starts from 26.5mm, it's one of the widest you can find on handicam type camera's. The only disadvantage is has that despite being very lightsensitive that it ramps quickly from f1,8 to f3,4 once you start zooming in. If you plan to only use it on a tripod however I"d get a high end canon handicam, they will be very good as well, though I"m not sure how wide their lens starts, one thing however the Sony has over all other handicams is it's magic eyeball OIS, it's the best stabilisation I have ever used on any camera if you plan to shoot handheld, only don't forget to disable it on a tripod :)

Re: What are you using for a safety camera?
 

Hi Noa,
the plan is to use it as a locked off camera getting a general wide shot that stays in focus and changes iris etc according to the light. I am currently using a Canon DSLR as a safety cam and it isn't reliable as a safety cam. Really the camera would only be used in a ceremony, first dance or any other obvious set up situation, speeches etc. The magic eyeball could be handy if I wanted to hand the camera to the photographer to get an extra shot. I think the key is usability, reliability, size and overall price. I see it as a stop gap until I can afford a better B-cam.

Re: What are you using for a safety camera?
 

You might consider the "CANON LEGRIA HF G30", I just see it also starts as wide as my sony and you could have better luck colormatching it with other canon camera's.

Re: What are you using for a safety camera?
 

Also, if you would plan on getting a sony, the Sony HDR PJ780 and Sony HDR PJ810 have different sensors so watch out for that, the 780 has a 1/2,88 (6,3 mm) sensor and the 810 has a 1/3,95 (4,6 mm) sensor.

They definitely have different performances, it's the 780 you need to get.

Re: What are you using for a safety camera?
 

Wow, realy, 5? Don't tell me you juggle all 5 by yourself? :) I have a gh3 as well and love the image it outputs but I only use it when I"m controlling the camera, I never would leave it unattended like I can with my cx730 or ax100.

Re: What are you using for a safety camera?
 

How much did the CX730 cost? I can't seem to find a listing for it or its successor.

Re: What are you using for a safety camera?
 

I just looked on the Sony site and it appears they don't make these models with 1/2,88 (6,3 mm) sensor anymore. I paid 830 euro for mine.

Re: What are you using for a safety camera?
 

Just for fun to tease those that can't get the cxxxx version anymore, check out this stabilisation test, shot handheld:

password: test

Re: What are you using for a safety camera?
 

so the PJ780 would be the one to go for? can't find any canons second hand

Re: What are you using for a safety camera?
 

I don't have a cx780 but compared the specifications of both camera's on the sony site and they appear to be identical. You can check if you want to be sure but I can't find any differences.