YouTube-grade video camera recommendaion

[LatakiaLover]

I keep having the urge to show stuff by example since describing procedures in words can be difficult & confusing.

I hired a guy to do it once, but the logistics and lack of editing control were a hassle.

So... what's the shortest distance between two points to get a usably clear video from my shop to YouTube, meaning both camera and processing/editing software? The computer I'll be using is an iMac.

Please keep in mind that I'm not a whippersnapper but a particularly impatient specimen of Grumpius Oldus Guyii, so pretty much detest technology in general and nested menus in particular. Crushingly over-featured and over-functioned digital gadgetry will kill the planet far faster than global warming or population growth, imo. Proof I'm not exaggerating: I've never even HELD an iPhone.

Thanks.

[Ocyd]

I held an iphone once but it was only because some one misplaced it and I was taking it to the lost and found. Most people who like to be on camera on youtube usually have a video about how they do it and what they use (which ends up costing quite a bit for setup). The easiest way is to get a teenage relative who's parents already bought them everything and make them do it for you. Blender is free and can be used as editing software but it's about as intuitive as gimp to get started with. I bet they probably have video cameras with bundled software that lets you upload to youtube with one click now. I still say shanghai a relative's kid though. Tell them it's an apprenticeship then you can also make them tidy up your shop and do yard work and run other errands for you too.

[KurtHuhn]

I made the video below with a Canon Powershot SD1400 (consumer grade point-n-shoot digital camera) mounted on an inexpensive tripod. I used to use an actual DV camera that wrote to DV tape, but the conversion process was too lengthy, so one day I tried out the point-n-shoot camera and everything went much quicker and smoother. The SD1400 might even be overkill for this, but it does have some nice features like adaptive exposure correction which is helpful when there's flourescent lights in the background.

My guess is that any halfway decent point-n-shoot digital camera with movie mode will be quite sufficient. Anything from Canon. Nikon, Fujifilm, Sony, etc will be good to go.

For software - iMovie. It should already be installed on your iMac. Just import the clips, arrange them in order, edit appropriately, add titles and whatever, then upload it to YouTube right from within iMovie. There's a bit of a learning curve, but like all Apple products, it's really not too difficult to learn.

[The Smoking Yeti]

Yeah, what Kurt said is right on. A nice point n' shoot will totally do the trick. The Canon Powershot lineup is great for you old folks: http://www.usa.canon.com/cusa/consumer/ ... al_cameras

[meathod]

This is something I've been thinking about for a while now..

What is your budget?

[Vermont Freehand]

get a Go-pro
learning it may be as simple as properly learning how to make a stem, and that was not an issue for you....

[oklahoma red]

I would go down the point and shoot digital camera road also. Good compromise for all types of shooting. Get big memory card and make sure the camera is not a battery hog.
By the way George, check you PM folder. I'm trying to send you some work so you don't dry up and blow away but you apparently sleep most of the time.
Chas.

[caskwith]

I bought an inexpensive HD digital video camera from Lidl, was approximately around the $100 mark. It was not bought specifically for making pipe videos but that was a main use I envisioned. Any camera capable of putting out a HD level video should suit and nearly all compact digital cameras are capable of that these days, the main restriction is usually battery life and memory card size, hence my choice of a dedicated camera.
One thing I have found though, lighting is very important, unfortunately my shop lighting is rather poor (plenty good enough for me but not for the camera) and that has affected video quality for me.

[LatakiaLover]

Thanks for all the info, guys.

Just having a whippersnapper do it is the obvious answer, but it isn't an option. No friends or relatives that know more than I do, and I don't even know my neighbors never mind any yoots nearby.

The only way I'll ever be able to do it myself is a step at a time, I guess. (Funny but true---in a previous life I was an IBM mainframe ninja who designed and wrote (and later headed a team who did) big pieces of the Lexis-Nexis legal cite search engine. << http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LexisNexis >> I could code AL in my sleep, and often taught in-depth systems stuff to professionals in a classroom. When the IT world became object oriented, though, I lost all interest in computers and never looked back. Now, I basically hate anything to do with them thar infernal machines. A distaste that extends to any device that contains so much as an IC chip. Go figure.)

So, I'll just get a vid-capable camera, figure it out, track down software & etc. a piece at a time, figure them out individually, then try to put it all together.

Just thinking about wading into that swamp makes me cringe, but my desire to show Cool Repair Shop Tricks-n-Shit that I've picked up over the years is strong, too. The battle will begin shortly, I think.

Thanks again.

[KurtHuhn]

The only way I'll ever be able to do it myself is a step at a time, I guess. (Funny but true---in a previous life I was an IBM mainframe ninja who designed and wrote (and later headed a team who did) big pieces of the Lexis-Nexis legal cite search engine. << http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LexisNexis >> I could code AL in my sleep, and often taught in-depth systems stuff to professionals in a classromm. When the IT world became object oriented, though, I lost all interest in computers and never looked back. Now, I basically hate anything to do with them thar infernal machines. A distaste that extends to any device that contains so much as an IC chip. Go figure.)

Mainframes.

Just kidding. They're great for what they do, but they have a very narrow application in the modern IT landscape - at least insofar as most people use them. At least they can run Linux in a VM these days and multitask, unlike the infernal AS/400 that keeps hanging on at work...

Find a decent point-n-shoot. I think that will do the trick. A GoPro would be cool as well, but I have never used one, and cannot say one way or the other, but I do know several folks that have one (or a few) and love them. At least you have iMovie. It's super simple to use, and makes video editing very easy. Leverage the power of the Apple. This is what they're made to do!

[wdteipen]

I can't speak to what's best because I'm far from an expert but I can say I used my Nikon D5100 and iMovie and found it relatively easy once I got used to it.