Camera upgrade for livestreaming

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Camera upgrade for livestreaming

lakerraider77

Hey everyone!

Our small church (150-200 ppl) is looking to upgrade our livestream camera. We are currently on a Canon Vixia Rf800 streaming through the ATEM Mini Pro (pics of our stream attached). Looking for something that works well in low lighting and the camera will be about 35 ft from the stage.

I saw JWS's budget friendly cinematic livestream setup and am pretty set on getting the BMPCC 4k with the recommended stand, fluid head, etc. I am stuck on the lens recommendation. What is the best all around lens for livestreaming in low lighting settings, from about 35ft away, and has the capability of expanding to shooting short announcement videos and things later? Lens budget will be about 500$.

Thanks!!!

https://ibb.co/jW7qM4D
https://ibb.co/80nb1HH

joelwsmith

@lakerraider77

Thanks for reaching out!

I have some lens recommendations for the BMPCC 4K in this list: The Best Cameras For Live Streaming (2021)

That link should take you to the Micro Four Thirds lenses.

But before I recommend a specific lens, do you expect the lens to have servo (motorized) zoom that you can control remotely to be able to do smooth zooms?

lakerraider77

I saw that link and was looking at the Olympus 12-40mm f/2.8, but noticed it said Full Shot: 8'-24', so I was unsure if that would work for us being that our primary use would be for shooting the stage that is about 35' away-livestream. Its a bit above the budget, but I'm sure I could get approval if I justify that it will be a good lens for that, as well as for up close videos for recording announcements and other uses.

I would LOVE to take advantage of the zoom control feature on the ATEM Mini Pro, but I read that it is only compatible with servo lenses. Is this true? If so, are there any affordable lenses that have servo that will be compatible with the BMPCC 4k? Currently we control zoom by using the upstream key feature and zooming in the picture-in-picture feature. Its not true zoom and look pretty bad but its the next best thing to remotely controlling zoom:/

joelwsmith

@lakerraider77

You will need at least 70mm if you want a full shot (head to toe) from 35' away. If you want a medium shot (waist up) then you will need closer to 150mm. If you're just wanting a fairly wide shot of the stage, then the Olympus 12-40mm f/2.8 will work great.

Correct, the zoom control feature on the ATEM Mini Pro only works with 4 servo lenses on the BMPCC 4K (and only 3 of them are still available new). I'm pretty sure they're all within your budget, but that also means they're fairly inexpensive, not the best quality, and have variable apertures that will make the image darker as you zoom in (or you'll have to close the aperture to the proper aperture to keep it from doing that, which will make everything darker throughout the zoom). Ultimately, these are not lenses I recommend, unfortunately.

Here is a list of those 4 lenses that will work on the BMPCC 4K and give you control of zoom through the ATEM Mini Pro: https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/support/faq/59009

lakerraider77

Ok, so I am willing to sacrifice the atem zoom feature for better picture on our livestream. I'll just use my original method through the upstream key.

Will the Olympus 12-40mm f/2.8 allow for us to get a good quality full shot from 35' AND the wide stage shot from 35'?

joelwsmith

@lakerraider77

The Olympus 12-40mm f/2.8 will give you a frame that is 9' tall at 40mm from 35' away. That's not quite a full shot.

The Olympus 12-40mm f/2.8 will most likely capture your entire stage at 12mm from 35' away.