Hidden Camera

[Tom Banks]

Hey guys,

I've got a commercial coming up quick that incorporates a live hidden cam aesthetic. The shoot is a long one, so I'm wondering if anyone has experience or suggestions on the best camera for this application.

 

Here are a few hopes:

- small in size, as to not draw too much attention to itself

- AC power, so we do not have to change the battery every hour on 6+ cameras

- HDSDI or HDMI with 23.98 video out to send to video village, and perhaps record via deck

 

GoPro's are obviously the most logical option, however - media management and monitoring seem like they could prove pretty involved. I have heard there is a way to create a multi-cam GoPro monitor via the wifi monitoring, but haven't found any information online confirming that.

 

A7s or BlackMagic is another option, but I'm worried it won't be cost effective converting all those feeds to HD-SDI and providing lensing for all the cameras.

 

 

Looking forward to hearing any thoughts!

 

best,

Tom

 

[Tyler Purcell]

Yea GoPro would be the way to go for every reason mentioned above. There really isn't another action camera which has decent battery life and is acceptable quality output.

 

The GoPro wifi app, allows you to run multiple cameras on one device. I've used it many times and it works flawlessly. Better on an iPad for sure, still very nice. It's slow however, about 1 second behind the action. For sure something to think about.

 

The A7 or BMPCC have battery and storage issues. Neither one can do the multiple hour captures you're looking for. Plus the files are a lot bigger. The GoPro files are pretty small in 35Mbps 1080p mode.

 

Hope that helps…