cidbearit Loc: Canton, MI, USA

I work at a small college and at our commencement meeting today I was asked to look into putting together a system to stream our graduation ceremony live (probably on Facebook Live). We are a small college operating on a very tight budget, hence the guy with camera equipment got tapped to look into this. I've done a lot of still photography, but very little video. And have never streamed video. I'd appreciate some input as far as what gear might be best for me to use. Any other advice (settings, etc.) would be appreciated.

I have a Nikon D7100 and a Nikon D500. As far as lenses I think would work, I have a Sigma DC 17-50mm 2.8 EX HSM, Tamron 70-200 2.8 USD SP A009 Di, and a Nikon DX 55-300mm 4.5-5.6G ED HRI. I also have Nikon 35 and 50 primes.

Expectations of video output isn't too high...nobody is expecting cinema quality video. We just think it would be nice to stream for those who can't be there. The commencement will be on a formal stage in a theatre with ample lighting. Camera will be set up on a tripod, and will likely be in a "set it and forget it" mode (unmonitored). It will focus on the podium where the speakers will be and where diplomas will be distributed. I'll run an AC adapter to the camera, so I won't need to worry about batteries. At this point I'm not worried about sound, just the video aspect.

Any productive thoughts would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!

jeep_daddy Loc: Prescott AZ

Watching this topic

THaupt

I've shot lots of event video, but not with DSLR. The D7100 will be completely fine: FHD at 60i. Though check with the streaming service; they may prefer a lower resolution for bandwidth reasons.
Leaving the camera unattended may result in somewhat boring viewing, but understandable. Suggest you do zoom in on the speaker during speeches, then frame out during the handing of diplomas to capture the student as they approach until just after they begin to walk away. That will help to capture them in a recognizable moment for at least a second or two. Clearly a zoom is called for here - select based on distance and framing needs.
Place the camera high enough to avoid being blocked by anyone standing or walking by. If leaving unattended, suggest to sand-bag the tripod base to avoid the rig being jostled (and loosing frame) or being knocked over.

Audio _is_ important here: Can you imagine watching 200 penguins walking by, as you closely scan each face for recognition? Without sound, you have no idea where they are in the presentation sequence, and oh yes, the important valedictorian speech. If able to hear the names as they are called, you only need to perk up the ears (and eyes) as the alphabet approaches the target name. Probably the camera mics will be adequate if the venue sound is fairly good at that position.

Tim Haupt

BassmanBruce Loc: Middle of the Mitten

I apologize for being a little off topic but, 1960’s Pink Floyd fan?

cabunit Loc: SE Connecticut

Not sure "set it and forget it" will work. Both Nikon DSLRs I have will record only 20 minute clips at a time, then you must hit the record button again. (One source says this is to keep them from being classified as "video cameras" which are subject to different import rules.) I seem to remember (but can't locate now in any of my searches) an accessory that would let you record continuously. Perhaps another UHHer can shed some light. Good luck!

cidbearit Loc: Canton, MI, USA

How'd you guess?

cidbearit Loc: Canton, MI, USA

Thanks for the heads up on that...I was completely unaware of that issue.

BassmanBruce Loc: Middle of the Mitten

Carefull with that axe, Eugene.

rgrenaderphoto Loc: Hollywood, CA

You will most definately need a directional mike to capture adequate audio. The built in mics are useless for large spaces with lots of noise. Most Vloggers use RODE.

http://en.rode.com/microphones/video

sirlensalot Loc: Arizona

Suggest having college purchase a video camera and external mike or two. DSLR's will not do the job of set and forget. Video cameras will record as long as you have power to them.
Tacstar mic's getting good reviews for a fraction of any Rode mic. The other side of the coin is putting a system together that will last for years to come.
Just had a bunch of 8MM films transferred to digital. No sound - felt like I missed the heart if the movie. Sound is critical, at least as much as video.

Country Boy Loc: Beckley, WV

I did a video of a music group in our church last year and learned a few things that may be helpful. As said before, the D7100 will shut down after 19 minutes (book says 20) and you will end up with a number of video clips that must be connected via software later. The one thing that was a real problem is that with the camera on a tripod, I activated the live view so I could watch it as I gently moved it to capture additional stage or zoomed in on one person. I got to about 15 minutes in the first segment and the camera shut off and would not come back on. After about 5 minutes I found that taking the battery out and resetting it allowed it to come back on. I had a second occurrence and I thought something was really wrong with the camera. I got my manual and read it and it said that over use of the LV function could cause the camera to overheat.

I have the rubber skin on my camera which most likely helps hold heat in but I did take video several times since then and by not using the live view I have never had a problem. The D7100 really takes good quality (HD) video however, if I were ever going to do a real video shoot where I needed to make it work, I would consider renting or just purchasing a video camera. Also, I used an external mike which helped in sound quality however, by the time you pay $100 or more for the mike, you are half way to the price of a video camera!

dsmeltz Loc: Philadelphia

Your first step should be to find out how tight your "very tight budget" is. As in an actual amount.

Skiextreme2 Loc: Northwest MA

Check with your local Time Warner Cable company and see if they have a community cable station (or look up -your town- community cable on the net). Ours does and if needed, I can get TV quality video cameras to use for local events. You may have to "join" but it would be worth it. If that is not available, consider looking for a rental.

sippyjug104 Loc: Missouri

cabunit is correct. "Cameras" are limited in the length of video recording time compared to "Video Cameras" due to the import taxes, regulations and industry pressure. A solution would be to rent a video camera set up for the special occasion. Live streaming has special requirements as well and there may be limitations of the service available so check that out in advance. Great opportunity and enjoy the experience..!

TriX Loc: Raleigh, NC

Just an added note. If you're planning on zooming while shooting, you’ll find that a video camera has several advantages over a DSLR. First, it’s very difficult to manually zoom smoothly - most video cameras have a power zoom, which is relatively smooth. Second, many/most DSLRs (not sure about your specific model) will not AF while zooming, while a video camera will. The net-net is that zooming while shooting video with a DSLR often results in a jerky, out-of-focus image.