Why?
Many of our meetings are now remote. Using a high-definition setup will make you seem more like a real, alive person to the other party, more like you're in the same room.
Feel free to add comments to this doc or contact me with questions or suggestions
Here’s a screen capture from video of what you can expect, but with you instead of me in it
Camera:
Sony a6400 is nice because it has
- fast autofocus
- low-light sensor
- flip selfie screen
- stays on continously without overheating or time out. I keep mine on all the time, it works just like a webcam
- Keep it on movie mode, so that it has fast continuous autofocus and 4k output
You can get a cheaper version, Sony a6000 would also be fine.
Upgrade version would be, sony a7c
Lens:
I like the 50mm f1.8 lens, but it needs some extra distance.
I also like this 35mm lens because it's really crisp, and has a large aperture, f/1.8
upgrade: 35mm, f/1.4
Currently using this which is beautiful, but it's a bit expensive: Sony FE 50mm F1.2 GM Full-Frame Large-Aperture G Master Lens https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08Z4HVBXC/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_glt_fabc_B0RDGX67EPTE0RP3E7XZ but you need a bit more space because it’s a lot more zoomed in
In Berkeley I have 35mm full frame
Battery Adapter:
Battery adapter for plugging it in:
This keeps the camera on, so you don't have to charge it or swap batteries.
Elgato Camlink 4k
Convert HDMI from the camera to usb 3 webcam, so it gets automatically detected as a webcam when you plug it in
This plugs into your computer. it comes with a 1ft USB extension cable so it’s easier to plug in.
Micro HDMI adapter, for plugging into the camera and converting to HDMI
This connects to the camera on the micro HDMI side, and the elgato camlink adapter on the HDMI side
May want to go with longer cable, I like the 10ft one so I can mount the camera far away.
Lighting:
This is maybe half the image quality.
I like nanoleaf light panels (thanks julia); there are newer versions than these that you should probably go for instead.
pros:
they look fantastic in video, they provide customizable illumination from many points rather than a single point source
nice even lighting, can play with cool colors.
good for setting mood in room also. red for bed. blue for focus, etc.
cons:
expensive
Nanoleaf has it’s own ecosystem, so it doesn’t work with my Hue lighting remotes, and instead has it’s own remote. better to have some kind of remote
Audio:
Microphone
I've only tried 4-5 microphones, and I like Shure MV5C the best for audio quality and ease of size and positioning.
You'll want this 6-10inches away from your mouth.
Boom arm for microphone:
You need to microphone close to your mouth to avoid echo from the room and stray sound. Or you could have a padded room.
I put my mic on a boom arm. Scott suggests using 2 of these, 1 for microphone and 1 for camera. Attach to the edge of your desk so you can swing it out of the way when not in use.
also get a long 10ft microusb cable ($12). needs to be long to go down the length of the boom arm, and back to your computer.
Positioning
Goals:
- looking close to directly at the person
- lighting should be from the front and sides
- microphone should be close to your mouth. I have mine 6 inches from my mouth just out of view
Setup:
need to have camera in movie mode.
remove overlay in sony's hdmi camera settings
Next:
I recently added a teleprompter setup, but don't like it that much because people on the other end of a zoom call are too small.
I would like to add some color grading, but haven't looked into it that much. You can do custom colors in the camera, but I haven't tried it yet
Travel setup (in progress):
Light: Camera Lights (nitecorestore.com)
could even have 2 of these to be more even. but I usually point it at a wall and am illuminated by the reflection
Camera: same, sony a6400, with elgato camlink 4k adapter
Microphone: haven’t found a good one yet, but a lapel mic seems better than hauling the shure mic and boom arm around. Tried sony stereo mic, but maybe laptop mics are better.
Tablet + computer
I draw a lot on my screen, especially during video calls, or pitches. Here’s what I use:
Wacom 32in touch, pen display
And a powerful computer to run it. Here’s my most recent setup that I really like:
I replaced and added a bunch of noctua fans to make in virtually silent, but with plenty of airflow.
