I have been using OBS to livestream services at my small church. Camera has to be fairly close to the front of the church and is connected to a laptop via USB. I want to make a more permanent situation, which involves a camera being further from the front of the church (50-70 feet) and up to 30 feet from the computer. USB is a possibility, but I am looking at other connection options. I would need to be able to zoom the camera, but pan and tilt will not be necessary. Ideally, I would like to be able to zoom from OBS. I would also like to keep the price under $800 (less is better). Suggestions?
Camera recommendations?
- Thread starter bcwhittle
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Lawrence_SoCal
Active Member
at 50ft, assuming a decent up-close view of a single person, you are talking a 16x zoom, at least (so usually a 20x or 22x optical zoom model). I used the calculator at PTZoptics to figure out field of view/zoom range
Fortunately, my budget is a little higher so we are looking at $2K for a 20x PTZ NDI model. For us, PTZ, not just a digital zoom, is a requirement. NDI costs a little more now (and does need some networking expertise to install/operate) but has benefit of being able to scale (add cameras in the future) with changing anything. Power over Ethernet, also means single cable to NDI camera. What I'd have liked to do is start with a camera and use USB then convert to NDI later. But the PTZOptics and Panasonic USB vs NDI models are different enough that I wasn't willing to compromise, so we'll spend a little extra now on NDI so we don't have to worry / deal with it later. Further, food for thought... we are getting a 1080p camera now. Assuming prices come down over time, I could easily see us moving the camera we buy now to alternate location and then get a 4K camera when donations and request justify such (and I don't expect to stream in 4K anytime soon, more for larger sensor better low light capability), and in case as a service we record something like a wedding and can capture that in 4K [though this is all more likely to be wishful thinking.. but who knows]
You can get cheaper cameras... but beware security cameras with low frame rates and really poor motion motors. Then there is the integration controls with OBS.. I was leaning towards PTZoptics, but have heard too many complaints about inconsistent color/quality, and a few other items, so likely to go with Panasonic at same price [and I can't ..at the moment, still researching.. justify the premium price of the Sony models.. which don't have features of Panasonic]. As this has to be able to run with volunteers, I'm prioritizing native English speaking support channels over lowest price [so avoiding some recent new vendors from Asia with inconsistent, to low/non, support response complaints]
Fortunately, my budget is a little higher so we are looking at $2K for a 20x PTZ NDI model. For us, PTZ, not just a digital zoom, is a requirement. NDI costs a little more now (and does need some networking expertise to install/operate) but has benefit of being able to scale (add cameras in the future) with changing anything. Power over Ethernet, also means single cable to NDI camera. What I'd have liked to do is start with a camera and use USB then convert to NDI later. But the PTZOptics and Panasonic USB vs NDI models are different enough that I wasn't willing to compromise, so we'll spend a little extra now on NDI so we don't have to worry / deal with it later. Further, food for thought... we are getting a 1080p camera now. Assuming prices come down over time, I could easily see us moving the camera we buy now to alternate location and then get a 4K camera when donations and request justify such (and I don't expect to stream in 4K anytime soon, more for larger sensor better low light capability), and in case as a service we record something like a wedding and can capture that in 4K [though this is all more likely to be wishful thinking.. but who knows]
You can get cheaper cameras... but beware security cameras with low frame rates and really poor motion motors. Then there is the integration controls with OBS.. I was leaning towards PTZoptics, but have heard too many complaints about inconsistent color/quality, and a few other items, so likely to go with Panasonic at same price [and I can't ..at the moment, still researching.. justify the premium price of the Sony models.. which don't have features of Panasonic]. As this has to be able to run with volunteers, I'm prioritizing native English speaking support channels over lowest price [so avoiding some recent new vendors from Asia with inconsistent, to low/non, support response complaints]
Lee_Bo
New Member
If you can find one of these, they are great cameras:
Little more than you want to spend but it's a great 20x zoom network camera and it's PoE powered. I've installed this camera in several churches and have nothing but great reports back on them.
If you want to see it in action, check out the Oakwood Streaming YouTube channel video from last Sunday:
www.youtube.com
At about the 37:45 mark the camera zooms in about 60% total.
Little more than you want to spend but it's a great 20x zoom network camera and it's PoE powered. I've installed this camera in several churches and have nothing but great reports back on them.
If you want to see it in action, check out the Oakwood Streaming YouTube channel video from last Sunday:
08-23-20 AM Sunday Morning Service
Thank you for joining our live stream today! We invite you to join us in person for our services at Oakwood Baptist Church: We are currently having modified ...
www.youtube.com
Lee_Bo: That camera looks great. I also found a similar camera that does not use NDI, but only SDI.
With that camera, is someone zooming in through OBS? Or is there other software involved? I got a Mevo Start to experiment with NDI, and I cannot seem to control the zoom from within OBS. I was not sure if that was a limitation of NDI or of the particular camera.
With that camera, is someone zooming in through OBS? Or is there other software involved? I got a Mevo Start to experiment with NDI, and I cannot seem to control the zoom from within OBS. I was not sure if that was a limitation of NDI or of the particular camera.
FerretBomb
Active Member
OBS does not provide PTZ control channels natively. You'll need to use the software that comes with the camera to control that, most likely, or a third-party PTZ-control application.
Lawrence_SoCal
Active Member
For those curious, @Lee_Bo Amazon link is pointing to PTZOptics PT20X-NDI-ZCAM with 20x Optical Zoom (no Pan/Tilt functionality)
The models I'm comparing / fopcusing on are:
- PTZOptics PT20X-NDI 20X 60.7° FoV $2,309 MSRP 3yr warranty https://ptzoptics.com/comparison-charts/
the comparable Panasonic is
- Panasonic AW-HN38H 1080p 1/2.3” 22x 61.6° 350° panning [released Jan 2018 around same retail price as PTZOptics ~$2,100]
PTZ camera list https://na.panasonic.com/ns/279726_Panasonic_PRO_PTZ_Robotic_Camera__Controller_Lineup_-_August_2020.pdf
- Sony SRG-X400 [~ $2,700+ and NDI license is $300 extra. slightly less Pan range. released Nov 2019. 4K upgradeable but no idea idea $$, basically over-priced by $1,000 unless 4K upgrade is a priority]
Why am I looking at the lower-end Panasonic? price, mostly, and it has the features we need. I don't need higher zoom levels, higher resolution, nor broadcast features like Genlock.
Why I'm not interested in the rock solid, usually much more reliable SDI? it is a coax cable (so you need a separate power connection) and then you need a capture card/PCIe add-in card, or similar to get that video signal into the streaming PC. Cable routing is much more restrictive (have to home each SDI cable back to computer, vs being able to aggregate NDI connections via a switch. I understand networking, and much prefer the simplicity and using a single Power-over-Ethernet cable/connection per camera, and not having to make multiple long cable runs if we end up adding multiple cameras in front of sanctuary. Downside of NDI, especially the HX (more compressed version) is the CPU impact on streaming PC .. but I have spare of that, and much easier to address... so more future-proofed, as far as I'm concerned
The models I'm comparing / fopcusing on are:
- PTZOptics PT20X-NDI 20X 60.7° FoV $2,309 MSRP 3yr warranty https://ptzoptics.com/comparison-charts/
the comparable Panasonic is
- Panasonic AW-HN38H 1080p 1/2.3” 22x 61.6° 350° panning [released Jan 2018 around same retail price as PTZOptics ~$2,100]
PTZ camera list https://na.panasonic.com/ns/279726_Panasonic_PRO_PTZ_Robotic_Camera__Controller_Lineup_-_August_2020.pdf
- Sony SRG-X400 [~ $2,700+ and NDI license is $300 extra. slightly less Pan range. released Nov 2019. 4K upgradeable but no idea idea $$, basically over-priced by $1,000 unless 4K upgrade is a priority]
Why am I looking at the lower-end Panasonic? price, mostly, and it has the features we need. I don't need higher zoom levels, higher resolution, nor broadcast features like Genlock.
Why I'm not interested in the rock solid, usually much more reliable SDI? it is a coax cable (so you need a separate power connection) and then you need a capture card/PCIe add-in card, or similar to get that video signal into the streaming PC. Cable routing is much more restrictive (have to home each SDI cable back to computer, vs being able to aggregate NDI connections via a switch. I understand networking, and much prefer the simplicity and using a single Power-over-Ethernet cable/connection per camera, and not having to make multiple long cable runs if we end up adding multiple cameras in front of sanctuary. Downside of NDI, especially the HX (more compressed version) is the CPU impact on streaming PC .. but I have spare of that, and much easier to address... so more future-proofed, as far as I'm concerned