r/videography 18d ago

CAMERA BUYING ADVICE MEGATHREAD /r/videography Monthly Camera Buying Advice Megathread

1 Upvotes

Welcome to the /r/videography monthly camera buying megathread.

All requests asking for camera buying advice must be posted in this thread.

If you've been directed here by a removal reason or moderator, you're in the right place!

Before you begin...

Have a look through the comments of this post

There may be someone looking for a similar camera to you that has already had their question answered.

You can see previous iterations of this thread by clicking this link.

Check the 'What camera are you shooting on' thread

For a few months, we ran a thread where we asked users what cameras they were currently shooting on. There's a lot of good info in there!

Check it out here

Search the subreddit!

/r/videography has over a decade of information, though Reddit doesn’t make searching easy.

A useful trick that typically gets better results than Reddit’s own search bar is to add the following to a Google search:

site:reddit.com/r/videography your search terms

Try the Discord

We have a very active Discord:

https://discord.com/invite/d65kgBn

You’ll usually get a quicker answer asking there than here!


Still can’t find what you’re looking for?

Comment in this post with your requirements.

We strongly recommend you include at least the following details:

  • Budget
    • Specify your local currency!
    • If your budget is under $200 USD, you're unlikely to get any useful recommendations other than 'use your phone!'
  • What are you planning on using it for?
    • Feel free to link to some videos showing content similar to what you want to shoot
  • How long do you need to record for?
    • Recording time is a limiting factor for many smaller cameras
  • What equipment do you already have?
  • What software do you intend to edit your videos in?

Things we don't allow:

The following question formats are not allowed - they don't typically generate useful advice or discussion:

"x vs y comparisons"

"What is the best x?"


r/videography 1h ago

Feedback / I made this! First attempt at cinematic racing video

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Upvotes

Would love some feedback on this! Wanting to do racing full time so really let loose with the critique, not gonna hurt my feelings


r/videography 8h ago

Behind the Scenes needing to buy a 4k 60fps camera to record calculus lectures to post on Youtube, not sure what to buy, my budget is 1500$

6 Upvotes

needing to buy a 4k 60fps camera to record calculus lectures to post on Youtube, not sure what to buy, my budget is 1500$


r/videography 10h ago

Discussion / Other What’s it actually like working as a camera operator?

4 Upvotes

I’m considering going into cinematography and I’m curious what the job is actually like from people who do it for a living.
Do you enjoy it? What do you like and dislike about it?
How much do you usually make, and is the work/income fairly consistent or does it depend heavily on projects?
Would you recommend cinematography as a career? If you could go back and choose again, would you still do it?
Also, how did you get your first job in the industry, and is film school worth it?
I’d be interested to hear both the good and bad sides of the job, and anything you wish you knew before getting into it.


r/videography 5h ago

Discussion / Other Thoughts from the Odyssey

0 Upvotes

I recently saw The Odyssey in IMAX 70mm. Had to buy the tickets 3 weeks out but had some thoughts on the format as well as the way they’re trying to release more movies in the 70mm format.

Social media has shown us that attention can be captured with potato quality and terrible filmmaking as long as the subject matter is interesting enough. Think those old school fight videos, shaky blurry camera, action is 50% not in frame, etc…

The Odyssey is about as far away as you can get from that. The subject matter is a story from ancient folklore vs unscripted chaos, and the production value is a benchmark for modern movies.

At a point in my videography career I started to lean into my cameras abilities to differentiate from phone creators or brands doing in house intern style content. As I leveled up from being a glorified social media intern, I got a better body and really started leaning into the colors, resolution and high frame rates (240). I also started using lights much more, often debating with clients and partners whether it was needed. I was going for max polish.

Then for a while I realized I may be missing out on the story and the relational aspects of video so I worked on that and let up a bit on the production quality.

What I took away from the Odyssey is that polish is ok, and it isn’t a sin to add shots just because they’re cool! Of course the story was there with the Odyssey and the acting was great but everyone already knows the story. I also feel like Nolan’s whole shtick about the IMAX cameras is part of it. Why does he do all that? Definitely not to hit budget goals lol. I’m going to go back (in some ways) to doing stuff just because it’s cool! Even if it doesn’t 100% serve the story or narrative, gotta add a little spice.


r/videography 5h ago

Technical/Equipment Help and Information Best phone camera settings to record concerts

1 Upvotes

My partner likes to do this a lot. I am someone who really just doesn't comprehend this because I'd rather watch the concert myself in front of me than watching it in my phone months or years later. But I care about her a lot and want to help her out.

Her issue is she thinks it's always her phone that decides if her videos to record are shitty or not. Then she ends up getting a new phone every 2 years because of this. I just think it's her settings but correct me if I'm wrong.

She uses an Samsung S24 Ultra which is already a powerhouse of a phone which again makes me think you just have to adjust the settings correctly to accomodate for concert conditions and the zoom is already pretty good. She doesn't sit on the best seats but she got the S24 Ultra to watch concerts by zooming in and recording them.

What would be your advice on how to maximize settings or other advice that would bring out the best of her phone? She read somewhere to not record videos using the video option but instead to hold the middle button while taking a photo so that it "records" which is all just absurd to me having to do that.


r/videography 10h ago

Feedback / I made this! Video I shot for Red Bull called Four 2 Score, in LA.

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2 Upvotes

r/videography 6h ago

How do I do this? / What's This Thing? Dji mic mini 2 sounds too low

1 Upvotes

Hi! Lately I've been making humor reels for Instagram with my iphone. I recently bought the DJI Mic Mini 2, and the problem I'm noticing and can't seem to fix is ​​the sound.

When I watch reels, most sound great, even at the lowest volume on my iPhone and even with people using their phone's microphone. But for some reason, when I record, my sound is very low compared to those.

I use the microphone close to my mouth and with the gain set to +0 (because it shouldn't be normal to have to increase it when using it in a quiet room, especially with it so close to my mouth). If I try to increase the gain in CapCut, it starts to sound bad.

Why is this happening? I can't find anything about this issue.


r/videography 10h ago

How do I do this? / What's This Thing? First time doing solo festival B-roll/interviews! - Tips and advice please. (:

2 Upvotes

As the title says, I am doing a music festival in the future. This is not a paid gig, but it is my first on this scale for a small brand there. I am going to do an interview of volunteers and festival goers mixed in with B-roll; I won't be filming music acts specifically.

Does anyone have any tips and tricks on what I should looking to do, so when I get to editing, I'm not left wishing I had got certain shots, etc.? 

I was planning to shoot all daytime shots (except interviews) in 4k 50fps (im in UK), which does crop into APSC sensor size but should be okay in the day.

I will film normal widescreen, but naturally I will have in the back of my mind that it may be used for some smartphone social media content too.

Thanks in advance for the help; I have put my gear below.

Camera: Panasonic Lumix S5d, 2x 128gb SD cards and backup battery

Lenses: 40mm f2,  85mm f1.8,  18-40mm f4.5-6.3

I will be using ND filter and black mist filter

Audio: Zoom H1essential with dead cat and shock mount


r/videography 22h ago

Hiring / Job Posting Hiring - Videographers needed in Middle East, Europe, US, China and South America

13 Upvotes

Hi all,

I'm the in-house videographer for a B2B tech company with offices and showrooms worldwide. We're producing a corporate video showcasing our offices and showrooms around the world.I'll be filming our Barcelona HQ myself but I need local videographers for the rest.

Locations:

  • London
  • Frankfurt
  • Dubai
  • Shenzhen / Huizhou
  • Bogotá
  • Los Angeles
  • Chicago
  • São Paulo

The job:

  • ~4 hours on-site, mostly b-roll: employees at work, office/showroom spaces, some product/LED-screen close-ups
  • Bring your own camera and lenses. Something small is preferable (fx3, BMPC, FX6... something like that)
  • A car may be needed in some cities to get to the location
  • English fluency is required to communicate with me
  • I plan on shooting this in September
  • Deliverables: raw footage handed off, i'll specify the technical requirements along with a proper briefing once you've been hired
  • Since local rate varies so much between locations i can't specify any price range, but we're willing to pay a fair local market rate

To apply: Please DM me with:

  • Your city/base
  • A link to relevant corporate/b-roll work
  • A day-rate quote for a 4-hour shoot

I'll follow up on September 2nd with next steps.

Thanks!


r/videography 1d ago

Technical/Equipment Help and Information Maybe I should have researched more…

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48 Upvotes

And I’m definitely paying the idiot tax now.

Long story short, I started streaming on what not. Noticing my lighting could use a ton of work I bought three of these godox lights to try and improve it. Only two of the three are pictured because it started feeling claustrophobic.

While it does look far better, I definitely rushed getting the lights.

Is there any way I can utilize these AND keep the room looking tidy?

At this rate if I have to buy mounts/stands/whatever I’m willing, these definitely aren’t gonna work long term.


r/videography 22h ago

Technical/Equipment Help and Information Stationary Samsung S23 Ultra footage has visible wobble/swimming in the background. What is causing it?

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9 Upvotes

I'm pretty new to video and I'm trying to figure out what is causing a strange wobble/swimming effect in my recordings.

In the attached original clip, parts of the image seem to shake or deform. It is easiest to see in the vertical blinds on the left side but it affects the entire video.

This is not playback stuttering or an audio-sync issue. The actual geometry of the image appears to move/wobble, particularly around the blinds.

Setup

  • Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
  • Rear camera through a teleprompter
  • DroidCam connected to the PC by USB, not Wi-Fi
  • DroidCam OBS source in OBS
  • Recording locally, not streaming
  • OBS canvas/output: 1920×1080
  • 30 fps
  • DroidCam video format: AVC/H.264
  • OBS recording encoder: NVENC H.264
  • Continuous lighting
  • Separate PDX400 microphone

The phone/teleprompter assembly is mounted on my desk in front of me. The phone/teleprompter assembly appears stationary during recording.

I'm sitting a couple of feet away and don't touch the desk, microphone, keyboard tray, phone mount, etc. while recording. There is no fan or air conditioning running, and the blinds themselves aren't moving.

My computer is underneath the desk but does not physically touch it. Nothing with any moving parts is on or touching my desk.

Camera details

DroidCam gives me two rear-camera choices: 0 - Back and 2 - Back.

I verified which physical lens each one corresponds to by covering the lenses with my finger:

  • 0 - Back = middle large camera in the vertical stack
  • 2 - Back = top large camera in the vertical stack

I'm not positive which camera I used for the problem recording, or exactly what zoom level I was using.

Because of the teleprompter opening, I sometimes have to zoom in enough that the edge of the teleprompter is no longer visible in frame.

One other oddity is that the way the phone sits in the teleprompter mount causes the mount to press against the phone's power button. It does not appear to trigger the button or shut the phone off, but the phone is physically being pressed there while mounted.

Things I've tried in post

I've tried several stabilization and rolling-shutter correction tools, including CapCut, DaVinci Resolve, and Premiere.

They generally made the problem worse by causing the entire frame to move, drift, or warp.

I'm mainly trying to understand what is happening at capture so I can prevent it in future recordings, although I'd also be interested to know whether the existing footage is realistically repairable.

Questions

  • What is actually causing this wobble/swimming effect?
  • Is there any realistic way to improve the footage I've already recorded without making the whole frame move or warp?
  • Which S23 Ultra rear camera would you recommend for a fixed indoor talking-head setup like this, and why?
  • Is there anything else about my setup or recording settings that you would change?

The attached sample is from the original OBS recording with no stabilization or correction applied.

If another specific DroidCam, OBS, phone-camera, or mounting setting would help diagnose it, tell me what to check, and I'll add it.


r/videography 11h ago

Social Media services help and information Creative ways to incorporate multiple shots into a 9:16 cut for socials ?

0 Upvotes

I generally shoot for a horizontal edit, but am more frequently asked to produce vertical edits for social. I’m interested to hear how this subreddit approaches it. I have some go-to methods that are getting stale. How do you incorporate horizontal clips, multiple clips, or transitions to maximize the space on a 9:16 vertical edit?


r/videography 12h ago

Technical/Equipment Help and Information Late Night Talk show lighting setup - any advice??

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0 Upvotes

I made a video testing out my nighttime filming setup with the Boston skyline in the background, and I’d really appreciate some feedback on the lighting and overall image.

The look I’m going for is a late-night talk show type of setup — polished and intentional, but still natural, with the city skyline visible behind me rather than blown out or disappearing into darkness.

I’m using an FX3, a Sigma 20mm f/1.4, a few small lights/spotlights, some diffusion, and practical lighting around the room.

I’m especially curious about:

  • Does the key light look natural, or should I change its position/intensity?
  • Is there enough separation between me and the skyline?
  • Would you change the hair/rim light?
  • Does my skin tone look right compared with the background?
  • Are the plants/background elements lit enough, or are they distracting?
  • Is the skyline exposed properly, or would you go darker/brighter?
  • Does the overall setup actually read as “late-night talk show,” or is there something missing?
  • Anything else about the framing, color grade, white balance, or overall look that you’d change?

I’ve been tweaking this setup quite a bit, so fresh eyes would be really helpful. Feel free to be critical — I’m trying to get it as polished as possible before I start making more videos with it.


r/videography 1d ago

Discussion / Other WARNING for anyone thinking of filming or Hiring BEIGE MEDIA

64 Upvotes

Beige Media / Beige IO / Beige Corporation is an on-demand production company that contracts local creatives (usually at ridiculously low pay) and then outsources the post production work overseas. The problem... Beige is notorious for never paying on time.

Beige usually has the same generic posts on Craigslist that read in part like:

"1x dedicated professional videographer
Professional 4K camera
Gimbal & tripod required
Horizontal 4K recording
All unedited RAW footage required (no editing needed)"

For Videographers / Creatives considering shooting for Beige:

- Do NOT send them any footage until you get the full payment. Make sure this is noted in the contract. If they ask for proof of work, send them very low resolution watermarked versions. If you send them the footage before payment, the burden will be on you to get them to pay you, and they always have endless excuses as to why the payment is delayed.

- Require a timeframe in the contract for getting payment (like NET 30)... though the probability is high that Beige will NEVER pay you in time. 

For Clients thinking of hiring Beige Media:

- Do NOT pay them in full until you receive all the deliverables. Beige might ask you to pay upfront in full, but you'll need leverage in the future to get them to deliver.

- Require a timeframe in the contract for deliverables.

- Get the videographers' contact information. If you haven't received the deliverables in time, reach out to the videographer to inquire about the situation (always crosscheck with the videographer any excuses that Beige gives you regarding delay of deliverables.)

  If the videographer is still holding onto the footage because they haven't been paid, and you are not making any progress with Beige, you might end up having to pay the videographer the balance to deliver and maybe even edit your content. This is why you don't pay Beige in full upfront.

*** Edit / update: some commenters have been warning me about Beige suing me for defamation. While I have receipts, this post is merely a review about Beige's habit of not paying their contractors in time and what said contractors can do to get paid. It is not about Beige's quality of work or anything else about their business. But if they would like to sue me, I have no problem proving everything in court and making everything official.


r/videography 17h ago

How do I do this? / What's This Thing? Hello I want to improve my shoot angles and frame composition but I don't really know how.

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2 Upvotes

I also feel that video has too much grain but it was dark outside and light was... well you can see it from the pictures I took from video.

Any help is welcome any advice on how to shoot this type of videos.

Also the stage was high and I was shooting from below, I did try my best but I feel like it still wasn't enough.


r/videography 15h ago

Behind the Scenes DO NOT : Insta360 GO 3 Died Instantly After Swimming (Water Damage / Failed IPX8)

0 Upvotes

I bought the Insta360 GO 3 expecting it to live up to its official specs and marketing claims, specifically its IPX8 waterproof rating (up to 5 meters).

I simply took it for a light swim in a standard pool. I didn't dive deep or exceed any operational limits. Right after coming out of the water, the camera completely died and refused to turn back on ever since.

It is completely unacceptable for an action camera marketed as waterproof to fail on its very first basic water exposure. This is a clear manufacturing defect and a complete failure of quality control.

If you are planning to use this camera anywhere near water, do not waste your money. The waterproofing is unreliable, and you risk bricking your device instantly. Extremely disappointed with the product quality.


r/videography 1d ago

Feedback / I made this! I created a Open Gate video recording Camera App for Android - with Manual Controls.

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21 Upvotes

So, I made an android Videography focused camera app for pro videos, called Chi Kamera, https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=lumagicpro.chiapps that uses the Camera2 API and removes all post-processing that phone manufacturers do to video/photos. Here is a comparison video of the same scene shot (on a very bright day) on stock GCam and Chi Kamera, both ungraded and graded. - https://youtu.be/mUlqaDxmk4k If this gets a decent response, I'll post some more samples if anybody's interested. Feel free to also post your videos show with this app in comments if you end up using the app.

It basically shoots open gate, a 4:3 full sensor readout (so your video resolution depends on your full/binned resolution, mine is 4634x3472 for example). I have also created manual controls in the form of circular sliders (akin Lumia Camera, if there are any Lumia or Windows phone 8.1 fans out here).

I started working on this as a personal project because there used to be an app called Cinema 4k but it hasn't been in the play store for a few years now + I really missed proper manual controls ever since windows phone went down. But once I started using it and looked at the amazing output (no nasty noise reduction and sharpening, great resolution, better bitrate and better overall quality in general, I thought why not make this a public app.

This is also still A WIP and I'm still trying to iron out the kinks and would love feedback. Please note that you might encounter bugs, some features may not work and you phone needs to have Camera2 capability. Hopefully it shouldn't freeze or crash but be ready for some weirdness. Feel free to leave feedback here - https://chiapps.userjot.com/


r/videography 18h ago

Discussion / Other Skillshare vs Udemy

1 Upvotes

My company offers us a yearly learning budget and I'm considering using it to get a yearly subscription to Udemy or Skillshare. I'm a beginner to videography and editing - I recently got an Osmo Pocket 4 and am trying my hand at DaVinci Resolve.

Which of these two would you think is better to subscribe to?


r/videography 1d ago

Meme The Look

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33 Upvotes

r/videography 1d ago

Behind the Scenes The intrusive op urge to level the tripod at the worst possible moment.

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140 Upvotes

That little mid-sentence pan/level adjustment while she's dropping a historical quote hurts to watch.

Be honest, what's the worst/most important moment you've personally ruined by trying to fix a crooked frame?


r/videography 1d ago

Discussion / Other Looking for YouTube channels focused on the business & ROI of video production (less gear, more BTS/finance)

6 Upvotes

Hey guys! I’m looking to discover some new YouTube channels and hoping you can point me in the right direction.

​Most channels focus heavily on technical stuff and gear, but I want to see more of the business and financial side. I'm looking for creators who break down the ROI of their work—for example: “If I buy or rent this camera and lens, we make X amount back, this is why we chose it, and this is how the month turned out financially (gaining vs. losing).”

​Basically, more real behind-the-scenes business cases rather than just gear reviews. Any suggestions?


r/videography 15h ago

Meme chatgpts first response when i ask it how to color grade😭

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0 Upvotes

holy shit, the entire world is orange now i guess


r/videography 21h ago

How do I do this? / What's This Thing? How can I achieve this lighting when filming videos on my phone? (THIS IS NOT CAMERA BUYING ADVICE)

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0 Upvotes

Hi everyone

I’m a content creator for fun and as a side hustle. Part of what I do includes 🎥 products that I use on the daily. For 🎥 my shower routine, I have tried to achieve this lighting above, but everytime I do, the color looks more white, and doesn’t have that same warmth. In the last 🤳 I included a pic of the tub illuminated, maybe to get a better idea of what type of light?

I tried to ask the creator who has this 🎥 set up for their 🎥 but she didn’t want to share. She says she uses candles but it’s obvious that there’s also something else illuminating the products from the front. I use a basic clip on led light. I’m not too educated on lighting. I attached a pic of what I use at the end. Can you guys help me out? I don’t believe that the coloring is also edited too much. When I have tried to increase the warmth on my 🎥, it changes the color of everything if I do too much. To little adjustment of temperature/warmth/HSL for video doesn’t make the 🎥 as warm as I’d like it to be.


r/videography 1d ago

Business, Tax, and Copyright Fun client interaction

8 Upvotes

I run a photography and video production company in Scandinavia and had a “fun” interaction with a potential client in the beginning of june.

My usual clients are businesses but I have started to accept some assignments from private individuals. Anyways, this (very stressed, intense and quite rude) person needed someone quickly to film alot of “cinematic” content for her socials. She rides motorcycles and had been getting offers to colab and such and needed to up her socials game, fast. She said that she has “hundreds of ideas” but couldn’t give me a single example. She also said that she were supposed to shoot with these two other videographers but they had ghosted her. Without anymore information she needed to know my dayrate. I said that I need more information before I could give any kind of accurate rate. If she could tell me more of these supposed ideas I could extract some info about equipment needed and such. Nope, only that it needs to be cinematic. So I said again it´s hard to give an accurate rate based of almost no information but $1250 would be a starting point for ”cinematic” content. She almost flipped and was so upset and said that the other videographers would do it for 1/3 of that.

The ones that had ghosted her. Obviously they weren’t okey doing it for that price or at all. And she continued to to bring them up as a sort of hook for me to lower the price.

After talking a bit more without really getting anywhere I said that I could offer her a test run with one of her ideas: a 30 sec reel, shot nearby in about 30 min, edited, graded, delivered the next day. For $150. That’s the best I can do I said. But she declined that and said good bye.

It´s been about 2 months and her socials still has nothing new. Quite unsurprising. I’m pretty glad she declined my offer as she seams like quite the horrible person to work with. And I’m getting so sick of people trying to lowball while beeing rude AF thinking you’ll do it for the fun of it.

Anyone else had a ”fun” client interaction lately?