I thought that I'd get through the deals season unscathed – perhaps I'd spend a very few notes on some memory cards and nothing else. As it happens, I haven't spent a lot, but I'll be getting two cameras and a microphone for my money, and aiming to start a whole new content empire – we live in exciting times in terms of quality!
I reckon I'll get one of the bundles with the microphone and one without. I reviewed the DJI Mic Mini and it was brilliant quality.
My point here is that for a surprisingly small investment, I'm getting two 4K cameras that can shoot 4K (and have interchangeable compatible batteries and the same mounting system) and a microphone. That's basically an entire portable studio.
And you should never underestimate the convenience of compatible accessories. That saves a lot of money too. One spare battery needed instead of two different types, that kind of thing.
Perhaps I'll treat myself to a third camera, thinking about it. It still costs less than a lens for my main camera. (I mean one of these costs less than a repair to the viewfinder on my Sony a7iii, but that's a whole other story).
Setting the three cameras to the same settings will be simple. Oh, and that's another thing – three cameras with the same menu system will make life easier. Fewer ways of working to remember when trying to capture video on the go.
In terms of working, it's all about getting video to the platform sooner, not getting it absolutely perfect.
Moreover, the main means of creating is to get a few angles and dump them into an editor which can use the audio to line up the video tracks – there is no need for timecodes or anything. Final Cut Pro does this from the audio in moments, and it's brilliant. I can then tap between cameras as if I was running a live broadcast – the feature is called Multicam.
Other editors have equivalents, and you can mix cameras too – but with prices on cameras that were the premium product on the market just 13 months ago so good, why not snap these up?
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These are far from the only good action cameras you can build your portable studio with – check my guide to the best action cameras – but there is a lot to be said for it.
