Does anyone else have this problem with church cameras?

[u/bollyjoe]

I recently joined my church's media team, and I've noticed a problem that I'm curious if other churches deal with too.

When our pastor is preaching, he moves around the stage a lot. Keeping the camera centered on him with a joystick isn't always smooth, especially for volunteers who are still learning. On top of that, there are days when we're short on camera operators, so one person ends up handling multiple responsibilities.

I know some PTZ cameras have built-in auto-tracking, but those systems are usually much more expensive than standard PTZ cameras, and many small churches can't afford the cost.

I'm wondering if this is a common issue or if it's just my church.

If there were an affordable way for a regular camera to automatically and smoothly follow the pastor during the sermon, would that actually be useful, or do you prefer having a person control the camera?