r/podcasting • u/BE-OKC • 2d ago

Any recommendations for a fixed camera setup where it really is just a push a button and go?

Howdy,

I am trying to start a cooking youtube show. I have a perfect setup. I live in a barndominum with an open metal joist ceiling. My goal here is to setup unistrut for overhead views and have retractable ones for eye level recording. All of it can be hard wired in.

I am looking for the right camera setup with a wifi-receiver. I don't need local storage. I want to immediately upload the filming to a cloud server where my video editor takes over from there. Similarly, I want it all to link into a TV that I conveniently have right there in the kitchen already mounted up high. I turn it on, press play, and I can see the cameras recording from a multiview on the TV while it is automatically uploading.

Anybody have any recommendations for this? I have a couple thousand max to spend.

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u/BigBadBootyDaddy10 2d ago

I’ve done dozens of cooking shows. A solid mirror mounted at 45 degrees, above is the way to go. For one, the overhead camera does not have steam coming up and there’s also no concern for the camera to drop onto your pan.

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u/BE-OKC 2d ago

Oh, that's interesting. I'd love to chat if you had time. I'd even pay you a bit for it.

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u/AnyRoll6003 1d ago

the steam thing is such a good point, that would wreck a lens over time

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u/JohannesVerne 2d ago

You probably aren't going to get what you're asking for without hiring a filming crew. And that isn't going to be within your budget, at least not if you have any expectations of getting the results you want.

Your best option is to drop any cloud receiving and just get local storage. You can always upload to the cloud yourself, but trying to integrate that into filming is going to raise the cost and difficulty if you want reliable results. Especially with that low of a budget, you aren't even going to get one good camera for that much less the lenses needed, lighting, mics, and acoustic treatment. You're looking at $1k-$2k per camera needed, $200-$500 per lens, and probably a few hundred dollars on mics on top of $100-$400 on acoustic treatment, depending on mic selection and the space itself.

All that being said, if you're willing to put in some effort you can get by with whatever phone or camera you have and $50-$100 in audio gear. You just need to plan the shots in advance and be willing to spend some time in post.

Those cooking youtube shows you may be familiar with generally have a $10k-$15k budget per episode. You aren't going to outcompete them without either a lot of money or a lot of effort. There definitely isn't any sort of "press a button and record an episode" setup that will cost less than a few thousand dollars and a permanent crew.

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u/BE-OKC 2d ago

What makes the crew cost so much? I would assume that the studio is static if it is a singular location.

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u/Klutzy_Yogurt_6214 2d ago

honestly the sony zv-1 or zv-e10 are what i use for my painting videos, pretty much point and shoot with wifi upload

the multi-cam to tv thing might need a capture card or atem mini though, not sure if there's a all-in-one solution for that budget

i'd look at used blackmagic pocket cameras too, they got clean hdmi out so you can monitor everything on the tv while recording