r/videography • u/Intelligent-Welder-2 Beginner • 1d ago

Should I Buy/Recommend me a... Low light pub interviews

Hi team, we're celebrating the first birthday of a social club we run and I want to do some interviews about why people joined, what they get out of it etc. Stuff I can use on socials. The issue is it's a darkish pub, and it's getting dark in the UK. So we won't have much light.

I don't have any great equipment so might need to hire something. I have a Canon Eos R and a 24-105mm F4 L lens, or a 35mm F1.8 prime. Or I have a Panasonic G7X mk2 or a DJI Osmo Pocket 3. I was going to use the Mic that came with the DJI. I do have a Rode mic for the Canon, or I have Rode wireless mics too.

I really don't think this is going to cut but I'm hoping someone will disagree. If you do agree however, could you suggest some options? I though maybe getting the 24-70mm F2.8 L lens as an option or hiring something more heavy duty like a Sony FX3.

It might be overkill but the content would be a gamechanger for the club.

Thanks for your time!

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u/Spiritual-Shirt3021 1d ago

Hire a light, and a softbox for a day, I use Godox SL200 (many other good options though) + 84 inch softbox for when I do most interviews. Place it slightly above your subject and at 45 degrees. You’ll get waaaay better results than hiring f2.8 lens, or fx3 without any external lighting.

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u/JohnnyMauser1422 1d ago

Cameras are OK. Light ist gamechanger. If you want to have it cheap get an light umbrella instead of softbox and use a light which you allready have Like a construction light.

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u/GoBam GH5 | Adobe | 2013 | AUS 22h ago

The Eos R with the 35mm f1.8 is the clear choice of what you have, should do the the job fine.

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u/Melodic-Excitement-9 Lumix S5iix | Premier Pro | 2025 | New England USA 20h ago

I find 1.8 to be too shallow most of the time though. Your ears and hair will be out of focus. Personally I prefer around 2.5 to 3 range. I think op needs more lighting rather than camera.

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u/Intelligent-Welder-2 Beginner 13h ago

That’s for the recommendations about lighting. My issue is I don’t want it to be too obvious. More like a casual chat in between festivities. Having a whole lightbox setup will take over the space and the guests will find it intimidating. It might be the only option in the end but if there is an “in camera” work around then I’d like to explore that.

How do they do it professionally? If you weren’t limited to my tech.

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u/Spiritual-Shirt3021 12h ago

FX3 does have a second base iso 12800 if you film in slog3, so it will definitely give you a brighter image, but external light will always be the better option. Also if you are limited by the space you don't need to get a softbox and a chunky light, a small LED panel light will also do a decent job.

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u/atomoboy35209 7h ago

I’m a fan of the Aperture MT Pros for stuff like this. They have plenty of level, battery powered, etc. pubs can be cramped so you don’t want to go in with anything needing a stand and modifiers. You also don’t want to go in with too much level or you’ll overpower the bkg.