Camera Advice $1500-$2000CAD for Real Estate Walkthrough Videos

[mpetitpas]

Hey everyone!

I recently started a real estate photography and virtual tour business and i'd like to start offering walkthrough videos to my clients as well. I've been using a nikon D5200 for shooting virtual tours and it works great for that, but when it comes to video it's really falling short. I have a glide cam XR-2000 that I mount it to, but even with that I find the video just isn't cutting it at 30FPS and the low light performance is poor.

I'm looking for a solution that will be used for shooting walkthrough videos using a camera stabilizer. I'd like something that can shoot 1080P at 60FPS, and maybe even 4K. I need something with a wide angle lens option because the spaces can get really tight in properties. Low light performance is a big priority also. My budget is around $2000 but i'd be willing to stretch a bit past that.

I charge a flat rate, so ease of use and setup time is also important..

I'd appreciate any recommendations, i'm open to DSLR, Camcorders and anything in between!

Thanks in advance !

Cheers

[TreeTops]

I believe most of the Real Estate video pros use tripods. Set up tripod, pan the room, go to next room and repeat. There are some specialized cameras that do 360 for automatic pans but they cost more. You can make a cheap 360 video using a egg timer but even those need a tripod. You may need to set up lighting rigs for the dark rooms.

[mpetitpas]

Thanks for your input TreeTops, I have a tripod I can use if a client wants this type of video I am purchasing some lights for a studio setting so i'll be sure to use them if it happens.

That being said, I really am focussed on Walkthrough videos using a glide cam. This is what clients are requesting and it's a fairly common practice in the real estate industry. It's faster, requires very little editing and allows me to offer better value to my clients.
Here's an example of what i'm talking about
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ADkVmRTTF5Y

[TreeTops]

Well if you want to do walk through videos then by all means do it. Just practice in your own home before doing it for paying clients. You can even do that with a Go-pro using a 'stabilizer'. Some hand held stabilizers are pretty cheap on eBay. No need to spend $2000 for a camera. Just look at the go-pro real estate videos on Utube. Some of them look pretty good.

[glenpinn]

I have done walk thru video in houses, and i used my Flycam HD3000 steadycam ($180au in Ebay) with my panasonic SDT750 Cam (1080/50p avchd @ 28Mbps) Auto Focus mode, Image Stabilization off.

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/FREE-BAG-Flycam-HD-3000-handy-Stabilizer-Steadycam-for-DSLR...3D301767090821

All walk thru videos would be done using a similar Steadycam, and whatever camera they choose to use, however i dont like DSLR type cameras for video, so i always use dedicated video cams, and they all have good, fast auto focus systems as well.

Tripods are useless with doing real estate video work in homes, it is horrible static panning video from one position in each room, and it takes forever to set up each segment, so i dare say nobody uses them these days, certainly cannot get video looking anywhere near as good and appealing as doing it using a steadycam.

As far as image stabilization goes, well you don't normally use that on a tripod, same should apply with a steadycam too, as your camera should already be stable on the steadycam while you are roaming around, but that is entirely up to you to sort out.

As for a decent video camera that shoots 1080/60p, there are so many out there that will do this for well under $2000, usually shooting in the traditional avchd @ 28Mbps.

There are also some DSLR type and dedicated video cameras that shoot 1080/60p XAVC-S at 50Mbps as well (in mp4 container) plus they shoot 4k XAVC-S @ 100Mbps, but unfortunately the ones that are between $1000 and $2000 only do 30p in 4k mode.

If you want a camera that shoots both 1080/60p and 4k/60p, you are going to be up in the $4000+ price range.

Personally, if you don't want to go over $2000, i would buy a 1080/60p cam that does 4k/30p and shoot the walk thru in the 1080/60p @ 50Mbps.

these 3 cameras are all 1080/60p and 4k/30p cams shooting around 50Mbps and 100Mbps XAVC-S respectively

Sony RX10-II 4k/30p bridge
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1159880-REG/sony_dsc_rx10_mark_2_digital.html

Sony AX100 4k/30p dedicated
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1022653-REG/sony_fdrax100_b_hdr_ax100_full_hd_handycam.html

Panasonic FZ1000 4k/30p bridge (image stabilization doesn't work in 4k mode)
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1057135-REG/panasonic_dmc_fz1000k_lumix_dmc_fz10...al_camera.html

I am not really up to speed with Canon cameras, so i won't recommend any.

either of these 2 will probably be my next 4k/50p video cam, way over your budget though, and they are bigger

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1142844-REG/panasonic_ag_dvx200_4k_integrated_lens.html
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1077993-REG/panasonic_hc_x1000_rk_ultra_hd.html

[aedipuss]

me i'd shoot with something like the canon 70d using a 24mm f1.4 or 35mm f1.4 it's 1080p30 at 90mbs. it has autofocus while videoing if needed and with the low f stop glass you'd be less dependent on artificial lighting. no need for 60p walking around, it's not a football game you're shooting.

[glenpinn]

no need for 60p walking around, it's not a football game you're shooting.

Yes he could do 30p, but 60p is definately much better for this type of work, especially knowing that if he gets a few faster panning scenes the video will just present much smoother, and given most video/photo cameras shoot 1080/60p why not use it, especially for this type of video.

As i mentioned tho, for his budget, if he really wants 60p, then he will have to do it in 1080, and 4k is just overkill in my opinion anyway.

[videodreamer]

Fred Light is the 'master' when it comes to walk through real estate video - Fred has quite possibly shot more real estate video than anyone on the planet - check Fred out here - http://nashuavideotours.com/

I believe Fred's current set up is the Movi 5 with the Sony A7s (he may have movd up to the A7sii by now) and the Sony 16-35mm lens. Fred previously used the Merlin as his stabiliser.

New the A7s will probably blow your budget but with the introduction of the A7sii there are now second hand A7s bodies in the $1500 - $2000 range - plus lens of course.

As you may be aware the A7s (no internal 4K on the A7s but do you need it?) set a new standard in low light video and although it has it's quirks it appears perfect IMO for the low light challenges faced in real estate videos.

Tony Northrup has some good stuff on the A7s:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_V4xPWcsceQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZuxo2ZFz_g

https://youtu.be/KsywiyX1iKE

There's plenty more on Tony's channel.

Then there's the Panasonic GH series - I understand you can adjust the highlights and shadows on the GH4 in camera but not sure how that will work in a walk through situation.

The Osmo's and GoPros just aren't up to scratch when dealing with low light - YET.

As new gimbal tech gets cheaper and better the Glidecams (steadycam etc) may be on the way out - here's some more light entertainment for you:

Dave Dugdale – Pilotfly vs CameTV single https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C0pa1Zu6reM

Darren Miles – Beholder https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OjkhHm3n5Yc

MrCheesyCam – Nebula 4000, Came TV etc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_b4IXrb7c98

Tom Antos – CameTV single https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oyDney-Dk-Q


I understand you need to get in and out quick, produce good results and need a time conscious edit to make a dollar. Like everything the ultimate set up always seems to just be out of budget (I'm finding the same thing trying to build an appropriate editing set up) but if you're looking at a long term proposition you may have to extend just a little bit more to get a great set up - easy for me to say.

For me the ultimate set up will be the Sony A7sii (maybe a second hand A7s if I can't wait any longer) with the 16-35mm on a CameTV single (tripod & slider) - but I'm going to have to wait until the budget allows that upgrade and keep my GH3 as a second camera - it's been a great little camera considering the cost.

Hope I haven't bored you and all of this is just my opinion but I hope some of it helps

[slicebogey]

I have the Panasonic LUMIX GH4 Professional 4K Camera which I just purchased at a decent price but you might want to check out the specs. Hope it works out for you.

Recording file format:

Still image - JPEG (DCF, Exif 2.3), RAW, MPO (When attaching 3D lens in Micro Four Thirds system standard)

Motion picture - MOV (Audio format LPCM), MP4 (Audio format LPCM / AAC 2ch), AVCHD (Audio format: Dolby Digital 2ch)

System frequency - 59.94Hz, 50.00Hz, 24.00Hz

Aspect ratio - 4:3, 3:2, 16:9, 1:1

Image quality - RAW, RAW+Fine, RAW+Standard, Fine, Standard / MPO+Fine / MPO+Standard (with 3D lens in Micro Four Thirds system standard)

Color Spaces - RGB, AdobeRGB

File size(Pixels):

Still Image - [4:3] 4608x3456(L) / 3264x2448(M) / 2336x1752(S) / 1824x1368 (with 3D lens in Micro Four Thirds system standard) / [3:2] 4608x3072(L) / 3264x2176(M) / 2336x1560(S) / 1824x1216 (with 3D lens in Micro Four Thirds system standard) / [16:9] 4608x2592(L) / 3840x2160(M) / 1920x1080(S) / 1824x1024 (with 3D lens in Micro Four Thirds system standard) / [1:1] 3456x3456(L) / 2448x2448(M) / 1744x1744(S) / 1712x1712 (with 3D lens in Micro Four Thirds system standard)

Motion picture (MOV*:59.94Hz) - [4K] 3840x2160:29.97p, 100Mbps (IPB) (LPCM) / [4K] 3840x2160:23.98p, 100Mbps (IPB) (LPCM) / [Full HD] 1920x1080:59.94p, 200Mbps (ALL-Intra) (LPCM) / 100Mbps (IPB) (LPCM) / 50Mbps (IPB) (LPCM) / [Full HD] 1920x1080:29.97p, 200Mbps (ALL-Intra) (LPCM) / 100Mbps (IPB) (LPCM) / 50Mbps (IPB) (LPCM) / [Full HD] 1920x1080:23.98p, 200Mbps (ALL-Intra) (LPCM) / 100Mbps (IPB) (LPCM) / 50Mbps (IPB) (LPCM)

Motion picture (MOV*:50.00Hz) - [4K] 3840x2160:25.00p, 100Mbps (IPB) (LPCM) / [Full HD] 1920x1080:50.00p, 200Mbps (ALL-Intra) (LPCM) / 100Mbps (IPB) (LPCM) / 50Mbps (IPB) (LPCM) / [Full HD] 1920x1080:25.00p, 200Mbps (ALL-Intra) (LPCM) / 100Mbps (IPB) (LPCM) / 50Mbps (IPB) (LPCM)

Motion picture (MOV*:24.00Hz) - [C4K] 4096x2160:24.00p, 100Mbps (IPB) (LPCM) / [4K] 3840x2160:24.00p, 100Mbps (IPB) (LPCM) / [Full HD] 1920x1080:24.00p, 200Mbps (ALL-Intra) (LPCM) / 100Mbps (IPB) (LPCM) / 50Mbps (IPB) (LPCM)

Motion picture (MP4*:59.94Hz) - [4K] 3840x2160:29.97p, 100Mbps (IPB) (LPCM) / 100Mbps (IPB) (AAC) / [4K] 3840x2160:23.98p, 100Mbps (IPB) (LPCM) / [4K] 23.98p, 100Mbps (IPB) (AAC)**** / [Full HD] 1920x1080:59.94p, 200Mbps (ALL-Intra) (LPCM) / 100Mbps (IPB) (LPCM) / 50Mbps (IPB) (LPCM) / [Full HD] 1920x1080:29.97p, 200Mbps (ALL-Intra) (LPCM) / 100Mbps (IPB) (LPCM) / 50Mbps (IPB) (LPCM) / [Full HD] 1920x1080:23.98p, 200Mbps (ALL-Intra) (LPCM) / 100Mbps (IPB) (LPCM) / 50Mbps (IPB) (LPCM) / [Full HD] 1920x1080:59.94p, 28Mbps (IPB) (AAC) / [Full HD] 1920x1080:29.97p, 20Mbps (IPB) (AAC) / [HD] 1280x720:29.97p, 10Mbps (IPB) (AAC) / [VGA] 640x480:29.97p, 4Mbps (IPB) (AAC)

Motion picture (MP4*:50.00Hz) - [4K] 3840x2160:25.00p, 100Mbps (IPB) (LPCM) / 100Mbps (IPB) (AAC) / [Full HD] 1920x1080:50.00p, 200Mbps (ALL-Intra) (LPCM) / 100Mbps (IPB) (LPCM) / 50Mbps (IPB) (LPCM) / [Full HD] 1920x1080:25.00p, 200Mbps (ALL-Intra) (LPCM) / 100Mbps (IPB) (LPCM) / 50Mbps (IPB) (LPCM) / [Full HD] 1920x1080:50.00p, 28Mbps (IPB) (AAC) / [Full HD] 1920x1080:25.00p, 20Mbps (IPB) (AAC) / [HD] 1280x720:25.00p, 10Mbps (IPB) (AAC) / [VGA] 640x480:25.00p, 4Mbps (IPB) (AAC)

Motion picture (MP4*:24.00Hz) - [C4K] 4096x2160:24.00p, 100Mbps (IPB) (LPCM) / [4K] 3840x2160:24.00p, 100Mbps (IPB) (LPCM) / [Full HD] 1920x1080:24.00p, 200Mbps (ALL-Intra) (LPCM) / 100Mbps (IPB) (LPCM) / 50Mbps (IPB) (LPCM)

Motion picture (AVCHD Progressive*:59.94Hz) - [Full HD] 1920x1080:59.94p, 28Mbps (IPB) (Dolby)

Motion picture (AVCHD Progressive*:50.00Hz) - [Full HD] 1920x1080:50.00p, 28Mbps (IPB) (Dolby)

Motion picture (AVCHD*:59.94Hz) - [Full HD] 1920x1080:59.94i, 24Mbps (IPB) (Dolby) (Sensor output is 29.97fps) / [Full HD] 1920x1080:59.94i, 17Mbps (IPB) (Dolby) (Sensor output is 59.94fps) / [Full HD] 1920x1080:23.98p, 24Mbps (IPB) (Dolby)

Motion picture (AVCHD*:50.00Hz) - [Full HD] 1920x1080:50.00i, 24Mbps (IPB) (Dolby) (Sensor output is 25.00fps) / [Full HD] 1920x1080:50.00i, 17Mbps (IPB) (Dolby) (Sensor output is 50.00fps)

Continuous recordable time (Motion picture) - AVCHD: Approx. 220 min with H-HS12035 / AVCHD: Approx. 220 min with H-FS14140

Actual recordable time (Motion picture) - AVCHD: Approx. 110 min with H-HS12035 / AVCHD: Approx. 110 min with H-FS14140

[mali]

good