What camera(s) to buy for live-streaming puppet shows?

[tangrams]

Hi, please excuse my beginneriness. I'm more experienced with audio than video and am getting into video. I am Mac-based.

I need to buy a video camera and have two use cases I would like to solve.

1) Recording a puppet show. Camera mounted on a tripod, aimed at a puppet above a table. I'm under the table operating the puppet and I need to see what the camera sees, either from laptop (preferable; lighter) or small tv. Camera is recording, to tape or computer. Good-quality sound needs to be recorded too from multiple external mics.

2) I am sitting at the piano, playing and singing on camera. Camera is on a tripod pointed at me. I'm also recording the mic'd piano (two mics) and the mic'd voice (singing into mic) so the video can have very good sound. I would need to be able to either record to tape/computer OR live-stream from this setup.

Ideally, the same camera could handle all these cases, which means I could even live-stream a puppet show if I wanted. Meaning, a dv camcorder with usb or firewire that works on the Mac? I might consider two so I could record two angles at once. What are some good camera options I should be looking into here? Ideally I'm spending under 2k for everything I need for the complete setup (I already have a Macbook Pro).

I'm not interested in getting into serious photography, or doing serious movie-making, so smaller form factor is better. This will always be for videos that end up being on the web, but I do want nice-looking high quality web video.

Thanks!!!!
tangrams

[edDV]

Does your MacBook Pro have a Firewire port?

Explain how you would live stream? Over Ustream? BitGravety?

Is there a second person to switch cams and mix audio?

Your requirements are complex.

[tangrams]

Yes, my macbook pro has firewire, and I think we can assume that my future laptops will have firewire because so much of my audio hardware requires firewire. Like I won't be dumping the MBP for an Air or anything. It sounds like firewire is better than USB for this kind of thing?

I haven't decided how I would live stream yet - I would experiment with ustream or justin.tv or quicktime broadcaster or whatever, but I have a lot to learn in this realm - is it necessary to know this for myself before I get the camera?

I'd probably pre-set up the mixing and leave it alone while I'm performing. And then in the cases where I record, I'd mix it afterward. I guess in the case of recording I was imagining I'd be replacing the video's built-in audio track with the separate audio recording using Logic Pro (which I have), but I don't know how this would work for streaming. So no, I don't think I'd be relying on there always being another person there. The cameras would be stationary, etc.

[edDV]

Yes, my macbook pro has firewire, and I think we can assume that my future laptops will have firewire because so much of my audio hardware requires firewire. Like I won't be dumping the MBP for an Air or anything. It sounds like firewire is better than USB for this kind of thing?

I haven't decided how I would live stream yet - I would experiment with ustream or justin.tv or quicktime broadcaster or whatever, but I have a lot to learn in this realm - is it necessary to know this for myself before I get the camera?

I'd probably pre-set up the mixing and leave it alone while I'm performing. And then in the cases where I record, I'd mix it afterward. I guess in the case of recording I was imagining I'd be replacing the video's built-in audio track with the separate audio recording using Logic Pro (which I have), but I don't know how this would work for streaming. So no, I don't think I'd be relying on there always being another person there. The cameras would be stationary, etc.

OK, I'll think about it. Dinnertime here. BBL tonight.

Most USB cams don't stream. I think your options quickly reduce to webcams or DV/HDV over Firewire at your budget but switched live cams present problems unless analog.

[edDV]

Is it possible to do this with one cam with manual repoint? The multi-cam switching while live is the budget breaker. You could do a second cam B-Roll to tape/flash for inclusion during editing.