Mike wants to get his wife a stand-alone camera. Is that better than the camera on her phone? Leo says that they can be, but modern smartphones are very good. The difference is that most camera apps make all the decisions. The mobile phone camera is an excellent tool if you want a simple way to snap a picture. And the camera on the Samsung S21 is as good as the camera on the iPhone 13.
Jeff is looking for a dedicated video camera to make YouTube videos at school. Leo says that these days, kids have a perfectly good 4K camera with their smartphones. That may be great for TikTok, but a dedicated camera is a better idea. Leo recommends the AAEBLOY Camcorder. They're under $100 and the quality is pretty good. 36mp sensor, 16x digital zoom. And it's affordable enough that he can include a tripod and lights as well.
Joe does Zoom with his friends, but he can't see his video. Leo says to check the video settings and make sure it has the right camera selected. Make sure the camera is turned on and any shutters are open. Some webcams have one on the lid for privacy. Also, look in the settings to make sure your camera is actually enabled. The camera may be turned off as a security feature. Double-check in another camera app to see if it works to be sure.
Sheryl has a 24/7 live stream of wildlife on Twitch.tv called Hoot House Live Stream. She uses a Wyze cam but it's not made for live streaming and glitches out from time to time. Leo says to look for a POE (power over ethernet) or PTZ camera. NEST cams are also good.
Sal calls to let Leo know about WyzeCam's latest outdoor wireless cam, was just released. Leo says that's a cool design, but it's designed to be battery powered and only turns on with movement, to conserve battery life.
Dickie D says that what's neat about myFirst Camera Insta 2 12MP Kid's Instant Print Camera, is it uses thermal printing paper so a black & white print can as little as a penny if you buy the paper in bulk! (It shoots color photos, but it doesn't print in color.) It also supports microSD cards up to 32GB. As you'll see in this week's show the photos are not great, but I think kids will love this camera. And if you happen to take a great photo, then use the SD card to print out a real selfie from MyFirst Camera decent copy.
Wayne is an Alaska wilderness guide and he's creating some audio Zoom webinars during the quarantine. What microphone should he use? Leo says that any mic will work, but he will need a digital interface to connect it to a laptop. Leo uses the Sound Devices MixPre. Other There's also the Focusrite Scarlet. Can he plug a DSLR into his computer and use it? Leo says he could, but he could also just record and then convert the output. Leo uses the Blackmagic ATEM Mini. It's $300 and it'll take up to four HDMI connections and he can switch between them.
John has a Sony A7R and he's having some focusing issues with his lens. Leo says that you can sometimes accidentally switch off autofocus on the lens. So make sure your switch is enabled to AF. Another thing to do is update the lens' firmware. Yes, your lens has firmware. It may be old or even corrupted. So update it. Also, clean the contacts with a QTip and some alcohol.
Sam Abuelsamid came onto the show to talk about exciting ways car manufacturers are using cameras in new cars. He also mentions how, since 2016, it's been mandatory for manufacturers to include backup cameras in their vehicles.
Scott watched the recent Apple event and it got him thinking about multiple lenses/cameras shooting a film simultaneously during production. Leo describes the pain of shooting an interview with only one camera, where the reactions often come across as a bit fake. Scott explains how the movie Focus was screened in front of audiences using four different versions, and the final edit blended them together based on audience feedback. Leo believes more in auteur theory and artistic vision, but the possibility to combine filming styles is still there.
Chris doesn't usually like to talk about new hardware, because he doesn't want people to think that a new camera will make you a better photographer. It doesn't. But there are two new cameras coming that are going to be pretty nice.
1) The Sony A7III will have 61MP and a full-frame sensor with 10fps burst shooting. That means it has a huge buffer of up to 68 images! It also has eye tracking with better autofocus. Even for animals. It also has Pixel Shifting to increase to up to 240MP in still life. Cost is $3500 available Sept 2019.
