What’s the best gear for shooting live video?
Scoping, from the word periscope, which is the name of the live broadcasting app, is very popular at the moment and will probably get even more popular in the future as live video gets more popular. I have been meaning to get into this for a while but I needed to upgrade my equipment. That means a brand-new android phone, I refuse to pay the quite frankly ridiculous prices that Apple charge for their phones in Brazil. Especially since the latest Samsung’s and other brands have the same features and do everything including live video just as well if not slightly better than the Apple for half or three-quarters the price. As my grandmother used to say “a fool and his money are soon parted.”
There are many different options for live casting, if you are using Facebook Live you can do that from your PC, then you can use an HD Logitech web camera. But if you are using a mobile app such as Snapchat, Instagram or Periscope then, of course, you have to use your smartphone.
The big problem which I have been looking at is how do you stop the bad camera shake you get when holding up a smartphone for any length of time? You could, of course, use the good old Selfie stack however that don’t always give you the best point of view. They are okay in a pinch but not for any length of time.
Probably the best solution that I have seen comes from the makers of accessories for GoPros and other action cams. An entire industry has sprung up around making accessories for GoPro’s and now some of those makers are extending these accessories to smartphones both android and Apple.
https://www.amazon.com/DigiPower-LED-Light-Smartphones-Tablets/dp/B00G4PFVUY
Along with stabilisation, I’m looking at getting some LED lights for my smartphone so that when I’m filming models or God forbid myself, that image will appear much more natural. You can spend crazy money on lighting but for a smartphone, I am not sure it’s really worth it. I will definitely be checking out something which offers good value for money. I will be posting the results on this website so you will be able to check it out for yourself and find out whether this is something useful for you.