What is your podcast going to be about?
Ask HN: Which low-budget camera would you recommend for recording podcasts?
31–40 of 45 posts
Re: Ask HN: Which low-budget camera would you recommend for recording podcasts?
#32You may have better luck if you specify what low budget means to you. The latest iPhone Pro is better than some of the entry level cameras, especially if you weren't planning to splurge for a nice prime lens. I think the cheapest you should go is the Sony EV-10 plus Sigma 16mm 1.4 lens. If those are more than you want to spend, stick with your phone camera because you won't see enough improvement to make it worthwhil…
When I google the EV-10, I get results for the ZV-E10. I assume they are the same camera, why do people call it the EV-10? The ZV-E10 can live stream up to 720p over USB-C (1), is that sufficient? (1) https://www.dpreview.com/reviews/sony-zv-e10-review
Does it need live stream or would recording to the camera be sufficient? Can it do both at the same time?
Re: Ask HN: Which low-budget camera would you recommend for recording podcasts?
#33Sound is much more important - even if you consider your podcast video first (in which case it’s not a podcast but that’s another topic) sound is more important. Take whatever smart phone you have and use that for the video and then spend any money you have for the camera and spend it on a decent mic. People will watch lower quality video with good sound for far longer than they will watch good video with bad sound.…
I wonder why there's still no AI tool that would take okay-ish voice recording and make it sound stellar, just like there are many tools for visual stuff?
Re: Ask HN: Which low-budget camera would you recommend for recording podcasts?
#34Sound is much more important - even if you consider your podcast video first (in which case it’s not a podcast but that’s another topic) sound is more important. Take whatever smart phone you have and use that for the video and then spend any money you have for the camera and spend it on a decent mic. People will watch lower quality video with good sound for far longer than they will watch good video with bad sound.…
I wonder why there's still no AI tool that would take okay-ish voice recording and make it sound stellar, just like there are many tools for visual stuff?
AI tools can't make okay-ish video recordings suddenly look great.
Re: Ask HN: Which low-budget camera would you recommend for recording podcasts?
#35Like others have said, get a used Sony a6000 (or higher model, try to get one where the screen can be swiveled to point forward). If you expect to be sitting close to the camera, you can't go wrong with a Sigma 16mm 1.4 lens. If you have the space to place the camera further away, you should probably get a slightly longer lens.
Re: Ask HN: Which low-budget camera would you recommend for recording podcasts?
#36Sound is much more important - even if you consider your podcast video first (in which case it’s not a podcast but that’s another topic) sound is more important. Take whatever smart phone you have and use that for the video and then spend any money you have for the camera and spend it on a decent mic. People will watch lower quality video with good sound for far longer than they will watch good video with bad sound.…
Exactly this. In terms of recording quality, my approach would look something like this:
1. Use a decent microphone.
2. Make sure you know how to handle the microphone.
3. Use closed-back headphones.
4. Record in a suitable environment/studio.
5. Consider adding a video track as well.
Re: Ask HN: Which low-budget camera would you recommend for recording podcasts?
#37I've spent a few years fiddling with setups during COVID / remote work. Honestly, in my experience, gear comes secondary to your ENVIRONMENT. Julie Schiro's videos are a great place to start: https://www.youtube.com/@JulieSchiro Here are my tiers! Tier 1: Audio > Video first! - Get very basic sound treatment done, even just a few panels in front and behind you. ~$100 or cheaper with DIY https://www.youtube.com/watch?…
I have the Shure MV7, and I've been extremely impressed with it over USB. Highly recommend it as an entry point to (semi-)professional audio equipment.
Re: Ask HN: Which low-budget camera would you recommend for recording podcasts?
#38Everyone is saying focus on the mic, but nobody is saying what mic is recommended to use with a smartphone.
I'm giving a talk in a bar next week, and for some reason the organizers are doing audio only recordings, so I'm thinking of setting up a phone to record, but I'll want a 2nd mic as I don't want to have to sync the audio recording from the organizers to my video.
Though I'm not sure if there is a good bluetooth lapel mic. I don't seem to be finding much. I'm wondering if I'll just end up using one of my earbuds, though the audio will probably end up being crap.
Any recommendations?
Re: Ask HN: Which low-budget camera would you recommend for recording podcasts?
#39Sorry,I'm confused. Aren't podcasts audio by definition? Unless your audience is going to be mainly on a video platform (and even then, the following advice will apply) you should focus your budget on audio equipment, and possibly build a recording booth.
There are a lot of podcasts out there and no good discoverability outside of large platforms. YouTube has some of the best discoverability out there, but YouTube viewers expect video. If you want to run a successful podcast in 2024, recording video and uploading it to YouTube is a must
In fact Google Podcasts is shutting down; the podcasts will be served via Youtube Music.
Re: Ask HN: Which low-budget camera would you recommend for recording podcasts?
#40Earlier quoted context omitted.
I would even say that room treatment is a lot more valuable to a starting podcast. Sure don’t have the cheapest, shittiest mic but especially starting our room treatment grants a lot more value. Of course, you could record in your closet ;)
Even easier: get a hypercardoid shotgun mic and speak directly into the front of it. I’ve had amazing success with the Azden SGM-250H in very poor recording environments (bare walls, tile floors, etc). No affiliation, and I suspect numerous other similar mics would do well.
A hypercardioid and any manner of soft surface behind the speaker - even pillows or curtains - will get you >90% of the way there for most podcast purposes.
Really, after just fitting out a (very shoestring budget) recording studio, the first thing is reducing flutter echo by covering most hard flat parallel surfaces. That alone is like, worth double digit percent of the solution.