The Best Camera Bodies For Church Live Streaming

Mar 29

This is an area that I feel strongly about. For most of my adult life I’ve been a full time photographer and videographer. When the pandemic hit, there was a season of time that I couldn’t do any of that type of work. Yes, even Louisiana shut down. Well, Baton Rouge and New Orleans did. That lead the team at Bethany Church, where I attended at that time, to really push for a different type of streaming situation. Check out their YouTube for examples of how they did this. I went into a situation with a touch of knowledge but came out feeling like I was suddenly a film student. Here are, in my opinion, the best cameras for streaming your churches service.

1: Canon EOS c70 or C200

I put both down intentionally, there isn’t enough difference between the two cameras for be to really feel like an argument is to be had. The c70 has HDMI connections and the newest RF lens mount while the C200 has SDI connections and the traditional EF lens mount. These cameras are incredible for live-streaming. Very little setup is required to really get these looking right. Plus, Canon has the best autofocus around.

2: BlackMagic 6k Pro

This camera is incredible. An absolute work horse. My only complaint is the autofocus situation, which is absolute garbage. If you don’t mind manual focus though, it’s going to be tough to beat this camera. Just know that BlackMagic and Canon colors do not get along well. I still feel like BlackMagic needs to work on the color side of their sensors. Blues/Magentas can get a little weird.

3: Canon EOS R

So the only reason I didn’t put the EOS R5 is because in all honesty, I just haven’t used it. I would assume it would be lightyears ahead of the EOS R. So either one of these would be a great choice. Especially since you can do 10-bit LOG if you’re not writing to an SD card, rather an HDMI output. Two things to know about this setup though. You’ll need to set your frame rate of all cameras, including this one to 24FPS, not 23.976. There’s some issues with BlackMagic video switchers and this. The only other thing to keep in mind is that the camera has a mini HDMI port, not a full-sized one. So an adapter or the proper cable would be required.

These Are My Favorites Because of Their Sizes.

I know there’s better cameras out there. Heck, Panasonic makes some of the best broadcast cameras on the market. The NFL has some pretty nice shots if you ask me. However, these cameras are a pretty achievable goal, and don’t require you to lose 25 seats to set them up on a tripod. I like what I like. We can spend all day coming up with different solutions, but at some point you have to pick something and settle down.

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