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Choosing a Camera
rcottingham edited this page Sep 9, 2024
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- Do you need to be able to run 1080p50/p60 tests for HD or 2160p50/60 for UHD?
- Do you need to be able to record audio, video and audio?
- Do you need to test audio / video sync?
- Do you need to test playback of movie-length content?
- Do you need to do long duration and higher frame rate (~120fps) recording or need to be suitable for a long term use?
- Do you want automatic control of recording (or is manual control enough)? a
- Do you want to stream to a PC, automatic download recording or is recording locally and moving it across manually good enough?
- How much can you afford?
The following table shows how well examples of various recording devices meet these requirements.
| Requirement | Mid-range cell phone | High-end cell phone | Webcam | Mobile camera | Low-end professional camera |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Test 1080p50/60, 2180p50/60 | No | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Record audio, video and audio | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Test audio/video sync | Yes, shall be calibrated upfront | Yes, shall be calibrated upfront | No | Yes, shall be calibrated upfront | Yes, shall be calibrated upfront |
| Test playback of movie-length content (up to 60fps recording) | Yes, using a mains power supply | Yes, using a mains power supply | Yes | Yes, using a mains power supply with battery removed | Yes |
| ~120fps recording for a long duration or a long term use | Not recommended due to overheating or potential battery failures (due to frequent charging/draining) | Not recommended due to overheating or potential battery failures (due to frequent charging/draining) | Yes | Not recommended due to overheating or potential battery failures (due to frequent charging/draining); 120fps recording also requires battery | Yes |
| a. Streaming or local recording b. Recording on the camera (e.g.: SD card) and can be downloaded automatically to local |
No, due to severe limitations | No, due to severe limitations | Yes | Yes, video only | Yes |
| Manually copy recordings from camera (e.g.: SD card) to local | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Example device (1) | Generic cell phone | Samsung S23+ | Logitech BRIO 4K Webcam | Go Pro Hero 11 | Blackmagic Cinema 6K |
| Approximate Price | $500 | $1000 | $200 | $300 | $3000 |
(1) Example devices are ones used to some extent during the development of the WAVE media test suite for devices. It is expected that similar products will have similar capabilities.