People on Zoom often ask me, Mark, how do you get that “movie close-up” look? The answer: I use a full-size camera as opposed to a webcam. Here’s the rundown:
I’m using a Lumix GH5, Camlink 4K, a prime 25mm F1.7 lens, Smallrig mounting clamp, and a DC power adapter. You can accomplish much the same for half the price with a Lumix G7 and kit lens. Here are few things I learned in the process of putting this together:
– I overspent a bit on the GH5. The G7 is just as capable of a camera body in terms of a webcam, and costs much less. The GH5 is newer; feature comparison here. The 14-42mm kit lens won’t get your quite as luscious of a blurred background as a prime 25mm lens, but it’s a great start and may be all you ever need.
– Many “video-capable” cameras are designed primarily for photos, not video. Processing video is far more energy intensive and generates heat. Camera bodies geared specifically toward video (e.g., the GH5) are better equipped to handle this heat, while some of the really small camera bodies can overheat and shut-down (sub-optimal when you’re in the middle of an important call).
– A big part of what you’re aiming for is that “movie look” where your face is crisp and the background is blurred. This is determined by the “f-stop” of the lens you’re using: a wide aperture is what accomplishes it. A tradeoff arises here — a wide maximum aperture tends to make a lens expensive because it requires higher tolerances in the lens design. The tradeoff I chose (to keep cost under control) was to go for a fixed zoom level (no zoom) with a wide aperture. I went with 25mm for a really tight view of my face (see below; 14mm or 20mm would get you some more shoulders and torso at typical monitor distance.
– USB: A feature addition is currently happening in the camera world, now that lots of people are using DSLR’s and Mirrorless cameras as their webcams. In summer 2020 Lumix and Sony announced the ability to stream video as a webcam over USB (as opposed to HDMI). Assuming the camera you choose has this capability, it means you don’t need a CamLink ($150) to convert from HDMI.
– In August 2020 Panasonic released their G100, which is geared toward Vlogging and might be a good choice. I’m not sure how this one performs WRT heat; it hasn’t been on the market long as of this writing.
– Many older-vintage DSLR/Mirrorless cameras had a 30-minute recording limit for video. This is a pain when the camera cuts out in mid-sentence. Three options to overcome it:
- Don’t use a vintage camera – go with something newer
- Capture your stream via “monitoring HDMI” (no time limit) using a Camlink
- Use Magic Lantern to get around the firmware-imposed limit
– I’ve focused on the Panasonic Lumix system above, but Sony and Canon have great options too. I just haven’t researched them thoroughly.
– Webcam’ing is spitty-business, which means you may be cleaning your camera lens fairly often. To preserve the lens coatings I installed a “UV filter” as a sort of disposable window that I don’t mind scrubbing often.
Here’s the difference between my GH5 setup and a late-model Logitech webcam, the C922:
Superradiatingfieldmagnet 