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4k 60fps Hand held camera suggestions

Bransty

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Hi,

I've recently made a holiday video mixing camera photo stills, and drone videos. I really enjoyed it.
The Air 2 footage is stunning in 4k 60 fps. But it would be nice to have a handheld camera that also shoots in 4k 60fps that I could add to the timeline, for ground level walking around shots.

I know nothing about hand held cameras. Could anyone recommend one that wouldn't break the bank? Even 2nd hand would be fine.

Hope I've picked the right forum for this question.

John
 
I will assume you don't want to invest in a proper interchangeable lens camera system as you don't want to break the bank.

In that case you have some great options, depending on what environments you want to shoot in:

1) GoPro Hero 9 or 10. Benchmark for action cameras, inexpensive, phenomenal stabilization, easy to work with, extremely compact, great accessory support, waterproof, etc.

2) Buy a gimbal for your smartphone (something like the DJI OM4 or one of the many on Amazon) - most recent smartphones can shoot 4K/60P (iPhone X, 11, 12, Samsung Galaxy S9 or newer) and some of them, like the Galaxy S21 Ultra for example, even have a bigger image sensor than the Air 2. If you already own a capable smartphone, investment would be very small. The DJI Osmo and Pocket are basically the same thing, but with their own cameras.

3) Buy a rig that lets you use your Air 2 on the ground (something similar to the PolarPro Katana) - all camera functions work without the motors running. More cumbersome than the other options, but your footage quality would all be identical in terms of color science, bitrate, etc.
 
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If you are happy using your drone, just buy the little handle adapter that lets you use your drone, as has been suggested. You can do a search on ebay, they are under $20, I got one when I had the old Mavic Pro. That is your least cost solution.
 
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Tie a string around the controller and use one hand to on/off the record , focus.. Use your other hand to hold the drone.
Also bend your knees when walking ( Ninja walk ) You can do all the standard drone moves ( orbit, reveal etc) Do all your ground movements slow and easy. Footage from ground and air will match perfectly.
 
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Hi,

I've recently made a holiday video mixing camera photo stills, and drone videos. I really enjoyed it.
The Air 2 footage is stunning in 4k 60 fps. But it would be nice to have a handheld camera that also shoots in 4k 60fps that I could add to the timeline, for ground level walking around shots.

I know nothing about hand held cameras. Could anyone recommend one that wouldn't break the bank? Even 2nd hand would be fine.

Hope I've picked the right forum for this question.

John
I just got the DJI Pocket 2 and it's cool. Shoot 4k and pics with some zoom too and since it uses DJI's gimbal technology - videos and pics are much better than a hand held camera / DSLR. The tiny screen sucks, but you can attach a phone for a bigger screen.

Not exactly cheap at about $500 for the kit; but glad I bought it for just that purpose of pics / vids without so much handshake and no tripod required.
 
Well if you are into that sort of money, then get the new GoPro 10 which is a far better camera and you can just hand hold the small camera with out any sticks etc. if you wish. It has a far bigger screen than the Osmo Pocket or the 2 and it is cheaper if you look for deals on it. Still the cheapest way is for the OP to just hand hold and walk around with his drone to film.
 
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Massive thank you to everyone for their responses! You've saved me hours of researching.
Looks like I'm going to be choosing either the DJI Pocket 2, or the GoPro Hero 10.
I'm very impressed with both. The footage on youtube from both is amazing.
Once again, thank you so much!
 
Massive thank you to everyone for their responses! You've saved me hours of researching.
Looks like I'm going to be choosing either the DJI Pocket 2, or the GoPro Hero 10.
I'm very impressed with both. The footage on youtube from both is amazing.
Once again, thank you so much!
Go with the GoPro, the screen is much bigger than that tiny DJI Pocket. I have one and it is almost impossible to see anything on it, so you have to have a phone attached to it, more fiddle each time you want to film anything. I also have a GoPro and the screen is big enough to see what you are filming, plus the Hero 10 Black has a screen in front and in the back. Take a look at both and you'll soon understand which is easier to use.
 
Adding extraneous information outside the normal box - avoid the GoPro.

The gimbal on the Pocket 2 is worth pounds... quite a lot more useful than anything the GoPro offers.

Or, consider a real camera with a real zoom lens. One example is this, many others out there.

But honestly, the drone is a good camera already with a gimbal... lugging it around may look funny, but it does work.
 
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Have both and both have advantages over the other. If I could only purchase one, it would be the GoPro 10.
Here's a very balanced comparison of both
DJI Pocket 2 vs GoPro Hero 10 Black
 
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I've used GoPros as well as other cameras to complement my aerial shots and videos for years. As the cameras on drones got better however, those sports cameras started to show their weaknesses. When I got a Typhoon H Plus in 2018 with a one inch sensor, I sought out a camera that could match it (and now my M2P), in terms of image quality.

I wanted a camera that was small and compact but had at least a 1" sensor and I ended up getting a Panasonic Lumix LX10 which is a compact handheld and has F1.3 24 - 70 mm lens. I later picked up a gimbal and have used that camera as my travel rig and the video (and photos) are stunning and compliment just about anything I use in the air. I also own a Panasonic Lumix GH5 for my main video work, and in some cases, the footage from the LX10 is nearly indistinguishable from the GH5.

For me though, the bottom line was to have a camera that was small enough that I could get it (and my drone) into places that I could only hike or bike into, and shoot very high quality video, and for that a small compact fit the bill perfectly.

LX10small.jpg
 
I’ll second the Osmo pocket. I got lucky and picked up a second hand one on Craigslist for 50 bucks. Haven’t played much with it but it seems the perfect match for a dji drone.
I just ordered a DJI Osmo Pocket from Amazon. Should get it tomorrow. I posted about it in DJI camera on order...
The video on Amazon shows what it can do. The Pocket 2 is $347.00, the Pocket is $108 less than the Pocket 2.

I was going for something is the $100 range, but couldn't resist.
 
I just ordered a DJI Osmo Pocket from Amazon. Should get it tomorrow. I posted about it in DJI camera on order...
The video on Amazon shows what it can do. The Pocket 2 is $347.00, the Pocket is $108 less than the Pocket 2.

I was going for something is the $100 range, but couldn't resist.
I'm fascinated by the DJI Osmo Pocket. It's like holding a DJI drone in your hand. Up front and personal that gimbal does its thing, and one thing the Mini 2 can't do, you can easily tell it (with the flick of a finger) to follow anything on the Mimo (the app) screen. I've been playing with it for a day, and have added a charging base and lens and screen protectors (on order).
One thing I have to get used to is how to get to the JPEG and MP4 files. That seems to be overly complicated.
I had a HERO (a few decades ago), but I think our daughter ended up with it. The simplest MP4 camera I've had was a Webby. Don't know why I stopped using it, as it took great family memories, and I've even used them in a simple editing program for practice. I used that one at least 12 years ago.
 
You should have no problem getting the files from the camera. Just take out the Micro SD card and insert it into your computer/laptop and download them. I have an Osmo Pocket and have no problems at all downloading these files to my PC laptop. What problems are running up against?

I also Have a Hero black 7 and it is just as easy copying these files to my laptop as it is with the Osmo.
 
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You should have no problem getting the files from the camera. Just take out the Micro SD card and insert it into your computer/laptop and download them. I have an Osmo Pocket and have no problems at all downloading these files to my PC laptop. What problems are running up against?

I also Have a Hero black 7 and it is just as easy copying these files to my laptop as it is with the Osmo.
Thank you. My problem might be that I haven't got the knack of taking still shots. I'm using the Pocket with my Galaxy Tab A7 Lite and the tablet makes a great huge viewfinder. And I can assign the camera to follow a certain subject just by choosing it. It's taking JPG which is good, but sometimes I think I've taken a shot and it's not on the SD Card. I'm sure I'll get it, but what really drives me crazy is that no matter how much I take off my phone (even to installing a clean SD card), it still tells me there's too much stuff on there. :(
So when you take a shot, does it stay in Pocket memory, or is it sent to the SD card? Or do you have to send it there?

Ken
 
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You should have no problem getting the files from the camera. Just take out the Micro SD card and insert it into your computer/laptop and download them. I have an Osmo Pocket and have no problems at all downloading these files to my PC laptop. What problems are running up against?

I also Have a Hero black 7 and it is just as easy copying these files to my laptop as it is with the Osmo.
One thing about the SD card slot on the Pocket. You would expect the slot to be so the card could be inserted with the label towards the LED screen of the camera, but it's not. It can only be inserted with the contacts to the front. Checking inside, I can see the mating contacts of the camera are indeed on the "top", near the front video surface. It would help if they had printed "SD Card" on the unit to indicated which way to insert. Or at least detailed it in the manual.
 
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