Part of my efforts to record and broadcast our gaming has been hampered by challenges around the specific cameras I have to use. Basically, although every camera has a configured framerate, each particular model is slightly different. For short lengths, the difference between 29.97 fps and 30.02 fps is not a big deal. But over a 4-5 hour span or longer, than leads to a sychronization issue of several seconds, which makes audio very distracting. Thru software, I can make some manual adjustments to try to correct it, but it is problematic and time consuming.
My solution is to simply utilize more cameras of the same type – which is made easier since my camera is definitely not state of the art. 1080p is plenty of resolution, but is considered “old” technology, which makes the cameras increasingly inexpensive. Case in point, I was just able to acquire a second camera, identical to the first, for less than 1/3 of what I paid for the first one. Its technically used, but very lightly, and runs just fine. And most importantly, a quick test confirmed that the recording frame rate is identical between both cameras.
This will not only make the editing process much cleaner, but also allows for additional camera angles or more specific angles. My next goal though is to acquire a 3rd camera, which would complete the set.
If you know of an inexpensive Canon Vixia HF R800 camcorder in good condition, let me know.
