Camera to record interviews

[althom77]

I am looking for a camera to record meetings / interview. This is all above board - everyone has provided consent and this is for training purposes.

I have looked at a few cameras and am keen for some advice. I think something with an internal SD card and an option for a line in for the mic is important, in case the clarity of the voice is a problem.

Once the meeting is finished I want to be able to take the file and save it into the appropriate location - so interface is important.

It will be stand alone to start with, and potentially link it up to a NVR in the future.

The devices I have looked at so far are:
- Axis Q3515-LV (expensive and possibly mroe than needed)
- Hik Vision (looked at several, but have not found any with internl mic without soldering)
- Bosch Autodome 4000i

The meeting room is only 3m x 4m. I have not been able to see the interfaces and I get very conflicting advice when speaking to the camera shops. I live in a remote area so ideally looking for something easy enough for me to do myself.

Anyone have any advice on what might have worked for them?

 

[fenderman]

I am looking for a camera to record meetings / interview. This is all above board - everyone has provided consent and this is for training purposes.

I have looked at a few cameras and am keen for some advice. I think something with an internal SD card and an option for a line in for the mic is important, in case the clarity of the voice is a problem.

Once the meeting is finished I want to be able to take the file and save it into the appropriate location - so interface is important.

It will be stand alone to start with, and potentially link it up to a NVR in the future.

The devices I have looked at so far are:
- Axis Q3515-LV (expensive and possibly mroe than needed)
- Hik Vision (looked at several, but have not found any with internl mic without soldering)
- Bosch Autodome 4000i

The meeting room is only 3m x 4m. I have not been able to see the interfaces and I get very conflicting advice when speaking to the camera shops. I live in a remote area so ideally looking for something easy enough for me to do myself.

Anyone have any advice on what might have worked for them?

welcome to the forum...you need a video camera/action cam...not an ip camera.

 

[Fastb]

Althom77,

Welcome to the forum!
Go Pro maybe?
- SD card is easier to access, vs the SD card in most cams that require tools and require dis-assembly of the cam enclosure to reach the SD card.
- built in audio, it comes with a waterproof back cover, which stifles the audio. But also comes with a non-waterproof back cover, for improved audio.
- lots of accessories. Suction cup to mount to whiteboard, tripod for placing on a table,, etc.
- no power cords to deal with, except when you remove the battery to recharge. The charger has a cord.
- Some with Bluetooth control of recording features
- You need to check this - I THINK it can stream while in use, using WiFi.
- simple to set up and operate.
- Less invasive/creepy than a "surveillance" cam? (for the people in the interview room)

Good luck!
And again, Welcome!

One last thought: I use my NVR to view the footage recorded on the SD card while the card is resident in the cam. I never tried to remove the card and view footage, say with a PC, directly.
So the format of the video on the IP cam memory card may not be a universal format. Maybe it's proprietary. I don't know. I do know the SD card from a GoPro can be inserted into a laptop and read. The file structure is "typical", the file attributes are typical (date, time, format, file length, etc) and the video files & snapshots use standard formats. Drag and drop from the memory card to the HD in the PC, for example.

 

[althom77]

Althom77,

Welcome to the forum!
Go Pro maybe?
- SD card is easier to access, vs the SD card in most cams that require tools and require dis-assembly of the cam enclosure to reach the SD card.
- built in audio, it comes with a waterproof back cover, which stifles the audio. But also comes with a non-waterproof back cover, for improved audio.
- lots of accessories. Suction cup to mount to whiteboard, tripod for placing on a table,, etc.
- no power cords to deal with, except when you remove the battery to recharge. The charger has a cord.
- Some with Bluetooth control of recording features
- You need to check this - I THINK it can stream while in use, using WiFi.
- simple to set up and operate.
- Less invasive/creepy than a "surveillance" cam? (for the people in the interview room)

Good luck!
And again, Welcome!

One last thought: I use my NVR to view the footage recorded on the SD card while the card is resident in the cam. I never tried to remove the card and view footage, say with a PC, directly.
So the format of the video on the IP cam memory card may not be a universal format. Maybe it's proprietary. I don't know. I do know the SD card from a GoPro can be inserted into a laptop and read. The file structure is "typical", the file attributes are typical (date, time, format, file length, etc) and the video files & snapshots use standard formats. Drag and drop from the memory card to the HD in the PC, for example.

Thanks - I have asked others using a GoPro and they said the negative is the sound quality. I have not had issues with my personal sound. The reason we were thinking an IP Camera was so it's not in their face either. It's there, but they are not staring at it the whole time which is also off putting. Great points re the file structure - I was planning to log onto the web interface of the camera itself and 'download' the footage from there. It's not an ideal solution but possibly something good for a budget solution. If I was to use an IP Cam, then I was going to run a POE ethernet cable to the camera to power it in the ceiling.

I'll run some tests using my GoPro and see if that might just be the solution. I wouldn't want it making beeping noises during the session either - but they could probably be turned off.

 

[althom77]

welcome to the forum...you need a video camera/action cam...not an ip camera.

Thanks - the reason I was thinking IP camera was to have it less obvious. We find that people are put off less if it is just part of the room - where sitting in front of a camera makes people more rigid and less comfortable. I thought with the quality of the IP cameras these days that this might be a solution that would work well?

 

[fenderman]

Thanks - the reason I was thinking IP camera was to have it less obvious. We find that people are put off less if it is just part of the room - where sitting in front of a camera makes people more rigid and less comfortable. I thought with the quality of the IP cameras these days that this might be a solution that would work well?

You will be better off wall mounting a go pro or similar....

 

[Fastb]

If I was to use an IP Cam, then I was going to run a POE ethernet cable to the camera to power it in the ceiling.

althom77, that mounting position seems to high. You'll catch the tops of their heads.
If this is for training/interviewing, a lower angle could show
- facial expressions,
- where their eyes are looking (good eye contact, or not)
- body language,
- and even capturing multiple facial expressions simultaneously (to get the complete picture)

Seems to me, after interviewing/hiring hundreds of people in my too-long career, that maybe a camcorder might work.
- Built in mic, some sorta of a "boom mic" variety.
- provision for auxiliary mic (that gets mixed in with the built in mic audio)

You can experiment. The options discussed above won't break the bank.

 

[looney2ns]

Camcorder is your friend. Mount on a tripod at the back of the room or up on a wall, zoom in to your preference. Or mount it in a bookcase among-st other items. Use a wireless mic setup close to the interview location.
Some even have wifi to transfer the files, and the cards are easily accessible.
Most have wireless remotes so you can start and stop it without going to the cam.
Stick with a Sony, Canon or Panasonic.
Make sure the one you choose accepts an external mic.