Not sure how this has changed over time but afaik with all iPhones the batteries are technically replaceable but really only by Apple…you can’t easily do yourself so it can be a headache as you have to take the device back and will cost quite a bit if it’s out of warranty. I’m thinking best bet for least $ and risk is probably the iPod touch if you have zero interest in using as a phone.
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So im not too keen to buy a used/refurbed phone. Way too many horror stories in reviews. Are there some new, non-Apple phones that have good cameras?
in the, say $350 and below range?? Im glancing at walmart phones:
Samsung Galaxy S8+ G955U 64GB Unlocked $380
LG V30+ 128GB Unlocked GSM 4G LTE Android $370
Motorola Moto G6 32GB Unlocked $250
BLU Vivo XI+ V0311WW 128GB Unlocked GSM Dual-SIM Android Phone w/ Dual: 16MP5MP Camera $315
will any of these do for CTC filming purposes??
if I go to the store to shop, what cam specs do I need to look at??
Merged this w/ existing topic as it seems like basically a continuation! I’ll edit the topic title as well to make it a bit more clear.
None of us at Cracking the Code have much experience with Android so any recommendations for good value phones with high quality cameras would be great.
I’d say most important specs are ability to film 720p resolution or better (ideally 1080p) at 120 frames per second. Ability to lock focus / exposure is important too (on iPhone you can tap and hold on the screen to do this; not sure how it works with others but assuming most camera phones have this feature?)
yeah, essentially I despise Apple products. So im pretty sure they arent the only ones that put decent cameras on phones lol
I have 0 experience with ANY smartphone OS…so ill be starting from scratch no matter what
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I had a GoPro from a friend for a while and made a couple of videos for the forum with it. It worked great and it also fits into the magnet. The one I had was the Hero3, the most recent model is the Hero7. You can probably get older models relatively cheap now. So that is definitely an option, especially if you don’t want to buy an iPhone (which I can totally understand).
If you go searching for android phones, there are a lot that can record at 120fps. If your’re not sure, than look them up on this website:
https://www.gsmarena.com/
Pretty much every device is listed there with all the specs. Just see if the camera can record at 120fps. Hope that’ a bit of a help…
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what resolution are we looking at for great quality at 120fps?
im looking at one plus 6 phone and seeing these stats:
2160p@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/240fps, 720p@480fps, Auto HDR
Im assuming 1080@240 is going to be pretty awesome quality for our purposes??
Well, I’m not an expert, but just from looking at specs for different cameras I would say that 1080p would be great. With older models you might only get 780p, which is probably fine, too. But I’m sure @Brendan can say more about that.
The guys from CtC have said in some discussions here that 120fps is preferred over 240fps. The reason is that to get a good video with 240fps you need much better lighting, which is not so easy without professional equipment. But at 120fps you can get away with just turning all the lights in your room on.
Because of that you need to be careful. The specs don’t say that the camera records 1080@120 fps. Actually it says nothing about filming with 120fps at all. I know that theoretically, if the camera can do 240fps it should also be able to do 120fps. But from personal experience I can say that you’re not guaranteed to get that, at least not “out of the box”. For instance, you might not be able to film with 120fps using the camera app the phone comes with, but you might using some other app like OpenCamera. Unfortunately the only way to really find out is to check. Maybe you find a store that lets you try?
So, unfortunately, this whole filming with 120fps is not so easy when you don’t want to use an iPhone, and I’m in the same camp here. I bought a new phone some time ago, and I also looked for a good camera. I have a Samsung Galaxy S9 now, relatively new and powerful, and even though the camera supports 240fps and even 960fps, I haven’t managed to film with 120fps, for whatever reason. Damn…
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yeah, I dont see many phones listing specs for 120
maybe some helpful info here
It looks to me that the newer phones offer 240fps or even 960fps but not 120 fps. Am I misinterpreting this, or do only the older model phones offer 120fps slow motion?
I can’t seem to find any place where it says if a camera that is advertised at 240fps at 1080p also offers 120fps. Has the 120 fps become obsolete?
On another subject:
Suppose I wanted to record a music video for a band.
How does the video recording quality of Samsung Galaxy 10 or Note 10 compare to the iPhones? Is one brand significantly better? I’ve read the Note 10 is a little better than the Galaxy 10. Taking into account with picture and sound quality.
Would it be better to just buy a video camera instead of a phone with a video camera if I wanted to record an MTV style music video (when they had music videos)?
They usually show max specs for devices. Thus some of 240fps(960fps) phones can do 120fps, but some - can’t, or should I say they can (technically) but this functionality was removed for some reasons.
For example, afaik Samsung Galaxy Note 9 can do 960 and 240 but not 120fps(though it can do 60 and 30 fps). While Sony Xperia XZ can do 960 and 120fps, I don’t know about 240.
So it’s better to check specs before buying.
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Thank you!
One more question: Would I get more for my money to just buy a video recorder - the kind that mounts on a tripod and is made specifically for recording video with sound (like my own music video), or are the videocameras in the Galaxy or Xperias so good that there is no advantage to buying a device that does nothing but record video with sound?
Oh, and do the Galaxy, Xperia and iPhones have a tripod mount feature?
That I don’t know. I have no much experience with video equipment. My guess is that specialized thing usually better than universal one but… with all that modern technologies… who knows.
As for tripods, I don’t know about other smartphones but I’ve definitely seen tripods for IPhones and Galaxies.
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Yep. Google confirmed about tripods… hmm, some of them look very strange…
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Can’t comment on the Samsung vs Apple question, but iphones have been used to film major motion pictures, so it seems you should be able to film a decent music video with one. I imagine skill and experience play a large part in the results, though (lighting, composition, artistic vision, etc.)
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Not sure, none of us at Cracking the Code use Android phones, but the latest iPhone / Samsung / Pixel (and probably others) will all get you pretty great video quality. For more specific demos and comparisons, try some searches on Google + YouTube, probably lots more coming since the new iPhone just dropped.
Keep in mind for any pro filming situation e.g. making a music video you’ll want to record audio separately (regardless of what type of camera you’re using), but for day to day filming with the built in camera for practice sessions etc. it could be worth seeing how the various models compare on the audio front as well. For filming stuff with the Magnet we do often use the built-in iPhone audio and it works pretty well!
You can certainly get better quality with a dedicated camera for video recording, but it’ll be bigger and more expensive than a smartphone. Best bang for your buck, beyond camera phone, is probably a good DSLR in the ~$2k range. There are lots of good ones, Sony, Panasonic, Canon, Nikon, with interchangeable lenses…really almost too many options! But also tons of resources / buyers guides / reviews out there to help decide, depending on budget and feature priorities.
If you’re new to video and want something easy to get started, high end smartphone cameras now are damn good and will get you pretty far! That’s probably where I’d start, particularly if you’d use the other features of a good smartphone too. You can even get add-on lenses (e.g. Moment) for more options. Also keep in mind, as @induction mentioned, lighting / composition / audio are also very important.
Phones don’t typically have a built in tripod mount, but adapter mounts are widely available and inexpensive. Search phone tripod mount, there are all kinds of similar products, basically the phone clips in to a spring-loaded jaw mount that attaches to a standard tripod mount. Examples: Glif, Manfrotto, tons of cheap similar ones on Amazon.
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Thanks Brendan! I really appreciate all the detail you went into. I have done researching on my own but I need to do more. There is just so much new technology out there that all the acronyms for this and that get a bit overwhelming.
I can research the rest on my own but one quick thing: why would you refer to some smartphones as “android” but not others? What makes the difference between android and not android phones?
Thanks again!
EDIT: If anyone is interested, the new iPhones record on both 120 and 240 fps at 1080p. I know because I went to the Apple store today and looked at them. The iPhone 11 was around $700… iPhone 11 pro was about $1000 and mostly you just get a telephoto lens and a faster processor for the extra $300…
If you don’t use a magnet, you can likely use an iPad for your recordings, and they are generally useful for reading.
Android is a company that Google bought to copy Research in Motion (and later Apple’s iPhone).
Android is an operating system. Just like Apple computers run on MacOS and most others run on Windows, iphones run on iOS and most others (including Samsungs) run on Android.
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Thanks Induction for that and your previous help.
I think I only have one question left, since I learned some at the Apple store today.
This question is for you and anyone else who would like to answer because it’s more of an opinion type question: Do you think Apple iphone 11 or Samsung Galaxy 10 would be easier to learn how to use for someone like me, since I have never used any type of iPhone or smartphone before and I also know very little about video recording? Is one generally easier to learn to use for people who are almost technology illiterate? Is Sony Xperia any easier to learn?
If not, then is one of them not necessarily easier to learn but just better designed so its easier to use?
I have to say that while I’m typing this on a Mac, I was very unimpressed with the customer service at the Apple store. Their salespeople were not knowledgeable about the products they had, and they weren’t the least bit motivated to help… Clearly they weren’t being paid on commission… No car dealership, no Best Buy, no music store I’ve ever patronized has ever had people so unmotivated to help. Usually sales people are eager to help and will spend their time with you. These people didn’t dress professionally (not one bothered to wear so much as a button down shirt with a collar), and didn’t have name tags either. They just looked like customers and none approached me. I had to find them, which was difficult since they didn’t dress or act like they were even working. I asked for a brochure I could take home with me. They had none. They don’t even make brochures. Unreal.