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best setting to shoot video of kids?

T

tm0000

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Hi,

So, I need help with something. I'm shooting videos of my kids to watch now and in the future, on my 4k TV.
Which setting should I keep the camera at, 1080p @ 60fps or 4k @ 30fps? I'm shooting in low light most of the time. Which is better?

Thanks!
 
4K @30. With that resolution, you'll have the headroom to do some nice zoom crops or anything you might need. With 1080p @60fps, you won't have that option and will only gain an unnatural looking smoothness. 60fps is good when you need create nice steady pans or smooth movements because you can slow down in post to smooth out jerks. Doesn't sound like you need that at all.
 
tm0000 said:
Hi,

So, I need help with something. I'm shooting videos of my kids to watch now and in the future, on my 4k TV.
Which setting should I keep the camera at, 1080p @ 60fps or 4k @ 30fps? I'm shooting in low light most of the time. Which is better?

Thanks!
Click to expand...
For low light, I suggest 30 fps 1080p. 30fps 4K and 60fps 1080p don't capture enough light.

For bright light shooting, I suggest 30fps 4K if the kids aren't running around a lot. Otherwise, I recommend 60fps 1080p because the high frame rate will capture motion much better.
 
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7 or 7+? Both have optical image stabilization, but the + also has optical zoom @ 2x.
Since i'm not set up for 4K i use 1080P, but if i ever want to keep a video for the future i'm using 4K. I tried some video, and photo's inside, but the light alway's throw's off the color. I did take pic's while walking in the park. One normal, and the second of the same subject, with the zoom. I was very impressed for the first time using an iPhone camera. Then i took a video using 1080P, and 4k. I used the zoom for both, off and on, off and on. When i played them back i was really impressed with the zoom feature.
Kid's are fun to photograph, because they have so many expression's. Before this 7+ i alway's used my Canon EOS 20D for photography, because like i said i've never been impressed with the camera on iPhone's. Now i'm thinking i don't need to use the canon?
Technology change's monthly these day's, so i would say if your keeping your video's use 4K. Take the kid's out side on a sunny day before winter come's and the color's change. You will like the video's even more, because the color jumps out when it's natural light. Shoot some in the sun light, and some in the shadow's of something like under a tree. If you have the 7+ practice with the zoom. That way you don't have to be so close to them, and kid's can do, and say some funny thing's when their in their own little world.
 
Suckfest 9001 said:
For low light, I suggest 30 fps 1080p. 30fps 4K and 60fps 1080p don't capture enough light.

For bright light shooting, I suggest 30fps 4K if the kids aren't running around a lot. Otherwise, I recommend 60fps 1080p because the high frame rate will capture motion much better.
Click to expand...

So, you wouldn't recommend 4k @ 30fps in low light?
7roca7 said:
7 or 7+? Both have optical image stabilization, but the + also has optical zoom @ 2x.
Since i'm not set up for 4K i use 1080P, but if i ever want to keep a video for the future i'm using 4K. I tried some video, and photo's inside, but the light alway's throw's off the color. I did take pic's while walking in the park. One normal, and the second of the same subject, with the zoom. I was very impressed for the first time using an iPhone camera. Then i took a video using 1080P, and 4k. I used the zoom for both, off and on, off and on. When i played them back i was really impressed with the zoom feature.
Kid's are fun to photograph, because they have so many expression's. Before this 7+ i alway's used my Canon EOS 20D for photography, because like i said i've never been impressed with the camera on iPhone's. Now i'm thinking i don't need to use the canon?
Technology change's monthly these day's, so i would say if your keeping your video's use 4K. Take the kid's out side on a sunny day before winter come's and the color's change. You will like the video's even more, because the color jumps out when it's natural light. Shoot some in the sun light, and some in the shadow's of something like under a tree. If you have the 7+ practice with the zoom. That way you don't have to be so close to them, and kid's can do, and say some funny thing's when their in their own little world.
Click to expand...

I have the 7+.

What would you recommend for low light indoors?

Thanks so much!
 
tm0000 said:
So, you wouldn't recommend 4k @ 30fps in low light?


I have the 7+.

What would you recommend for low light indoors?

Thanks so much!
Click to expand...
Actually I take that back. 4K at 30fps for low light and high light, 1080p at 60fps for fast motion high light.

Higher resolution doesn't seem to affect low light performance at all.
 
I haven't had a chance to read any info about the camera yet. I've been concentrating on getting longer battery usage.
But.....i would experiment with photo, and video indoor's. To me low light indoor's is anything that give's off light like a lamp, overhead light, tv, fireplace. I only like one indoor pic i took and that was just of a lamp on the end table. I shot it so that the glare of the lamp wouldn't hit directly in the photo. With my Digital camera, unless i used a flash, all photos had an orange or pink tint because of the indoor lighting. I would edit them in iPhoto.
What it really come's down to is: when your looking at a photo or video, what is your eye's telling your brain. If you like what you see it doesn't matter what any one else think's.
Keep the light indoor's behind you, and let it shine on your subject. Keep practicing taking photo's or video's. It will come to you. I've been using camera equipment for 50 yrs starting with a Kodak(you may not know what that is) and ending with digital equipment. I've just learned over the year's what the photo is going to look like depending on my surrounding's.
I don't even know if you can edit video's in iPhoto, because like i said i've never liked iPhone camera's till now. I'll insert a few photo's i took while walking in the park. The first is one that i just wanted to see how the leafs would look under the shade of a tree. The next two..the first a normal setting of housing and the second the same shot using the zoom. the next two: one taken of my nephew's birthday party in a bowling alley, and the next of him and his sister using the light coming in from the window. The one's of the kid's are from using my digital camera. I think the iPhone 7+ take's better pic's than the digital? I can't wait to start learning more about the 7+
 

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MC6800 said:
Ah, so with 60 fps the OP will lose that suspension of disbelief and see their kids for what they really are.

Something's not right here...
Click to expand...
60fps video looks unnatural to many people. It's well documented. No need for your snark.
 
Bbqthis said:
60fps video looks unnatural to many people. It's well documented. No need for your snark.
Click to expand...

My point is that this should not be true for this use case. A video of your kids isn't meant to look like a movie so 60 fps shouldn't be a problem. The association of it with cheap soap operas is probably one of those things that people will eventually unlearn.
 
MC6800 said:
My point is that this should not be true for this use case. A video of your kids isn't meant to look like a movie so 60 fps shouldn't be a problem. The association of it with cheap soap operas is probably one of those things that people will eventually unlearn.
Click to expand...
Either way, my point still stands that 4K at 30fps is generally going to be the better option. Being able to zoom and see details without a noticeable drop in quality is going to be much more important for document memories with kids than any benefits (and yes there are benefits, I know) from shooting at 60fps.
 
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