People often ask us: what’s the best video camera for video email?
Short answer: The one you already own!
People are winning more opportunities every day with a webcam video, iPhone video, or another simple, convenient set up.
And by “simple,” I mean quick, easy, unscripted, and conversational. Think: relationships through video versus marketing through video. Click here for more on this divide.
More and more, though, simple video is also high-quality video.
In fact, I put iPhone video to the test against a DSLR and a camcorder. Does it measure up? You decide!
Check out the 3 videos. Then, see if you can guess which video goes with which camera!
iPhone Video Test: The Scene
The chosen scene for our iPhone video test was the southeast corner of the BombBomb office in downtown Colorado Springs, Colorado.
This scene has mixed light – sun filtered through clouds and through the double paned windows and standard fluorescents overhead.
It also has varied depths – the shot is about 25 feet deep, with windows down the side, objects at the back wall, and mountains about 5 miles away out the window.
Plus, there’s Joel! Or a cardboard cut out of him, anyway.
Here’s the scene …
iPhone Video Test: The Competition
The competitors (from right to left in photo below):
- iPhone 6 | Mobile phone | $549
- Canon VIXIA HF G20 | Camcorder | $899/$749
- Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II | DSLR | $1,099/$899**
**Camera body only. In the test, this camera had the Panasonic LUMIX G 14mm f/2.5 ASPH II lens ($297).
Here are the competitors …
iPhone Video Test: The Videos
VIDEO 1
VIDEO 2
VIDEO 3
So, Which Camera Shot Which Video?
Fill out this form to guess which video camera was used to record each of the 3 videos.
Get the answers sent straight to you by video email!
Watch for an upcoming blog post with everyone’s guesses.
iPhone Video Test: The Spark
It’s not hard to find praise for the quality of an iPhone video or photo. Apple even has a section of their website dedicated to it.
Apparently, it’s so good that some apps are making your iPhone video quality look worse (vintage 80’s VHS tape).
As an example, here’s a video from October 2015 (iPhone 6s):
Another example: a pair photos from September 2014 (Nikon D7100 above, iPhone 6 below):
Click here to see 5 more iPhone 6 versus Nikon D7100 photos of Yosemite Valley and Glacier Point from Filip Molcan. At a minimum, they’re equivalent.
London. Yep.
Yosemite Valley. Check!
But how about an ordinary office environment?
To align the test a bit more with what you’re doing every day – reaching out with simple videos to build relationships and win more business – we decided to run this DSLR vs camcorder vs iPhone 6 test at the BombBomb office.
iPhone Video Test: Production Notes
I recorded each video as a solo effort – just like I record nearly every video for email and just as most people are recording video emails.
Each camera was set on the same tripod at the same height from the same position.
I didn’t fuss much over the exact framing – but each shot is about the same.
I didn’t adjust any camera settings – just a quick set up and record. No apps were used with the iPhone. I could have spent much more time dialing in the DSLR, for which I kept a medium depth of field to replicate the other cameras.
I didn’t use any additional lighting – just the window and the overheads.
And no extra microphone was used – just the on-board mics for each camera.
I trimmed the front and back from each video with Adobe Premiere, exported them, and uploaded them to my BombBomb account.
Closing Thoughts
“The right tool for the right job” is always a healthy approach.
Camcorders and DSLRs can do some thing your smartphone or tablet can’t. Each is ideal for different photo and video jobs.
For personal, one-to-one videos, though, your iPhone or Android is a great choice. It’s always with you. It’s easy to use. And many record high quality videos. Click here to see a list of some of the best.
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