What equipment do you need for a livestream?
Live streaming is more popular than ever. No wonder, because with a video stream you can let your colleagues, customers or students attend your lecture, workshop, lecture or presentation live (on their phone or computer screen). Are you thinking about doing this too? Read our tips below before you start livestreaming!
Which camera do you use for a livestream?
Nowadays almost every camera is suitable for live streaming. However, it does depend on what you want to use your live stream for. We discuss some options:
Live streaming with your smartphone
The easiest and most affordable way is to live stream with the camera that you always have with you. We are of course talking about a smartphone. Compare it with vlogging. A smartphone is lightweight and modern day phones give a very decent image quality. You could still argue about the sound, especially at a larger distance or in the open air. But if you connect an
external microphone to your smartphone, you will overcome that objection. For the stability of your images, add a
gimbal or
tripod and a
LED panel as extra light in order to really up your game!
Webcam for your live stream
Almost every laptop has a webcam. Although the quality varies a lot, modern computers have quite a decent image quality when it comes to the built-in camera. Moreover, you do not have to take a separate camera with you and the corresponding cables to connect it as the camera is already built-in and therefore works immediately! Speaking of quality: make sure there is plenty of ambient light and don't let the distance between the subject and the webcam be too large. The optimal distance is within one and a half to two meters. It is therefore not a good idea to record a scene or a speaker from the back of a lecture hall.
Live streaming with an action cam
Do you want to live stream your outdoor adventures such as sports events or outdoor festivals? Then you can opt to use an
action camera such as a
GoPro . With this you can also live stream when being on the road, for example via platforms such as Facebook, Youtube or other social media channels. You can also save the videos to an SD memory card. A big advantage is that an action camera can take a beating and a splash and that it often has image stabilization built in so that your live stream remains smooth, stable and shock free. The disadvantage of live streaming with an action cam is that you have less control over the audio quality and more advanced image settings.
Live streaming with an DSLR camera or mirrorless camera
By far the best image quality for your live stream can be achieved with a
DSLR camera or the now very popular
system camera , also known as a mirrorless camera. This allows you to film in a very high quality, especially if you put a somewhat better lens on the camera. You can also easily connect a good microphone to these cameras to make sure that your sound is also up to par. To be able to live stream with a DLSR or mirrorless camera however, you will need an extra
streaming device or capture device . You can connect this to the HDMI or SDI output of the camera.
Rent a livestream camera
Do you think a DLSR camera or system camera is a bit too expensive to buy for a one-off live stream? Why not
renting it! This way you save a lot of money.
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