Guest PT247 Posted May 1, 2017 Share Posted May 1, 2017 Hey all, some of you may know I post airsoft videos on YouTube. I only have a very small channel but I have been posting videos for quite a while now so thought it time to share some of the info I have learnt from my time in the saddle. I also have a second and third channel which I use for motovlogging and training videos for work. I am no expert, I have no formal training and a lot of my videos are at best sloppy, so please don't roast me if I call things a widget when they are really a wotsit! So if like me you have watched a wedge of videos on the tube of ewes of ninja sniper scopecams, or massively edited action packed CQB shootouts by some of the big names in the sport/hobby and thought you'd like to do that but didn't have a clue where to start, I thought it'd be helpful to put this thread together for you. I want to get this said right here and now as top priority..... YOU NEED A SCOPECAM, there is no point creating content without one as you will get very few views. I'd actually go so far to say it is better to have a scopecam than a headcam to start with because you can just make killshot videos until you can afford both. If you play CQB your scopecam does not even really need a zoom lens, but if you play outdoors then having an optical magnification rather than a digital one will massively help in video quality. If you are only running 1 camera then Windows Movie Maker will just about do, if however you are running multiple cameras (3 is a good number) then you will want editing software with a bit more ability. If you are new to editing video I really do recommend Filmora Wondershare, it is very simple to use, cheap and there are a wedge of tutorials on how to do stuff with it already on youtube. I still use it for my airsoft videos as it is so simple to use although I use a more advanced editor for my motovlogs (as some folk like their number-plates blanked out etc). Ok, so what camera should you buy? A lot of the airsoft sniper scopecams are recorded on a digital camcorder strapped to the scope, they have auto focus and mega zooms so are great mostly but do have drawbacks.... They are heavy and make your gun top-heavy, They are big, which adds to your silhouette and makes for a larger target to be "gun hit" They are not cheap, They are fragile, They may decide to focus on the leaf in front of you rather than the target 60m away, They are a pain to align with the scope, So alternatives.... GoPro... Expensive, Bulky, Can't change the lens to a magnified lens easily, Not that great in low light. Runcam 1/2.... In my experience utter garbo, only plus point is the interchangeable battery Foxeer 1/2.... Not tried them but they look ok Mobius 1.... only 30fps in 1080p not waterproof at all can't (easily) change the battery Mobius 2..... not waterproof at all can't (easily) change the battery The above is my experience of the negatives of these cameras. I am now going to go all fanboi on the Mobius even though I have had a love/hate relationship with them. The Mobius 1 is the camera I progressed to after buying Bodgeups old digital camcorder and getting fed up with recording the leaves in front of me in HD rather than the target I was aiming at. The Mobius is fixed focus so if changing the lens you will need to set that up and get it to focus at the rough range you will be shooting folk from, this is an easy process as it has a webcam facility so you can do this looking out a window in front of your PC. It also has a battery that will last around 2hrs at 1080p/30fps so pretty good for a days skirmishing as long as you remember to turn it off between games. It will have a tantrum if it gets wet though and will also have a hissy fit if you use a memory card it decides it doesn't like. But for £55 it is a cracking little starter camera. The Mobius 2 is the camera I currently use, I have 2. The first is my headcam which I mount onto a baseball cap and is light enough not to cause the cap to gradually tip forward on my head. The second is my scopecam and I use a couple of different lenses to get the required zoom level I want depending on where I am playing: On my VSR I normally run a 50mm lens which gives me around 12-15x magnification and I have the focus set half way between my MED and max range (focussing the Mobius 2 is a PITA as it does not have the webcam mode that the 1 had). When I fit it to my AEG I run a 25mm lens which gets me a 6-7x zoom. The battery is not quite as good on the 2 as it is on the 1 but I can still get around 90min from one charge at 1080p/60fps The Mobius 2 is awesome in low light/dark, far better than my GoPro Hero 5 Session but it is still (like the 1) allergic to water and can be funny with some memory cards. I use the 2 for both scope and head cameras as it makes the footage easier to edit as both are running the same settings and bitrates which meshes better. Lenses, what lens do you need? To be honest, a 25mm cctv boardcut lens with an IR filter should be fine for both long and short distances, I only run the 50mm as it gives that extra bit of clarity when the BB hits home, a 25mm is a lot cheaper too. Mounting, how do I fit it to my gun? 3D printing is your friend, as is one of my favorite airsoft youtubers: BrainExploder, he has a shop on Shapeways and can sell you a mount for most cameras to either mount on a rail or on a hat... (I just use a screw to mount my headcam on my baseball cap but some of his designs are a better alternative), his gun mounts are spot on though. Batteries run out though... Yup, this is a PITA on the Mobius cameras as you have to open them up and risk breaking stuff to swap it round. There are ways to help this, I have actually posted a vid on this on my channel a while back, but it is not ideal. Best solution in my book is to have 2 cameras for each position if you are planning on a long day of it or run a powerbank to the camera but that adds another item you need strapped to your gun/hat. Below are some links, I am not being paid to promote them in any way. Mobius 1https://www.banggood.com/Mobius-New-Version-Wide-Angle-Lens-C2-1080P-HD-Mini-Action-Camera-p-985644.html?rmmds=search Mobius 2 https://www.banggood.com/Mobius-2-ActionCam-1080P-130-Degree-Wide-Angle-Mini-Sports-Camera-FPV-DashCam-H_265-HEVC-H_264-AVC-p-1070626.html?rmmds=search BrainExploder https://www.shapeways.com/shops/brainexploder Lenses http://www.stockoptics.com/board-lenses/ir-cut-action-camera-board-lenses.html Filmora Wondershare https://filmora.wondershare.com/video-editor/ My Airsoft channel on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/user/Hippo247 My scopecam setup on my VSR with powerpack Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert James Posted May 2, 2017 Share Posted May 2, 2017 Good post, I'll take a proper look later but this will really help. Thanks. Ive recently tried to sort out my gopro / action cam issues, but because i use Iron sights or a scope it has been difficult to fit a camera. Ive now bought a sideway facing picatinny rail mount specifically for a go pro, will let you know how that turns out Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghostwalker Posted May 2, 2017 Share Posted May 2, 2017 Maybe looking into making some videos soon. i won a GoPro hero 5 session cam last week, so I just need to add a sizeable sd memory card, mount and protective case. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest PT247 Posted May 2, 2017 Share Posted May 2, 2017 Are you planning on using it as a headcam or a scopecam? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newsh Posted May 2, 2017 Share Posted May 2, 2017 Great thread, cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghostwalker Posted May 3, 2017 Share Posted May 3, 2017 7 hours ago, PT247 said: Are you planning on using it as a headcam or a scopecam? I was thinking headcam as I don't snipe when I play at the moment. Figure it should pick up most normal range engagements. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest PT247 Posted May 3, 2017 Share Posted May 3, 2017 In the majority of videos where there is just headcam footage you can't see the people you are shooting at. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seany.exe Posted May 5, 2017 Share Posted May 5, 2017 I'd definately be up for making some videos, if I could legit play every 2 weeks I'd have sorted out a scopecam etc by now but such is the life of shift work haha. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest PT247 Posted May 6, 2017 Share Posted May 6, 2017 You can realistically get 45min worth of usable footage from a Mobius if your playstyle is active so you can play one weekend, then post a 15min video a week for the rest of the month then repeat, or even a 10 min video weekly so you'd only need to play once a month to get weekly content! :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shane213 Posted May 6, 2017 Share Posted May 6, 2017 Good post, I have recently been looking into the Runcam and mobius platforms, and lences. I did notice in my videos with just headcam, it was boring without a scopecam as people just couldnt really see what I was shooting at. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest PT247 Posted May 7, 2017 Share Posted May 7, 2017 I had the Runcam 2 cameras for a bit but they were very unreliable, the audio was rubbish, they wouldn't focus with replacement lenses and although the battery was replaceable, it didnt last very long. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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