24/25p on YouTube vs 30p

[theEgg]

Seriously one of the most annoying things in the universe is that PAL cameras are 24/25p.

My purpose is electronics reviews and outdoor interviews.

I don't need film look. I need smooth.

Is there a big difference between 24/25 on YouTube vs 30?

I need expert opinions. I am between buying a PAL camera here and having one imported with all the duty fees that come along with it.

[Inazuma]

Are you willing to put up with flicker on electric lights?

[Tim Fraser]

Hi,

 

PAL I understand to be 25p to avoid interference from electric lights which are on the European frequency of 50Hz.  Capturing 30fps or 60fps under such artificial light can produce unwanted results.  In 60Hz countries they capture 30/60fps and don't have that problem.

 

If you can capture using your daylight filled studio at the bottom of the garden, say!   :) , then you have more flexibility.  

 

Then the more frames will give you smoother playback and 30p may be a good choice

 

24p is a cinema standard which produces an amount of motion blur that audiences have got used to, great for cinematic atmosphere, not really what you want.

 

Your choices are probably 25p or 50p if you are in PAL land.  Having said that my Olympus PM2 can only capture 30p and I try to rely on daylight as much as possible, but then I'm not doing paid work or reviews.  Before you rush into 50p with it's extra storage requirements I would look into how Youtube would stream your footage as you may end up going to a lot of effort that is not warranted.

 

If your camera is to remain static on a tripod for example, you may already know it's hard to beat a Panasonic G6 upwards for clarity of video.  If your reviews will involve handheld camera work such as moving around a motorcycle or any other product at close quarters then the Olympus stabilised bodies from the EM10 and up may be worth considering although they are 30p only cameras.  If you want to get close to that flexibility with Panasonic they do have certain stabilised lenses.

 

Sounds like you already have a camera in mind though.  All the best with deciding what purchase route to go down.

 

Only one other aspect occurs and that is that some cameras are know as "world cams" as they are switch-able between all these frame rates. Some Europeans still import these as they still want the benefit of their non-camcorder not being limited to recording 29 minute clips.

[theEgg]

I will be using LED indoors or shooting in daylight.

My question is regarding smoothness. Is there a very discernable difference between 24/25 and 30 with videos on YouTube?

I don't mean someone thinking 'oh, this was shot with 24p.'. I mean the layman looking and thinking 'hmm.. This video isn't very smooth, it seems a bit jerky'

Not that I'll be shooting rapid movement. I just mean for standard video. Reviewing somebody, panning around, indoor video of electronics reviews in decent (but not pro) lighting.

[Quirky]

Seriously one of the most annoying things in the universe is that PAL cameras are 24/25p.

 

Why?

What makes you think the NeverTwiceSameColour-land of 30/60 @60Hz would be the Promised Land?

 

My purpose is electronics reviews and outdoor interviews.

I don't need film look. I need smooth.

Is there a big difference between 24/25 on YouTube vs 30?

I need expert opinions. I am between buying a PAL camera here and having one imported with all the duty fees that come along with it.

 

If you're shooting electronics which are hooked to the 50Hz power grid, every display in view will flicker, so will most lights. As will traffic lights, electronic billboards, neon lights etc. outdoors.  LEDs may be slightly easier.

As for smoothness, if you're using 30p or 60p in a 25/50p @50Hz ecosystem, movement may appear slightly jerky or hiccuppy. To over-exaggerate quite a bit, walking people may seem to be shimmying along. :)

 

How much will that matter in your case is another matter, but I for one don't see compelling enough a reason to order a NTSC version from overseas. Unless it's a region-switchable world model and your goal is to evade the EU tax punishment known as the silly 29-minute record limit.

 

I'll leave the better and more detailed explanations to others, but suffice to say I don't think you'll gain any extra smoothness by going 30p in Europe, rather the opposite. What YouTube does to your video, be they 30p or 25p, that's another story.

[theEgg]

Edit: I see Tim answered my question quite well. Must have happened while I was making my previous comment.

Thank you Tim. Exactly what I was looking for.

I do have a couple of cameras in mind, but will need to import for 30p/60p. Or at least 30p. Looking at lx7 and gm1 currently. Rx100 was a choice, but no 720p so took it out of the running. Thanks for the other suggestions.

Regards.