Newbie Question: Using 930 to Record a Low-light Indoor Arena Rock Concert???

[GWBlack]

Hi All,

My name is Gary and I'm an absolute newbie to the Lumia 930 as well as smartphones in general (this is my first one). I am going to a rock concert at an 11,000 seat indoor arena and wanted something to record it with (for personal use only). I bought the 930 last week since it is reviewed to have some of the best audio & video recording quality. I have just updated its OS with 8.1 and Denim with Lumia Camera 5.

Please pardon my simple questions, since I just joined this forum and have very little digital photography background (other than setting a point & click camera on "Auto" and letting it go). Although I will spend some time reading this forum's resources, I also wanted to ask directly the following:

1) What are the best audio & video settings to use for this indoor concert? I don't want to screw up the recording, since I may never get to see this band again. I prefer "set and forget" settings, since I don't have any experience with manual ISO, flash & focus settings (but will learn if absolutely necessary). I assume that, at minimum, I should use 1080p video recording with surround sound turned on, since I won't have enough storage capacity for 2+ hours of 4K recording. Are there particular settings or modes that I should be use to handle the low arena lighting and short bursts of bright lights?

2) I read previous posts here pertaining to the older Cyan firmware which said low-light videos on the 930 were very noisy with automatic settings, but also said that things may change once Denim comes out. Has Denim improved the low-light videos under automatic settings?

3) What is the best way to hold the camera still for 2 hours? I saw a Go-Pro type headband (from Cellfy) on Amazon. Is that the type of device that people mostly use to record longer-length concert videos?

Thank you very much for your generous time and valuable advice!!!
Regards,
Gary

 

[Chris_Kez]

I don't think you'll want to keep your head motionless for 2 minutes, let alone 2 hours, so the headband mount is out; also, that would be incredibly conspicuous and likely to annoy security at the venue. You may be able to find an extensible monopod or even a selfie stick. These would be a little easier to keep still for an extended period, but might still attract unnecessary attention unless you can sit or stand right next to a wall, rigging or something else that would provide a bit of cover (and help you keep it steady).

Depending on where you're seated you might be able to find a discreet location to secure a magnetic gorillapod. That might work pretty well if you're in sports arena where there's a railing you could attach to. If you've got floor seats there may be some type of metal rigging you could attach to, or you may be able to hit a nearby railing.

 

[GWBlack]

Thanks Chris. I've not recorded a concert before, and so I was wondering if a headband mount would draw more attention than holding the phone in the air for the whole 2 hours.

This brings up another question. Can the phone record audio for the entire show, but only record video for part of it (to avoid holding the camera in the air for 2 hrs)? I suppose I could hold the camera by my side when not shooting video so the audio will stay on, but I don't want to watch video of the side of my leg! I've not heard of an "audio only" mode.

 

[Chris_Kez]

I would guess there's an app for audio recording, but you'd probably want an external microphone. Maybe a headset with a mic would work, but perhaps a cheap lavalier mic or other small one that could connect through the headphone jack would be appropriate. You want hands free and not in your pocket.

Can I ask what your underlying motivation is? Does the band not have live recordings available? Will there not already be tons of YouTube clips from other people who've recorded live versions of the songs?

 

[GWBlack]

Thanks. Yes, they have many recordings, but not of this particular show. This will probably be the last time this (old time) band ever makes it back to my small town, and so I wanted to record the show for remembrance sake.

Just curious, but why the concern about security? People seem to shoot smartphone videos at concerts all the time anymore. In fact, that's why I bought a 930 instead of bringing a camcorder, since THAT would draw a lot of attention.

 

[Chris_Kez]

Yeah, the security thing just varies by band, venue, and how long you spend doing something that's prohibited and/or bothersome to other patrons- whether that's taking pictures, recording video, smoking or anything else. Do anything for a minute here or there and 99.9% of the time everyone's cool about it.

Whatever you do, I'd look for a set-it-and-forget-it option. Spend your limited time actually enjoying the show and being present in that moment. You don't want to listen to it five years from now and remember how you spent half the show fiddling with your phone or how you had to remain motionless the entire time.

Personally I'd probably look for an online community of fans of the band and find some folks who are already way into recording, then just get a copy later. Buy em a beer or something

 

[Chris_Kez]

Maybe some of these iOS or Android accessories could also be compatible with WP8; perhaps contact the companies directly.

http://www.mediacore.com/blog/ultimate-guide-to-smartphone-and-tablet-video

 

[Chris_Kez]

So I have to ask what you ended up doing?

 

[GWBlack]

The concert hasn't happened yet.