geerlingguy
Completely remote Sony a6600 camera recording control
For the time being, I will have to either record to my camera's SD card, or to my computer, to get 4K footage. I just upgraded my a-roll camera from an HD-only a6000 to an a6600, and until I also upgrade my external recording monitor to support 4K (I'm using the Blackmagic Video Assist 3G 7", which does ProRes 1080p only), I need to record on the camera itself for 4K.
So I got to thinking... right now when I want to start a recording, I do the following:
- Prepare recording devices:
- Walk around to my camera and turn it on.
- Turn on recording monitor on desk.
- Open Sound Studio on my Mac.
- Start recording:
- Click 'Record' in Sound Studio on my Mac.
- (if recording HD) Press rec button on recording monitor.
- (if recording 4K) Walk around to my camera and press rec button.
I'd like to simplify this process. Ideally I'd have my Stream Deck have a button to start everything (open Sound Studio, turn on camera and recording monitor via smart plug like Shelly US plug), and another button to start recording.
Looking around, I found the following:
- Stream Deck Home Assistant integration for something like Shelly Plug control
- NOTE: I would like to make sure I always cleanly power off the camera before yanking power, though...
- qDslrDashboard could integrate my a6600's recording controls, maybe
- Sound Studio seems to have Automator/Applescript integration. Maybe that could tie back into a Stream Deck automation?
If those options fail, at least I could avoid walking over to my Sony camera if I had a remote video recording button like this one from SmallRig. Maybe.
(I'm guessing there are also better cinema/video-oriented cameras that just have all this remote control functionality built in, but (a) I'm not that rich, and (b) a lot of that assumes there's still a dedicated camera operator! I'm a one-man-show, usually. I control lights, camera, teleprompter, direction... and heck I'm also the talent :P