There are many options for cameras out there and new models are always being released so instead of talking about specific models I will be talking about various categories of cameras and the pro\con of each and features to look for.
The categories are as follows.
Webcams
App-based
Network
Conference cams
DSLR\Camcorders
"Gimmick"
First off webcams. Basic and simple but not really meant for church services - they are designed for sitting across a desk from the person being videoed. They can be used in a pinch in church service as a primary cam but expect the picture quality to not be that great. Most have little to no optical zoom and the digital zoom is terrible. The only way to really get a good picture is to have the camera at about the third row of seating. (This is what we did when setting up at first during the covid pandemic.) This is not to say that webcams have no use in a church Livestream. They make excellent crowd shot cams. Just understand if you want to get a close-up picture of the stage to more accurately show what a person would see from near the front of the room - the camera will have to be at the front of the room. When shopping for webcams read lots of reviews and buy more resolution than you need. Some have control software that lets you adjust the picture or other settings. Get a webcam if it's the only option you can afford.
App-Based cameras
These promise to be better than webcams because they use a higher quality camera and offer decent digital zoom. Plus most people already have an app-capable phone and many have an extra laying around. While these are a good option (we used one for a bit), there are a few drawbacks. The app can crash or refuse to connect or drop connection (we had this happen a few times). The phone is still using digital zoom so the close-up shots will be lower quality than the wide shots. (Some new phones do have optical zoom now so this won't apply to all but to most.) They often require special software on your computer that you have to keep up to date so it continues to work. While these can be a decent option for churches there are better ones. But this is often the absolute cheapest option and can get your church up and going online. As far as tips on these - read the reviews on the apps and look for ones that offer wired connection or that connect thru NDI. (More on NDI in the next section.)
Network cameras.
This is the best option for "extra" cameras for your service. These cameras communicate back to the Livestream computer via the network as the name suggests. A few main types are on the market. They are defined by both how they connect to the network, and how they communicate on the network.
Wired vs wireless. The two ways to connect to the network are of course wired or wifi. Wired is faster with less "lag" in the video but not always an available option for where you may need the camera. If you have an option to use a wired camera then that should be a consideration when looking at cams. But not the only consideration.
Communication protocol.
There are several ways the network cameras send the picture over the network. These can vary in quality so pay close to this info when looking at these cameras.
Compressed or uncompressed MJPEG HTTP(s) stream.
This is the lowest quality and if a camera does not specify how it connects then this is most likely how it works. It's worse than a webcam if compressed and about the quality of a webcam if uncompressed. Lag and stutter are an issue here if your network is not robust. I do not recommend this type of camera.
MJPEG or other RTSP stream.
This is a major step up from the http\https stream cam - it uses a dedicated video protocol to transmit the picture. Lag and stutter are less of an issue and the picture quality is usually better (think modern internet-connected security cameras and you have an idea). I would still only use these as an extra camera not my main but they can work for main as well if needed. When looking at these you may see options with optical zoom and pan\tilt.
NDI
This is the king of network video interfaces. More stable and faster while providing good quality. Cameras having this feature will advertise it. Don't expect to see this on a $60 Amazon brand. NDI is a protocol designed for the transmission of entire screen outputs via wifi so it works very well for cameras. When looking at these look for optical zoom if mounting at the back of the church or rechargeable battery if mounting near the front (there are models that will attach to a mic stand for close-up shots).
Conference cameras.
This is what we are using at my church. They are basically a higher quality webcam with a few extra features. Most have really large sensors and lenses with good optical zoom and many have pan\tilt options as well. They come in a variety of options and a variety of prices. If you have a person dedicated to run the Livestream these are the best value option as you only need one good one to provide all your camera needs.
Connection options range from simple USB to super high quality SDI. When shopping these kinds of camera make sure you look at the output resolution (bigger is better but you don't need to go significantly over the resolution of your Livestream), optical zoom (most digital zoom just crops the image and lowers the resolution so is worthless), wether the camera has pan\tilt, and connection type. Depending on the connection type you may need to buy an adapter to connect it to your computer. These types of cameras can get really expensive really quick but you can usually get a really good USB 3 one with 12x optical zoom and pan\tilt with 1080p resolution for around $1k+/- at the time of this writing (late 2021). Remember that fast zoom and pan can make your audience sick so try to hide the zoom\pan\tilt actions with a logo or scene change.
DSLR\Camcorders.
This is the recommended choice if you don't have a dedicated Livestream team (your sound person is pulling double duty running both sound and Livestream or even triple duty running sound, Livestream, and media). For the price of a good conference camera, you can buy a DSLR and a good camcorder and the adapters needed. Set them up on zoom level and position before service and switch between them as needed. As a bonus, most of these have much better sensors than any of the other options (there are exceptions to the rules) and have great zoom. The downside is if you want to adjust zoom or position then you have to go do it by hand. When shopping for these cameras do your research! Many cameras don't provide a "clean" output (No interface graphics in the picture). Also, some DSLR cams stop video every 30 min to keep from being taxed extra at import as a video camera. Elgato (a maker of adapters for connecting these cameras to a PC for streaming) has a great list of cameras that work for Livestreaming. Keep in mind that these cameras often need either hardware adapters or special software from the manufacturer to use for Livestream.
"Gimmick" cams.
For the most part, churches should stay away from these. These are cameras that promise auto tracking or "easy one-button live streaming to popular platforms" and while they are often decent cameras when used for the intended purpose - for church use (camera further from the subject than designed, more people in the frame than designed, etc) they tend to have issues. They may work as a stage camera but there are better options for that.
Now let's talk zoom and resolution.
In general, you want good on both but the higher the numbers go the higher the price goes. A good rule of thumb on resolution is to go one step up from your intended output resolution. So for example, if you are broadcasting on Facebook live you are capped at 720p so you need cameras that can do 1080p. If you are broadcasting in 1080 then you need cameras that can do 1440, if broadcasting in 4k then at minimum 6k cameras but 8k would be preferred.
Sensor size is often a hard spec to find but in general, a larger sensor is better.
When thinking about zoom follow this rule. Only counting optical zoom for every 5 feet from the camera to the subject you need 1x of zoom plus one more. So for 50ft you need a minimum of 11x of zoom.
Armed with this information you can do research on current models and decide what is best for your church. I will link an Amazon list of live stream products below but remember these are ideas not recommendations as many items in the list I have not personally used. I will try to keep this list up-to-date but it may not always be.
Thank you for reading and may God bless your church.
edit: amazon list link (affiliate link) Church Live Stream Equipment
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