# Need some help on Choosing a Camera for Stage Moitoring



## soundguy99 (Feb 12, 2012)

Hey guys,
Have a question for you,
In our Theater We have our lighting Console, Setup on the side of the Stage, (Long story, but for our situation it works), so we have the ability to monitor whats going on and back stage while also doing lighting.
Now being back stage we can`t get a good sense of what our stage lighting looks like without walking out front. We currently have a black and white camera mounted in the spotlight booth a fair distance away and up in the ceiling, which then feeds our monitor beside the light console.
Because its a black and white camera and because of the distance it sometimes can be difficult to really know how the stage looks and monitor whats happening on stage from an audience point of you.
I was wondering if anyone here might offer some recommendations of a new camera we should look at, that would have ability to go between black and white, and color, as well as have a remote zoom on it so we can get closer look of the stage if we need too, as well as would work well in stage environment ie bright stage lights.
The only place we really can mount it is in the spotlight booth, so we definitely need zoom. 
Any thoughts is greatly appreciated,
Thanks,
Soundguy


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## rochem (Feb 12, 2012)

Honestly, there's no camera in the world that will let you view the lighting as it's being seen by the audience. Why does the light board operator actually need to see the lighting? Are you designing the lighting while sitting at the console offstage? If so, I would strongly recommend changing that. It's usually very easy to move the light board out into the audience during tech (the dress rehearsals before the show actually opens), and then you'll be able to program the show and set the lights to look good. Then when you're actually running the show, you can run it from backstage and not need to worry about how it looks from the front because you've already set it all. There are plenty of huge professional shows that put the light board operator off in a tiny closet underground or something because of space with nothing but a tiny monitor, but because all the lighting has been seen beforehand, the only thing he really needs the monitor for is to make sure the stage hasn't accidentally blacked out or anything. Sorry, I know this doesn't really answer your question.


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## soundguy99 (Feb 12, 2012)

Sorry, I suppose, I Said that wrong,
For musicals and pro shows (Cue to Cue type of stuff), and that we definitely take the time during tech, to go out front and see whats happening, 
However there are times we do things like Dance Festivals and Amature type comcerts where there is no tech, and things can change on the fly very quickly even during the show, where you can`t necessarily get away from the console. This is where a good camera and a monitor comes, in, where you can take a quick looks , and see whats happening on stage.
Am I asking the camera to replace me going out front and setting the lights during tech, absolutely not, however its a great on the fly reference tool, for anyone using the lighting console backstage on the fly.
I just need some good recommendations for good mounted cameras with remote zoom on it that can be in both black and white and color.
Thanks again,
soundguy


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## sk8rsdad (Feb 12, 2012)

rochem's comment about a camera not being a replacement for the human eye is very true. If you're looking for a general impression that the lights are on then pretty much any security camera can do the job. If you're hoping to set lighting levels then the camera/monitor won't give you an accurate picture. All that aside, the Panasonic iPro line is what we use to provide signal to our CCTV system. There are plenty of other vendors of security systems that can provide a PTZ camera with quite a range of prices and features. You will also need some way to control the camera so expect to have to purchase some sort of package that includes camera, control console/base station, and software.


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## museav (Feb 12, 2012)

Why do you need the black & white functionality? And I understand the need for an appropriate lens but do you need remote zoom if you are trying to get an audience perspective?

Do you have a budget? Have you verified a related cabling path and power for the camera (or does it need to be powered over the video line)? Are you looking for any specific video signal (composite, S-Video, component, VGA/RGBHV, FireWire, etc.)? Have you considered expanding the use of the camera to also serve the SM, Green Room, Dressing Rooms, pit, etc. or maybe even for overflow or lobby monitoring?


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## soundguy99 (Feb 12, 2012)

I suppose the black and white function isn`t a major thing although I have found that the one we have currelly with black and white, definetly show where the hotspots and dark spots are a bit more clearly.
The remote zoom is a must have though, as I said the mounting spot is a fair distance away, and since we are doing audio from back stage as well (another long story), I would like to have the abilty to zoom, in on an paticulat area of stage ie where our microphones get moved to or, if somone is standing at the podium, ect details, and then have the ability to hit another preset and have the camera go back to a full stage shot.
That versatility would be a great advtage running the show from back stage. At Times we also have an accoustic shell setup, which with the side walls, blocks our vision on the stage without either being right on stage or going into the audience. Which is why a good quality camera with a remote zoom, would be a huge Asset.
Thanks again for reply's
If anyone has any reccomendations please let me know,
Thanks,
soundguy


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## 65535 (Feb 25, 2012)

Is there a reason you can't move the board into the house for tech and during a run your stage manager calls cues.

That's how it's normally done.


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