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PTZ cameras for a small church

By OneProGear · Published · Updated

Start with one auto-tracking Atomos A-Eye HD-20X into an ATEM Mini Pro. Add two matching 4K cameras and a joystick when a volunteer can run them. Power each camera over one PoE+ network cable, and remember the A-Eye 4K cameras send 4K only over HDMI; their SDI output is HD.

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  1. One camera, auto-tracking, HDMI

    The Atomos A-Eye HD-20X is a good first camera. It has 20× optical zoom and shoots 1080p60 over HDMI. It takes power over PoE+ or a 12 V adapter, pans almost all the way round and stores up to 255 preset positions. It can also stream over the network (NDI HX3, RTMP, SRT) and work as a USB webcam.

    The 20× zoom lets a camera mounted on a balcony still fill the frame with the pulpit. Auto-tracking, where the camera follows the speaker by itself, is the operator you do not have in week one.

    Connect it to an ATEM Mini Pro, which has 4 HDMI inputs, streams over Ethernet and doubles as a USB-C webcam. The short Hollyland HDMI cable (40 cm) is a jumper. For the camera run, use a Rode HDMI cable (1.5 m or 3 m). Past 10 m, use the Rode Fibre-Optic HDMI cable (10 m).

  2. Two cameras: matching 4K models and a joystick

    For a second camera, move to the 4K models. The Atomos A-Eye 4K-12X has 12× zoom and a wide view, good for covering a whole sanctuary from the front. The A-Eye 4K-20X has 20× zoom for balcony or rear mounts. Both send 4K at 60 fps over HDMI and 1080p60 over 3G-SDI, and both run on PoE+.

    Buy two of the same model, so colour and preset settings match. Mixing a 12× and a 20× in one service can make wide and tight shots look like two different cameras.

    The A-Eye Control joystick runs both cameras. Recalling presets is far easier than steering by hand during a sermon.

    For switching, the ATEM Mini Extreme has 8 HDMI inputs, leaving room for a lyrics PC and a future camera. Note that the ATEM Mini range, including the Mini Pro, switches in HD only. To use the A-Eye's 4K, record or stream it separately while the ATEM takes a 1080p feed.

  3. Longer zoom: 30× and other options

    If your camera must sit on the back wall of a long hall, the Hollyland Astra P1 offers 30× optical zoom, 4K at 60 fps, face-detection exposure, AI auto-tracking and NDI HX3, with an optional controller. That extra reach still fills the frame with a lectern from far away.

    Its colours will not exactly match an Atomos A-Eye. Avoid pairing one Astra with one A-Eye as your two main cameras unless you spend time matching their settings.

    The Sony ILME-FR7 is a full-frame cinema PTZ with interchangeable E-mount lenses. It is a very different kind of camera from the A-Eye, not a like-for-like swap. Read Sony's specifications carefully before you choose it for a church.

    If your booth already runs cameras from several brands, the A-Eye PTZ Controller Pro can control up to 254 cameras over NDI, VISCA, VISCA-IP or Pelco, with a 7-inch touch screen.

  4. PoE+: one cable to the loft

    PoE+ (Power over Ethernet Plus, standard 802.3at) sends power and control over one network cable. All three A-Eye cameras accept PoE+ or a 12 V adapter. The HD-20X draws up to 15 W and the 4K models up to 18 W.

    Put a PoE+ switch or injector at the rack, and a single network cable to the camera replaces separate power and control cables. The picture still needs its own HDMI or SDI cable, unless you send video over the network using NDI or RTSP. If you use NDI, put the cameras on a network switch that is not also busy with office computers.

    Plan the PoE+ switch together with the camera. Plain PoE (802.3af) is not enough; the camera can restart when the pan motor draws extra power. Look for 802.3at.

  5. HDMI vs SDI on these PTZs

    The A-Eye 4K cameras send 4K at 60 fps over HDMI, but their SDI output is 3G, which means 1080p60. If your booth is 25 m away, long copper HDMI is a risk, and 3G-SDI at 1080p is the reliable choice.

    To bring SDI into an HDMI setup, or the other way round, use a Blackmagic Micro Converter BiDirectional SDI/HDMI 3G for HD, or the 12G version if any link carries 4K. For an all-SDI setup, the ATEM Television Studio HD8 has 8 SDI inputs at HD speeds and a built-in recorder. A larger church setup might use three A-Eye 4K-20X cameras, a 12G micro converter at each one, and the HD8 in the booth.

    Do not run 4K60 HDMI 25 m to an ATEM Mini and hope for the best. Either keep the cameras in the same room on HDMI, or convert to SDI at the camera and accept HD.

  6. Audio and comms are part of the camera decision

    A PTZ camera does not capture the preacher's voice well. You need proper microphones. A simple start is the Shure BLX24R/SM58, a wireless handheld mic with a rack-mount receiver. One step up: the BLX288/SM58 dual handheld system plus a BLX14/CVL clip-on lapel mic for the speaker.

    For talking between the booth and the floor, Hollyland Solidcom C1 headsets work without a base station. Move up to the C1 Pro, then to the Solidcom M1 with a base when both the balcony and the booth need to talk.

    To sum up: a single A-Eye HD-20X with auto-tracking lets one volunteer run a stream. Two 4K-12X cameras and an A-Eye Control give you a wide and a tight shot without a trained camera operator. Three cameras means a team, an SDI rack and rehearsals, not a quick weekend install.

What you need

  • One PTZ (pan-tilt-zoom) camera to start; two once a volunteer can run a joystick
  • PoE+ (802.3at) power, so one network cable powers and controls the camera
  • A switcher that matches the camera's real output (HD over HDMI, 4K over HDMI, or HD over 3G-SDI)
  • A controller with presets, or auto-tracking you have tested at your own pulpit
  • Wireless mics for the speaker, and intercom headsets for the booth and the floor

A PTZ camera is a remote-controlled camera that can pan (turn), tilt and zoom. Small churches often go wrong by buying four cameras and having no one to run them. A better start is one camera that follows the speaker, a switcher that keeps streaming if the laptop crashes, and headsets so two volunteers can talk. Two matching PTZs and a joystick come next. Three cameras and SDI cabling is a bigger project that needs a proper team.

One camera, auto-tracking, HDMI

The Atomos A-Eye HD-20X is a good first camera. It has 20× optical zoom and shoots 1080p60 over HDMI. It takes power over PoE+ or a 12 V adapter, pans almost all the way round and stores up to 255 preset positions. It can also stream over the network (NDI HX3, RTMP, SRT) and work as a USB webcam.

The 20× zoom lets a camera mounted on a balcony still fill the frame with the pulpit. Auto-tracking, where the camera follows the speaker by itself, is the operator you do not have in week one.

Connect it to an ATEM Mini Pro, which has 4 HDMI inputs, streams over Ethernet and doubles as a USB-C webcam. The short Hollyland HDMI cable (40 cm) is a jumper. For the camera run, use a Rode HDMI cable (1.5 m or 3 m). Past 10 m, use the Rode Fibre-Optic HDMI cable (10 m).

Two cameras: matching 4K models and a joystick

For a second camera, move to the 4K models. The Atomos A-Eye 4K-12X has 12× zoom and a wide view, good for covering a whole sanctuary from the front. The A-Eye 4K-20X has 20× zoom for balcony or rear mounts. Both send 4K at 60 fps over HDMI and 1080p60 over 3G-SDI, and both run on PoE+.

Buy two of the same model, so colour and preset settings match. Mixing a 12× and a 20× in one service can make wide and tight shots look like two different cameras.

The A-Eye Control joystick runs both cameras. Recalling presets is far easier than steering by hand during a sermon.

For switching, the ATEM Mini Extreme has 8 HDMI inputs, leaving room for a lyrics PC and a future camera. Note that the ATEM Mini range, including the Mini Pro, switches in HD only. To use the A-Eye's 4K, record or stream it separately while the ATEM takes a 1080p feed.

Longer zoom: 30× and other options

If your camera must sit on the back wall of a long hall, the Hollyland Astra P1 offers 30× optical zoom, 4K at 60 fps, face-detection exposure, AI auto-tracking and NDI HX3, with an optional controller. That extra reach still fills the frame with a lectern from far away.

Its colours will not exactly match an Atomos A-Eye. Avoid pairing one Astra with one A-Eye as your two main cameras unless you spend time matching their settings.

The Sony ILME-FR7 is a full-frame cinema PTZ with interchangeable E-mount lenses. It is a very different kind of camera from the A-Eye, not a like-for-like swap. Read Sony's specifications carefully before you choose it for a church.

If your booth already runs cameras from several brands, the A-Eye PTZ Controller Pro can control up to 254 cameras over NDI, VISCA, VISCA-IP or Pelco, with a 7-inch touch screen.

PoE+: one cable to the loft

PoE+ (Power over Ethernet Plus, standard 802.3at) sends power and control over one network cable. All three A-Eye cameras accept PoE+ or a 12 V adapter. The HD-20X draws up to 15 W and the 4K models up to 18 W.

Put a PoE+ switch or injector at the rack, and a single network cable to the camera replaces separate power and control cables. The picture still needs its own HDMI or SDI cable, unless you send video over the network using NDI or RTSP. If you use NDI, put the cameras on a network switch that is not also busy with office computers.

Plan the PoE+ switch together with the camera. Plain PoE (802.3af) is not enough; the camera can restart when the pan motor draws extra power. Look for 802.3at.

HDMI vs SDI on these PTZs

The A-Eye 4K cameras send 4K at 60 fps over HDMI, but their SDI output is 3G, which means 1080p60. If your booth is 25 m away, long copper HDMI is a risk, and 3G-SDI at 1080p is the reliable choice.

To bring SDI into an HDMI setup, or the other way round, use a Blackmagic Micro Converter BiDirectional SDI/HDMI 3G for HD, or the 12G version if any link carries 4K. For an all-SDI setup, the ATEM Television Studio HD8 has 8 SDI inputs at HD speeds and a built-in recorder. A larger church setup might use three A-Eye 4K-20X cameras, a 12G micro converter at each one, and the HD8 in the booth.

Do not run 4K60 HDMI 25 m to an ATEM Mini and hope for the best. Either keep the cameras in the same room on HDMI, or convert to SDI at the camera and accept HD.

Audio and comms are part of the camera decision

A PTZ camera does not capture the preacher's voice well. You need proper microphones. A simple start is the Shure BLX24R/SM58, a wireless handheld mic with a rack-mount receiver. One step up: the BLX288/SM58 dual handheld system plus a BLX14/CVL clip-on lapel mic for the speaker.

For talking between the booth and the floor, Hollyland Solidcom C1 headsets work without a base station. Move up to the C1 Pro, then to the Solidcom M1 with a base when both the balcony and the booth need to talk.

To sum up: a single A-Eye HD-20X with auto-tracking lets one volunteer run a stream. Two 4K-12X cameras and an A-Eye Control give you a wide and a tight shot without a trained camera operator. Three cameras means a team, an SDI rack and rehearsals, not a quick weekend install.

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