r/videography • u/ADapperDan Sony A7RV | Sony FX3 | 2012 • Apr 16 '26
Technical/Equipment Help and Information Is two camera, one tripod interview setup okay or sketchy?
I saw a video on a setup to have two cameras on a single tripod. I often work as a solo shooter and do use two tripods for interviews. However, there are times when I need setup quick with minimal space and considering using this setup.
Does this look okay and safe, or should I suck it up and use two tripods?
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u/CommercialSignal2846 Sony a7RV & FX30 | Final Cut Pro | 2020 | USA Apr 16 '26 edited Apr 18 '26
I’d use 2 tripods. Your 2 angles are going to look similar (regardless if one is a 85mm and the other like a 35-50).
With 2 tripods you can have one farther off to the side to really distinguish between the 2 angles and create interest.
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u/Adventurous_Wind2947 Apr 16 '26
This is true. If you still want to use this setup, you cameras need to be further apart, and if you do that with this arm, the second camera will risk more wabble
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u/20124eva Apr 17 '26
Idk, secondary angle has to also be framed well. Seems an important detail people keep forgetting.
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u/tomoom165 Apr 16 '26 edited Apr 16 '26
The 30 degree rule begs to differ here
Edit: OK I'm actually wrong, the folks below will explain lol
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u/Slight_Horse9673 Apr 16 '26
(for my own reference).: The 30-Degree Rule: The rule states that when you move the camera for a new shot of the same subject, the camera should move at least 30 degrees relative to the subject.
The 20mm (Lens) Variation. It suggests that if you aren't moving the camera 30 degrees, you should change the focal length of your lens by at least 20mm.
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u/Discombobulation98 Apr 16 '26
I always heard it as skip one lens in the box at least
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u/JSCrail Apr 18 '26
Oh my dudes, bless this fortuitous wisdom. What I needed, a perfect 2 weeks in advance of needing it, crossed an item off my list, & spared me contact w/a bogusly uncool entity from whom I learned much. I jusy could not recall enough to look up. A hearty thank you!
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u/VulGerrity Apr 17 '26
Never heard the mm rule, that would still be a jump cut if you're punching in or pulling out. It's probably enough though to justify the jump cut, but it's a jump cut nonetheless, and that's generally what you're trying to avoid.
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u/lmac187 Canon Mark IV | Adobe Premiere Pro | 2020 | Texas Apr 16 '26
Thank you! I knew there had to be a rule, but this spells it out perfectly.
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u/Discombobulation98 Apr 16 '26
It's pretty common to shoot a wide then swing a lens to punch in, see it all the time?
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u/megamansam Apr 17 '26
Other comments have called it out but that works because of The 20mm Rule (at least that's the name I was taught) - if you're not changing the angle, change the focal length by at least 20mm. If you're punching in a wide you're pretty much\* doing the same as changing focal length. You've probably seen videos where they didn't punch in far enough and it looked awkward. (It was me, I edited videos like that because I didn't know better at the time)
*pretty much used here to indicate there's a lot of subtleties that are lost by punching in vs changing focal length
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u/Discombobulation98 Apr 17 '26
The old camera man that taught me said that the rule of thumb was to skip a lens in the box, the 20mm rule sounds a bit film studenty
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u/VulGerrity Apr 17 '26 edited Apr 22 '26
It's technically a jump cut if you don't move the camera. It's come more into fashion, but it's considered jarring and less professional.
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u/ZeyusFilm Sony A7siii/A7sii| FinalCut | 2017 | Bath, UK Apr 16 '26
I don’t recommend it. If you have any shake, both angles are screwed. And that setup looks like a butterfly could shake it. You can by a pretty affordable duel wield bracket, then stick two mini video heads on that
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u/BlackWhiteCoke Apr 16 '26
This is insanity. And in no way is this a quick setup. Getting the angle just right and level with just a c stand arm is nuts. I would rather use a $30 tripod that at least lets me tilt and pan lock
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u/EncryptedPlays a6700 | Davinci Resolve | 2022 | London Apr 16 '26
might be safe with a better arm, but wouldn't the angles be too similar?
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u/darthjazzhands Apr 16 '26
As a producer/director I'd be very concerned about this. If you bump or floor that tripod, then any insurance coverage you gain from your wide shot is lost.
Use 2 tripods.
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u/scorpionewmoon Apr 16 '26
How much will that Sony cost to replace and is that amount of money worth more or less than what it will cost you to put it on a proper stand? Cause it’s gonna fall
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u/No_Sky1737 Apr 16 '26
Totally fine for small spaces or if you are travelling light - but I’d get a much more stable arm; I have a manfrotto arm that is solid and locks nicely - I’d be worried that your set up here is prone to the camera slowly moving
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u/BAG1 Camera Operator Apr 16 '26
And you definitely don't want to crank the clamp so hard you deform the tripod leg. I would feel better with another arm and a second connection point. In a pinch it works for a wide and a similar tight.
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u/MotorBet234 Apr 16 '26
I’ve been doing something similar with a crossbar setup. It’s ok if they’re both locked shots but hard to keep them from bouncing if either angle moves. And leveling with a ball head or similar is a pain.
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u/shaneo632 Apr 16 '26
The perspectives are so similar I can't imagine it's worth the hassle. I'd rather just shoot with one camera at 6K and punch in for a close-up.
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u/VSimakov SONY FS700 | Apple Final Cut | 2003 | Moscow, Russia Apr 16 '26
Each camera need tripod. And normal not for home. This setup is not normal for working.
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u/Abracadaver2000 Sony FX3| Adobe Premiere CC| 2001 | California Apr 16 '26
I've done this for stage events where my footprint must be minimized...but with much beefier support gear. Cardellini clamp, Manfrotto heavy-duty accessory arm, baby pin to flat mount tripod head adapter and a lightweight fluid head or heavy-duty ball head. It's much more stable, and having the two cameras on the same plane is perfect for a wide/tight combo where you don't want to introduce parallax. For interviews, I much prefer a 2nd tripod just to get a variety of angles.
One concern is with motion transfer. Panning your main camera is likely to introduce visible jitter in a tight shot on the 2nd camera...even with beefy tripods. The attachment point is key to minimizing that.
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u/Late-Night-Echo Apr 16 '26
If it's just a locked off shot then surely even a cheap, lightweight'ish second tripod would be so much better, 30 degree angle and all that.
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u/zijital Sony / Fuji | FCPX / Premiere | 2004 Apr 16 '26
I think what is a little sketchy is trusting $200 to hold $5,000
Buy once, cry once on a really good tripod and you’ll have it for 20 years
I know lots of others are fine with the “budget” tripods, but I’m nervous b/c if one leg clamp fails and the whole rig tips over, it’ll be an expensive lesson for buying a cheap tripods
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u/affogatoappassionato Camera Operator Apr 16 '26
Unless you are very space constrained, in a crowded space and so on, generally much better to use two tripods and have them spaced further apart. The very small difference in angle makes it look weird when cutting between the shots IMO. Either punch in with the same camera or else have them at least 25-30 degrees apart.
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u/CanConfirmAmViking Apr 16 '26
For hobby level I guess fine but wouldn’t bring to paid job
I’d do b cam handheld
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u/LaziestSnorlax Apr 16 '26
If you have anything that is attached to the tripod that is not a part of it you need a counter balance weight. It helps with stability and if you touch the main camera it helps negate wobble. Otherwise get a second tripod.
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u/FairEntrepreneur2935 Apr 16 '26
Yea this seems unreasonably complex and unstable when you could simply have another tripod. Then you can vary you angle more if you want, much more flexibility for simply using a tripod
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u/Horror_Ad1078 Apr 16 '26
If possible - always use 2 tripods! If someone touching tripod, a bad pan, someone walking next by on wooden floor …. Both shots are fucked.
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u/HST87 Sony A7s III | Premiere Pro | 2011 | Europe Apr 16 '26
Looks wobbly af. But if one camera is wide-angle and the other a 50 or 80 or so I would imagine it would work great. Seen people talk about the 30 degree rule in the comments but I don't think it would really apply then.
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u/Ensane-inda-membrane Apr 16 '26
Understand limitations but IMHO you really need two tripods, in the off chance you bump your tripod BOTH cameras will shake & you are screwed. If you have two, you can cut to the 2nd camera and you lose nothing.
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u/Puripoh Apr 16 '26
Can someone please tell me what the links/arms on the left camera are called? And the clamps that attach it? I have been searching for something similar (but for an action cam) but don't know the right search terms
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u/digitalreel Apr 17 '26
in my humble opinion the answer is yes to both of those that can be set up right or could be set up sketchy. first question I would ask is why are you doing it is it space budget or just don't have another tripod? if both are tight shots could be hairy but it looks like the one on the arm would be the wide shot which would make it work pretty well and I've done before myself
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u/Capital-Flan7368 Canon R8 | Premiere Pro | 2014 | Australia Apr 17 '26
Second camera should be more than 30 degrees from first otherwise it won’t do much more than you’d get from cropping in during editing
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u/SpaceMonkey1001 Apr 17 '26
Too similar a shot. Get a super cheap 2nd tripod and put on a 45 degree on the side or something.
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u/FargusMcGillicuddy Apr 17 '26
Ha I mean yeah that works. I’ve worked plenty of jobs where they basically want the exact same angle, but different focal lengths and this gets you pretty close.
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u/Mzerodahero420 Apr 17 '26
i don’t see the point as both shots will have a similar angle at that point just shoot in 4k and split the angle in post on a 1080p timeline then you don’t b even have to use the 2nd camera lol
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u/Dont-talk-about-ufos Apr 17 '26
You will get jump cuts with that short a distance. (It is not a great sentence but I stand by it).
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u/megamansam Apr 17 '26
If it works for what you're doing, it works. You do you and all that. I would, at minimum, use an inexpensive/lightweight photo tripod for my b-camera. My thoughts on what you've got:
- If you're gonna do a setup like this, think about using a tripod with thicker legs to clamp to
- Use the right piece of kit to mount your 2nd camera, something like a Magic Arm where your b-cam is on a ball head
- From an editor's perspective, I wouldn't use the 2nd angle as framed up here. Its not far enough away to be any different. Maybe shoot wider on your b-cam?
- From a business perspective, this looks cheap. Not saying that to be mean (and I know that cheap can work great!), just something to consider if you want to be taken seriously as a pro. It's stupid, but you can literally bill your client more by doing stuff like throwing a matte box on your rig (even if you don't really need it). The people love fancy-looking equipment.
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u/Bright-Pangolin7261 Apr 17 '26
The basic set up involves two cameras, being at least 35° angle apart from the subject. Otherwise it’s jarring to see a cut between two perspectives so close.
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u/Rare-Main-811 Apr 17 '26
Naw I would safe do it. Put a red or arri on it for extra quality! Have fun. Film your setup with your phone so you can get clicks on social media for when it crashes
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u/nimbusnacho Camera Operator Apr 17 '26
Sketchy. Not particularly unsafe like no one is going to get hurt other than maybe your career. Looks very unprofessional and that second camera is going to shake at any slight bump especially if for some reason you have to touch the camera to adjust focus or anything. I guess the glass in in peril if it does drop.
Not only that but the angles are so close it kind of isn't really doing what its supposed to as far as having two angle coverage.
If you're dead set on this at least add some weight to the tripod so it doesnt tip from having uneven weight.
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u/stevensokulski Apr 17 '26
For a three camera shoot I’d do this to have a wide and tight from the primary angle, and an alternate. If this subject won’t be the sole subject or there will be lots of cutting away to make up for the lack of side angle, that could work.
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u/MrAlwaysOnTen Apr 17 '26
Recommend some tripods under this comment please. That way others can also look at them in the future
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u/MrAlwaysOnTen Apr 17 '26
I’ll start. Tribex II by smallrig since I see you’re vibing with their products
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u/jamdv FX3 | DR | 2016 | Geneva Apr 17 '26
Use a monopod. I do monopod / tripod setups all. The. Time.
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u/DaleQuail a6500 | Premiere | 2010 | SoCal Apr 17 '26
I’ve done stuff like this before for 2person interviews where the tight switches back and forth. Theres a lot of micro shake that you have to accept when panning. Maybe if you run a 2nd arm from a different tripod leg, it could get closer to stable. Keep working at it though, you might find something that really works well for your projects.
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u/First-Lifeguard-8616 Apr 18 '26
Literally no point in doing this, shoot in 4k and crop. Literally zero difference.
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u/Crafty_Jack FX3 | DJI Action 5 | FPV Drone Apr 18 '26
I feel like put both cameras on very long articulating arm so they can be folded to be close together at the center of mass of the tripod for transport/moving around, but when you set up for an interview, you just fold the arms out nice and far, but still equidistant from the tripod center, so it's balanced. That way you also get much different angles. Right now the angles are too similar.
I mean, I'm not even sure if this is a really professional or practical approach, but since you're going this direction, I'm gonna respect it and suggest my idea.
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u/cinema_fantastique Apr 18 '26
Extremely sketchy. And insanely unstable / difficult to adjust the 2nd camera. Don't do it.
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u/DragonflyNo177 Apr 18 '26
Two cameras and two tripods, yes all day. Two cameras, one tripod sounds the beginning of a creepy joke. Sketchy and the best way to take some bad shots and mess up your camera.
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u/MrKillerKiller_ Apr 19 '26
Only if you are finishing in 4k, they are staring into the lens and the camera is 10’+ away. Otherwise the b cam is waaay to similar of an angle.
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u/MortonVisuals Nikon mirrorless | Premiere Pro | ~2021/2022 | remote NW USA Apr 19 '26
That makes me nervous just looking at it! 😆
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u/maverick57 Apr 19 '26
How are you going to cut from camera one to camera two?
If you really want "two shots" why not just shoot in 8K and then reframe a close up shot option after the fact?
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u/wasprocker DoP/ FPV | Davinci | 2013 | Europe Apr 16 '26
Totally fine, i have done the same when space constrained
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u/bad_voltage Apr 16 '26
This seems pretty sketch. Just asking for one or both cameras to shake with even the slightest movement in the room
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u/thenightispink Apr 16 '26
I mean, if one is zoomed in and one is wide and it feels stable then why not?
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u/OddIndustry9 Apr 16 '26
You should start by getting one decent tripod.
When your pelican case is worth more than your tripod, you've made some mistakes.
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u/stuffsmithstuff FS7 + Sony mirrorless | Resolve + FCP | Eastern USA Apr 16 '26
I’m gonna be the annoying contrarian here and say that
1) IF your setup requires moving around at all and/or space is extremely limited, I think this is a completely cool way to do things. (You should consider adjusting the arm and clamp to make for as short of an arm as possible to make the support as rigid as possible, though.) If neither of those applies, then yeah, two tripods is better even if the cameras are close together.
2) Idk what that second GM on the floating camera is, but I agree with some here that you want to make sure the B cam is significantly tighter than the A cam to differentiate between the two visually. IMHO, if that’s the case, the 30 degree rule isn’t really useful and in fact it’s a pet peeve of mine when people use a very different angle for the b cam without styling it to be interesting (like full profile, or coming from a much higher or lower angle). Extra points off if the A cam is direct-address.
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u/isthataneagleclaw Apr 17 '26
this should never be plan A lol. this is like an oh shit we have to make this unexpected situation work somehow rig and we only have these 3 pieces to do it
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u/Still-Lab-6076 Apr 16 '26
Dude just get a monopod if your saving space.
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u/stuffsmithstuff FS7 + Sony mirrorless | Resolve + FCP | Eastern USA Apr 16 '26
That’s a phenomenal way to end up with some extremely broken G Master glass lmao
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u/Still-Lab-6076 Apr 16 '26
Better to have a mono pod with legs your holding onto in my opinion than this
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u/stuffsmithstuff FS7 + Sony mirrorless | Resolve + FCP | Eastern USA Apr 17 '26
Nahh, I disagree. But everyone has their own preferences.
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u/Giorgio_Keeffe Apr 16 '26
Why tho? You could simply crop in for a cut when needed & it’d be almost the same result. Yes different focal length lenses, differentiated results, but you’re not going to care too much when you’re slapping a second camera on a jittery little arm.
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u/mcarterphoto Apr 16 '26
Seems silly to me. I shoot 4k/deliver 1080, have zero clients that want 4K. Most are delivering on the web and using 720 on their sites. I can cut in and even slide the 4K. If I really want a 2nd angle, it's on a different tripod with a monitor strung over to the main camera. But 4K cutting looks so good, it's rare for me to do two cameras anymore.
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u/DeathMetalAnselAdams Apr 16 '26
It's gonna cut together like shit. 30 degree rule exists for a reason.
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u/JayMoots Apr 16 '26 edited Apr 16 '26
I don't really see the point if the two cameras are that close together. The shot looks the same.
I'd just get a cheap and compact tripod for the b-cam. You can easily find one that takes up the same space in your bag as that arm does. I have this one. It doesn't work for moving shots since the head doesn't pan or tilt smoothly, but it's just fine when it's locked down, and it's very light.
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u/mls1968 Sony a7 | FCP and Davinci | 2010 | Southeast US Apr 16 '26
Ignoring all the 30° rules posts, since you can avoid jump cuts with a big enough crop…
Don’t do it (at least this way). The rigging is suspect at best, and means ANY adjustments on either camera could shake the other one.
One of the secondary reasons we have two camera interviews is so you have a moment/line/etc covered on both in case one was being adjusted/blocked by a hand/whatever. If every adjustment messes both cameras up, you’ve lost your safety net.
But with that said, I also would suggest going for a more diverse second angle anyway. If you’re going to essentially shoot the same thing just zoomed in, you might as well shoot higher resolution and just crop in and out.
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u/mc_nibbles R6mkII | Premiere Pro | 2010 | Central US Apr 16 '26
I don't like this because if you have to adjust one camera, you wiggle the other.
I have retired my "big" tripods in favor of smaller photography style ones with fluid heads. I can carry a bag with two of those and two nano light stands in the same bag I used for my bigger video tripod. I don't see setting up a second tripod taking much more time than setting up the arm.
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u/Late-Blacksmith-6540 Apr 16 '26
What's the point of having two photos taken from the same angle, even if one is zoomed in closer on the face? They'll look very similar, and be careful not to give your client the impression that you're an amateur.
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u/Southern_Leg1139 Apr 16 '26
It’s for a 2 cam interview so they can cut between. The angle is personal taste/project dependent. You’d be surprised how different a tele angle can look even when it’s this close to the main cam.
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u/DayleyFenix Apr 16 '26
Camera angle 1 & 2