EOS SL3 Video Streaming Quality Poor

[tdgsea]

I recently purchased a new SL3 for use in video streaming. No matter what I try, the image quality just sucks--worse than a $100 webcam. I have to wonder if this device is bad or I'm just totally missing some settings to improve it, so wanted to ask.

I have this connected to a ATEM Mini Pro via HDMI. Tried two different, new HDMI cables, with FHD HDMI Clean Out.

The issues are three-fold:

1) graininess. No matter the lighting condition, the image is grainy. My default is a keylight, fill light, back-ground light--it's not bright, but me as the subject is plenty lit and has worked great with a logitech web cam. If I turn on every light in the room (2 floods, 6 other lights) it's still grainy. Which tells me it isn't lighting.

2) horizontal bars in image. Often, there are moving visible horizontal banding in the image faintly I would equate to electrical interference. I've tried this with two HDMI cables as mentioned, and direct to two different monitors without the ATEM in between, and the problem is still there. It is hard to see on the LCD screen but I think sometimes there as well, even with no connection. This occurs when on battery and when connected via AC. In case it was RF, I unplugged all electrical devices in my house and office including WIFI. No change.

3) Focus. I was hoping for a higher f-stop to blur the background, but it seems like I can't get this. I found adjustment on the AV setting but still the background isn't blurred much. 

I'm about to return this as either defective or just a crappy device, but thought I would post here if anyone has suggestions on these items. If there was any instruction on the perfect settings for HDMI video streaming that would be highly helpful.

[rs-eos]

What lens are you using?  If it's a zoom lens, what focal length do you typically shoot with?  e.g. some zoom lenses are variable aperture (e.g. f/3.5 to f/5.6) so as you zoom in, the minimum aperature will change.  Keeping shutter speed constant for video (assuming you're either using 1/50 or 1/60 second), there's no choice but to increase ISO which can lead to noisier footage.

[tdgsea]

Hi, I am using the lens it came with (EFS 18-55). Since this is streaming, there is very little motion, and I've tried distances from around 2 feet to 8 feet, with a preferred location around 4 feet from lens and with very little zoom. 

I have not set a constant shutter speed--not sure where to set that. I have tried auto, manual, etc. 

[rs-eos]

Unless you need very specific shutter speeds for artistic intent, it's best to apply the 180º rule for shutter speed.   Take the frames per second value you want to shoot and and then use a shutter double that.  e.g. for 24 frames per second, a shutter of 1/48 seconds is ideal (the closest value to that on cameras is typically 1/50).  For 30 frames per second, use a shutter speed of 1/60 seconds.

On the SL-3, if you use Manual mode, Program mode, or Tv (Shutter Priority) mode, you'll be able to set the shutter speed to a specific value.

[tdgsea]

Thanks for the feedback. Just played with those settings and seems to do slightly better, but still poor. It looks like it is selecting between 3200-6400 ISO, which tells me it wants more light, but again there should be plenty and my webcam it was to replace looks crystal clear. I think this may just not be the right camera for this situation..

[rs-eos]

If possible, you could add more intense lighting.  My guess is that the aperature is around f/4, so more light would be needed.

If more intense lighting is not doable, you could look at wider-aperature lenses.  e.g. a 50mm f/1.8 prime lens (no zoom capability), that would let in four times more light (2 stops) and thus ISO could be lowered to the 800 to 1600 range.