Video is integral at Central Community Church in Wichita, Kan., where it has been an important component of worship services for some time. In 2017, the church upgraded its production workflows to high definition in preparation for hosting the national Church of God Convention, and as a result, now has Hitachi Z-HD5000 cameras in its equipment line-up.
Close to 2,500 congregants attend one of two services each Sunday, the church reports. The classic worship service features a choir, orchestra, and practical teachings in traditional style, while the contemporary service features a band and sermon in a more casual setting. Video plays a role in both of these gatherings.
Hosting the Church of God Convention required Central Community to stream the event live in HD. “We already wanted to upgrade to HD to make our streams and on-site video look better, and the upcoming convention motivated [us even further],” says Ben Brandfas, technical ministries director at the church.
Gearing up
Four Z-HD5000s are now used in Central Community Church’s sanctuary, with one on each side of the stage, one in a center-rear position, and the fourth either on stage or used as another center camera. In addition to the live stream and IMAG on two 16-foot by nine-foot projection screens, video from the Hitachi cameras is also distributed to large displays throughout the campus. Each camera feed is also iso-recorded, with footage incorporated into the church’s yearly Christmas television special.
In addition to the live stream and IMAG on two 16-foot by nine-foot projection screens, video from the Hitachi cameras is also distributed to large displays throughout the campus.
“They’re a great-looking camera, and they were really plug-and-play,” Brandfas says. “We just turned them on and they looked good right away. A Hitachi technician came out to commission and adjust the cameras, but they looked great right out of the box.”
Brandfas also highlights the cameras’ ease of use: “The Z-HD5000s are very volunteer-friendly,” he says. “Using the joystick on the RU-1500JY remote control, they can quickly and easily shade the picture, and the operational consistency with our old SD cameras meant they needed very little training.”
