Quick video question -

My camera only shoots up to 1080 HD, but I have a choice of 30fps or 60fps - do the stock sites prefer one over the other and why.

Cheers!

J

If storage or clip size isn't an issue for you, and if it doesn't affect the resolution, I'd shoot and submit in 60 fps, as it will give buyers the option to slow down the footage if they need to.

I don't think higher fps sells the same or more as 30fps, same case as with 4k comparing to full HD. Reasonable file size is probably important thing to most buyers, and full HD 30fps provides good quality and not too big files. Higher quality than that is rarely needed.

Somebody correct me if I'm wrong.

There is no such thing as a free lunch. If your camera is limited in bit rate, which many are, then you're sharing a finite amount of image data to write twice as many frames of which only half you'll likely ever use and will be of lesser quality. The files will be much larger which will drag down your bandwidth and increase your upload times while costing more for storage and limiting the shooting time for any given media.

But if the camera is limited in bitrate as you say, the files will be just as big. 

However, it's not quite as easy as spreading the bitrate out over twice as many frames. Since most compression algorithms (in consumer/prosumer cameras) are based on the amount of motion, there will be less motion between each frame if you use 60 fps, so the quality will not actually be half of 30 fps with the same bitrate. More motion = less difference.

When shooting at 60p the shutter angle is different than it would be at 30p and once those alternate frames are removed to make it 30p this will show. But it does make great slo-mo. 60p is also very good for reducing rolling shutter effects in environments with high vibration.

You can shoot 60 fps with a 1/60 shutter speed if you want to be able to use the clip both as a slow motion clip (with more motion blur) and a real-time clip.

Anyway, I agree, in general, you would use 60p if you want slow motion. 24/25/30p if you want real-time. You decide before the shot. Something called planning I believe. 

If you shot at 60p, you would still upload a slow motion 24/25/30p clip to the agencies. They can just speed it up if they want it to be real-time (same logic as slowing it down).

There is no such thing as a free lunch. If your camera is limited in bit rate, which many are,

My old consumer grade Nikon isn't ... nor my phone ... It's literally just doubling the amount of stored frames.

I should add, 60 fps isn't very impressive. Really you need about 120fps before it starts to look all smooth and buttery. Software interpolation doesn't help much either if there aren't the extra frames to work with.

(edit:sorry for the double post again)