Usage Scenario

Living Faith Church, Faith Tabernacle, Ota is a large house of worship with a 50,000-seat main sanctuary. During regular services, one lead pastor typically speaks from the altar, with multiple individuals also taking part during special ministrations. For its live production, the church uses a Hollyland Astra P1 mounted on the right side of the altar, positioned on a gallery to capture long and wide shots of the altar and auditorium. The typical shooting distance is 30–50 meters (98–164 ft).

The Astra P1 is used alongside a Blackmagic Design ATEM switcher and vMix for streaming. The production team includes more than 10 staff members and over 200 volunteers, so the camera needs to be straightforward enough for volunteers to learn and operate.

Simple Operation for Volunteer Operators

“The camera was easy to integrate and set up compared to other PTZ systems we had on ground.” Fafore John, CEO and Founder of Rubysmith Visuals and part of the production team for the event.
With more than 200 volunteers across the wider production team, the camera needs to be easy to learn and operate. The Astra P1 is straightforward to operate and train on, which is useful for volunteers who may only serve for a few hours each week. It has helped the team reduce headcount while improving stream quality and overall production value.

Consistent Exposure Under Changing Stage Lighting

As a large indoor venue, the auditorium can host services lasting several hours, with lighting conditions changing throughout the service as stage lighting and natural light vary. The Astra P1’s Face Detection AE helps keep the speaker’s face properly exposed as lighting conditions change. By detecting the subject and adjusting exposure in real time, it reduces the need for operators to make manual exposure adjustments during the service.

Natural and Accurate Color Reproduction

“Its color reproduction stood out, delivering very natural and accurate colors.”
Color reproduction was another aspect the production team noticed. With a 1/1.8-inch sensor and UHD 4K 60fps recording, the Astra P1 provides the image quality needed for the team’s long-distance shots of the altar and auditorium.

Tracking Across a Large Auditorium

The team primarily uses Presenter Tracking, which they rated as reliable, particularly when following the speaker across the altar. They also use Zone Tracking, which they rated as reliable and useful for covering different areas of the large auditorium.

Wrapping Up

“My overall experience with the Hollyland Astra P1 during AYAC 2026 was very positive.”
For Living Faith Church, the Astra P1 fits the requirements of a large-scale worship production where one camera needs to cover long shooting distances and wide views of the auditorium. The tracking functions help the team follow speakers and cover different areas of the venue, while Face Detection AE helps maintain exposure as stage lighting changes. At the same time, the camera integrates with the church’s existing SDI, LAN, ATEM, and vMix workflow and can be learned quickly by new volunteers. For a production team working with one PTZ camera and a large volunteer base, this combination of coverage, automation, and straightforward operation makes the Astra P1 a strong fit for the church’s weekly live production.