Macbook, Final Cut Express and Canon 5D video files

Will the standard Macbook with 4GB RAM be able to handle and edit the large video files (1.2GB for a 5 minute video clip)?

Yes. You have a lot of hard-drive space with the Macbook Aluminum, so that shouldn't be an issue but you might consider using an external hard-drive to store your media if you ever start making longer movies. To tell you the truth, the Macbook with 2GB of RAM would probably work just as well. I recently upgraded mine and it didn't make much of a difference. Either way though, the Macbook should work fine with Final Cut, mine does. You might consider getting the one with the 2.4GHz processor, I have the feeling that will make more of a difference when editing than the extra RAM.

Does the cheapest version of Final Cut (Final Cut Express) handle files from the Canon 5D2?

Sort of, but it doesn't edit them natively. You can either drop the files in the timeline and render it out and it will work, or, if you don't want to render whenever you make a change, a better technique would be to first convert the clips using an application like the free [MPEG Streamclip|http://www.squared5.com> to something FCE can edit natively such as Apple Intermediate Codec. It's not as simple as drag-and-drop, but it will work.

Do you have any advice on how to handle the 5D2 files?

See above. I recommend the Streamclip conversion over the rendering though. If you have a lot of files to convert, Streamclip has a batch conversion setting so you can set what to convert to once and Streamclip will convert all the files. Converted files can then be edited in FCE without any particular problems.

You should convert using these settings:
Compression: +Apple Intermediate Codec for HD or DV-NTSC for SD+
*Frame Size:* +(A supported FCE frame size, for example 1920x1080, 1440x1080, 720x480, etc. The supported frame size you choose should be as close to your original frame size as possible)+
*Frame Rate:* 29.97
Sound: +Uncompressed Stereo 48kHz+

Keep in mind that the Macbook Aluminum lacks a Firewire port, so if that is detrimental to your use you should consider getting the white Macbook or the Macbook Pro. I believe the Canon 5D Mark II uses USB for transfer though, so it shouldn't be that much of a problem.

As of version 3, Final Cut has been able to edit HD files. FCE4 added the capability of ingesting AVCHD files.

As long as you get version three or later (the newest on is v4), you will be able to edit the Apple Intermediate Codec files Streamclip will create from your HD footage.

You should do a forum search about this. There has been a lot if discussion about using this camera. I would recommend at least a MacBook Pro to work with media that originates from the camera.

Tom, out of interest why would you recommend a Macbook Pro? If the OP uses Streamclip first, there shouldn't be any issues, right?

If he's going to be using FCE he's going to be converting the media to the Apple Intermediate Codec, which has a quite high data rate. He'll probably not want to play it from the internal drive, and really needs to connect a fast FireWire drive.

I don't really recommend the MacBook or the low end iMac for use with FCE because of the integrated graphics implementation, which limits the application.

It depends to a large degree on what you need to do, how much you use the computer and full and how fast the internal drive is. The internal drive will be very marginal for HD material, especially if you try to edit multiple tracks of video and/or audio. You will not be able to use an external drive properly as the computer only has USB ports.

That being said, I frequently use my Macbook Aluminum for editing movies made from AVCHD files with mulitiple tracks of video and audio and a USB external drive (though not recommended by Apple). I have not had any problems as of yet. Judging on what you intend to be doing with FCE (no feature films!) you should probably be fine.

If you are storing your media on your internal drive, you shouldn't have any problems. I have not seen any problems using my Macbook, even with the integrated graphics. FCE runs quickly and smoothly, and if you convert your videos using Streamclip you should be fine. If you are only planning to be making small videos at a time, the internal drive should work fine for storing your media.

I'm glad to hear you are liking it so far. Good luck with your journey!

In case you are interested, here are a couple sites to get you started using your Mac:

http://www.apple.com/support/switch101/

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1759,2072352,00.asp

Also, if you find that you are struggling with the learning curve of FCE, I would recommend getting one of two training books:

1. [Final Cut Express 4 Editing Workshop|http://www.amazon.com/Final-Cut-Express-Editing-Workshop/dp/0240810775 /ref=sr 12?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1240436986&sr=8-2] by Tom Wolsky. This is how I learned the program and I can assure you that it is a comprehensive guide with everything from basic to more advanced techniques. I highly recommend it. Tom is a frequent contributor to this forum, so if you had any questions about a lesson then he'd be here to help you out.

2. [Apple Pro Training Series: Final Cut Express 4|http://www.amazon.com/Apple-Pro-Training-Final-Express/dp/0321534670/ref=sr 14?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1240437118&sr=8-4] by Diana Weynand. Though I can't vouch for it personally, I have heard from many people who were pleased with their experience learning from this book, and I'm sure it is quite good also.

Of course, you always have the option of teaching yourself. However, if you wish to be truly proficient in Final Cut I'd recommend learning with one of the above methods as it might cover things you might not have thought of yourself, but would be quite happy to learn!

Message was edited by: skalicki`