alancpo

Q: What is a good entry level camera that will "plug and play" into Mac Book Pro with Final Cut without having to alter file types?

My teen age daughter is very interested in video editing and making short films.  She has a Macbook Pro with Yosemite and Final Cut Pro.  To this point she has used iphone for capturing video but she would like a camera.  I'm looking for a camera that will be compatible to the point that she will not have to convert file types etc.  Is there a good entry level camera that is plug and play so to speak?

MacBook Pro with Retina display, OS X Yosemite (10.10.5)

Posted on Sep 28, 2015 7:13 AM

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Q: What is a good entry level camera that will "plug and play" into Mac Book Pro with Final Cut without having to alter file types?

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  • by Russ H,

    Russ H Russ H Sep 28, 2015 8:04 AM in response to alancpo
    Level 7 (21,820 points)
    Quicktime
    Sep 28, 2015 8:04 AM in response to alancpo

    Does she have an iPhone? They have had 1080p capability since the 4S. The latest, the 6S, shoots 4K and the initial reports are quite good on quality.

     

    Russ

  • by David Bogie Chq-1,

    David Bogie Chq-1 David Bogie Chq-1 Sep 28, 2015 10:20 AM in response to alancpo
    Level 7 (25,782 points)
    Video
    Sep 28, 2015 10:20 AM in response to alancpo

    You can visit the FCPX marketing pages and find a list of compatible cameras. Your Mac and FCPX will work with just about any conventional codec without converting upon import. Sharing your output is a different story, though.

     

    The iPhone is a useful and fun tool but it won't teach her anything, or won't let her learn anything, about becoming a skilled video shooter or photographer. Does she want to learn a craft or an a skill or does only care about pushing a button to point and shoot? Then let's talk about your budget.

  • by David Bogie Chq-1,

    David Bogie Chq-1 David Bogie Chq-1 Sep 28, 2015 10:21 AM in response to alancpo
    Level 7 (25,782 points)
    Video
    Sep 28, 2015 10:21 AM in response to alancpo

    Final Cut ProX or FCP7?

  • by fox_m,Helpful

    fox_m fox_m Sep 29, 2015 5:07 AM in response to alancpo
    Level 5 (5,537 points)
    Video
    Sep 29, 2015 5:07 AM in response to alancpo

    Far be it from me to recommend too much in the way of specifics because even at "entry level" your "investment costs" could be substantial depending on the level of support you want to give your daughter.

     

    In all cases: get a decent tripod. Stabilization is pretty good in a lot of cameras, but it's not something you want to rely on.

     

    There are inexpensive accessories you can buy to outfit a cellphone for video. For example, tripod adapters which will help make any video taken on a cell phone look more "professional". Some of the software you can find (App Store) like Steady and Hyperlapse are very cool and helpful. Steady shoots 720p video at 120fps on an iPhone 5s... impressive stabilization and slow motion for such inexpensive software.

     

    Moving up will be the dedicated consumer and prosumer "camcorders". FCPX is compatible with most (if not all by now) codec variations. (I had issues with my Samsumg camcorder in the early days, but it was straightened out by version 10.0.3.) You can find decent deals at less than $200. Samsung uses Schneider lenses (comparable rep to Zeiss) and Canon's Vixia line also has exceptionally decent lenses. (No camera is better than its "glass" [I had a bad experience with Vivitar many years ago!]).

     

    The downside of consumer camcorders: many use interlaced media (30p from 60i is still interlaced and confuses FCPX in some cases — it's called Progressive Segmented Frames and it's something that should be avoided as it is a complication that has to be dealt with and not really suitable for beginners.) PsF is a "selling point" for consumer camcorders luring the customer to only see "progressive".... don't fall for it. Also, most consumer camcorders do not provide for full manual settings, they are usually aperture or shutter priority and (I can't specifically remember) you might not have control over ISO... (guess it depends on the camera.) Another downside is that their bandwidth is usually rather low, around 16 to 25 Mbits/sec. This is quite marginal and you will notice "artifacting" in fast moving scenes (blocking is another term used; jpeg artifacts, etc.)

     

    Check out Go Pro cameras... there's been a lot of good talk about them here and other places -- and -- they're fun. (I don't know anything about them personally, so you'll need to do some research for manual control, lens quality, etc...)

     

    Moving up: DSLRs. You can probably still find some good deals on a Canon T3i which will handle 1080/30p (or 24p) video. (DSLRs shoot real progressive.) There are a number of "Micro 4/3rds" cameras around too that share most of the same benefits as DSLRs like interchangeable lenses, manual control, etc., except they are not "Through-the-lens" views nor are the sensors (that capture the image) quite as large. Depending on the model, age, whatever, you should expect at least twice the bandwidth for the captured video as that of the consumer camcorder (40-50 Mbits/sec, or so.)

     

    [Side note: several camera manufacturers include video support on their consumer cameras, like Canon PowerShot cameras. I have to admit that I've been quite impressed with the image quality I've seen from some of these cameras. A friend of mine has a Canon PowerShot SX130IS and has gotten impressive results.]

     

    The downside of DSLRs: individual interchangeable lenses are expensive, sometimes costing more than the bloody camera. You must have a better than average tripod (good to excellent quality tripods can also be quite pricey!) as DSLRs are heavy and difficult to hold steady (even with stabilization).

     

    The upside of DSLRs: expansion... and lots of it! The collection of lenses available is staggering. It is possible to RENT lenses for specific shoots. Full manual control of every aspect of "film-making".  A plethera of automatic control settings.  Stabilization is usually handled "in-lens" and not via software (hugely important difference.) Availability of Fixed Lenses (fixed lenses usually have better wide open f-stops with little distortion — zoom lenses frequently suffer from variable wide open f-stop options and softness at the zoom extremes as well as barrel and/or pin-cushion distortion [usually NOT as bad as all that sounds... depends on the lens maker, design, glass, etc... just don't skimp on the price of a zoom lens... it will cost you in image quality.]

     

    Moving up: dedicated professional video cameras... something to aspire to.

     

    Stick with cameras on Apple's supported cameras list and you won't have any problems with FCPX conforming the video files to a project. My Samsung camcorder is not on that list, but I don't have any problems importing video into FCPX, so, ask around if you choose a camera not on the list.

     

    There is very little difference in the quality of HD with 720/60p and 1080/30p. Using 720 is not nearly the same sacrifice as trying to scale SD (480) up to HD (either resolution.) The "secret" of good video (besides the glass) is bandwidth. Your daughter should be able to upscale 720 to 1080 with very good results (older refurbished models of higher quality cameras are worth considering.)

     

    Compiling everything down to its simplest form in order of importance: 1) good glass/imaging quality; 2) manual control of shutter, aperture and ISO; 3) stabilization (tripod!) [4) encouraging support!!! -- There **will** be a learning curve!]

     

    At the end of the day: The most important camera is the one you have with you. (I've shot a lot of stuff lately on my iPhone.)

     

    I hope I've given you a complete enough list of things to consider when searching for that perfect camera for your daughter. Very good luck to you!

  • by Karsten Schlüter,

    Karsten Schlüter Karsten Schlüter Sep 28, 2015 10:42 PM in response to fox_m
    Level 7 (32,713 points)
    Video
    Sep 28, 2015 10:42 PM in response to fox_m

    // full quote //

     

    post of the year, fox_m!

    Could/should be 'pinned' as a User Tipp.

    Contains anything I could tell, incl. "the best cam is the one with you!" LOL...

    ________________

     

    So, from general advice to 'anecdotal' = products I use:

    • to create anything close to 'cinematic' with a phone you need tons of extras, starting with a tripod, ending with lights; nice for taking visual notes, not for making videos beyond 7sec; opinion based upon iPad3mini (and it looks silly to hold a plank before your face while recording - my 5¢

     

    • I'm still happy with the results of my Panasonic HCV707 (US#700) ... small, handy, good stabilizer, 28mbps for 1080/50p/60p ... not a low light beast. Excellent 'run&gun' device (autofocus), 28mm wide. AVCHD = no prob in FCPX, gets on import repackaged to mov.

    pana707.jpg

    mainly my sportscam, or b-roll

     

    • speaking of cinematic: completely underated (=cheap): Sonys NEX, comes in dozens flavours, here #5: looks like a pocket-still, but offers a huge APSC sensor; ordered in Honkong for 8€ (!!) an adapter, to mount old CanonFD glases (garagesale: 50mm/f1,4 = 30€) - awesome look! But: needs manual work, no auto-wotever. Main disadvantage: no audio-out, gets hot while continous shooting beyond 10-15min

    nex5canon.jpg

     

    yeah, shallow DoF in bright sunlight! And the obligatory wedding-movie .........

     

     

    • my main cam, The Beast: Lumix FZ1000, yepp 'just' a bridge-cam, but 1080/100p or 4k/25p; huge sensor (for a video cam) 1", fullfills my 'all needs covered', plus super slow-mo (yeah a 1000fps with a little help from FCPX ) plus 4k (mainly for reframing). Nice gimmick: remote control via local WiFi via iPad ...... what's missing. a remote controled motorized pan-head LOL

    fz1k.jpg

    (no photo, a screen grab from a video)

    I didn't believed it, but 4k in a 1080-project reaches a new level in pic quality (my standards); cam creates mp4 with 100mbps ... ok, add a few harddrives onto the shopping list

     

    Just a word about 4k:

    editing here on a MacMini/late2012, no special hardware ....

     

    Make a wishlist of features: changeable glas, slowmo, weight/size...?

    AVCHD or mp4 - all consumer formats are fully supported, no time consuming, manual 'transforming' needed .........

  • by Alchroma,

    Alchroma Alchroma Sep 28, 2015 11:42 PM in response to alancpo
    Level 6 (19,006 points)
    Video
    Sep 28, 2015 11:42 PM in response to alancpo

    This user asked a similar question:

    https://discussions.apple.com/message/21940556#21940556

     

    Al

  • by David Bogie Chq-1,

    David Bogie Chq-1 David Bogie Chq-1 Sep 29, 2015 8:32 AM in response to alancpo
    Level 7 (25,782 points)
    Video
    Sep 29, 2015 8:32 AM in response to alancpo

    Bummer. You asked what time it was and we told you how sundials work and why the social construct of time has led to the development of the Apple Watch. And then we told you how to choose a factory offshore build them for you.

     

    Is this a hobby?

    Is this a passing fad?

    How much time will your daughter invest in learning the (quite complicated) craft of filmmaking?

    How much money do you wish to spend to find the answers to those questions?

    Once you know the answers, how much additional money do you wish to spend to enable her pursuit?