Cheap camcorders for fcp - workflow - compatibility - quality

Hello List
I am looking into purchasing a cheap camcorder (under $500), that are compatible with Final Cut Pro. Tape or Card are ok. The important thing is that I can easily edit the footage without having to do any conversion or ripping.
There used to be a supported cameras list for earlier versions of final cut. Is there one for Final Cut Pro 5?
Regarding HD versus SD in the under $500.00 camcorder pricerange, what are people's experiences / opinions regarding workflow and image quality? I understand that with a cheap HD'ish camcorder you'll get more pixels but in an 'inconvenient' delievery format that needs to be converted for FCP. Is the final image quality compareable to an uncompressed miniDV image that is smaller yet not compressed?
What about the workflow, how much of a pain is the additional conversion from mp4 or mpeg4 ( or whatever format these camcorders output ) to a dv quicktime movie?
any advice or receommendations are much appreciated.
Thank you.
Regards
-sk

On an other list one guy recommended this camera:
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=8661959&type=product&id=1196470790 863
The price is $250.00 which is super cheap! Will my friend be able to log and capture with this camera without any hassle?
Is there a camera compatility list for FCP / FCE and IMovie?
Thank you all for your help so far. I appreciate it.
sk

Similar Messages

What CHEAP camcorder for FCP (UK)?

Hi all,
I work in a college and we have lots of cheap mini DV camcorders which we use with FCP. We find cheap is better cos on our limited budget we cannot afford to replace expensive kit, and also we have so many students doing media we could not afford expensive camcorders for all.
Obviously now mini DV is on the way out we are hoping to gradually go over to flash-memory based camcorders. I am aware that FCP does not handle AVCHD easily, and it seems most (all?) camcorders in the sub-£400 bracket are AVCHD based. Can anyone recommend any camocorders that are not, and that work well with FCP6? If not, what about FCP7?
Thanks,
Sean

seanofford wrote:
...transcoding does not take for ever, and file sizes are only about the same as movs?
Sean
Transcoding times are directly dependent on the type of the machine, the file size and the end medium. You're using a laptop so it's not gonna leave markings on the tarmac.
ProRes is a very fine format. It is much bigger than AVCHD but we're talking about a master quality professional codec with relatively small size compared to a codec never meant for editing. Try not to confuse the .mov extension, it is a wrapper and can contain from e.g 4k RGB 10 bit uncompressed up to plain ol' .H263-4, and the sort.
If you're going to use an AVCHD camcorder you're going to have to deal with the this process or switch to something like Adobe CS5 which has however yet to prove its robustness. CS4 proved to be very, very, very buggy and unreliable.

Best HD Camcorders for easy workflow?

I've been using a Canon Vixia HV30 for a few years. It's a good quality camcorder, but I'm making the leap into professional video production and need a more robust camcorder, better quality, tapeless, more options, etc... Another important factor is importing into FCP X. I'm tired of using firewire and the lengthy time to encode footage I import.
I've read that the JVC GY-HM150U has an incredibly easy workflow into FCP since it shoots .mov format. Some people say the quality is substandard with this camcorder though and some people despise HDV. Does anyone have thoughts on this camcorder or the Panasonic AG-HVX200A? My budget is less than $3000 but I've seen the Panasonic on sale for less. Any other suggestions are welcome!
Thanks,
Bob

I use JVC GY-HM 100 E (150 is newer version, but the same camera with little more functions added) I must say that a better camera for FCP7 or FCPX is hard to find. This is simply drag and drop. It shoots in native mov. format, so there is no converting. Just drag and drop. I would buy this camera again to morrow if had to.

Timescale for fcp workflow

hi, I am trying to price some future jobs which will involve editing 75 mins multicamera concert from mixed formats possibly from 2 x 7d canon camera a z5 hdv and a mini camera hxr mc-1 recording to avchd
I am new to editing in these formats and seeking advice for the rough time it will take to import convert, render, pro res etc and export to dvd. so i can price the job correctly.
many thanks

This sounds like it could be a great job or a nightmare job.
A key to keeping this project in the "great job" range is to stipulate (in writing) how the footage needs to be delivered and that any variation will result in an hourly rate to correct the issue. For example, you might stipulate that each camera have recorded in 1080i 60 mode. If one of them comes back in 24p mode, then that's lost time to convert and you can submit a quote to correct it or correct it at an hourly rate.
(Actually, you might suggest that the same camcorders be used all around. Your AVCHD camcorder may come back with a dramatically different picture than your DSLR.)
Probably the best way for you to come up with some realistic numbers is to benchmark your workstation.
Shoot 10 minutes of video with a DSLR camera, a HDV camcorder and an AVCHD camcorder.
Then, start a timer. Copy the DSLR files over and convert the 10 minutes worth of footage in Compressor. Connect the HDV camcorder, capture the 10 minutes of footage from tape, then convert it in Compressor. Log and Transfer the 10 minutes of footage from the AVCHD storage media.
(I assume you'll be using Apple ProRes 422 HQ?)
Do this and anything else that will be needed to have the footage ready to edit.
Sync the clips to the audio. Edit the clips into something. Sweeten the audio (or add the audio?). Add title cards. Etc.
Export to a self-contained QuickTime.
Encode the edited master to MPEG2 and AC3.
Author, build and format to DVD. (Will menus need to be designed, integrated and programmed, or are the DVDs going to be play only?)
Stop the timer.
However long that takes, triple it (or at least double it).
In addition to getting an idea of how long it takes your computer to process that data, you need to have a sense of how long it will take you to do everything.
Are you doing this alone? In which everything needs to happen in sequence. Or, will you have a team? In which everything can be happening in parallel (while you're ingesting footage someone else can be designing menus). That will also affect how long it takes.
Anyway... that's my two cents worth. (And, if you needed a consultant, let me know --wink, wink.)
-Warren

What current model camcorder is best suited for FCP 4.0

I have a PM G4 FW800 Mirror door running 10.3.2 and decided to get into this video stuff. I am a Pro Tools user.
What camcorders will work with Final Cut Pro 4
Will any 1394 Firewire Camcorders work ?
How about current Cannon , Panasonic or Sony ?
Anyone with experience ?
thanks

Most 1394 DV camcorders will work with FCP. Some older models out there (think Hi8) lack device control, but will still import using Capture Now.
There is a list of "certified" camcorders for FCP, but its vastly incomplete. I have never seen FCP simply not recognize a camcorder with FireWire.
As far as brands are concerned, it should come down to what fits your needs and preferences. All three of those big name brands should be fully compatible.

Reccommendation for non-overkill MacPro for my FCP workflow

Hey-
Looking for a reccommendation on minimal Mac Pro specs I need to pull off my FCP workflow.
So I’m working on a big HDSLR-heavy documentary project, using FCP 7. Guessing 75-80 total hours by the end of it. At least ¾ of the media is Apple Pro Res 422 LT, transcoded from 5D/7D shot 1080 30p AVCHD footage. Remaining majority is also 422LT, transcoded from AF100-shot 1080 30p AVCHD; remaining minority is SD-original tape capture & SD res quicktimes.
So it’s a lot of relatively beefy, digital original files living on 4 FW800-connected Gtech 2TB drives. I’ll probably have all drives up at anyone point, but not necessarily all the var. individual projects open all the time (it’s a web-only series focusing on 10 artists, so at least 10 individual projects.)
Currently using a 2.93 “Nehalem” Dual Quad Core Mac Pro with 12GBs of RAM for the project – and though I’ll I’ve really done with it is transcode and media manage thus far, and very little actual editing or exporting – don’t have any complaints about the machine.
Thing is, I’m getting kicked off this particular machine and need to buy another. I originally bought the 2.93 Nehalem to meet Avid Media Composer 5 specs – I know FCP7 specs are a lot less exacting, or at least a lot vaguer.
So big question is – do I really need 8 cores? Can I go for something more modest (read cheaper) and still get the same performance? I bought that Nehalem thru Apple Store refurbished and would love to do the same thing.
Check out this link for the current offerings (they change daily):
http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/specialdeals/mac/mac_pro?mco=MjEwNzU3Mzc
Let me know if I’m leaving anything out that’ll help.
Sincerely,
Nick

There is no reason to go deeper into debt than the work can support.
The current version of FCS is 32 bit - which means it can only address 4GB RAM. (1.5 for the system frameworks and 2.5 for the program directly). RAM beyond this amount will be useful when running other programs or when you run Motion. It will not have any effect on FCS.
Still, I beg to differ with my esteemed colleague, but extra cores can make a difference even in day to day use. If you multi-task (multiple apps open and active), the OS spreads the work across all available resources. More cores + more ram = more work accomplished. Whether this is a measurable speed increase over the course of a day or simply gives you more time to think is something only you could answer.
Good luck,
x

Compatible cheap camcorders - under $500.00

Hello List
I am looking into purchasing a cheap camcorder, that are compatible with Final Cut Pro. Tape or Card I don't care. The important thing is that I can easily edit the footage without having to do any conversion or ripping.
There used to be a supported cameras list for earlier versions of final cut. Is there one for Final Cut Pro 5?
any advice or receommendations are much appreciated.
Thank you.
Regards
-sk
Message was edited by: skstuff
Message was edited by: skstuff

Regarding HD versus SD in the under $500.00 camcorder pricerange, what is your opinion regarding workflow and image quality? I understand that with a cheap HD'ish camcorder you'll get more pixels but in an 'inconvenient' delievery format that needs to be converted for FCP. Is the final image quality compareable to an uncompressed miniDV image that is smaller yet not compressed?
What about the workflow, how much of a pain is the additional conversion from mp4 or mpeg4 ( or whatever format these camcorders output ) to a dv quicktime movie?
Any insight or advice much appreciated.
Thanks
sk

Is capturing in iMovie before transfer to FCP affect clip quality?

Capturing in iMovie detects all the start/stops. Then, importing in FCP is a fast and easy way to get all start/stops. But, does the resulting video quality just as good as if the capturing had been done entirely in FCP ?
jcjber
PowerBook 12" Mac OS X (10.4.6)

#20 Using iMovie to Capture for FCP edit
Shane's Stock Answer #20:
iMovie handles the media differently from FCP, specifically where audio is concerned. So it is not a recommended workflow. Here's why...
iMovie captures using DV Stream (.dv) standard which does not use timecode. That is a big disadvantage over the way that FCP captures in that you can't go back and recapture the material at a later date if you need to revisit a project.
The DV/NTSC specification (the one FCP uses) also calls for seperate tracks for audio and video, even if you capture it as one clip. iMovie' DV stream format is muxed audio and video, which means that they are tied together (I can't get into specifics because I ain't no engineer or programmer). FCP is a bit more demanding and captures the seperate audio/video tracks, either in a single media file or as seperate video and audio files. With FCP you could capture video only or audio only because each is defined by the DV specs. while with iMovie you can't.
Also, if you drop the iMovie footage into the timeline, your will get the RED render bar forcing you to render the footage in order to see it...
Shane

HD camcorder compatibilty and choice for FCP

I would like to buy a new HD camcorder that has to be compatible with FCP (I'm still on version 7.0.3).
The one that looks the most interesting is the Panasonic TM900, but several comments on Amazon's site suggest that the full quality mode (1920*1080p (50p)) is not able to be captured in FCP (well, Macs in general actually).
This would seem to make it irrelevant for me at that quality level if I can't make use of it.
I was wondering which HD camcorders are considered the best quality and most compatible with FCP?. I would prefer them to be under £1000 and I am not averse to upgrading to a newer version of FCS if absolutely needed.

(well, Macs in general actually).
This is crap. You simply use ClipWrap2 to transcode the media because the FCP interface doesn't support it for ingest. Once it's been transcoded with ClipWrap2 you're done. Simply import into FCE and edit in a 50p timeline.
You do realize that there is nothing you can output 50p to, right? No Blu-ray players support 50p. You're never going to put 50fps media on the web. You can't put it on tape. You could play it back from QuickTime, but you'd better have a pretty big fast hard drive hanging off your computer. 50fps uses massive chunks of drive space, about 2G per minute for ProRes. You must be doing theatrical digital projection I guess.
BTW 7.0.3 is the latest version. There's nothing to upgrade to.

DVD Footage for FCP Edit - how to tell if NTSC or PAL?!

Hi all, apologies if this seems like a stupid request but I have a job at the moment calling for me to extract footage from a DVD, edit in FCP, add a few bits from Motion etc., but I can't work out if the DVD is NTSC or PAL!
I intend to extract the video (no issues with copyright) via DVDxDVPro but am unsure if the DVD has been encoded in NTSC or PAL. The footage it contains is from both the States (NTSC) and South Africa (PAL) so how do I tell? I don't want to go through a standards conversion if I can help it.
I am keen to try to retain as much quality as possible (client can't provide tape) so also any thougts on the best output from DVDxDVPRo for FCP editing?
Thanks all,
Best wishes
Michael

Hi Thomas, that's it!
Thanks for this - it clearly shows the TV standard and the resolution plus 4:3 etc., so everything I needed for confirmation.
Glad I cheked because it was in Pal - thought the conversion in DVDxDVPro looked a bit ropey.
This realy baffled me - seemed so simple but couldn't find a way to tell the standard. Learn something everyday...
I am using DVCPro for export from DVDxDVPro - anyone thoughts on a better option?
Thanks again for the answer - and so quick on a Sunday too!
Kind regards
Michael

Sony Z1U HDV Capture Settings for FCP 6.0

Hi, I am shooting a project on Sony's HVR-Z1U HDV camcorder at HDV 60i NTSC. Does anyone have suggestions for settings to capture the material into FCP. I have FCP Version 6, part of the FC Studio 2 upgrade.
Appreciate any feedback!

There are definiitely some advantages to editing in DV rather than HDV for easy workflow and faster renders, etc.
To capture, you'll have to get the settingns on the deck and in FCP to match. If you have the deck/camera set to HDV then choose the appropriate easy setup in FCP such as HDV 1080i60. If you want to capture as DV, then set the deck to downconvert to DV, and choose the DV NTSC easy setup. You'll want to check the anamorphic box for you capture settings and sequences, but keep in mind if your are working with DV or any SD format, that the anamorphic setting can be esaily applied to clips and sequences after creation or capture.
When you export your web clips with compressor, figure out a square-pixel frame size that is some multiple of 16:9.

Need advise on best settings for FCP 7!

I am looking for some advice on the best settings for FCP 7 when I am syncing sound using pluraleyes, exporting into quicktime as one file and then importing that new file into FCP 7 for editing. I have noticed that sometimes my Quicktime files are very large (20 gb) and sometimes they are much smaller (130 MB), but I never changed the settings.
I am working on FCP 7 and shot using my Panasonic GH3 at 24 fps (which comes to 23.98). My frame size is 1920x1080. Compressor is H.264. Data rate: 8.6 MB/sec. Audio rate: 48.0 KHz. I have heard that FCP 7 does not properly deal with H.264. So, I am wondering, what should my settings be? Should I set to "Apple ProRes 422 (HQ) 1920x1080 24p 48 kHz"? Is there anything I need to know when I export to Quicktime 7 Pro in order to not reduce the quality of the video? Should I be changing my video files first before I even start to work on them?
I haven't edited in almost ten years so I am desperate need of some guidance!
Final Cut Pro 7, Mac OS X (10.6.8)

Hi Shane Ross,
Thanks for your help. So, I already synced all of my interviews in FCP 7 (using pluraleyes) before I changed the video to ProRess 422. Can I just go into FCP (in the same project) and compress the video footage, import the new video files and throw it into the timeline? Or will this cause issues? I tried this as a test and it seems to be okay but I just want to check that there aren't any issues that I am not considering.
Also, when I do compress, it seems to take forever (sometimes two hours). Is there any way to make this move along faster?
Thanks so much!

Best screen capture resolution for FCP

I'm making some tutorials of various computer software.
I'm going to edit them with FCP.
I'm using the MAC built in SHIFT-COMMAND - 3 or 4
in order to snap stills off my screen, and then
import into Final Cut Pro to edit the tutorials with.
The stills, once in the timeline, look pretty fuzzy and
unuseable.
What have others used in terms of resolution, format and such in order to end up with captures off your screen that you'll bring into FCP that end up looking good if you're
going to end up going to video or DVD?
I also have SNAP PRO X to work with, but I still haven't
found the right format or resolution to get around this problem.
Any input would be appreciated.
Thanks.

Without going into DPI (which is really meaningless in FCP land...as has been argued again and again and again...although if you MUST apply a value just stick in 72, but really it has no effect) the pixel dimensions of stills to import for FCP FULL FRAME are 720x534. Because stills have square pixels and FCP uses rectangular ones. If you want to do any movement on the stills, just increase the dimensions PROPORTIONALLY. 2x would be 1440 x 1064.
Oh, and as for the blurry issue:
#2 Playback is blurry
Shane's Stock Answer #2:
ONLY JUDGE THE QUALITY OF YOUR MATERIAL ON AN EXTERNAL NTSC MONITOR, OR AT LEAST A TV.
1. Disable overlays on the canvas
2. Make sure you've rendered everything (no green bars at the top of the timeline
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=24787
DV footage requires large amounts of data and many computations. In order to maintain frame rate and be viewable at a normal size, only about one-fourth of the DV data is used in displaying the movie to the screen. However, the DV footage is still at full quality, and is best viewed thru a TV or NTSC monitor routed thru your camera or deck.
For this, and other exciting stock answers visit www.proapptips.com

Color grading plugin for FCP?

I experience more and more problems with the Send to Shake function as time goes (FCP updates, Shake does not). Is there a good quality color correct plugin for FCP? More advanced than the standard 3-way color corrector..

Just exactly what is it you're wanting to accomplish? FCP has an amazing variety of color tools contained within it's tool set, although not nearly as surgical as Shake.
Colorista II ain't worth the money to me as it's really no different than the 3Way with the exception that you can make power windows without layering. Boris also has some sort of new 3Way corrector that if I were to buy a plug, I'd most likely get over Colorista II.

Anyone used Mocha for FCP with Motion4?

I'm considering this tool.
http://www.imagineersystems.com/products/mochafor_FinalCut/
Only downside is it only runs in FCP, so you have to send the tracking data to Motion from FCP.
But, curious if anyone is actually using it, and how well the workflow works with Motion4?

Les,
If you're going the Mocha route, just buy the stand alone version of Mocha, you will not regret it. You'll also get the Mocha shape plug-ins for AE and FCP.
Before the Mocha for FCP plug was created, I exported Mocha tracking data to Shake or AE and then used specialcase's [Tracker Data plugs|http://www.motionsmarts.com/downloads.html] to get into Motion. While I was only able to get single point tracking into Motion through this backdoor, it still worked fairly well.
But I would advise just to get the Mocha application if you're even considering the tool at all.

Cheap camcorders for fcp - workflow - compatibility - quality

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