Choosing A Camorder to Use with FCE

I have the newest version of FCE and I've noticed that I've tried to use other harddrive camcorders, (sony + panasonic) but neither work well or at all with FCE, I'm looking to buy a Canon Vixia HG20 and I was wondering if anyone has used one with FCE yet? its a rather new camcorder btw

Yup have to agree - I have a Panasonic AVCHD cam and it works wonderfully. Just make sure your version of FCE4 is updated to 4.0.1 - this should fix your issues.
Really depends what format you like to work with
AVCHD, HDV, DV etc. This is a good website to compare the various cams.
http://www.camcorderinfo.com/d/Reviews&levelb=Camcorder&levelc=HD.htm

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Cameras to use with FCE

I'm interested in upgrading from Imovie seeing as I know it like the back of my hand and feel limited by it at this point. I'm looking to get a new camera in the spring of this year, and I'm wondering what kind to get if I want a good one for a good price that would be great with FCE 4.
Does everybody use Mini Dv cameras with this software? I don't see these in stores, and it this point to me it seems like they are old, clunky, and outdated. I'm no expert, but that's just the impression I get from them, so why are those the primary cameras used with FCE?
So if anybody can answer these questions, and provide me a list of a few good cameras (Mini Dv or not) that would work with the program and not cost a fortune, I would be much obliged!

FCE can work with DV, HDV and AVCHD camcorders.
Most consumer/prosumer camcorders on the market today are AVCHD camcorders or a variation of AVCHD. Be aware - if the camcorder doesn't have the *AVCHD logo* or doesn't *specifically state in the specs* that it's AVCHD, then it's probably not AVCHD. Even if it says it's H.264 or MPEG4/AVC that does not automatically make it AVCHD - a lot of people have been burned not watching out for this.
DV is, as you said, on the way out. 4:3 aspect ratio & standard def; however, decent DV camcorders can do anamorphic 16:9 and it turns out quite nice. So, you can do widescreen with many DV camcorders. HDV is still around and has a loyal following. There are some very nice HDV camcorders - Canon HV20/30/40 for example - and they're not too expensive.
Another thing to keep in mind is that even though you shoot high def with HDV or AVCHD, when it comes time to burn a DVD of your video it will be standard def - because DVDs are by definition standard def. To burn hi-def optical disks, you have to get a BluRay burner, BluRay authoring software (DVD Studio Pro, Toast) and of course BD media. It's not cheap.

I'm sorry, I have to convert the mov file. for use with fce and / or imovie11, better ProRes422 or intermediate codec?

I'm sorry, I have to convert the mov file. for use with fce and / or imovie11, better ProRes422 or intermediate codec?

FCE only used AIC for HD.
Al

Is there a preferred Video Camera in the forum for use with FCE?

I am on the hunt for a new HD camcorder in the 800 to 1200 US dollar range. Is there a preferred recording format or anything specific to look for that will help my camera work best with FCE or better yet are there things I should try to avoid?
I am looking for something compact so that I can carry it with me on trips easily, but still give a good quality HD image. Thanks

The main consideration is that AVCHD is a hard drive based format whereas HDV is tape based. The nature of tapes is that they're relatively inexpensive so it's not such a big deal to save your tapes as backups in case you ever need to restore your project from the original footage. For AVCHD on the other hand, you'd need to make a backup by copying the whole file directory to an external drive for safe keeping, and if the drive fails or gets corrupted then you are out of luck.
There are other less important things to keep in mind. AVCHD can reach a maximum resolution of 1920x1080, whereas HDV by comparison reaches its peak at 1440x1080. I've heard some say that AVCHD cameras generally work less well in low lighting conditions, but I personally haven't noticed too much of a difference. Finally, the market seems to generally be moving away from a tape based workflow. Not that AVCHD is exactly the format of the future (and you'll certainly be able to purchase DV tapes for a while to come), but it's something to keep in mind. FCE deals with the two formats differently as well, and it might be wise to skim over both the section in the User Manual about capturing and the one about the "Log and Transfer" process.
As far as bugginess is concerned, I wouldn't say that one format is prone to more problems than the other. As long as you read up on the capture or ingest process before attempting anything you should be fine.
Finally, keep in mind the fact that FCE transcodes both HDV and AVCHD into the Apple Intermediate Codec upon capture or ingest. AIC usually runs at about 41-50GB per hour, so you'll want to make sure that you have a fast external firewire drive to use as a scratch disk when editing to store your media.
Sasha

USB external portable HD for use with FCE and MBP ???????

I've seen a 120 GB USB portable external Seagate HD for $117. Would this be usable as a scratch disk for use with my MBP 2.0 and final cut express HD 3.5. Are there problems with using USB externals? FW external hd's seem to be a good deal more expensive.
Thanks.
Maurice

I bought one recently very cheaply to use for general storage.
I found that FCE 3.0 worked perfectly and have been using it ever since instead of my FW HD.
HOWEVER, before you dash out and buy one take note that I have only been tinkering around and experimenting with comparatively short projects of no importance.
I strongly suspect that if I made a long and complicated film I might suffer - so pay the extra and get a FW HD !
Incidentally for normal storage purposes the USB2 HD takes over twice the time to move files back and forth. So even for non-FCE use the Firewire HD is twice as fast.
Ian.

Need help choosing a display to use with 12" ibook

I apologize in advance if this topic has been covered earlier. I'm contemplating purchasing a monitor to use with my ibook and something that could be used later with a new Mac Mini or Power Mac. I can't bank roll a Mac monitor... they're beautiful but trés expensive. So I'm looking for some other brand. The question I have is what type of monitor should I buy. I know I want a LCD (17" pref), Id like to spend less than $400, and VGA would be nice so I don't have to purchase an additional adaptor. Is there anything else I should be aware of? What about monitors with a DCI connection? Are they difficult to connect/need expensive adaptor? Any advice or recommendations you can provide would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
Laura

Keep in mind that the iBook does not support extended desktop mode. This means that you can only use an external monitor for mirroring your main display. Since the resolution of the iBook is very low (1024 x 768), virtually any display will support it.
If you want to use an external monitor with another system later, consider getting a large CRT display, rather than an LCD. While LCDs have their attractions, such as power consumption, weight, and size, these are not the main characteristics of a good display. For another five or ten years, you'll be better off with a good CRT display. (This is my personal opinion, naturally. I was drooling over the 30" Apple Display myself, but generally, I'm not entirely satisfied with the current state of LCD technologies.)
P.S. There's a trick to enable extended desktop mode for iMacs and iBooks: http://www.rutemoeller.com/mp/ibook/ibook_e.html You may want to try that, too. Beware! It's highly addictive!

What camcorder are you using with FCE that's compatible

I'd like to hear from folks so other folks know what's compatible and what is not. I know Apple has a list but it's outdated. old, and not comprehensive. By you stating what make & model your camcorder is and if it works with FCE will help a lot of folks.

Hi Sheila.
The Apple list causes more trouble than it is worth.
There are possibly thousands of cameras out there but testing is so time-consuming that Apple has only tested a handful - probably all those on the list!
I think you will find that (almost) every mini-DV camera in the world, equipped with FireWire, will work OK in FCE.
You probably stand a greater chance of being struck by lightning than of buying a new camera that will not work.
Having said that, some Canon owners have experienced problems - which have usually been curable.
If you buy from a local dealer you might be able to come to an agreement that you can return the camera in the highly unlikely case that it is not compatible with FCE.
I believe some dealers will let you borrow cameras for short evaluation periods. (I don't expect the large "box-shifters" will do this).
Ian.

Sources for random effects to use with FCE

Any FCE users out there know of any good sources for random “effects” (not filters) and pre-made generic clips?
Coming from iMoive I'm really excited about the improved control I have with FCE but it doesn’t have some of the generic effects I’m looking for like the 3-2-1 screen at the beginning of a video or overlays where it looks like the film is burning on the light…etc. I need some cool yet affordable plug-ins.
Any help is appreciated!

archive.org offers some downloadable count-downs ... in "historic" pic quality..
with some painting skills, you're able to create your own in a paint-app and animate it in FCE ...
search for video-libraries on the net, many offer (for $$) DVDs with zillions of usable "movies", fog, fire, water, animatics...
lately, I stumbled here over
http://fxhome.com/effectslab/effectslab-overview.html
which allows creation of nice "particle" effects (smoke, fog, fire, bursts, ...)
I'm too more a iM user.. like all these presets... in FCE, you have to think yourself, how is it done, how to set which knobs&sliders to achieve a special, wanted look... much more options, but much more complicated ..

Help Required For HF100 Used With FCE 4 ?

No, it's not for me.
A few days ago Tom Bigley tacked this question onto another HF100 thread but it seems to have gone unnoticed, so I am reprinting it here:-
"Forgive me if I am going over old ground but I have just acquired a HF100 and want assurance I have understood the AVCHD/FCE relationship correctly.
I must use High Quality XP at 12Mbps (1440 x 1080)
I cannot use High Quality FXP (1920 x 1080)
I cannot use Cine and 25Mbps or I get into interlacing complications
I import using Easy SetUp set to Apple Intermediate Codec
with the Use Tab set to HDV-Apple Intermediate Codec 1080i50
Am I there or are there any other pitfalls I've overlooked?
Tom."

Hello Richy
My first thought is, can't you just put the graphic elements in to the photo with your choice of editor?
It looks like you are trying to position two yellowy-green lines in the page as well. You could put one of those lines in to the image and one in the left panel as a background (I'm not absoulutely clear where they go but I think I've made a pretty good guess.)
You could try adding a header div and using a slice of the image as a background and position your logo elements in that with float, margin, padding or whatever.
Basically, you have a two column layout which is quite simple so there should be a solution.
You could try putting the main image as a background image and position your graphic elements in the content panel (div)?
If your main image is a background though, I think you might have a bit more difficulty with height so, you would have to perhaps use the left column content to determine height.
These are just a few thoughts but given with the caveat of my novice status! I've only just learned to tie my HTML shoe laces.
Good luck
Martin
PS I remember a few years ago now, bing advised through these pages to only use absolutely positioned elements if you really have no other alternative and then if you do, to only use one! Since then, I haven't ever used one.
PPS I like your design very much but I am not sure about that bright yellow text? The pink circle looks as though it should be crazy but it fits beautifully with your colour scheme. That yellow hits off it a bit in my mind and jars a little.

Choosing development software to use with AS

Hello!
We need an advise. We use Developer Suite 9i for software development purposes, but now we faced a problem: we need to draw a dynamic schema of our network based on the configuration information stored in DB (stations as rectangles, links as lines between them, some additional text information near them, and all this information should be updatable by timer, following to changes in DB). It seems that we can't do it in Oracle Forms. So what products can be recommended? The solution should be compatible with OAS 9i rel.2 which we are going to use for distribution and it's better to use some of Oracle products to exclude possible incompabilities and reduce support problems.

You can use Java to draw such a schema. You can develop it with Oracle9i JDeveloper and run it on Oracle9iAS.
In fact you can create a Javabean that draws the picture using JDeveloper and then include it inside your Oracle Forms application.
Read more about Java integration in Oracle Forms in the Forms Upgrade Center spotlight on Java section:
http://otn.oracle.com/formsupgrade

How do I convert ASF files on my Mac for use with FCE HD?

Can anyone shed some light as to converting asf files into mov or dv using my mac? I did try using windows media player on my mac and the error was "Windows Media Player cannot play this file because the Player does not support this codec. Windows Media Player 7.1.3
I also tried Streamclip with no success. Thank you in advance, MilliMac

RiverPast Video Cleaner and Yasa Video Converter claim to convert ASF to DV but they are both pc applications ...

Is the Canon EOS 600D easy to use with FCE?

I am very new to DSLR video and am thinking about buying Canon's EOS 600D because the video seems so cinematic and the 60fps would be great for slow motion. I only have Final Cut Express and was wondering if FCE would accomodate this DSLR. I've began my research but the info is so scattered. I've read the ProRes format is the way to go. Is that in FCE? Would the 60fps be a problem in FCE?
Thanks,
Brian.

FCE is not suitable for this camera. You need FCP and Cinema Tools. FCE does not support 59.94fps media. You can work around this if you have to using MPEG Streamclip to convert the media to 29.97. There are also free tools which will reconform your 59.94 media to 29.97 giving you slomo, but you would still need to convert the media. If you can wait till June when the whole game changes.

Choosing an DSLR to use with iPhoto '08

Am about to buy my first DSLR and was thinking about saving files as RAW. I see that some of the cameras I am considering (Nikon D40x and Canon EOS 400D) appear to produce RAW files which are directly importable into iPhoto. Reading some other sites I see that this should have been addressed, at least in so far as the D40x is concerned, in OSX 10.4.10. However, I am unable to find any up-to-date formal confirmation from Apple on either of the cameras mentioned.
Can anyone help and tell me what the position is with these two DSLRs? Thank you.

Hi Simon.
I think you'll be quite happy with the D40, if that is your choice. The issue with the D40x's lenses are that the body is built without a lens drive motor, so the lenses must have their own drive motors in the lens body to be able to utilize the autofocus capability. Currently, Nikon makes two such lenses, the AF-I and AF-S lenses. Current lenses such as the AF and IF lenses require the drive motor to be in the camera body, as has historically been the design of most SLR bodies.
I have not done enough research into other camera makers to determine if this is a trend which will carry on, or whether this is a temporary thing introduced with the D40x. If the latter is the case, I suspect that the D40x will possibly remain in the consumer market, as most professionals have literally thousands of dollars invested in the "standard" AF lenses. This is just an opinion, though. Who knows, maybe it's a hint of the future of photographic equipment.
All that said, I still feel that the D40 family are exceptional cameras for the price, and if you opt for the D40x, there are enough of a variety of lenses that will satisfy your soon-to-be growing DSLR experience for many years to come.
Here is a very fine review of the D40x at the following website. I believe that there is also some comparison charts with the Canon 400EOS, also.
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/nikond40x/
Have fun!
Charlie

List of cameras compatible with FCE 3.5HD?

is there a simply nice list of cameras that are considered the easiest to use with FCE, maybe some pros and cons, that kind of thing?
Thanks

There are simply too many cameras from too many manufacturers for anyone to even compile, let alone update, a comprehensive list. That said, here's a general comment likely to stir up a debate:
IMHO, you achieve the easiest and most straightforward workflow with a firewire-equipped standard-definition mini-dv tape based camcorder from a manufacturer other than Canon.
Other opinions?

Using Mpeg2 files with FCE?

Hi all,
I have some mpeg 2 files that i want to load into FCE. I was told to convert the files with MPEG streamline first, by going to file, export to quicktime, choose Apple DV-Pal and then convert. Then i can import into FCE. I have done this and it works but just wondered if by doing this, do i lose quality or is it the same?? Also, MPEG streamline has an option to "export to DV..." Can i use this instead??
Thanks,
Dave.

Whenever you convert anything you lose quality but in this case the loss should be minimal. That is why the ideal is to shoot everything in DV.
Regarding the DV option in Streamclip, I think it may be "DV Stream" which is used by iMovie and can't be used by FCE until it has had further rendering.

Choosing A Camorder to Use with FCE

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