What format camcorder for video editing. Making movies?

My 14 yr old son is into making movies. He needs a better camcorder. He makes stop motion movies as well as scripted movies with props. He edits them on his computer and some are really good, especially after he ads special effects to them.
I want to get him a better camera for filiming. Preferrably not over $600 or so. What is the best format video camera for editing on the computer and one that is good for shooting movies. It should have a spot light on it I assume for low light contitions, even though he sets up lights sometimes when he shoots.
Any suggestions as what I should get him? Thanks in advanced.
Aranon

The HF200, along with all other decent high definition camcorders that use flash memory, DVDs, or hard drives, uses AVCHD. And yes, AVCHD is difficult to work with for two reasons:
1) Many software packages didn't/don't support it, but this has changed dramatically in the past year. Apparently Windows Live Movie Maker in Windows 7 supports it. (Not in Windows Vista or earlier.)
2) It requires a lot of CPU power compared to what systems are currently capable of to work with, just like standard definition video did back in 1998-2000. This will also get easier over time.
Both of the above are the price you pay for being on the cutting edge in terms of video quality.
Tape-based HD camcorders use HDV, which is MPEG-2 based. This is somewhat easier to work with, but I would not reccommend a tape-based camcorder (motor noise, ruggedness, cost of media, etc.)
*disclaimer* I am not now, nor have I ever been, an employee of Best Buy, Geek Squad, nor of any of their affiliate, parent, or subsidiary companies.

Similar Messages

What format is best for an external hard drive for video editing on a mac?

What's the best format for an external hard drive for video editing to be use with a mac only? I need to format my new hard drive and want to be sure I choose the right format.

I concur with Kappy. His suggestion is correct.
Allan

What is the best Monitor for Video editing & Graphic Design?

Hi every one,
I would like to find out what is the best monitor for video editing and graphic design that you recomend, I am trying to buy one but not sure which one is good and not expansive.
Thanks very much

I don't want 2 monitors, so a single 27inch model just what I need... plenty of room for PPro, or I can have a Word document and a Text file open and side by side
John,
That is personal taste and there is no discussing taste. However, from my perspective, and that is personal, I prefer 3840 x 1080 resolution with dual monitors over 1920 x 1080 with a single monitor, but that is because I very often have Firefox, Filezilla, Dreamweaver and some other applications open at the same time, switching between the Adobe forums, Gmail accounts, Notebook results from the PPBM5 data submissions, PPBM5 form submissions, MySQL access, phpadmin pages to update the database, the PPBM5 results pages and various DW .php pages for the maintenance of our database and switching back and forth between various versions of PR. I occasionally really run out of real estate with all these applications and could not consider a single monitor with only 1920 x 1080 resolution, even if it were a 105" screen. In the future I would even like to have a four monitor setup (with MPE hardware support) in a two by two configuration, so that I can freely move my application screens around.
If that happens, notice I say if and not when, my preference for a monitor would be something like 4 Samsung F2380 monitors. Small bezel, great display and panel, affordable.

What is the best set hard drive set up on an iMac for video editing?

what is the best set hard drive set up on an iMac for video editing? i only have one internal 2tb hard drive.

CIANCIO.mov wrote:
so is it best to edit directly off your LaCie fire wire drive, or off the internal HD and store on the external?
The second.
Which one is faster to edit with?
The internal will operate faster but editing uses both the Final Cut Application (on the internal), and the external which is used to store and access the video that you have shot and on which is stored the Capture Caches, and which also stores and accesses the various other caches such as Video Render, Waveform etc.
Does a faster hard drive decrease rendering time?
I think it must, but I have never timed it.
whats Faster, having another internal drive or a thunderbolt or firewire 800 external drive?
I think that a second internal drive would be faster than an external Firewire drive. However, a Thunderbolt drive is said to be very fast, but I do not know whether it would be faster than a conventional internal drive. This question would best be asked of the Final Cut Discussion Groups because thay might have experience.
i would love some specs, and input on different drive setups for an imac with a single 2TB Hard dirve.
Again, the discussion groups would be the best place to answer this.
enyone. thanks,
Rendering long sections of video in the Final Cut software does take a long time, especially when it is imported from another source, such as a .mov, and when something simple like a transition is inserted or even moved or altered, or a filter is applied, rendering must be carried out in that area to see the effect properly. So you are on the right lines in thinking about how to speed it up.

What Macbook Pro to get for video editing?

For software like adobe after effects cs5, what macbook would be the best, I have pretty limited money so is the base model ok? if not whitch one works well?
Thanks!

The top end non-retina, 15" anti-glare is the best. SSD preferred, has a Superdrive. RAM and hard drive upgradable later by the user.
The retina has a glossy screen which is hard on the eyes and using in various places, it's battery life is terrible and the images are not correct as it's blowing things up to mach the higher pixel rate. No Superdrive. You can't open the machine up, you can't clean the fans of dust you can't upgrade it later, you will have to max it out at purchase for a small fortune and go way over budget. Plus there really isn't too much difference in the quality of the screen with regular MBP's anyway, just eats battery life to drive that huge pixel screen. You'll be replacing it a lot sooner than the standard 15"
Don't waste your money on the 13", it lacks a dedicated graphics, the CPU does it thus it's HOT. Won't 3D game well if your also into play.
Top end 15" antiglare is perfect.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_X0wo6dIsMU
Actually the MacPro is the perfect choice of power and performance for video editing, with it's substancial cooling. But you want a laptop , just know things will take longr and the machien will be hotter as a result and wear out sooner if your doing 3D gaming or video often.

What preset MacBook pro would be better for video editing and eventually college?, What preset MacBook pro would be better for video editing and eventually college?

Hi,
I am thinking about getting a MacBook Pro. My current computer is very very old and can not be used. I would like to use it for video editing and eventually to use when I go to college. I want to get one of the preset 13 inch MBPs. I do not know which one will be better for my purposes. Could anyone please help me??

Any computer made today, Windows or Mac, will be MILES ahead of what you are now using.
Raw CPU speed is not the total benchmark of a computer. Look at it this way. A 2.6GHz CPU made today is much faster then a 2.6GHz CPU made just a few years ago, like 3 years ago. the difference between a 2.6 and a 2.9GHz CPU is 3 tens of 1 GHz, 300MHz. The percentage difference is about 8-9 percent (.08-.09). Back when CPUs were listed in MHz, 120, 300, 600, if you have a 300MHz CPU and you replaced it with one that was 300MHz faster that was a Big Jump. You doubled the computing power. Today 300MHz, .3GHz, is next to nothing. Especially for the price jump.
Note that when you make the switch you will either need to update your program, that means Re-Buying most of them, to work on the Mac OS or install a version of Windows in either a Boot Camp partition, Dual booting the Mac, or into a Virtual Machine software program to run the Windows version of those program.
If you decide on a Mac buy the BASE model that is offered for the CPU speed you want. The RAM and hard drive can be upgraded by you for much less then what Apple charges for those upgrades. With the hard drive if you upgrade it to a larger and faster drive, Apple supplies 5400RPM drives, like a 7200RPM drive you get to Keep the original drive to use in any way you like. Like an external drive.

What is the best Apple notebook for video editing and pro music creation?

What is the best Apple notebook for video editing and pro music creation?
I know I could opt for the most expensive and probably get what I want that way, but I´m not made of money, so what are your suggestions for minimum criteria and which would you recommend?

MacBooks Pro are great Macs with a good hardware, so all of them will work for the use you want, but I think that you want the biggest display possible because of your uses. In this case, it has to be a 15-inch non-Retina MacBook Pro, with the settings you want. Note that, after buying the Mac, you can upgrade the HDD and memory without voiding the warranty, so you are free to install as much memory and the HDD size you want after buying it. It's my opinion, but you are free to do whatever you think it's better

What is the best macbook pro for video editing dslr footage?

what is the best macbook pro for video editing dslr footage?

It is the GPU that is important. All the CPU's will be fast enough. If you can affords it, the 15" with the NVIDIA GPU is the best.
Ciao.

I want to upgrade my Power Mac G5 Quad (Mac OS X 10.5.8) for video editing purposes. What upgrades should I make?

Hello!
I want to upgrade my Power Mac G5 Quad (Mac OS X 10.5.8) for video editing purposes.
Rendering,editing and exporting takes some time on my computer. I just want things to go faster.
What upgrades should I make?
Thanks in advance!!!

Here are other video cards that you can search for that will also work in your G5.
NVIDIA GeForce 7800 GT with 256 MB of GDDR3 SDRAM, and NVIDIA Quadro FX 4500 with 512 MB of GDDR3 SDRAM
http://www.amazon.com/nVIDIA-Quadro-FX4500-PCI-Express-631-0110/dp/B004XCYG10/re f=sr_1_3?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1365657320&sr=1-3&keywords=NVIDIA+Quadro+FX+4 500
or
http://www.amazon.com/Power-Nvidia-256mb-Geforce-Express/dp/B00BL30JQU/ref=sr_1_ 3?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1365657552&sr=1-3&keywords=NVIDIA+GeForce+7800+GT

What is the best video editing software i can get for a macbook pro without slowing my computer way down

What is the best video editing software i can get for a macbook pro without slowing my computer way down. I need it to be able to take hd videos. With the camera i got i can't even upload my videos to imovie.

MacBook Pro
https://discussions.apple.com/community/notebooks/macbook_pro
https://discussions.apple.com/community/mac_os?view=discussions
http://www.apple.com/support/macbookpro
http://www.apple.com/support/
http://www.apple.com/support/iphoto
You stumbled on a Mac Tower forum, not notebooks.
If you are running 10.6.8 then you must have bought it 3-4 yrs ago?
Might want to check the specs and then look at various programs and their requirements as to whether Final Cut Express and ah, you want to import media to an app, not "upload."
http://www.apple.com/support/imovie
http://www.apple.com/support/finalcutexpress
Checked AppStore, Google or even the forums for various Apple programs.

What is the best External Hard Drive for video edition?

Hi guys, I'm looking for a good firewire external hard drive for video edition.
I have 2 HD already but the bigest is a Seagate and is a trouble cause this one have an auto sleep system that is impossible to put out and when I'm printing to tape this one fall to sleep and the video that I'm transfering get a delay horrible!!
I'm looking for a 1 tb or 2 tb external HD.
Can you recomend me something??
thanks a lot!

Gufa wrote:
Thanks Jouu, great prices but I need to know if those discs doesnt have the autosleep function!
Thanks
That was why I mentioned the 24/7 live Chat support, they (should) know the products they sell.
8^)
Joe

3D Graphics Cards for Video Editing (what's the real deal?)

Hi
I've known for some time that 3D graphic cards offers no REAL significant improvements to VIDEO EDITING and RENDERING.
I also know that for real video editing, one needs the likes of Quadro cards, not 3D Gaming Cards like GEforce/Radeon.. and that the SOFTWARE being used needs to have support for using GPU for rendering such as CUDA technology
I tried to update myself and read around a bit... w/ the advancements of software today, 3D gaming cards now offer more improvements for video editing should software use 3D effects, transitions, or similar.. but still not that much really
Q1: am i on top of things so far?
And recently i found out that Adobe Premier CS4 (and other vid ed software) now takes advantage of GPU power.. (really?)
Q2: HOW MUCH advantage though? like a lot like equally as useful as CPU power?? or a bit of gpu power to help cpu?
Q3: So, would it be practical to spend $$$$ on a highend GeForce Card like GTX295 to improve video editing/rendering performance? or would it be rather more useful to spend that on higher CPU or overall PC specs?
Would really like to hear your thoughts on these.
Thanks

In terms of impact on performance, you can rate the various components from most important to least important:
1. CPU
2. RAM
3. Disk setup
9. Video card.
Even a mildly priced card like an ATI HD 48xx is not taxed to its full capacity on a very fast system, even on a 3.8 GHz overclocked Nehalem the CPU is the bottleneck, not the GPU.

Thinking to buy a new 15inch macbook pro retina display. Aim to use it for video editing and compositing... Is ıt worth for it?

Hi... I am a freelance filmmaker. Now I have 2008 model mac pro and I am thinking to buy a new macbook pro 15 inch retina display. Do you think its worth for it? I aim to use the macbook mainly for video editing, video compositing (after effects) and photo editing. My current old mac pro has 12 GB and the graphics card is ATI Radeon HD 2600 XT 256 MB (Yes I still use it). My main question is, do you think its better to move to macbook pro or upgrading the old one? Making it 32 GB of RAM and buy a new NVIDIA cuda capable graphic card? I dont have enough budget to make it together... Want to hear your suggestions...

I'm not sure, I've seen pro animators use MBPs but usually with a large monitor. Especially doing video editing, compositing and editing it might make more sense to upgrade the Mac Pro to an SSD as the boot drive. What kind of CPU setup is in your Pro?
Check these out:
mac pro SSD upgrades?
SSD as system disk while users folder + data on HDD
Early 2008 8-Core Mac Pro GPU Upgrades
I deal exclusively with OWC. I'd call them and walk them through your system and see what they say.
What you do takes a lot of CPU, RAM, graphics and boot disk power.
I've upgraded my two computers to SSDs and the first thing I noticed was that Photoshop CS6 opens in 7 seconds vrs. 50 seconds when the application was on a HDD.

Better for Video Editing? MBP 13" or 15" w/9600M GT

I am planning on purchasing a Macbook Pro for relatively extensive use of Final Cut Pro (HD video) along with possibly some light Motion work and video transcoding. In addition I will be using it for photo editing and web editing. I don't plan on using it for any high-end gaming.
I will be purchasing a $200 24" external monitor to use most of the time along with external keyboard and mouse (so MBP screen size isn't an issue), but I need the portability and don't have the funds to purchase an additional dedicated desktop yet.
I am having trouble deciding between the 13" and the 15", mainly due to conflicting opinions I've been hearing over the importance of a dedicated graphics card for video editing. Salespeople at the Apple store tell me it's important and I should get the 15". Research online yielded heated forum arguments over whether it really makes a difference or not.
The price difference is quite significant though at the configurations I picked ($765) so I am seeking advice here for whether people think the cost difference is really justified for my needs. Note that both configurations include 4GB of RAM, smallest hard drive option (i've got external drives) and AppleCare protection.
Pricing with education discount after tax:
13" 2.26GHz - $1520
15" 2.66GHz w/9600M GT 256MB - $2285
*Is there a real difference in video editing performance and if so, is it really worth an extra $765? Or is there a better option that I'm not considering?*

Thanks everyone for the feedback!
Studio X wrote:
Are you planning on making any money at this or are you only in it for fun? Have you ever edited before? Have you ever edited with FCS before? What of the 44 billion HD formats are you planning on editing? Do you have a camera? What format does it record? If it's a flash media based device, what's your back up strategy? How are you planning to externally monitor the HD material ? What are you planning to use as media drives as the system drive should not be used for media capture or playback?
Still, I guess I come down on the side of "it doesn't matter as neither one is a serious editing machine". If I was in the market for a laptop and was limited to the current apple lineup, the only machine of interest is the 17" MacBookPro. The other two MacBookPros you are considering have no expresscard slot and come only with glossy screens - both are serious deficiencies in my world.
I do plan on using this computer professionally. I am a recent college graduate but do have professional FCS editing experience under my belt. However my work was done using both school and employer resources. I do have an archive of work in Mini DV(HDV) and AVCHD formats. I don't currently own an HD camera, however will likely be purchasing one in the near future. As far as externally monitoring HD material, what else would I need other than the 24" external monitor (perfectly capable of full HD) or a separate HDTV? In addition to several older usb2 external drives for backup I do have a 1TB 7200rpm external capable of FW800 and eSATA that I would use as a media drive.
I currently have an old 17" dell notebook with a glossy screen. The screen hasn't really bothered me, but the size and weight of the notebook has. And while the 17" MBP is a little lighter and smaller than my old dell, I would still prefer a 13" or 15". But from the opinions I've been hearing I'm steering away from the 13" and fully realize the downsides to the lack of ExpressCard slot in the current 15" as well. Still wondering while Apple decided to remove it.
MartinR wrote:
If budget is a primary constraint, then consider a refurbished 15" or 17" MBP from Apple, or a used MBP from a reputable supplier.
I hadn't checked into the refurbished options, but now that I did, I found a nice 15" (late 2008 unibody) configuration that would provide a lot more value for the buck. For about $550 more than the new 13" config I would get a faster processor, 2" bigger screen, 9600M 512mb GPU, double the internal storage, removable battery as well as the ExpressCard slot (even though its not listed in specs, it's there). The only trade off I can see is battery life.
http://store.apple.com/us/product/FC026LL/A?mco=MjE0NjE5MA

Which iMac for Video Editing?

Hi Folks,
After about 7 years with my Dell 4550 I am close to making a purchase of a new Mac and leaving the Windows world - Yeah!!! My decision is now coming down to how much I should spend on the video card. Basically it is a 300-500 premium to upgrade to the discrete video cards compared to the integrated graphics in the 2.66 model (granted you do get a ~10% faster processor at 2.93 as well).
What I am wondering is that for video editing (using iMovie) is there a significant difference in performance of the machine based on the video card? I do not play video games on the computer much as I have a Wii and XBOX already to have that area covered. Primarily I will use it for iTunes, iPhoto and HD Video (have a new baby we need to record!)
So my choices are mainly these three configurations to select from:
iMac, 24-inch, 2.66GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
Part Number: Z0FP
2.66GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
4GB 1066MHz DDR3 SDRAM - 2x2GB
1.0TB Serial ATA Drive
NVIDIA GeForce 9400M
$1599
iMac, 24-inch, 2.93GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
Part Number: Z0FQ
2.93GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
4GB 1066MHz DDR3 SDRAM - 2x2GB
1.0TB Serial ATA Drive
NVIDIA GeForce GT 120 256MB
$1899
iMac, 24-inch, 2.93GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
Part Number: Z0FQ
2.93GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
4GB 1066MHz DDR3 SDRAM - 2x2GB
1.0TB Serial ATA Drive
NVIDIA GeForce GT 130 512MB
$2049
iMac, 24-inch, 2.93GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
Part Number: Z0FQ
2.93GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
4GB 1066MHz DDR3 SDRAM - 2x2GB
1.0TB Serial ATA Drive
ATI Radeon HD 4850 512MB
$2099
Since I will not be gaming, are the more expensive video cards worth the premium in relation to video editing, iTunes and iPhoto main purposes of the computer?

I wouldn't stress it much. I recently bought a new iMac, but for years I have been editing my home movies with iMovie on my old G4 eMac. Granted these are standard def movies, not HD, but the point is, a lot of video editing doesn't require a lot of video horsepower. Most of your time will be spent scanning through thumbnails, picking parts to cut out, etc. None of it requires fantastic video displays and most of the time you are not paying attention to the quality of the playback (as long as it isn't stuttering) and are more concentrating on the content to figure out what you want to keep, trim, edit, etc. 90+% of the time you are not actually watching a lot of video simply playing.
So get what you can reasonably afford. If you can afford the best model, then go ahead and get it. But if money is a little tight and you have to make some tradeoffs, with digital video you will want to put money towards storage. Hard drive space gets used up FAST. So get the 1TB upgrade and invest some cash toward one or two large external hard drives (one dedicated just to storing your video and then the other for back ups, extra misc. storage, time machine, etc.). Fortunately external hard drives these days are about $100 give or take per Terabyte. For the drive you will want to use for your video work, I suggest spending the extra cash and getting a model with Firewire 800 connection, not just USB.
Have fun,
Patrick

What format camcorder for video editing. Making movies?

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for