editing software at DVinfo.net

Mark Lorenz · October 25th, 2007, 06:30 PM

I am a photojournalist getting into video. As of now, I cannot afford the Canon XH A1. From what I have read here and seen with videos taken with the Canon XL2 I am very pleased with that camera.

My question is, what editing software are you all using. Would Final Cut Express 3.5 work? I am leaning to this because of the price of FCP.

Thanks and have a great day.

Mark

Mathieu Ghekiere · October 26th, 2007, 08:04 AM

I suppose you are on a Mac?
What do you want to do with the camera?

And it amazes me a bit that you don't have enough money for an XH A1, but for an XL2 you do... because they are both very close in price...

Mac: FC EXPRESS for the more basic things, lacks some of the high end stuff.
Final Cut Studio: expensive (1300 dollars) but a very COMPLETE package, but maybe not what you need.
iMovie, of course.
Adobe CS3 is now also available for Mac, but same cost as Final Cut Studio...

PC: You have Pinacle Studio DV Plus, pretty simple program.
Vegas, bit more expensive, don't know the possibilities.
Premiere Elements, only 99 dollars or something, comparable with Final Cut Express, a cheaper 'light' version of heavier software...
Premiere Pro, same as Final Cut Pro...

That's about it...

Richard Alvarez · October 26th, 2007, 08:20 AM

And of course, AVID ships with copies for both MAC and PC when you purchase it.

But as Mathieu points out, the NLE of choice will be dictated by not only your platform of choice, but what you anticipate as your needs. So if you can fill us in, we'll try and avoid the 'NLE/Platform' wars that tend to become religious in nature.

Most of these programs have a trial version, albeit limited in some way, that you can download for free and give a test run.

Ryan Mueller · October 26th, 2007, 11:31 AM

Hey Mark,

Just curious where you are getting your pricing from for the XH-A1 and the XL2. I just checked on B&H and the prices are exactly the same. Of course there is a $300.00 mail in rebate for the XL2 at the moment, but that doesn't even seem like a large obstacle to overcome in order to get your camera of choice. (correction: the XH-A1 currently has a $250.00 rebate. That makes the cost difference $50.00.)

The main reason that I ask is just to make sure that you didn't run into one of those fantastic deals on e-bay or the like. You know, the deals that offer the XL2 for around $1,000.00. These offers are scams.

I guess my main point is to buy your equipment from a reputable dealer. I am currently going to school for a bachelors in digital media production, and quite a few people around here seem to be getting ripped off by deals that are too good to be true.

Just a heads up.

As far as editing systems,

I am running Final Cut Pro on a 17' MacBook Pro and couldn't be more pleased with the combination. I have also used Premiere Pro and Avid systems, but I always seem to return to FCP. I used to work with a guy that edits on Avid at work, but bought an FCP system for home because of it's keyframing abillities and overall UI.

Ryan

Mark Lorenz · October 27th, 2007, 08:09 AM

Thanks for getting back to me.

I was looking at ebay. I usually order everything from BH but wanted to buy something used and as a kit to save on money.

Ryan,

Are you using an external hard drive with your MacBook Pro? I am interested in updating my Macbook to the pro. Right now, I am using imovie 06. I guess I should invest in FCP.

Mathieu Ghekiere · October 28th, 2007, 07:22 AM

Hi Mark,

although there are good deals to be found on ebay, I would look at the Private Classifieds section on this board for buying used stuff... much more reliable then ebay, where there are MANY camera-scams!

(you can see the Private Classifieds section here after you have been a member for 30 days, it's a subforum where people sell their stuff, and you'll have much more trust then at ebay...)

I would go for an external hard drive, not only for a Macbook Pro, but just for editing in general.

Ryan Mueller · October 28th, 2007, 08:27 AM

Hey Mark,

Yes, I am using a 1TB firewire800 external drive that is configured for raid0. While it is not required to use a raid drive, it sure helps. The only thing that is kind of a downer is that you cannot capture directly to a firewire 800 device on the macbook pro. Both firewire connections on the macbook pro run on the same port configuration and cannot be plugged in at the same time. I have no idea why apple chose to do this, but they did.

As for FCP, if you plan on doing a fair amount of editing I would definitely save up your pennies and go for it. The editing suite is well worth the money. Oh, I almost forgot to mention that B&H has a used XL2 right now for 2,700.00.

Good luck and have a good day!
Ryan

October 25th, 2007, 06:30 PM	#1
Mark Lorenz Tourist Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: United States Posts: 2	editing software I am a photojournalist getting into video. As of now, I cannot afford the Canon XH A1. From what I have read here and seen with videos taken with the Canon XL2 I am very pleased with that camera. My question is, what editing software are you all using. Would Final Cut Express 3.5 work? I am leaning to this because of the price of FCP. Thanks and have a great day. Mark

October 26th, 2007, 08:04 AM	#2
Mathieu Ghekiere Inner Circle Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Belgium Posts: 2,195	I suppose you are on a Mac? What do you want to do with the camera? And it amazes me a bit that you don't have enough money for an XH A1, but for an XL2 you do... because they are both very close in price... Mac: FC EXPRESS for the more basic things, lacks some of the high end stuff. Final Cut Studio: expensive (1300 dollars) but a very COMPLETE package, but maybe not what you need. iMovie, of course. Adobe CS3 is now also available for Mac, but same cost as Final Cut Studio... PC: You have Pinacle Studio DV Plus, pretty simple program. Vegas, bit more expensive, don't know the possibilities. Premiere Elements, only 99 dollars or something, comparable with Final Cut Express, a cheaper 'light' version of heavier software... Premiere Pro, same as Final Cut Pro... That's about it... __________________ http://productionsofthe3rdkind.com http://pr3k.com

October 26th, 2007, 11:31 AM	#4
Ryan Mueller Major Player Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Highlands Ranch, CO Posts: 336	Hey Mark, Just curious where you are getting your pricing from for the XH-A1 and the XL2. I just checked on B&H and the prices are exactly the same. Of course there is a $300.00 mail in rebate for the XL2 at the moment, but that doesn't even seem like a large obstacle to overcome in order to get your camera of choice. (correction: the XH-A1 currently has a $250.00 rebate. That makes the cost difference $50.00.) The main reason that I ask is just to make sure that you didn't run into one of those fantastic deals on e-bay or the like. You know, the deals that offer the XL2 for around $1,000.00. These offers are scams. I guess my main point is to buy your equipment from a reputable dealer. I am currently going to school for a bachelors in digital media production, and quite a few people around here seem to be getting ripped off by deals that are too good to be true. Just a heads up. As far as editing systems, I am running Final Cut Pro on a 17' MacBook Pro and couldn't be more pleased with the combination. I have also used Premiere Pro and Avid systems, but I always seem to return to FCP. I used to work with a guy that edits on Avid at work, but bought an FCP system for home because of it's keyframing abillities and overall UI. Ryan Last edited by Ryan Mueller; October 26th, 2007 at 12:52 PM.

October 27th, 2007, 08:09 AM	#5
Mark Lorenz Tourist Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: United States Posts: 2	Prices Thanks for getting back to me. I was looking at ebay. I usually order everything from BH but wanted to buy something used and as a kit to save on money. Ryan, Are you using an external hard drive with your MacBook Pro? I am interested in updating my Macbook to the pro. Right now, I am using imovie 06. I guess I should invest in FCP.

October 28th, 2007, 07:22 AM	#6
Mathieu Ghekiere Inner Circle Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Belgium Posts: 2,195	Hi Mark, although there are good deals to be found on ebay, I would look at the Private Classifieds section on this board for buying used stuff... much more reliable then ebay, where there are MANY camera-scams! (you can see the Private Classifieds section here after you have been a member for 30 days, it's a subforum where people sell their stuff, and you'll have much more trust then at ebay...) I would go for an external hard drive, not only for a Macbook Pro, but just for editing in general. __________________ http://productionsofthe3rdkind.com http://pr3k.com

October 26th, 2007, 08:20 AM	#3
Richard Alvarez Inner Circle Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: San Mateo, CA Posts: 3,840	And of course, AVID ships with copies for both MAC and PC when you purchase it. But as Mathieu points out, the NLE of choice will be dictated by not only your platform of choice, but what you anticipate as your needs. So if you can fill us in, we'll try and avoid the 'NLE/Platform' wars that tend to become religious in nature. Most of these programs have a trial version, albeit limited in some way, that you can download for free and give a test run.

October 28th, 2007, 08:27 AM	#7
Ryan Mueller Major Player Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Highlands Ranch, CO Posts: 336	Hey Mark, Yes, I am using a 1TB firewire800 external drive that is configured for raid0. While it is not required to use a raid drive, it sure helps. The only thing that is kind of a downer is that you cannot capture directly to a firewire 800 device on the macbook pro. Both firewire connections on the macbook pro run on the same port configuration and cannot be plugged in at the same time. I have no idea why apple chose to do this, but they did. As for FCP, if you plan on doing a fair amount of editing I would definitely save up your pennies and go for it. The editing suite is well worth the money. Oh, I almost forgot to mention that B&H has a used XL2 right now for 2,700.00. Good luck and have a good day! Ryan