What's better FCP X or Prem Pro for FS5?

[Nigel Davey]

I will be updating my edit system in the coming weeks and shortly afterwards (if Sony sort out issues) I'll be getting an FS5.

Currently I edit with Premiere on a Mac. I've never gotten around to giving FCP X a spin even though I obviously have the hardware.

I'm interested to know which NLE provides the easiest workflow and works best with the FS5? That will help me decide whether to get another Mac or go the PC/Premiere route.

[Doug Jensen]

Why not continue to use Premiere on a Mac if that's what you already have? That's what I use with my FS5, FS7, and F55 and it is a match made in heaven. I'd quit the business before I had to use a PC or FCPX. :-)

[Nigel Davey]

The trouble is I get mixed messages from everywhere. One person says Premiere Pro is really buggy on a Mac with recent iOS's, another says the same of PC's with Win 10. The same is true of NLE's. I see numerous folks saying Prem Pro is still the most popular editor, but just as many FCPX users (some former Prem Pro'ers) claiming theirs is faster, more streamlined and the future of NLE's.

As an old FCP7 user and now Prem Pro CS6, I'm just trying to work out the best route in the next 3-4 years ...and beyond. I only swapped to a Mac 5+ years ago because Prem Pro was so buggy on a PC. But I've recently been told the reverse is now true. And I find Prem Pro buggy (compared to FCP7) full stop.

Might as well flip a coin;-)

[Olof Ekbergh]

NLEs are very personal. My all time favorite is still Media 100. But I stopped using that a few years ago when support/development died, and slowly switched over to FCPX. I never liked FCP7, I used it because I had to collaborate with other editors. I had some very bad experiences with Premier in the 90's so I am sort of allergic to Premier, I love PSD and AE though.

I would say that today PPro is really good, it just makes me sneeze still. And as far as platforms go I am allergic to PCs, I have 3 of them because I use a Laser Cutter, a 3D printer and some other CAM and control programs for CNC machines that only run on PCs or Linux, no they don't work well on Parallel or any other emulator.

IMHO the Apple Machines and OS are still way ahead of Windows on whatever.

So I would not hesitate to go with the latest PP, or if you are willing to bend to the Apple way of thinking different FCPX. They both work great once you get used to them. PP is more like FCP7 so...

These are only my opinions, I don't want to start a debate.

[Noa Put]

You could always try a one month subscription on premiere pro cc, since you know the program that should give you sufficient time to test it's stability so you know if it's worth keeping and if you don't like it you could just buy fcpx and start from scratch. Since you had a bad experience using a windows pc it might be better just to continue on a Mac.

[Nigel Davey]

I'm afraid I've just found this, which is putting me off buying a Mac any time soon: 2016 Mac Pro release date rumours & specs - News - Macworld UK

[Doug Jensen]

Whether you're talking about cameras, computers, phones, cars, or whatever, there's always something new around the corner. I never let that influence my decision to buy what I need TODAY. Whatever benefits the newer model offers, they are usually outweighed by the getting what I need right now and putting it to work. Besides that, my experience is that with every new model, there are as many things to dislike as there are things that might be considered upgrades. Do you seriously think today's Macs don't exceed what you need? BTW, I work with F55 RAW files with Resolve on a MacBook Pro.

[Mike Watson]

Totally agree with Doug. If you wait six months to buy a new Mac Pro (which may or may not roll out), you should almost certainly wait six months after that to find out what camera comes out at IBC. Then of course you won't be able to buy that because FCP X will be rolling out a new version in six more months and before you know it you've wished your whole life away.

Premiere Pro is working fine with my FS5. I despise the subscription model, but that's what's out there right now that fits my needs, and frankly the $500/year is a drop in the bucket. So that's what I do. IMHO everyone hates the subscription model, and they are leaving a huge gap for someone new to come in and steal the market. We'll see what happens next year.

[Doug Jensen]

I actually like the subscription model.
$50/mo. for the whole suite (and I use Photoshop, Dreamweaver, Bridge, After Effects, InDesign all the time)
I can run it all on two of my computers.
Adobe issues regular updates so nothing is ever out of date.
No big expensive upgrades to pay for every couple of years.
It's a great deal.
Sorry for the hijack.