New Camera

I really want to finally move up to an HD camera, but which one to buy. My issue is that I'm still using FCP 5 and it doesn't have the log and transfer feature that some of these newer camcorders require.

I know there are some users of older versions of FCP. Has anyone found a way to make one of these cameras work?

I really like the idea of going tapeless, but not sure how to do it with my version of FCP.

See if you can get an HVX200 at a good price.

Or just buy the dang upgrade already. It's been five years.

Yeah, about the ONLY tapeless option you have is the one Jeff points out.


www.shanerosseditor.com

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HMC 150
HMC 40
should work with FCP 5 no?

No. AVCHD is not DVCPRO HD.

> Yeah, about the ONLY tapeless option you have is the one Jeff points out.

Not completely true...within FCP5 you can only import Panasonic P2 media. But you can also use Voltaic and convert AVCHD material to Apple Intermediate Codec, and MPEG Streamclip to convert the H.264 files from some of the Canon DSLR models. FCP5 can use AIC, but not ProRes.


www.derekmok.com

Arg. Okay, fine. If you're willing to throw preprocessing workarounds into the equation, then you can do just about anything with Final Cut 5. Convert everything to DVCPRO HD first, and go to town. But ? ow. The mere thought of it hurts my brain.

Upgrade. There's a lot missing in FCP 5, especially ProRes.



www.strypesinpost.com

Clipwrap...right. So AVCHD if you use third party...BUT! You can only convert to DVCPRO HD...not the great PRORES that is part of FCP 6.


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As Derek points out, you can use Apple Intermediate instead of DVCPRO HD, but you shouldn't, because Apple Intermediate sucks out loud.

Hate to say it, but I have to agree with those people saying upgrade. But I completely understand if you don't want to because FCP 7 is Intel only, and you might still be on PowerPC so you'd have to score an older copy of 6.

My advice, set up a good workflow - maybe borrow an HD camera from a friend and try it out before you buy.

----------------
"What do you mean there's no undo?"

Matthew Celia
matt@fcpguru.com
www.fcpguru.com

>you might still be on PowerPC so you'd have to score an older copy of 6.

I dunno. With PPCs you have more upgrading to do. The chips are stacked against you. Quite a lot of stuff requires Intel chips or are more efficient with Intel chips. Although ProRes works on a PPC, it doesn't perform like it should. The AVC based codecs require intel chips, Red is another that requires it. You can Voltaic or Clipwrap your way out of it (not with RED though), but seriously, you'd very much prefer to go onto an Intel machine. That's not to mention if you upgrade to FCP 6 on a PPC today (not unreasonable), you're essentially doing an out of date upgrade on an out of date machine. One would question the wisdom behind that.



www.strypesinpost.com

Quote

The chips are stacked against you.

HA!

Seriously, though. The Intel transition happened between summer 2005 and summer 2006. Apple hasn't shipped a PowerPC-based Mac in over forty months. All PowerPC-based Macs in the world are now fully depreciated, and not counting ones that were bought through Apple Enterprise that might have come with five years of AppleCare, they're all well out of support. It's long past time to upgrade.

I'm still running a G5, and I'm generally not happy with the HD performance of FCP 6.0.6 on Leopard 10.5.8. I can do DVCPro HD on an eSATA RAID reasonably well, but ProRes is s.l.o.w. Heck, Leopard is slow. I have to remind myself to back off the super-fast clicking and dragging all the time.

I have a MacBook Pro, so I use that when I need to do ProRes or really any HD work. Even with a second monitor, keyboard, and Express34 card running an eSATA RAID, though, the ergonomics of working on a laptop pale...

Just my humble 2¢, but I recommend the upgrade if you can swing it. The experience of HD other than DVCPro HD on a G5 isn't something to write home about.

deb

How did you get esata on a G5?
I thought all G5's (except the late Quads) were pci-X)
whilst the intels and the late quads are pci-e.

Did you find an esata cards for pci-x?

I have an old G5 dual and am curious.

debe Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I'm still running a G5, and I'm generally not
> happy with the HD performance of FCP 6.0.6 on
> Leopard 10.5.8. I can do DVCPro HD on an eSATA
> RAID reasonably well, but ProRes is s.l.o.w. Heck,
> Leopard is slow. I have to remind myself to back
> off the super-fast clicking and dragging all the
> time.
>
> I have a MacBook Pro, so I use that when I need to
> do ProRes or really any HD work. Even with a
> second monitor, keyboard, and Express34 card
> running an eSATA RAID, though, the ergonomics of
> working on a laptop pale...
>
> Just my humble 2¢, but I recommend the upgrade if
> you can swing it. The experience of HD other than
> DVCPro HD on a G5 isn't something to write home
> about.
>
> deb

My PPC G5 is PCI-e. Dual 2.3 GHz.

Dan

Not sure who sells them anymore, but you could check out the ATTO or Sonnet range. I'm not sure if they still stock them.



www.strypesinpost.com

My G5 is PCIx. The eSATA card is a Sonnet Tempo SATA X4P (TSATAII-X4P) (I typed that right off the invoice...)

I bought it in 2007 right after MacWorld on advice from the Sonnet rep on the showfloor. He did tell me then that PCIx was going to be harder to come by soon after that.

deb

mark@avolution Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
>
> Did you find an esata cards for pci-x?
>
> I have an old G5 dual and am curious.
>

Mark,

Sonnet still sells their PCI-X eSATA card...

Tempo SATA X4P

You may be able to find it elsewhere...


-Dave

starvideo Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I really want to finally move up to an HD camera,
> but which one to buy.

just a reminder of what the question was!
:-)

Okay, okay. You've all convinced me to upgrade.

i had a Caldigit connected to my G5 SVR2 old schooler. and i believe they still have pci-x sata cards available.

""" What you do with what you have, is more important than what you could do, with what you don't have."

> > > Knowledge + Action = Wisdom - J. Corbett 1992 """"