camera for mac

R

redgremlin

Hi, Im looking for a stater camera that is around £600 or less. preferably, its footage should easily be edited on a mac, ie in imovie or final cut, without much conversion. on some sites i've read that miniDV is the only way to go for mac, but i'm not sure. surely there's a sd card camera that will record videos that are read by a mac?

thanks a lot
 
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Sadly, no. AVCHD doesn't play well with Final Cut. Anyone who has read my posts knows that I am not a Canon DSLR fan for video, but if a person needs output that plays well with iMovie or Final Cut - and doesn't want to pay the money for a GH3, BMCC or an external recorder that records to ProRes - they should buy a Canon.

Bill
 
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Canon SLRs don't record in AVCHD as far as I know...

For £600 your best choices are a Canon 600D or similar, or the GH3 or similar. Though they are in the DSLR range, which you may not be comfortable shooting in. However it seems that most people starting it these days are using SLRs.

I disagree that tapes are the past. I know plenty of people who still use them. It's cheaper and quick to change: compared to when your SD card runs out you're putting another $50ish card in compared to a $5 tape. In saying that though, an SD card or similar is the better option, but yeah don't discount tape based cameras.
 
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brunerww said:
Sadly, no. AVCHD doesn't play well with Final Cut. Anyone who has read my posts knows that I am not a Canon DSLR fan for video, but if a person needs output that plays well with iMovie or Final Cut - and doesn't want to pay the money for a GH3, BMCC or an external recorder that records to ProRes - they should buy a Canon.

Bill
Click to expand...

I have no problems with AVCHD and Final Cut Pro X or iMovie. I use a Sony NEX FS100. It may have been an issue in the 7 and the older version of iMovie but it is non-existant now.
 
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JS - I stand corrected. Just looked at the latest iMovie 11 Compatibility Chart, and it does not have a problem with AVCHD cameras such as the GH2.

In that case, I withdraw my Canon recommendation and, on a £600 budget, I suggest buying a £499 used GH2 body and a £101 kit lens.

Here is what this camera can do:

Firefly (hacked GH2): http://vimeo.com/55094977

Roberto Miller - US
Mandorla anamorphic narrative trailer - (hacked GH2): https://vimeo.com/40844162

Gami Orbegoso - Spain
Musgo narrative trailer (hacked GH2): https://vimeo.com/33025136

Ryan Elliott - US
Unattended narrative short - (hacked GH2): https://vimeo.com/41379315

Harvey Walton - UK
Salome narrative short (hacked GH2): https://vimeo.com/34569159

Stephen Nguyen - US
Dysphoria narrative short (hacked GH2): https://vimeo.com/42892833

Michael Tsim - UK
Blacks spec commercial (unhacked GH2): https://vimeo.com/42204451

J. R. Dise - US
release anamorphic narrative short (hacked GH2): https://vimeo.com/42252615

Gunther Machu - Austria
Oh Angkor documentary (hacked GH1/GH2): https://vimeo.com/42107369

Hope this is helpful,

Bill
 
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thanks guys, all really helpful.
brunerww- i've read a little about the gh2 and it says that the rolling shutter is a lot more profound when using it compared to the canon t2i for example, what's your view on it? and presumably the canon cameras shoot video that's compatible with a mac?
 
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rg - rolling shutter/jello caused by rapid camera/subject motion is pretty much the same for all CMOS cameras. These comparisons were done a couple of years ago, when these were top of the line full frame, APS-C and mirrorless still/video cameras:

Side-by-side rolling shutter test of the 5D Mk II and the unhacked GH2:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tqYRmQ7v5TM

And side-by-side image quality, rolling shutter, moire and low light tests of the 5D Mk II, the 550D/T2i and the unhacked GH2:

https://vimeo.com/17738204

If you don't whip the camera back and forth or try to film car races, you should be OK :)

Cheers,

Bill
 
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