Well... aha! Tying into the other thread about Macs versus PCs... If you're shooting on a Xacti (or any other camera or phone which stores video as MP4 files on memory cards), then in my opinion you're better off cutting on a PC with Sony Vegas. Vegas (which a lot cheaper than FCP but just as good for 90% of jobs) will take your files AS THEY ARE, with no importing or conversion necessary. This can save HOURS. As you say, Neil, if you have three hours of footage, then you need around three hours for conversion. WTF. All because Apple can't make FCP work with MP4 properly.
But that's not all. When you convert your MP4 files for use in FCP, after you've waited all that time, you'll find that their image quality may be impaired by the conversion from 640x480 to a .dv file. Particularly a NTSC .dv file, which has a different ratio. Vegas cuts the files *as they are* - it will match the sequence settings to the clip, not vice versa. For people shooting on Xactis or little digital point-and-shoot cameras or mobile phones, Vegas is, in my opinion, a much more user-friendly experience. Shoot, cut, save. I say this as a 8-9 year user of FCP and a life-long Mac user. Apple have dropped the ball in the important area of non-DV cameras and amateur video. And don't get me started on the new iMovie. Rupert http://twittervlog.tv/ On 17-Jun-08, at 1:49 PM, Neil Katz wrote: Neil Katz here, a journalist. I have had very good experiences with the Xacti CG65. Small, cheap, shoots well in low light, and is stable on zoom, and files sizes are small. I did an entire video story for the NY Times with that camera and even snuck a shot into a report for CBS News on national TV. http://video.on.nytimes.com/? fr_story=74e0011bd397f3fdad54e60c3b52612d009fa8bf Judge image quality for yourself. And keep in mind the NYT site is playing at about half resolution. I have purchased and returned every camera in the Xacti line except the CG65. The others have better specs, but nothing has a better picture. And it fits in your pocket, which means you will get the shot. Battery life is poor. Buy three batteries and a quick charger. Use an online site to buy non Sanyo batteries. They run $20/each. The only negative is in order to edit you will have to convert the native mp4 files into DV. Sanyo says you can edit with mp4 files and technically you can import them into Final Cut Pro. But it doesn't really work, trust me. That conversion process will take about 1 minute per minute of footage. So if you shoot three hours, expect three hours of conversion when you come home. As an aside, working in India, if you don't have Sony, you can't get it fixed or spare parts, adapters, etc. N --- In videoblogging@yahoogroups.com, Rupert <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > I agree. I've been using a Canon Ixus 860 (European name for > Powershot, I think) and it shoots beautiful video. I love it. And > it's FANTASTIC in low light. Better than Xacti. But not quite so > good a grip. I think the Xacti pistol grip is the best way to shoot > - better than the traditional camcorder grip. > > It produces big video files, though, compared to other little cameras > I've used - so get yourself an 8GB memory card or two. I found the > best deals for memory cards online - shops will rip you off. > Rupert > http://twittervlog.tv > > On 12-Jun-08, at 12:48 PM, Jay dedman wrote: > > > I'm heading to India for my honeymoon and the entire summer and > plan to vlog > > and do some > > interviews from there. > > I *do not* plan to bring my macbook. I just want to bring a > firewire or usb > > cable and upload > > at cafes. > > It needs to be small, light and easy to travel with and have > decent sound. > > the canon powershot is actually a great choice. > it has good sound, its small. > > It also records in AVI so a PC in an internet cafe will read them. > Just use Windows Movie Maker that comes with XP. > should be on most public computers. > > Jay > > -- > http://jaydedman.com > 917 371 6790 > > > > > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
