Which tapeless camcorder is best for Final Cut Pro7?
 

I've been searching for the last few days and am in a real dilemma about which camcorder to buy. I am going to buy the Panasonic AG-HMC151 AVCHD camcorder although I ALSO need another smaller camcorder also (for general visual shots and as a 2nd camera).

I wondered if there were any that work better with final cut than others? I am thinking along the lines of Panasonic TM700, SD600 or Canon HFS range.

There is so much conflicting information out there about AVCHD and how it does or doesn't work well with FCP or Mac's, every step of the way seems to to throw up 27 hurdles.

I am using a Macbookpro to edit at the moment.

Any insight, thoughts or suggestions greatly appreciated.

Trinity
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Re: Which tapeless camcorder is best for Final Cut Pro7?
 

OK, I'll take a stab at this to get the ball rolling.

Personally, I would not worry about AVCHD and FCP 7.0 as the new Final Cut Studio is widely expected to be released "this Spring". I think we'd all be surprised if it did not have rock solid AVCHD workflow (but we might be less surprised at what it might cost to upgrade!) [ I'm still on FCS 6 - and loving it - as I did not think it worth the cost of the "incremental upgrade" to 7, by the way ].

I would choose your cameras independently to your NLE. Choose the features/price/performance of those cams on what you want need and like - and if your current NLE won't hack it using the many AVCHD workarounds you've no doubt read about then it's simple - There are other NLEs that work on Macs that will. They are only tools and if Final Cut does not perform for you (either in it's current version or in what we expect to see in 1-2 months time) then simply choose an alternative NLE that does! Link to the Area 51 FCP thread below:

http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/area-51/...ml#post1622242

Alternatively, if you want to avoid AVCHD and want a seamless FCP workflow, right now, then go for the JVC cams (HM100 etc.) as these give Quicktime files straight out of the camera.

Re: Which tapeless camcorder is best for Final Cut Pro7?
 

Thanks Andy!

I'm new to Final Cut Pro (and editing for that matter - on a rapid learning curve), so I came straight in with FCP7. I really do like it. I certainly look forward to evolving technology though. It seems that there's such a rapid excelleration over recent years and as one thing changes there is a delay whilst everything else not only tries to catch up, but attempts to get ahead of the game.

I am quickly learning that there is no perfect solution. It's all swings and round abouts :0)

Trinity
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Re: Which tapeless camcorder is best for Final Cut Pro7?
 

@trinity - it's a bad idea to buy a camera based on a perceived fcp friendliness. Many are using avchd with fcp everyday. For now, best practice is to simply transcode to prores. Buy the camera that has the features and capability YOU need and can afford. That panny is probably just fine and I expect you picked it over the jvc for a reason.

Re: Which tapeless camcorder is best for Final Cut Pro7?
 

Thanks Les. That makes a lot of sense :0)
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Re: Which tapeless camcorder is best for Final Cut Pro7?
 

For your 2nd cam, if you stick with AVCHD, I recommend the Canon portables. I use two Canon HF S20s, and the full HD footage looks gorgeous. Just don't use them to record audio -- the built-in limiters kill any chance at recording useful sound.