Zach Mull |
October 3rd, 2005 12:14 AM |
I use the Apple keyboard, that came with my G5, and I have not seen or tried anything that would make me switch. For me, the only important feature of the keyboard is single-hand accessibility. For almost all of the operations I do in Final Cut, I have the mouse in my right hand, so I need to be able to reach any key quickly with my left hand. This is why I don't use ergonomic keyboards; as far as I'm concerned, those just eliminate efficient access to half of my keys. I have never seen any point in getting any of the FCP keyboards I've seen on B&H and in other places because they have only two features: labeled or color-coded keys and jog shuttles. The labeled keys are no good to me or anyone who wants to edit as efficiently as possible. If I have to look at my keys for the shortcuts then I am not being very efficient. I also dislike that these keyboards inevitably place the jog shuttle on the right side of the keyboard. I don't like having to take my right hand from the mouse unless I have to type something other than a shortcut, so I don't like the location of these shuttles. Perhaps they are excellent for left-handed editors. Instead, I use a ShuttlePro v2, and I place it to the left of my keyboard. When I'm logging or cutting, I use the ShuttlePro and mouse, and I don't touch the keyboard too much. I love the ergonomics in this. I find the ShuttlePro just as comfortable as an ergonomic keyboard. When I'm doing anything else, I can always grab the shuttle without losing my mouse. Now that I've figured out at least a few sets of good hotkeys to program into the ShuttlePro, I'm much more efficient in repetitive tasks, and I never have to reach too far because I just kept the smallish Apple keyboard. The same thing goes for me when I'm using my pen and tablet with After Effects or Photoshop. I just want to be able to access all the keys quickly with a single hand and not have too far to go between the keyboard and my other input devices. If someone offered a keyboard with a truly innovative feature like a control surface for the 3-way Color Corrector then I would consider plopping something bigger on my desk. Otherwise I'm quite comfortable with what I have.
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