FCP X and???

T

Tom Adams

Member
I'm a newbie around here and about to set up a small home studio to do talking head educational videos for the web and possibly for DVD as well.

I am going to purchase FCPX and a new iMac 27" i7 with 16GB RAM and the AMD Radeon HD 6970M 2GB video card. That is a given.

Question is... what camera should I purchase?

I've looked at the brand new AG-AC130 from Panasonic but I read there are issues with importing AVCHD files.

I looked a FCPX compatible cameras on Apple site and it is not there.

So, I want an easy way to take video, import it into FCPX and edit as required.

I'd love any advice as I am a rookie but want to do it right.

I've also read that adding a Matrox item into the mix might be helpful?

Budget? I have one. But maybe I've way overkilling on the AC130?

Any thoughts or suggestions would be particularly helpful.

Thanks.

Tom
 
FCP 7 or X will talk to anything, connect it to a gas cooker and it will try to get a picture.

Think about what your filming, is it run and gun or do you have loads of time to set up every shot, whats your budget
 
I'm filming talking head training stuff and podcasting.

I have a $10K budget for everything including camera, computer, software, gear like lights and mics etc.

I'd really like to get the big iMac and start working with FCPX.
 
Tom Adams said:
I looked a FCPX compatible cameras on Apple site and it is not there.
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Panasonic HVX200, 200a, HPX170, HPX250, AC130, and AC160 are all compatible with FCP X.

Many, many other non Panasonic cams are as well, including Sony, Canon DSLR and cams, etc.

Event video with a 130 works as good as they get. Keep the SDHC card structure intact, import from the cam or the card, and you are good to go.
 
Thanks David.

So does it make sense to get the best camera I can afford if FCPX does in fact support the 130?

If it, does, is the 130 overkill?
 
Get a Canon 7D, a really good lens, and an XLR adapter. You won't need the lighting, you'll get better images.
 
Okay, now I am confused. In everything I have read, audio is the main issue with the DSLR... and in training, talking head stuff, seems to me like audio is the real workhorse. To reduce time in post, I want the best way to make that happen. Is a 7D going to do that for me?
 
No it won't. If you're a newbie to the video world, you'll save a lot of time and headaches by avoiding the DSLR cams, especially for the kind of work you're doing. Get a proper video camera with XLR inputs, headphone jack, a fixed long range zoom lens, superior AVCHD codec (in the case of the AC 130/160), etc. If you're trying to save money, pick up a used HMC-150. At roughly $1500 its well worth it.
 
BenB said:
Get a Canon 7D, a really good lens, and an XLR adapter. You won't need the lighting, you'll get better images.
Click to expand...

You NEVER get better images by using LESS lighting. Even if your kit is just cheapo Adorama stands + sockets + CFL bulbs, having lights and some modifiers makes a dramatic difference in anything you can shoot.
 
Thanks for the feedback everyone. So I feel good about my decision to get the new AC130 Panny with XLR inputs. I'm thinking about the Sennheiser wireless mic EW112 G3. I'll get some fluorescent softboxes. Everything I've read too says I need light.

Based on what David suggested, looks like FCPX with the iMac can handle the workload. Is there any value in the Matrox addons or other items to support editing? No real big cinematic requirements. Just titles and 1/3 stuff.

I plan on getting teleprompter... for when I need to have clear and precise info. I've used them for years, so quite comfortable with it.

What am i missing? Any other advice?

I really appreciate everything so far.
 
BenB said:
Get a Canon 7D, a really good lens, and an XLR adapter. You won't need the lighting, you'll get better images.
Click to expand...

I disagree one hundred percentage with this advice, especially for doing the work you suggested and given your skill level.

Stay with a camcorder, and you won't regret it.
 
Tom Adams said:
Thanks for the feedback everyone. So I feel good about my decision to get the new AC130 Panny with XLR inputs. I'm thinking about the Sennheiser wireless mic EW112 G3. I'll get some fluorescent softboxes. Everything I've read too says I need light.

Based on what David suggested, looks like FCPX with the iMac can handle the workload. Is there any value in the Matrox addons or other items to support editing? No real big cinematic requirements. Just titles and 1/3 stuff.

I plan on getting teleprompter... for when I need to have clear and precise info. I've used them for years, so quite comfortable with it.

What am i missing? Any other advice?

I really appreciate everything so far.
Click to expand...

Depending on where you are shooting your video, a backdrop material & frame is not a bad idea. I find that varying the backgrounds of our different video shoots is the biggest problem I run into for talking heads. Lighting, assuming you have a fixture or two to aim with some softboxing (or diffusion paper), is generally not a problem. 2, 3, 4 lights, whatever. You can be creative if you are down lights, but need at LEAST 1 with bounce, 2 for better, and perferrably 2+1 smaller for best. Mic is important. Lapel can be good. A decent shotgun mic & mic cord with a boom stand is a good idea.

AVCHD on SD cards is BEAUTIFUL workflow with FCPX! You can edit and even begin exporting BEFORE it's finished importing! I've done it. The moment you click it to import and immediately start editing, you know you moved to the future. FCPX will be PERFECT for your setup. AC130 is probably a very good choice for your operation.

Best of luck!
 
Gary Huff said:
This is, frankly, terrible advice.
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It's the worst advice I've ever read. Remember, the camera doesn't take the photo, the photographer does. To the OP, look at the AC160 and look around for maybe good used cams like the HMC150. ANd, FCPX will read pretty much anything you throw at it. It even reads my hacked gh2. But, still... Light your subject.
 
Thanks for keeping me off the DSLR path. Much appreciated.

I am so glad to hear FCPX works well with the AVCHD output from SD Cards. I was worried about that. Seems like I have the information I need.

I'll let you know when I get this all working.
 
We rarely have to use additional lighting with the 7D or most any DLSR we work with, it's not difficult to learn, and with either an external audio recorder, or one of the great XLR adapters, they're really great cameras. Again, easy to learn, and you're going to have to learn all that aperture stuff anyway. Even newbies need to learn professional stuff. But, a regular camcorder is much easier to deal with. Just not nearly as nice of an image, and needs much more lighting.
 
How do you control your ratios if you don't use lighting? Do you always shoot wide open indoors? Maybe I'm just not understanding the kind of material you're shooting, but using only available light sounds like an easy way to a lousy image.

To me, shooting with no lighting is severely impractical unless you're shooting in a space that's already dressed pretty nicely with light sources everywhere. When possible I like to shoot at ISO 320 and f/2.8-5.6, while maintaining a good dynamic range - this is pretty much impossible to do indoors unless I light the scene and add modifiers.
 
Why would you buy a more expensive prosumer video camera now? DSLR is much cheaper and you can get way better images with it. Get a GH2 a H4N, a Rode Videomic pro. A 27inch iMac FCP X, Adobe production suite, and a decent lighting kit.
 
Chaos123x said:
Why would you buy a more expensive prosumer video camera now? DSLR is much cheaper and you can get way better images with it. Get a GH2 a H4N, a Rode Videomic pro. A 27inch iMac FCP X, Adobe production suite, and a decent lighting kit.
Click to expand...

To dispel this misnomer, the only thing a DSLR has over any other proper prosumer video camera is control over how much shallow depth of field you want. With everything else, the AG-AC130 (and other similar-class video cameras) is a better camera.
 
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