MAC Compat with SONY HD Video

Hello, 2jayhawks here.

I am new to HD Videography and would like to set up my system as smart as possible from the beginning.

I have a current MAC and prefer the manual white balancing capabilityof Sony HD camcorders over other brands.

Has anyone had bad or good experiences using Sony HD with MACs and if they were good

please give me advise how to make these work well together.

Thanks in Advance.

Hello, 2jayhawks here.

I am new to HD Videography and would like to set up my system as smart as possible from the beginning.

I have a current MAC and prefer the manual white balancing capabilityof Sony HD camcorders over other brands.

Has anyone had bad or good experiences using Sony HD with MACs and if they were good

please give me advise how to make these work well together.

Thanks in Advance.

I have used the Sony HC3, Sony FX1 and Sony Z1 with my Macs with no issue or problem. In Final Cut there are presets for capturing that make it easy (and have also used iMovie with those cameras)

Not sure which camera you are looking at, but if you do a quick search you may find info on it here on the boards.

Real Drew,

Thanks for the reassurance. I am looking at the newer harddrive HD cameras Sony has now. GATES housing will have a housing that fits them this summer. I bet the same settings that work for your models will work for these cameras.

If possible, do you mind getting into a little more detail what settings you dealt with and what the settings were set to?

If too much trouble no worries, but would help me alot.

Thank you very much,

2jayhawks

I have used the Sony HC3, Sony FX1 and Sony Z1 with my Macs with no issue or problem. In Final Cut there are presets for capturing that make it easy (and have also used iMovie with those cameras)

 

Not sure which camera you are looking at, but if you do a quick search you may find info on it here on the boards.

Real Drew,

Also another question:

Was Final Cut the 199.00 Final Cut Express or the

1200.00 Final Cut Professional software? If it was the Express- I would love to know the setting questions and what they are set at.

No worries if thats too much a problem.

Thanks

2Jayhawks

Real Drew,

Also another question:

Was Final Cut the 199.00 Final Cut Express or the

1200.00 Final Cut Professional software? If it was the Express- I would love to know the setting questions and what they are set at.

No worries if thats too much a problem.

Thanks

2Jayhawks

I did use Final Cut Express a couple of years back with all three cameras (had a few computers available, 1/2 had Final Cut Express and 1/2 had Final Cut so to capture and start some post used all the computers that time) though I do not recall which settings, but it was pretty easy and quick to set up. Have not used the Hard Drive cameras, but the Macs should work. Check out Sony Compatibility Final Cut Express for a list of cameras supported (though if the camera is not listed it still may be supported at this time anyway).

As to settings on the camera I will use either daylight or manual white balance when shotting underwater. As to Gates Housings, I love mine alot. Great company and great product (shoot the HC-3 with the WP-25 port). Solid housing which is pretty small and light.

One caveat to the Mac being compatible is that if your video camera uses AVCHD, only Intel Macs support importing that video. Once imported you can edit on a G5 or G4 Mac. This really bugs me since I do most of my video work on my Powermac G5. But my laptop can import and then I just move the video over.

Kevin

One caveat to the Mac being compatible is that if your video camera uses AVCHD, only Intel Macs support importing that video. Once imported you can edit on a G5 or G4 Mac. This really bugs me since I do most of my video work on my Powermac G5. But my laptop can import and then I just move the video over.

 

Kevin

I don't think there is any MAC that can edit raw AVCHD without converting it to another codec first.

Same on a PC unless you are happy to edit in a low draft quality preview environment.

I don't think there is any MAC that can edit raw AVCHD without converting it to another codec first.

Same on a PC unless you are happy to edit in a low draft quality preview environment.

I am pretty sure you are correct. Final Cut doesn't edit AVCHD directly. But, a powermac can't even import the video to a new codec. That requires an Intel Mac.