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Do you want to film the video with the camera and then import into your Mac for post-processing (recommended). Or, do you want to hook a usb/firware camera to

by brk 17y ago

Do you want to film the video with the camera and then import into your Mac for post-processing (recommended). Or, do you want to hook a usb/firware camera to your Mac and record directly from that? For doing the sort of thing you're talking about, I recommend an external camera. The recording media (flash, hard-drive, tape, etc.) doesn't really matter because you're not going to be doing hours of continuous filming. You DO (IMO) want a camera with an external mic adapter. This is important because you'll likely want a wired or wireless lavalier mic in order to get good clear audio. Check your local craigslist. Lots of people are upgrading to newer HD cameras and selling older units. You don't need HD for what you're talking about. Just google "[camera model] + OS X" and you'll find reviews for most popular cameras of how well it does (or doesn't) work with OS X and iMovie or Final Cut. I've had good luck with Canon cameras (but there are some models out there that don't work very well) overall.

prosa 17y ago
Thanks, this info is really helpful! (Especially the microphone, I hadn't thought about that.) I'd err on the side of quality as long as it didn't mean breaking the bank, which probably means I'd go the import route. In your experience, has iMovie been enough to get the job done on the software side?
- Hoff 17y ago
  Spend money on the microphone, or borrow a good one, and get a mike stand and a pop shield. Particularly if you are doing any audio work, whether recording or podcasting, or otherwise. A decent low-end cardioid condenser produces audio output far superior to a cheaper mike, and vastly better than the audio you'll get from an integrated mike. And yes, iMovie and GarageBand and the rest of the tool-chain can be used to produce reasonable content, once you get the hang of the tools, and can also be combined with the application screen recording that is available within the QuickTime tool in Snow Leopard Mac OS X 10.6. Another area with the Apple iLife tool-chain involves how you can generate graphics (diagrams, moving plots, etc) for insertion into technical presentations. While static pages and screen captures and screen video are all easy, I haven't found an entirely satisfactory way to generate more advanced graphics for inclusion.
- brk 17y ago
  iMovie '09 is very powerful for doing the sort of "standard" sorts of videos you're talking about. I have iMovie and FC, and I prefer iMovie for 95% of what I do (which is fairly simple in the grand scheme of things). It's generally intuitive, has lots of options, and is pretty damn cheap. Also, while you're in the market for stuff along these lines... Check out the Samson C01U USB mic. I got the "podcaster" kit on Amazon for something like $140 (mic, stand, case, etc.). This is the mic you'd use for recording voiceovers or narrations, not what you'd hook to the camera for recording audio with the video.

by brk 17y ago

prosa 17y ago

Thanks, this info is really helpful! (Especially the microphone, I hadn't thought about that.) I'd err on the side of quality as long as it didn't mean breaking the bank, which probably means I'd go the import route. In your experience, has iMovie been enough to get the job done on the software side?

Hoff 17y ago
Spend money on the microphone, or borrow a good one, and get a mike stand and a pop shield. Particularly if you are doing any audio work, whether recording or podcasting, or otherwise. A decent low-end cardioid condenser produces audio output far superior to a cheaper mike, and vastly better than the audio you'll get from an integrated mike. And yes, iMovie and GarageBand and the rest of the tool-chain can be used to produce reasonable content, once you get the hang of the tools, and can also be combined with the application screen recording that is available within the QuickTime tool in Snow Leopard Mac OS X 10.6. Another area with the Apple iLife tool-chain involves how you can generate graphics (diagrams, moving plots, etc) for insertion into technical presentations. While static pages and screen captures and screen video are all easy, I haven't found an entirely satisfactory way to generate more advanced graphics for inclusion.
brk 17y ago
iMovie '09 is very powerful for doing the sort of "standard" sorts of videos you're talking about. I have iMovie and FC, and I prefer iMovie for 95% of what I do (which is fairly simple in the grand scheme of things). It's generally intuitive, has lots of options, and is pretty damn cheap. Also, while you're in the market for stuff along these lines... Check out the Samson C01U USB mic. I got the "podcaster" kit on Amazon for something like $140 (mic, stand, case, etc.). This is the mic you'd use for recording voiceovers or narrations, not what you'd hook to the camera for recording audio with the video.