[MacDV] What to buy?

[ShirleyK]

Others gave mostly advice on Macs and cameras. I wanted to mention that 
if you are just starting out, it would be a good idea to practice with 
the free software that comes with a new Mac. I think all of them have 
iMovie and there is a lot you can do with that. If you eventually grow 
out of that (including trying the things Erica suggests in her book, 
iMovie Solutions,) then you can move up - either to Final Cut Express 
or Final Cut Pro. It doesn't sound like you are ready for that kind of 
complexity yet though.

If you want to deliver anything on DVD, be sure to get a Mac with a 
super drive.

And to those who didn't think much of the Sony Digital-8 solution, were 
your comments based on your experiences with these cameras? This is the 
first I've heard anyone say that Digital-8 was not as good as mini-DV. 
Obviously, Digital-8 is Sony proprietary and they might want to stick 
with mini-DV for that reason. But there is certainly no difference 
between the resolution that is related to the kind of tape you use. The 
DV standard can be written to a Hi-8 tape or to a mini-DV, but it is 
the same standard. If there's a difference in the quality, it would be 
based on the quality of the lens and camera, not the tape on which you 
write.

Shirley

On Monday, December 15, 2003, at 03:07  PM, Kathryn Lucariello wrote:

> We are wanting to buy a Mac-based video system but don't have a lot of
> money.