My headache comes from something I did not anticipate at all, and probably should have. This camera may sit still for a while, eating up the warranty, because, apparently, not only do I need new, really expensive software, but my 3 year old, $1800 laptop computer may be unable to run any software I need. Hence, I may need a new computer. And not only do I need a new computer, but I need one that is pretty high in price. One with all the higher amounts of memory, processors, cards, etc.
I thought at worst I would need new software, that I could have probably handled. My computer is still working great, and it's not too far behind, right? Even the real expensive stuff. But a new computer too? For those of you who don't know, I work with, trust, and am very familiar with Mac computers. Hipster? Not me. Not a computer programmer and don't want to deal with viruses? Bingo.
The really REALLY funny thing, I mean, I'm laughing so hard about it right now, is that I had considered purchasing a MacBook Pro when I got this one, but I was like, "pfffft. What do I need a faster card and more of all that stuff for? It's not like I'm going to be making movies on the thing!"
The place I take all my computer issues, accepts trade-ins, so that you don't feel absolutely horrible in situations like this. Problem is, apparently my computer, once $1800, is now AT BEST, maybe worth $300 or $400. And if you know anything about a brand new top of the line MacBook Pro and the latest video editing software, you'll know that, though it is a good sized chunk, it's not good enough. Plus my current computer's battery is kind of lumpy. What's that cost to replace, $200? I wonder if they'll notice....
The moral of the story is, I probably will not be making too many movies in the immediate future (since I can't watch them anywhere but on the camera), and therefore I probably will not be entering this year's Film Festival challenge which you can read about here. Which is sad because that was an exciting factor in my recent purchase of an expensive camcorder.
The good news is that I know how to use the thing fairly well already after only having it for a week. The bad news is, when I look back on this blog in a few years, I might laugh at how naive I was in my fiscal estimate of starting my voyage into this most expensive of hobbies (in which few hobbyists turn professional).
I mean, unless any of you would like to donate $3000 dollars to my cause...... that would be swell.
The camera, I did my research, I thought hard about it, and it's a great camcorder. Everything else? Might have skipped my mind a little in all the camera thinking.
3 comments:
Yes, that is unfortunate that you decided against the Pro those years ago. Though, I've heard that the new Pro has a lot of upgrades over previous ones, including the rumor that it is very fast, like twice as fast as it's previous model.
I also know little to nothing about computers and I am told that video is the hardest thing to work with on a computer. So, once you and I conquer it we will be 2 'in the know' fellows.
Plus, we have the added advantage of the new Final Cut X leveling the playing field a bit with it's new bells, whistles, and gizmos.
Finally, we watched "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" and it was pretty entertaining. Also, the gunman on the helicopter was in my film school.
But you see, right now I am waiting for an email from some Apple Consultant, as to whether or not Final Cut Pro X will even recognize my canon's file format. So I might have to get Adobe, and I bet I don't have to tell you how much that might cost.
But I agree, with the computer side of things out of the way (eventually), I think everything else will be relatively easy to deal with.
I have also heard that Final Cut X is still in development stage so they will upgrade and tweak it here and there, which will hopefully solve a lot of the problems people are already having with it, including the format stuff.
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