Justin Oakley

The most Ive seen is 4gb...unless Im reading these wrong. Sorry guys. Like I said, I absolutely suck at computers and reading/interpreting specs.

Right on. The link you provided has a Radeon card. In fact thats the only card Ive seen on the Macs Ive looked at. The one you showed is 560 with 4gb. Still not good enough?

Heres what I saw regarding processor 2.8GHz quad-core Intel Core i7, Turbo Boost up to 3.8GHz, with 6MB shared L3 cache As far as storage, yes, I save all of my projects/project files on external hard drives. So 2gb is pretty much maxed out for the Radeon graphics card?

Hey guys, I was looking at refurbished Macs and the second less expensive I saw was this guy. At a glance, do these seem like ok specs for what Im trying to do? Also, I take it on board memory is the RAM? 15.4-inch 16GB of 2133MHz LPDDR3 onboard memory 256GB PCIe-based onboard SSD Radeon Pro 555 with 2GB of GDDR5 memory Again, Im a hobbyist not a pro. And I dont see any features in the foreseeable future. I use HitFilm Pro and DaVinci Resolve so Im sure this meets the minimum requirements. I just want to make sure Ive got a machine that will work in the event that I, at some point, work with 4K OR raw footage...I know I wont be doing 4K raw. Thats just insane.

Thanks! This is a big help. Im pretty much just guessing and flying by the seat of my pants at this point. I did get fairly decent results when I threw a whole bunch of light in and set the aperture around 4. However, I had read (more than one source) that its best to expose to the right as much as possible and kind of darken it in post. Doing this proved to be a little more of a challenge and I ended up having to open up the aperture even more. And this room was absolutely filled with light. I used a work light stand from Lowes...it did the trick. Now its almost like theres too much light and I really had to bring those mids down in post. I did bring the iso up to 200...but Im still a little scared of cranking it up too high. 800 seems like a bit high, no?

See??! Everything about this is why Im really kind of stuck on Mac. I dont do any gaming. Im too thick to troubleshoot problems with drivers or software. Customer support for Mac is just top notch. And I havent spent one red cent on maintenance or any other issues with my measly 13 MacBook. For somebody like me, the price is outrageous at first, but well worth the convenience in the end. And Im not even a Mac fanboy or anything. Man nothing about this is easy for me.

I read through some reviews for the Dell XPS. Quite a few negative reviews. Enough to raise eyebrows. - bad drivers (whatever that means) - buggy or bug issues - complete failure a couple months after warranty I really wish I were a computer guy. But Im not. This is quite intimidating. Im not a gamer or anything. So I would like to think I could have a relatively easy and smooth experience. But reviews like this make me worry.

How much, all-in? It has decent processing speed and handles large amounts of data, I assume? Im not hell bent on Mac. I would definitely love to know more about the alternative options. Again, this would be pretty much used exclusively for video editing and music. Im diving in completely in the blind here. This trusty MacBook is all Ive known.

I think Im picking up what youre putting down. I am not somebody with access to a ton of money. I dont have disposable income. And Im not a brand snob by any means. The reason for the laptop is 1) as stated earlier, I am a complete moron when it comes to computers. So building some huge editing computer isnt really an option for me 2) I need something that I can take with me to work. Work is where I do all of my editing. Its where I geek out on the internet and learn and experiment/test footage I get. I work 48 hour shifts so when Im home I try to maximize my time with the lady. I cant be hunched over a computer for hours on end when were both home. And I think I was more focused on Macs because, well thats pretty much all Ive known for the past 5 years or so. I kind of forgot what its like to own a PC. All the updates and protection software and all that. My lack of computer knowledge played a huge factor in the purchase of my Mac. I will say that I am not above buying something like the Dell you mentioned. Again, I would like to just have a dedicated machine exclusively used for video...and maybe music. So if it does the same, or better, hell yeah Id look into one! Yes, Apple products are ridiculously priced. But I havent spent a dime on my Mac since I took it out of the box however many years ago. Pretty sure it was a refurb too.

I sure am. Ive just been exploring other cameras...because September is quite far away haha

Actually, looking into the C100 was one of the things that made me consider a new laptop. I guess it records AVCHD and I wasnt sure if that would raise any issues. For now I pretty much transcode my DSLR footage in resolve to ProRes and then take THOSE clips into the editing software I use. No real hang ups so far. Just dont want to get a nice camera (low end to most people here) and find myself trapped because my computer cant handle it.

Thanks. That was quick! I will certainly check out the link you provided. When you say lower end cameras, what is your definition of lower end? Because Im pretty sure Im in the lower end category. I dont do this professionally. And Ann expensive camera for me is like 3 grand...and thats pushing it. Are cameras like the canon cs, Black Magic URSA mini, or pocket cinema cameras considered lower end? I sure hope so, because those are the guys Ive been looking into.

Hello again. I need two things: - a better camera (previously discussed) - a newer/better computer for editing I figured I could get by with the camera I have for now. Even though it sucks. So Im looking into editing stuff. I guess Im just wondering which laptop I could use (preferably a Mac) that is affordable, and powerful enough to cover me. And by affordable I mean around 1500...maybe not a brand new 2018 model, a refurb maybe? This is what I currently have going on. 13 MacBook Pro 2.5GHz Intel Core i5 memory: 4GB 1600 MHz graphics: Intel HD graphics 4000 1536MB Ive done ok on it with the footage and software Ive been working with. But from what I understand its a pretty basic deal. Not sure how it would fare with raw footage or 4K or whatever. Also, this is the laptop I do other stuff on...manage money, internet, some stuff for work, etc. It would be nice to have a dedicated machine that I can install various tools and editing software onto without bogging it down. I just want a smooth, fast (at least not ridiculously slow) workflow. And not have to worry about crashing and stuff. Any recommendations, particular specs I should look for, and/or resources for affordable laptops would be greatly appreciated. By the way, Im a complete moron when it comes to computers. Not gonna lie to you.

Im sure theres some here who have used them. I recently watched a bit by that Devin Supertramp cat and he was talking about how he uses a circular polarizing filter pretty much whenever the sun is out. From what I understand these polarizers tend to add saturation and contrast. So I was just wondering how these affect your footage if you shoot in raw, or log, or whatever....or pretty much any flat profile. Or in my case, the cinestyle profile. Do you still have that latitude with your footage in post or whatever?

I always wondered what happened to all the neato gear That reviewers talk about... especially on YouTube. This is a really good (camera, monitor, lense, rig, etc.) Im going to go ahead and pick one up for my (camera, monitor, lense, rig, etc). Pick one up. Just like that. Like a pair of socks. Im sure there are piles of camera equipment just sitting in their garages. DSLR video shooter and Tom Antos are two channels I subscribe to. And every time they pop up with some Gucci gear review, I cant help but think DUDE! What do you do?!

So, for something like the samurai blade (or pretty much any monitor that is at least a few years old) I take it there arent updates or anything like that? Again, I only want to check focus and exposure really (waveform is really important for me)...framing too. But I could use this for a number of years? I know the film game is constantly evolving and changing and Im not sure what the typical life span is for stuff like this.

No I totally get it. I certainly do. Yes, it comes down to framing, composition, lighting, proper sound, etc. But the camera one uses absolutely is part of the equation no doubt. Im personally not out looking for the latest and greatest, most expensive gadgets. 1) a $10,000.00 camera in the hands of an amateur is pretty much worthless 2) expensive cameras, lenses, software, etc. dont suit my purpose. Im not completely delusional and out of touch. But if Im able to upgrade Im absolutely going to. Within my means. I have THE lower end camera for its respective class. And yes it definitely shows. I get it. Im right there with you. Just because one CAN make ok stuff with a 200.00 DSLR doesnt mean they SHOULD if they have the means to buy something better...just because. As stated earlier, I am not a still photographer. I read something recently comparing it to tools. You can drive a nail with a hammer or a wrench. A wrench will do the job just fine. But if youre building a birdhouse youre not going to go to the hardware store and buy a wrench to nail the thing together.

And was the Chinese knock off feelworld? Ive seen that name quite a few times in my quest.

Right on. Im thinking maybe Ill just go with a cheaper cheap one. That way, in the event that it fails, I wont really lose any sleep. I just really have my heart set on some sort of waveform display. Histogram is essentially worthless on a monitor...if I understand exposure correctly. Oh well. Thanks guys

The Small HD focus I saw had terrible reviews. And the issue wasnt the HDMI input. And I totally get where you guys are coming from. I understand cheap being a relative term. But Im a regular joe. Im a fireman, not a professional filmmaker with access to hundreds of thousands of dollars in equipment. Im a hobbyist. The actual NEED for a monitor is still there regardless of whether you do this for a living or not. 550.00...I believe that was the price I saw on the Small HD focus. And it has a tendency to just stop working? Theres not so good and theres sheer negligence...in my opinion. If you opted to buy a cheap phone instead of the brand new iPhone[insert generation], you would at least expect it to run for more than a week...even if its not good, right? As stated earlier, Im not looking for all the bells and whistles. My primary concern is the ability to check focus, framing, and exposure using waveform display. And not have to wonder if the monitor will just crap out on me for no reason. Anyway, Im getting all hung up on this Small HD thing. Sorry for rambling on. Its just irritating knowing that this happens...yes, even for a meager 550 bucks. That quality control guy nodded off at the wheel. I really do appreciate the replies. Is there a specific site that one could find used monitors? I just googled used TV Logic. I dont know...

I literally just finished reading reviews on the Black Magic Video Assist 4K. And according to one reviewer, who provided a VERY detailed comparison between that and the Atmos ninja blade, it pretty much sucks. So of course atmos ninja blade goes into the google search...now Im watching reviews of a monitor/recorder thats like 4 years old. And Im all turned around. Should I buy a monitor/recorder even though I dont need it? Is this going to be an obsolete soon? I dont even know anymore... Recently I really got my heart set on getting the new pocket cinema camera when its released. So maybe this type of monitor could be beneficial?

500/600 bucks isnt exactly peanuts. A get the whole get what you pay for thing. But $500.00 is a lot of money to drop on a product that just...doesnt turn on the second time you use it. Anyway, I may end up just going for it and brace myself. I did check out used TV Logic monitors but they are just over my price range.

Im looking for a field monitor...max of $500.00 (and some change). I dont need anything super high speed. I mainly just want the ability to monitor framing, focus, check exposure via waveform display, etc. My problem is that no matter what I find, I always see more than one terrible review. And Im not talking about petty gripes either. Like, heinous lag, overheating, and monitors just flat-out not turning on. 500 bucks is still a pretty big purchase for me so Im trying to be really careful here. The Small HD focus for example. I watched a couple reviews on YouTube, checked it out in B&H or Amazon, and found some pretty troublesome reviews from ACTUAL verified purchases and users. Reviews Id expect of a 150-200 dollar monitor or something. Any advice or recommendations based on personal experience would be fantastic. Thanks

I was watching a review for the mini 4K studio and the man said it was suited for broadcast where the other was better suited for field environment. When using these terms are they referring to the image? Reality tv show vs. film look, for example? Or are they referring to the actual setting of the environment in which youre filming?

Hello, I had posted a thread about purchasing another DSLR but I would like to stick to cameras specifically designed for filmmaking. Anyway, Ive been looking around searching for a product that suits my needs. I stumbled across the Blackmagic mini (studio and cinema) and it piqued my interest as a hobbyist...with a hobbyists budget. Just a few questions: 1) what is the difference between the two (studio and cinema) 2) are they any good? Specifically for short films and stuff. Do they achieve the cinematic look, are they good in low light, etc. 3) if I were to get one, would I be able to use the lenses I already have? I have two Rokinon Cine lenses with ef mounts for my Canon....and I sure would like to keep them. Additional question: any idea how they stack up against the new PCC? This upgrade will be the last for quite some time so I want to get it right and not have regrets. Once again, any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks