Final Cut Pro

 

Last weekend, before I went to the hospital again, I purchased the base Apple M2 Mac mini.  I wanted to start learning how to use Final Cut Pro on an Apple computer.  I had used FCP X about 7-8 years ago before completely switching to an Apple iPad Pro.  Apple released FCP for the iPad Pro last year but that app is just not there.  There is really no good colour or audio correction on the iPad Pro.   

Apple was also still running on Intel chips in those days.  No M series chips back in the 2010's.  I've been working on an iPad Pro for the last 4 or 5 years or so. 

On the weekends that I'm home in between hospital visits where I learn how to walk with my prosthetic, I've been learning how to  FCP X on the Mac mini.  Although pretty fast, much faster than an Intel based computer, it's not so good for video editing longer videos and adding edits such as video noise removal, and colour correction.  The iPad Pro with the M2 chip, 2TB of storage and 16GB of RAM is much, much faster. 

This coming week, I'm getting about 2 years worth of back pay from my job.  The plan is to buy a MacBook Pro with at least 2TB of storage and 64GB of RAM and an M3 Max chip on the inside.  I am hoping that is much more of a capable machine to handle 4k video editing.

I'm planning on using either my Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max with an external Samsung T7 2TB drive and editing off of that with the MacBook Pro.

A review of the Sony RX100 VII

 

The Sony RX100 Mark VII is an exceptional camera that combines powerful features with compact portability. Its 1-inch Exmor RS CMOS sensor and Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T* lens deliver stunning image quality, capturing details and colors with remarkable clarity. The camera's autofocus system is incredibly fast and accurate, making it ideal for capturing fast-moving subjects or shooting in challenging conditions.

One of the standout features of the RX100 Mark VII is its impressive burst shooting capabilities. With up to 20 frames per second continuous shooting speed, you can easily capture fleeting moments and choose the perfect shot later. The advanced tracking autofocus ensures your subjects stay sharp, even when they're in motion.

The camera also excels in video recording, offering 4K UHD and super slow-motion capabilities. The built-in microphone captures clear audio, and the ability to shoot in high frame rates adds a dynamic element to your videos.

In terms of usability, the RX100 Mark VII features a tilting touchscreen and a pop-up electronic viewfinder, providing flexibility in composing your shots. The menu system is intuitive, and the camera offers customizable controls, allowing you to tailor it to your shooting style.

While the RX100 Mark VII is an exceptional camera, it does come at a premium price. However, if you're a serious enthusiast or professional photographer who values both portability and image quality, this camera is definitely worth considering.

Overall, the Sony RX100 Mark VII combines impressive image quality, advanced autofocus capabilities, and versatile shooting options in a compact package. It's a top choice for those seeking a high-performance camera that can fit in their pocket.

Final Cut Pro For the iPad Pro

Final Cut Pro (FCP) is a renowned video editing software developed by Apple Inc. Known for its professional-grade capabilities, FCP has long been a favorite among filmmakers and video editors. While traditionally available only on macOS, Apple has introduced a significant expansion by bringing Final Cut Pro to the iPad, revolutionizing the editing experience for mobile users.

The introduction of Final Cut Pro for the iPad opens up a new world of possibilities for video editors on the go. The iPad’s powerful hardware and touch interface combine seamlessly with Final Cut Pro’s robust feature set, allowing users to create high-quality videos with unparalleled convenience.

One of the key advantages of FCP for the iPad is its familiar user interface. Apple has adapted the software to optimize its functionality on the iPad’s touch screen, ensuring a smooth and intuitive editing experience. Users can take advantage of the iPad’s multi-touch gestures and the Apple Pencil to precisely control their edits, making the process more interactive and engaging.

Despite being a mobile version, Final Cut Pro for the iPad retains most of the features found in its macOS counterpart. Users can access advanced editing tools like multi-camera editing, magnetic timeline, and extensive audio editing capabilities. The software supports a wide range of video formats, including high-resolution and HDR content, ensuring compatibility with professional workflows.

Additionally, Final Cut Pro for the iPad leverages the iPad’s powerful hardware, allowing for real-time playback and rendering of complex video projects. The software takes full advantage of the iPad’s A-series chips and Neural Engine, resulting in impressive performance and responsiveness. This capability eliminates the need for users to transfer projects to a computer for rendering, further streamlining the editing process.

Furthermore, Final Cut Pro for the iPad offers seamless integration with other Apple devices and services. Projects can be easily synced across devices using iCloud, enabling users to continue their work on different platforms seamlessly. Users can also leverage the iPad’s built-in camera to shoot, import, and edit footage directly within Final Cut Pro, enhancing the overall efficiency of the editing workflow.

While Final Cut Pro for the iPad brings a host of benefits, it’s important to note that it might not replace the desktop version entirely. The iPad version may not provide the same level of processing power and screen real estate as a dedicated computer setup, limiting its suitability for complex and resource-intensive projects. Nonetheless, it offers a highly capable and portable editing solution for a wide range of video editing needs.

In conclusion, Final Cut Pro’s expansion to the iPad is a significant development for video editors and content creators. By combining the power and portability of the iPad with Final Cut Pro’s professional-grade editing tools, Apple has opened up new avenues for on-the-go editing. Whether editing on location, during travel, or simply desiring a more flexible editing experience, Final Cut Pro for the iPad empowers users to unleash their creativity with convenience and efficiency.

YouTube

If you haven’t followed me on YouTube, please do so here.  If you already have, I sincerely thank you.

Vacation - September 2022

It’s been a while since I’ve been on vacation.  I’d say about a year ago at this time I was in Nova Scotia with my now ex-girlfriend.  I should really go.  I bought all the stuff I need to sleep in my car.  I am very independent.  I don’t need hotels to sleep in as I can sleep in my Santa Fe Sport SUV.  I have an air mattress.  I have a portable power supply which should last me a week to power my camera, camcorder and cell phone.  I really need to get away.  It’s been almost four months now and the pain is still there.  I’ve lost any and all trust in women.  I’m not looking to spend my future with a woman as I don’t trust women anymore since my ex girlfriend cheated on me.  I’ve been on three dates in the past 4 months.  I had to run away from the last date just because it was so weird and awkward. The women on the dating websites are a total shit show.  Completely unreliable and not worth it.  

I absolutely need the break from everything.  I just hope to get a photography job somewhere.  Just so done with the 9-5 office job.

Sony RX100 Mark VII photography and editing on the new M1, 1TB, 16GB Apple iPad Pro

So WWDC21 was a total crap show this year.  It was extremely boring and nothing innovative came out of it in my opinion.  iPadOS 15 was a total failure as far as I’m concerned.  On a side, I’m doing more and more photography with the new Sony RX100 Mark VII pocket camera.  It’s my second time owning till little camera.  It’s got the 24-200MM lens on it and that’s one reason I got it.  I’m still editing on the 2021 M1 base iPad Pro 12.9”.  The only reason I have it is I’m waiting to trade it in for the M1X or M2 based MacBook Pro, whenever they come out.  Hoping that will happen later this summer.  Hope I can pick one up at one of the Apple stores here in Ottawa before I permanently leave for Calgary in the fall.

In the meantime, I’m hoping to get another short contract here with one of the federal departments.  It will be my last one for sure.

Video only

So there have been a few changes in the past two weeks.  I got my new 2021 Apple iPad Pro with the M1 based processor, 1TB of storage and 16GB of RAM.  I also got a Sony FDR AX700b camcorder which shoots amazing 4K HDR videos.  I am all setup to do great video work.  The weather has fantastic today and should remain so for the next 4-6 days.  No humidity and no heat.  No rain.  Just clear skies with a few big, puffy clouds.  Tonight after work, I will be going out and shoot a video for YouTube and get some stock for Pond5.  I am doing less and less photography and more video.  There is just more money in shooting video then there is in photography.  I’m still going to do photos for Adobe Stock but I’ll be focusing more on video production.

Now if you asked me 10 years ago, I’d laugh at you if you told me I’d be doing video as well as photography.  I actually look forward to getting outside with the camera and camcorder.  I hate being stuck inside behind a computer.  I’d rather be shooting.  Don’t get me wrong, I love to edit videos and photos but I just enjoy setting up a camera and camcorder.  I still hate being in front of a camcorder.  I just hate being on video as a I do not like how l look and sound.

I think this weekend, we’ll be going up to Algonquin Park.  Not the highway 60 route, but we’ll go up to the northern part of the park.  Who knows.  It’s always a last minute decision.

Dell XPS 17" 9700 with Windows 10 Pro

 

So, I've had the Dell XPS 17" 9700 Windows 10 Pro laptop for a couple of weeks now.  The only upgrade I've done to this machine is add a second 2TB NVMe solid state drive.  I ordered the laptop with 64GB of memory which may be overkill for now but I wanted to be future proofed.

The computer runs on an Intel i7-10750H processor.  At the time of ordering, Dell did not have the i9 variant of processors available.  Also, I could have gotten the i7-10875H variant but it cost about $500 more with that processor and the upgraded video card.  I'm thinking I'll be getting a new laptop in 4-5 years.  At that point I'll max out the CPU, RAM and video card options.  Another reason why I love the Dell XPS 17" 9700 is the 17" 4k screen.  It is a touch screen but you can disable that in the BIOS which I have done.  I don't see a point of having a touch screen on a laptop.  Sure, an iPad or an iPhone type device but not on a laptop or a desktop.

My two favourite pieces of software for photo and video editing are Affinity Photo and Davinci Resolve.  Affinity Photo is really fast on this Intel based system.  Photo editing is a breeze on this system.  

Davinci Resolve runs smoothly on this system as well.  No lag or hick ups at all.  I've only edited one 75 minute video on here and it took a few hours to export the video.  It was a 4k/60 video shot on an Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max.  

Today after work I will be going to do some video work for myself.  I want to edit 4k/30fps videos shot on my Canon Vixia HF G50.  I want to see how quickly the computer edits 4k/30fps videos that are only about a minute long.  It's supposed to be nice and warm today with a lot of sunshine today.  We shall see.  I will update you at a later date as to how the computer performs. 

It’s not the camera

Still in a conundrum.  Luckily I have until March 2020 to make a final decision.  Now I’m leaning towards just shooting with the Sony RX100 Mark VI and the VII.  I realize the Sony A7RII has more than twice the amount of megapixels which means higher resolution photos and 4K footage.  But I mainly shoot for micro stock agencies and I’ve gotten excellent photos and 4K footage with the Sony RX100 Mark VI and the Sony RX100 Mark VII.  I am trying to convince myself to just shoot with those cameras instead of the Sony A7RII.  I could edit the A7RII photos on my 2018 iPad Pro.  It does have enough horse power to colour grade and edit the images unlike my early 2013 MacBook Pro or my Windows 10 laptop which has 2 SSD hard drives and 32GB of RAM.  I want to be as minimalist as I can.  I don’t want to carry around large amounts of equipment.  

There are photographers with YouTube channels who shoot on Sony a6400 bodies with pretty much kit lenses.  I think I can do well with just the Sony RX100 Mark VI and the VII.  I should really save my money for a better drone than the DJI Spark.  I want to go out west and do more drone photography in the mountains.  

I think I’m just going to keep saving my photography money and finally make a decision in March 2020.  I am kind of hoping that Sony comes out with the next Sony RX100 Mark VIII which has more resolution and better battery life.  I should have about $2000US saved, if not more by March 2020 to make a good decision.

Tonight after work, I’m going out to do some more photography.  I want to go to Nepean Point and get an HDR shot of the Ottawa landscape.  It’s a sunny day right now and there are white fluffy clouds in the sky.  I hope to get some good light tonight to get a spectacular image of the Ottawa landscape.  If I do get a good image tonight I will show you here tonight.  

New portfolio

Got a new place where you can buy my photography.  I've submitted my photography and footage to Adobe Stock.  I only started submitting in the last week or so.  The portfolio is small but it is growing.   So please have patience.  You can click here to see the portfolio.  It's limited right now but I'm adding photography and footage on a daily basis.  Once it gets approved, it'll be on there.  Usually takes a day or so to get approved once I submit it.

I want to give my customers choices for where to shop for my photography.  Adobe Stock is another good, quality choice.

I finally did it

Afte Sony lifted its embargo on the Sony RX100 Mark VII sales in Canada, I was actually the first in Ottawa to get the Sony RX100 Mark VII.  At least at the Henry’s location on Bank Street.  I traded in my Sony a7ii full frame DSLR along with the f3.5-6.3 24-240MM lens, the Sony battery grip and my Canon Vixia HF G40 camcorder.  I bought the necessary Sony grip for it since the Sony RX100 Mark VII is very smooth to hold onto.  The grip is very necessary.  I still want to get the Lensmate filter adapter along with the three filters.  I already bought an external mic for $28 for it.  The external mic is very compact which is very good.  Makes the whole setup compact.  This weekend I have to look for my mic bracket that I bought last year before we moved.  I think it got lost somewhere in the move.  The bracket was about $20.  I found one for $6.95 on Amazon.  I might buy two of those.  One for my Sony RX100 and one for my Canon Vixia HF R800.  I’ll have to find them again on Amazon.

I am so glad I got the Sony RX100 Mark VII.  It’s the perfect camera for me.  Shoots 20.1 megapixel still and also shoots 4K/30fps.  I wish it shot 4K/60fps but 30fps is just fine.  For my wildlife footage, I’ll more than likely be using the Canon Vixia HF R800.  If and when we decide to go on trip to Europe, I’ll just bring my Joby tripod and the Sony RX100 Mark VII.  Shoot 4K footage with that setup.  I already have a good tripod that I’ve have for about a dozen or so years.  It has worked out well for me.  I can’t wait to take the Sony RX100 Mark VII on its first photography run.  I am just so excited to go out with it and test it out.

I haven’t been to Parc Omega in about 2 months or so just because of the oppressive heat that we’ve had.  I’m pretty sure the animals would be hiding in the forest.  I’ll probably start going again in late September or October when the temperature cools down a bit and the leafs start changing colours.  We’ll have to go to Algonquin Park again as well.  Tomorrow night, the Casino Sound of Lights occurs again.   So we’ll be going.  We’ll have to go to the Parliament buildings at night as well to catch the light show which is displayed on Centre Block.  I haven’t seen that in over three years now.

I think I need to upgrade my drone

So I bought a DJI Spark last year and 3 months later, the remote control lost connection with the actual drone.  So I got another one and it's been functioning ok.  I don't fly it like I did anymore.  I won't fly it more than a 100 meters away from me and definitely not over water.  Someplace accessible where I can retrieve it if it goes berserk again.  It only shoots in 1080p at 30fps and photos are only in JPG.  Not RAW or 4K.  

I think I'll get a DJI Mavic Pro 2 in the spring of 2020.  I am saving my photo money until I get the new DJI Mavic Pro 2 which costs about $2000 Canadian.  One day.

Wondershare Filmora 9

Wondershare Filmora 9.  For about $85 Canadian I'd say this is by far one of the easiest and best NLE editors on the planet.  I was able to pick up what I needed to learn in literally a few minutes.  The stabilization and color correction features are just amazing.  It was able to stabilize my DJI Spark footage with ease.  I find the color correction so much better than FCP X.  It also edits the clips amazingly quickly just taking about ten seconds or so on my Asus ROG 502 laptop.  I have the Intel i7-7700HQ CPU clocked at 2.8GHz with 32GB worth of RAM.  My main hard drive is a 256GB NVME SSD and I have a 1TB SSD I use to store my video clips and photos. 

I am completely switching from my late 2013 Macbook Pro to my Windows 10 machine till iPadOS comes out for my 2018 Apple iPad Pro.  Then I'm dumping both laptops and just editing everything on the iPad.  

Wondershare Filmora 9 is very easy to use.  Much easier than FCP X for the Mac.  It is a lot more intuitive to use.  Just the color correction is fantastic.  I will have to make a more detailed review of Wondershare Filmora 9 at a later date when I start using it more.

The only problem with the 2018 Apple iPad Pro

This weekend, my girlfriend and I visited Niagara Falls, Ontario.  I took my Sony RX100 Mark VI and my 2018 Apple iPad Pro with 512GB.  I shot a lot of photos and footage.  We got home around 7:30pm on Sunday.  I uploaded the pictures off of the SD card I use with my Sony RX100 Mark VI.  The iPad Pro, specifically iOS 12 cannot read the Sony file system.  It can get the pictures but not the video because most manufacturers store all the pictures in the DCIM folder.  Sony uses a different file structure.  I think from now on I will have to use my Canon Vixia HF G40 camcorder to shoot my video. I only shoot 1080p as I think 4K video is overkill.

I think my solution will have to either bring my Canon Vixia HF G40 with my tripod or buy a smaller Canon camcorder like the Canon Vixia HF R800.  I’m supposed to get a nice tax return next week hopefully so I’ll go to my favourite camera store here in Ottawa and pick it up.  It should be only $300-$400 to pick up a small camcorder like that.

On a complete side note, Niagara Falls is way overpriced as far as your stay and food.  Going to a restaurant is not worth it if you eat close to Niagara Falls.  A complete tourist trap.

Niagara Falls - Canadian side

Yes, the Canadian side of Niagara Falls is much nicer looking then the U.S. side.  The girlfriend booked a hotel in 3 weeks so we're going to Niagara Falls in the winter.  It's hopefully going to be warm but I doubt it with this polar vortex hanging around eastern Canada.  But it's only going to be the weekend and we'll be in the hotel for the most part.  It'll be nice to take pictures of the frozen falls and something that's not photographed much by anyone else as it's too cold.  

That's why I love the Sony RX100 Mark VI.  It's such a small and versatile camera which shoots fantastic footage and photographs.  It's actually a better camera when the person using it knows how to use it and take magnificent footage and photos.  I want to shoot the falls in 4k.

I think in the next week I will be buying the 2018 iPad Pro with the 1TB hard drive and the 6GB of RAM.  My early 2013 MacBook Pro can't handle 4k video files and my 2018 Windows computer doesn't have the software to edit video.  And I really don't want to spend money on the Windows laptop to upgrade the memory and second hard drive from a 5400RPM 1TB HD to a 1TB SSD.  I could also upgrade the RAM from 16GB to 32GB.  But I really don't want to spend another few hundred dollars on the laptop.

But yeah, I'm looking forward to shooting Niagara Falls and spending some time with the girlfriend.

BME on Shutterstock

The month of January 2019 is not even over and it's by far the best month ever for me on Shutterstock.  Today I sold 3 pics for a whopping $1.08 and a video for a whopping $180US.  The video in question is of a male wood duck shot in 1080p/60fps.  You can view the clip here.  This sure makes up for the two lousy video clips I sold for $1.50 each.

Sales like this keep me motivated to stick with photography and using my camcorder to film our natural world that we live in.  A few years back I sold a video where I profited $120US and I thought that was amazing.  I've sold a few footage clips on sites like Pond5 and Videoblocks but they are very inconsistent.  I can sell 2-3 clips on the same day and then go months without selling anything.  But with Shutterstock, it's far more consistent. 

I've linked my portfolios so if you're interested, you can purchase some of my photography or footage.  If you're not a client yet, here's a link to become a Shutterstock customer.  This is a great way for you to help out a small time photographer.

Fourth best month ever!!! So far.

The month isn't over yet and I'm having a pretty good month so far on Shutterstock thanks to a few video sales.  One particular one for $104.70 is simply outstanding.  And the month still has just under two weeks left in it.  I know next week will be slow because of Christmas.  I figure I won't make any sales in Europe, North and South America, Australia and basically any Christian nation because everyone will be celebrating with their families.  I hardly sell anything in any Middle Eastern countries or in Asian countries.  Although I sell a few there a few times a month, it's rare that I do.

I want to upgrade a few of the internals in my Asus laptop.  I want to upgrade the hard drives to SSD drives and I want to add 16GB of RAM to get a full 32GB.  I also want to upgrade the operating system to Windows 10 Professional instead of Windows 10 Home.  I got rid of my 2015 Apple iMac and I'm thinking no one will buy the early 2013 Apple MacBook Pro so I might just keep it to run Final Cut Pro X on it.

The next big purchase will be the Apple iPad Pro.  The 512GB version with the 12.9" screen.  I already have the cameras I need.  I bought the Sony RX100 Mark V again.  I'm still wanting to get the Sony RX100 Mark VI.  I think I will get that in the new year.

I don't know why...

...I shoot in 4k.  I've only ever sold 3-4 4k files amongst the hundreds I have online.  My most popular clip is of a coyote that I shot at 1080p/30fps that I shot with a Canon EOS 6D and a Sigma 150-500MM lens back in 2015 at Parc Omega.  My late 2013 MacBook Pro is ok at editing the footage but it just takes forever.  I don't want to buy a 2018 MacBook Pro just because of the price.  I can't believe I'm saying it but I'm looking at getting a Windows 10 based machine.  The Macs I own are long in the tooth now and they need to be replaced.  When I do get a new machine, I am going to miss editing in Final Cut Pro X.  That is one fantastic piece of editing software.  It's so easy and intuitive.

But back to shooting footage.  I want to shoot all my stuff in 1080p/60fps.  So back to shooting with the Canon Vixia HF G40.  I love that camcorder.  It's so versatile and so easy to use.  I love the colour that comes from the camcorder.  It's sharp as well and focuses quickly.

My precious hard drive

My Seagate hard drive.  The 6TB Seagate hard drive.  The one storing all my footage for the past several years.  Is dead.  At least 99.9% dead.  It will not wake up.  I can feel it spinning.  It turns on.  I just cannot access the hard drive.  It will not come up.  It got damaged in the move.  I set up my big Apple iMac last night.  Everything is setup again but this particular hard drive will just not come up.  I hope I can get it working as I don't want to lose all the footage.  Thankfully I got the majority of the footage online on the various micro stock agencies.  But it's a pain in the rear end if I cannot get it up and running again.  5 years of footage on the drive and it's pretty much done for.  I have to stop buying Seagate hard drives.  That's the third hard drive that's died on me in the last two years.  I don't have warranty on it anymore I don't think.  I'm hoping there's a way I can retrieve the footage from the drive.  I have all my stuff from Parc Omega, Arizona/Utah, Calgary, Vancouver, BC, Washington and all the other places I've visited in the last decade or so.

Playing around with the DJI Spark

Shot a few clips with the DJI Spark on Tuesday.  The DJI GO 4 app processed and stitched my clips into a short video and added music.  Seems to be a cool little app.  Hope you enjoy the short video.  Most of the photos and videos have been accepted on the stock agencies I deal with.  Just waiting for a few to be approved on them.  They should be up there in a few days or so.