New MBP or iMac for DSLR Video?

[Cephied]

Hello everyone,

This is my fist time posting, so please forgive any mistakes or forum rules I may break. I tried searching for this topic but was unable to find answers to my question.

So, I need to upgrade my computer. I recently purchased a Canon Eos 60D which is just a wonderful camera. I am doing some work with it shooting 1080p 24fps and 720p 60fps footage. I was editing in Adobe CS4 and updated to CS5 to use the native DSLR and my comp still cannot handle the footage. Regardless of my current comp running Vista I need to (and want to) switch to Mac.

So my situation is that I can afford the current top MBP ( 2.3GHz Quad-core Intel Core i7,8GB 1333MHz DDR3 SDRAM - 2x4GB 256GB Solid State Drive) and add a couple of external HD's.

I really like the idea of keeping things portable, yet the new iMacs will offer more power for approximately the same money.

I am in S.Korea (love it here) and will have to ship / travel with my computer back to Canada this summer.

So I need a machine for editing with Adobe CS5 and Final Cut Studio, Maya, etc. Would like to use for MS Flight and X-plane (but nowhere near as important as doing work). I would like the bigger machine and greater power, but have to ship / travel with my computer in the near future.

Will the new MBP suite my needs? Do you think it is safer for my situation so I don't have to ship a new iMac in the coming months?

I am so excited about getting one or the other I feel as though I can't wait any longer, but am kinda scared about dealing with the size of a 27" iMac.

Thanks for any opinions on the matter. My head is just spinning here. Hope I didn't ramble too much. The good news is I'll be returning to a Mac since my last iMac Purple 333mhz.

Thanks again,

-Cephied

 

[gameface]

The MBP will handle it but obviously the imac would be better.

You don't want to edit 60d footage natively even though Premiere CS5 can. If you are getting FCS, you want to transcode to ProRes 422 before the edit process. This is where the proc in the iMac and memory upgrade ability could come in handy. But you seriously won't see much difference doing straight cutting. And I usually let my transcodes fly over night from my 7D so I don't really care about the speed.

Screen real-estate on the other hand will obviously be a big advantage on the iMac. I personally hate cutting on my 15" but do so when I need to. Some people are right at home on it, but personally from working in real edit bays, the 15" is just too small for my normal workflow.

And yes, I have cut plenty of 5D footage on a 2007 non-unibody 2.4 C2D 6GB MBP. I only do so when I have to though due to having a MP edit suite.

 

[Cephied]

Thanks gameface.

So it takes quite a while to transcode to prores?

I am worried about portability, but I guess I really don't take my current laptop many places. Plus, I do have a decent 22" LG external monitor. Still though, that is no 27" iMac.

I have been driving myself crazy over this since the new MBP's came out a few weeks ago. I guess shipping home won't be that big of a concern. It'll be in it's original box, and I'll pay for the extra baggage or whatever.

Maybe I am just being impatient and want someone to tell me to just buy a MBP right now. Can you blame me?

-Cephied

 

[themac23]

If you want to be mobile at all, meaning even just doing work or play on your couch in the living room, then the Macbook Pro is for you.

I like the idea of being able to go mobile when needed even though the iMac will out perform the new Macbook Pros. However, will you even notice the difference? Doubt it.