Dustin

Well I tried one of these at Best Buy tonight and I was fairly impressed with the feel. It doesn’t look overtly like a gaming laptop and the 17” screen looked really sharp! The build quality felt fairly ok minus the cheap plastic that I know from experience will crack at some point. Also the keyboard felt really close to my MacBook Pro so nothing much to change there. Is this the best bang for my buck as far as laptops go at $1000? https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1356939-REG/asus_gl703vd_db75_i7_7700hq_2_8ghz_16gb_1tb.html

@Don Kotlos thanks man. Now I’m freaking out, I’ll need to check when I get home but it seems that GPU switching is unavailable in premiere pro cc 2018? I’m pretty sure I didn’t upgrade to that. You think any of the laptops I mentioned above should be fine?

So can anyone confirm...with Premiere Pro CC for 1080p H264/4K and basic color grading, with no video glitching/dropped frames, is there anything in the mac world that would meet these requirements under $1500 Everything I have found seems to say best bang for the buck is windows. I’m pretty much set on picking up a laptop as I don’t want to commit to the desktop idea yet. As such I guess that will rule the iMac out unless that is an option for what I described above

@Fritz Pierrethank you for the suggestion. I’m debating taking it into the Apple store but as my warranty is expired and the program to fix the gpu under warranty has also expired I’ve read a lot about people with similar machines saying tough luck. I might do this though. I’ll still be keeping this machine as for everyday use it runs fine (minus the random shut downs) it’s just for anything past that it’s not reliable/enough. I realize I could switch to final cut and it would save me money but I rather like adobes suite most of the time. I still edit on a usb3 7200 rpm g drive or my computers 256gb SSD. Something like this might fit the bill. Used versions of these ROG laptops go for 600-800 so a bit more affordable. https://m.newegg.com/products/9SIA24G69V4080 Hell this one even looks like a MacBook! (LOL) https://m.newegg.com/products/N82E16834234654

Also again it does seem the 2016 MacBooks used are under $2k- but at $1800 I don’t know if i can stomach that. Also aren’t those Radeon graphics cards not as optimized with adobe? Link: https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.com%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F122892223456

Thanks for those suggestions @webrunner5. Really some terrific sub $700 deals to be found on those. I’ve also found the newer versions to be had with the 1070 cards as well. Also some of those laptops you mentioned have been specked out to 32gb of ram for under $800 used. Im still a bit torn between Mac/windows but as long as my daw of choice studio one 3 and my audio interface- Focusrite Scarlett 2i4 also work on the system I think I should be good to go. Gonna keep browsing the $600/700 systems and see what I find. Unless anyone else has a better recommendation/suggestions

If I decide to go with a windows desktop..after a day of researching this is looking like a decent desktop build for the price? Just over $1000 including the monitor. The i5 8600K processor also looks really promising based on the pudget systems tests. Link: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/rNXGvV I use Premiere Pro and will not be switching to final cut. Also looking at a used gaming laptop or dell xps 15 laptop. I guess for laptops, in theory I should be good with any i7 6700/7700HQ, 16gb of ram and at least a Nvidia GTX1060 6gb card? Maybe even the 1050 or 960. Basically I want the ability to edit 4k in the future, to edit 1080p h264 and not worry about dropped frames or glitches while color grading. Export times are whatever but faster times would be nice. I'm in contact with a guy near me who has a desktop built already with alot of the key specs but I'm also looking at picking up a second hand gaming laptop with the specs listed above on eBay if I can find one at a really good deal ($700 or less) Any Ideas Guys?

Hahaha. Ya man whoops!! It’s late here. Looking at around 600-800 used.

Well the time has come so it would seem for my 2012 Macbook Pro Retina I7 Quadcore. My computer is one of those that is affected by a faulty motherboard/overheating/video issue. It randomly powers down and anything beyond editing video is a joke. Color grading well yeah right. Tonight it seems it's on its last legs and although Apple had a repair program for my model on this exact issue my date of purchase puts it ineligible. This has been going on for 2 years now but has mostly been manageable until the random powering down/glitches. I do use this laptop fairly often for music recording and producing, photography edits/graphic design and video editing so something equivalent of an i7 quad core, 16 gigs of ram (have 8 right now), definitely a good graphics card and an ssd drive are non-negotiables for me. I also want the ability to edit 4k/color grade without premiere dropping frames and showing glitchy video. As far as right now I will not be switching to FCPX or Resolve so this is my editor of choice. I'm open to buying used but it should be in great condition. I LOVE my macbook but realize windows seem like the better value as far as specs go. Are there any Laptops used out there where I can get the above mentioned specs for under something crazy like $600 used? Should I be looking at some Asus ROG / MSI laptops or should I just try to find a 2015/2016 Spec Non Touch macbook pro? I was under the impression though that the speed/specs were lacking compared to windows computers from the same years. Also will a Nvidia 1050 graphics card do 4k or is that the previous gen? It seems we are now on 1080? LONG STORY SHORT: WHAT IS THE BEST BANG FOR MY BUCK IN LAPTOPS USED WITH THE ABOVE MENTIONED SPECS (INCLUDING 4K EDITING ABILITY) FOR $500-1000.

@IronFilm not sure if you follow tom Antos but he posted his short film on YouTube and it’s definitely inspired me. Shot on just the gh4, stupid basic kit lights (if any) and a basic shotgun/zoom combo. It didn’t necessarily wow me but I was wowed at the fact that a lot of us (INCLUDING MYSELF) seem to spend forever talking about gear but not making anything. Hoping to shoot a short film soon as lately all I’ve had time for was artsy home videos.

@IronFilm Now that I'm not spending money on a camera I'm wanting to get a basic on camera/off camera shotgun mic. I'm a fan of the affordable and after watching a few vids on the takstar $30 mic I figure I don't have anything to lose... Any thoughts on cheapo rode video mic pro knock offs? I have a decent Focusrite audio interface and a few nice mics if I ever needed separate excellent quality audio. EDIT-- just went ahead and ordered it anyway. I mean again, $30 isn't gonna make or break me lol! Surely it sounds better than the crappy internal mic. Bleh. Hate it

Nice cut man! I really wouldn't have known you didn't shoot that on the same camera, the G7 cut really well. Solid little cut

@IronFilm That is the conclusion I've come to as well. I actually own a couple lights, an Aputure 528 and a 198, yet I've only used them on one project in the year I've owned them. I probably will just keep the d5300 even though I'm not a huge fan of it on handheld still. If I find a G7 to play with for dirt cheap I might pull the trigger. Otherwise I guess thread over. More films to make!

Yeah that's another thought I've had. One quirk I've really come to loathe though is changing aperture in video mode. I could get around this with d7500 I guess but that's out of the budget and for that price... I think I will disagree on the Lens comment as far as the tamron is concerned. The Tamron's built in IS isn't bad but for me but I want something better. Was hoping the g85 would be that ticket to help it. With used prices I could get into the d5500 for nothing so that's definitely something to consider. edit: Maybe if I want something to play around with the G7 isn't a bad option...being that I have the tripod stick for handheld, it certainly helps and if I get a light prime on their perhaps that would be a nice mobile 4K rig? Then just save up and use it as a b-cam.

@mercer Yeah definetly something to consider. I feel like the d5300 image even on my manfrotto tripod stick or monopod seems to get wobbly fast! I shot a Christmas video this weekend to try the evo-2 out and it definetly did seem to help but probably not as good as 5-AXIS stabilization. The kit zoom seems to be ok minus the non-constant f stop. But all things considered I'm certainly not going into debt over something that right now is a hobby and I still have a perfectly capable camera. Gonna save up a bit and ponder because although I want the g85, I'm pretty sure it would be a bit more upgrade than I can afford as I'd really need not only the speedbooster but a new memory card. We will see! I might consider posting the b roll from the family Christmas video as a demo if anyone's interested in picking up the manfrotto evo-2.

Thanks man! Yeah that's another thing that has me thinking! How quick is that process? Enough of a distraction to avoid shooting with a non-native zoom? I'm used to quirks being a d5300 owner just wanted to ask if it's enough of a quirk to bug you when shooting? I do have a Nikon 28mm 2.8 e series prime I'm quite fond of so I could throw that or pick up an cheap native prime I guess. And I wouldn't mind saving up in the long term for the 12-32 2.8 but in the short term I'd rather just go the adapter route

@IronFilm definitely looking at the RJ Lens Turbo. Still debating the GX85/G85 in my mind but I know that I did want a stock flat profile, and IBIS so really it's just convincing myself to save a little extra even though I am already nearly half there used thanks to some gift cards. Also even though I've never used the mic input on my d5300 and just recorded sound separately to my tascam dr-07mkii, not having one kind of makes me worry. Granted as this will be my film camera anyway, I suppose I could always rig it up with a cage/top handle and just mount the tascam if need be. Ill probably just save a bit and go for the g85, sorry for the rant lol. I'll def need to get a cheap speedbooster as even a used 250-300 metabones is too expensive for me right now

Really curious to see what all plays out with the GH5S but I'm primed to pick up a G85 soon. As much as I'd rather save some coin and get the GX85 I don't want to have to use my tascam recorder on the off chance I wanna use an on camera mic. Also I want to give cinelike profiles a shot! Shot a holiday video last night for Christmas Eve on my d5300 and even though my new manfrotto mini tripod works pretty good for a stabilizer, I cannot wait to have a camera with IBIS BUILT IN!! Merry Christmas to all!

That would be a fun gig. Just curious if you don't mind sharing, what frame rates did you shoot at? Anyways cool video!

Wow Kygo! that's pretty a cool accomplishment to film for a huge artist. The GH5 certainly cuts well here. That opening shot where he was walking, is that on a gimbal as well? I loved the colors as well

So early thoughts on the manfrotto evo 2...pretty cool! After shooting a bit with it I did notice it seemed to stabilize a bit better depending on how you held it. Nothing ground breaking but it does seem to possibly help a tad. Where this actually will find the most use I'm thinking is maybe exactly as it intends, an out of the way portable tripod. I can also see this being a super awesome little mini lightstand to mount my aperture 198 on! At $30 I think it's a tad expensive but I think I will get plenty use of it even if I don't use it as a vlogging stick/stabilizer as intended.

Right that makes sense. I probably won't make a decision til at least after the holiday anyways but it's something to keep in mind. Being that my main lens for video/photo the tamron 17-50 lives on my Nikon d5300 and I'll be keeping that I'm also not sure if I'd just want to be swapping that from mounts from time to time.

I wasn't aware of this camera...let me look it up! Edit: just looked it up and I still think I'd rather give the G85 a go. Im just a cheapie when it comes to cameras as again this is strictly a hobby and I'm not making a living doing this. My manfrotto mini tripod stick thing comes today so I'll give that a go on the d5300 and see if it doesn't at least help the shake when shooting handheld. But none the less there are plenty of capable cameras out there so it seems!

Yeah I'm still paying off a student loan so I'm in saving mode but some recent Christmas gifts from work certainly put me around almost 40% there. For every good example there's a million bad ones on YouTube I must say!

Thanks and @mercer. This will be my next camera. It has everything I need/want right now. I have looked up and will probably get the Lens Turbo for the short term but most important is getting back that similar 35mm dof. I can't afford to get the metabones but if I get an adapter around $100 I'll be good. Also I guess I'll have to upgrade my SD card- I've been spoiled shooting on a single 32gb san disk extreme for the past 4 years. Now if if I can only find a used G85 for $500. Might just have to suck it up but that might be splurging. Technically the GX85 meets my needs as I've never recorded audio internally always post synced but no flip out screen and a 30 minute limit is a bummer. Really just the non flip out screen. Being that I don't do this for a living and it is strictly a hobby passion, I might get the cheaper camera as I've seen those go $500 new