I'm considering investing in a smart phone and new laptop for work in the next month or two and would appreciate some input from the resident experts on Texags.

My main needs are a smart phone that takes high quality video and a laptop with strong editing software to edit that video.

I'll be using this to record, edit and post video of interviews/practices/games/other breaking news stories (I'm a sports journalist).

Any thoughts / feedback on best service plans for the phones would be appreciated, too.

Currently I'm using a Motorola Blur on T-mobile and don't have a laptop. I'm leaning toward an iphone 4s, sprint, and I'm still researching which macbook would be best, but I'm very early in the decision making process.

Thanks and gig'em, y'all.

I haven't used other platforms but the iPhone and MacBook do offer great integration for video shooting/editing, the new version of Final Cut Pro is designed for rapid editing and would probably be ideal for you. I don't know about Sprint, I'm not a big fan of theirs as a company but they may offer good coverage in your area.

As per which MacBook you'd be probably fine with any of them as even the lower end machines should be able to handle the video pretty well. Since it's for work, however, I'd probably go with a MacBook Pro but if possible I'd hold off for a month or so as there's rumors of updated machines very soon (link and link).


[This message has been edited by fig96 (edited 3/31/2012 10:06p).]

May I suggest you pick up a digital camera for the video. I've got a Canon S95 that has 720p capability that would blow away any smart phone. Plus, you have still pic capability.A Rebel T3i would be even better but a little more obtrusive. The S95 or similar would fit in a vest pocket easy.

I don't think any smartphone will shoot video you will be happy with. Even though it may be "HD" these devices don't have a lens that can zoom enough or focus well enough for sports shot from any typical distance. These also don't have anti-shake or image stabilization. You would get far better video from a cheap "real" camcorder or modern digital camera as suggested above.

Thanks for the feedback y'all.

The reason I want the quality phone camera is its much more mobile and easier have handy for interviews. The lack of zoom is a good point, but I think the mobility of not having to carry around a video camera is more important atm... Plus, some job listings out there specifically mention being able to do capture video with a smart phone.

Those rumors about apple possibly releasing something new in a month or two are especially appreciated, I'll hold off and see what comes of it.

They make plenty of handheld HD video cameras these days. I don't know any more than that cause I don't shoot video, but I think you could find a great portable device.

Surveyor would probably like to do their job without a level and stick they are necessary to do a good job.

You're not going to look like a "pro" doing video interviews with a smart phone. Not to mention holding it still is all but impossible.

A smaller consumer camera (Sony HV9 has the best video quality of all of them) can be set on a book shelf/table/ or even small table top tripod and provide you with a stable platform and not be in the way. I mean, how exactly to you interview someone with a smartphone in front of YOUR face? Nothing is more annoying that shakey video, esp. interviews that are hand held.

Your work product will suffer and poeple won't hire you if your product sucks.

That being said, a macbook air is pleny fast enough to edit HD video and Adobe Premier Elements will do all you ever need for web blog or quick video post production. Other i5 based laptops will also work fine. Just be sure you have at least 4GB or ram.

Finally, consider editing in 720p. It still looks really good, but the file sizes are much more manageable and it will upload a lot faster and steam better for 90% of the viewers.

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A smaller consumer camera (Sony HV9 has the best video quality of all of them) can be set on a book shelf/table/ or even small table top tripod and provide you with a stable platform and not be in the way. I mean, how exactly to you interview someone with a smartphone in front of YOUR face? Nothing is more annoying that shakey video, esp. interviews that are hand held.

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Um, a small tripod? There's tons of camera accessories made for smartphones.

A true video camera would shoot better video but you can get pretty good footage out of an iPhone or similar device if it's stabilized and you have good lighting. Actually, you can shoot decent footage with just about anything if you have good lighting.

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Um, a small tripod? There's tons of camera accessories made for smartphones.

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yes them make small table top tripods that have flixible legs and stand ~6" high. You can put it in your pocket and just take it out when needed.

I've also seen flexible single leg systems that will wrap around/mount to just about any kind of surface.

The smart phone form factor means they are very difficult to hold still. And most of them have curved sides/edges making it impossible to stand them up somewhere to keep them steady.

Sorry, my post wasn't clear, I was responding to your shaky handheld observation. My point was that there are lots of small tripods made for the iPhone and similar devices.

A camcorder will have to wait until a later date. My current phone is increasingly glitchy and almost to the point of impracticality. Considering how much my work relies on having a phone that's working right, getting a functional phone is priority #1. Getting a functional phone that takes good pictures and video is priority #2.

A lot of papers want this capabilities on their journalists' phones so reporters can take pictures and instantly share them online. I've seen quite a few reporters from big papers / sports sites (ESPN's David Ubben comes to mind) who attach their iphones to tripods for their video needs. At most practices, I'd be able to set up the phone on a tripod along the sideline or in the bleachers and gather my video from there, then after the practice pull aside the players I want to talk to and conduct the interview with the camera pointed our way.

It's also starting to look like I might be more locked into my T-mobile contract than I realized... so I'm researching T-mobile phones to see if they have anything that meets my needs and if they are compatible with Macbooks or if I need to look into a different laptop/different video editing software. Any advice there would be greatly appreciated.

The samsung Galaxy phones are pretty good and the HTC phones are as well.

They will play fine with the mac. Premier Elements is pretty simple to use and very powerful.

Or just d/l MS Movie Maker. It will do simple transitions between video cuts and you can cut up video's all you want with it. Can't really mess with sound or do any contrast/brighness adjustments but it's simple and will work. I know you can output windows media files with it but I'm not sure what else. It's free so may be worth a few hours of playing with.

Also, the Sony I suggested is a P&S camera with incredibly good video capabilities. You'll get much better photos than with a phone.

For media sharing, I suppose if you have a laptop with you, reduce the pictures to a web size and then teather your phone to the laptop for sharing online. Not as instant as a phone but better quality.

Then, based on the crap I see on tv/news/internet these days I'm not sure quality is a word that really means anything anymore. Hell, look at the crappy pics from texags.com on Tanny's pro day.

[This message has been edited by agracer (edited 4/4/2012 2:44p).]