Sony Vegas ($599.99) or Final Cut Express ($199.99)

[HollstromsProductions]

Hey Guys,
I am thinking about getting a new editing software, I'm not sure what i should get, and I just want to know...
Sony Vegas is really expensive, but does it do a lot more then Final Cut Express?
I am thinking about going towards getting a macbook, and buying Final Cut Express for it, so when i want to upgrade to something big like Final Cut Pro, I can always fall back on Final Cut Express.
Thanks guys,
Mike (Hollstroms Productions)
also known as mch7, just incase you know me. (probably not)

[TreasureBox Films]

go mac.
PC editing programs suck.

[stikyfingas]

Vegas is better than FCE but not FCP. However, you can get Vegas pro for way cheaper than that.

[KelvTwelve]

My friend bought a Sony Vegas program for about $100 at Best Buy.

[NerdWithNoLife]

Vegas Pro can render with 32 bits per channel AND edit. To do the same with Premiere/After Effects or FinalCutPro/Color would cost twice as much. I'd consider Vegas Pro a bargain.

[HollstromsProductions]

My friend bought a Sony Vegas program for about $100 at Best Buy.

Yeah, most likely that version is Sony vegas movie studio/platinum and that's not as good as sony vegas pro.

[Vaughn Whynot]

i got my pro from a friend for 30 bucks
so i'm guessing i lucked out

[sonnyfromda02]

Vegas Pro for cheap. (http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/536041-REG/Sony_VP8Q_Vegas_Pro_8_Video.html#goto_itemInfo)

[NerdWithNoLife]

Vegas Pro for cheap. (http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/536041-REG/Sony_VP8Q_Vegas_Pro_8_Video.html#goto_itemInfo)
I'll probably get that! And it's straight from the reliable and trusted B&H. On a tight budget, I think that's about the best you can do - through legal means. Thanks for posting it.

[sonnyfromda02]

I'll probably get that! And it's straight from the reliable and trusted B&H. On a tight budget, I think that's about the best you can do - through legal means. Thanks for posting it.

I've had that bookmarked for a while. It was posted on another thread, but I haven't ordered it yet because I'm doing fine with Vegas MSP 8.

[rick3000]

I am going to disagree with the general consensus here and say get Final Cut Express.
If it was Vegas vs. FCP it would be very easy to say Vegas is no comparison, but Express is a little different. If in the future you want to edit in the industry, they use FCP way more than Vegas, and FCE would be a good stepping stone.
But if you are just editing shorts you are making with your friends then you may want to save your money and spend $50-100 on Vegas. I would personally choose FCE because I am a Mac fan, and because FCE is easy to use and figure out.

[sonnyfromda02]

Vegas is also easy to use and figure out.

[NerdWithNoLife]

Can FCE do color correction and grading with 32 bits per channel? Nope - that's why Vegas Pro is a huge value. And I've used FCP - it's great - I'm just saying on a budget you can get some great quality out of Vegas Pro. E$pecially if you don't want to drop a couple grand on a Mac.

Edit: It can render in 32-bit YCbCr (10 bits per channel), which is good, but it's not 32 bpc. I wish.

[HollstromsProductions]

I am going to disagree with the general consensus here and say get Final Cut Express.
If it was Vegas vs. FCP it would be very easy to say Vegas is no comparison, but Express is a little different. If in the future you want to edit in the industry, they use FCP way more than Vegas, and FCE would be a good stepping stone.
But if you are just editing shorts you are making with your friends then you may want to save your money and spend $50-100 on Vegas. I would personally choose FCE because I am a Mac fan, and because FCE is easy to use and figure out.
Ok, well see i really would rather get a Mac, because eventually getting FCP is better then Sony Vegas, plus indymogul even said that FCE is good to have, you can always look back at it, and I'm not sure how much i care about the rendering, because they aren't going to be high-budget videos anyway.
Thanks,
Mike (Hollstroms Productions)

[mch7]

Actually, i finally made up my mind. From reading the other forums, did you know that can help? No, jk, but I found just the CD for Sony Vegas on B and H, so Im probably going to get that.

[sonnyfromda02]

Actually, i finally made up my mind. From reading the other forums, did you know that can help? No, jk, but I found just the CD for Sony Vegas on B and H, so Im probably going to get that.

I posted that link a while back when you asked this question.

[MarkLutt]

a little birdie told me that you can find sony vegas pro 8 for free if you search hard enough for it.

if you know how to use cracks and what not.

[sonnyfromda02]

a little birdie told me that you can find sony vegas pro 8 for free if you search hard enough for it.

if you know how to use cracks and what not.

That's kind of looked down upon on this site.

[WesScog]

I think some of the people here that don't like Vegas, might not have used it very much.

Because i've used both Final Cut and Vegas, and Vegas is (personally to me) WAY more user friendly, and it's amazingly flexible if you want to go further and do more with it.

Not to mention that you don't have to spend several thousand dollars on getting a Mac system to install FCE on if you decide to go with Vegas (If you don't already have a Mac that is).

[sonnyfromda02]

I think some of the people here that don't like Vegas, might not have used it very much.

Thank you for saying that, maybe people will listen now. I never say Vegas is better than any other editor, (except WMM), because I haven't used any other, (except WMM). The only software I've had a bad experience with was Magix.

[NerdWithNoLife]

That's a really good point, Wes. Final Cut Studio is great. So is Adobe Production Premium. But they're really expensive! On a tight budget, Vegas is a great value. It has a lot of features for its price. I suggest getting experience first, and spending a whole lot of money after you're really good. And maybe you've done enough wedding videos to justify the cost.

[mch7]

Well, I really wanted to see if i could get a mac, because I'd rather get one of the better programs, or at least i thought, like Adobe After Effects, and Final Cut Pro, but after really thinking about it, and listening to what you guys said, i went with Sony Vegas.