I got a new Mac Studio last Friday (“just” the Max version), and Final Cut Pro with it. I’m having as much fun learning FCP as I do with Logic, another app I love. While I don’t have super great ideas for content, I have some ideas of how to shoot with multiple cameras and NOT do those annoying jump cuts. It’s not rocket science.
I also got a Luna Display so I could use my 2017 5K Retina iMac as a second monitor. It works pretty well, but not quite as well as I would like. They did warn me. Video playback isn’t great and moving stuff around can get blurry. It’s a shame that this is the best solution to keep using the iMac’s great display with another computer. I mean, they did a great job and the price might seem high but it’s less than any 5K display out there. It’s also better than the old Samsung 21.5″ monitor I was using as a second display. That was great back in the day when I bought it, but next to a 5K Retina display it’s almost hard to look at.
I’m also sometimes having trouble losing focus of the keyboard and/or trackpad at times. I think sometimes the stuff I’m doing is getting sent to the iMac itself instead of the Luna Display on it. Sometimes, commands get lost. There was one point where I was doing stuff in FCP that required the option key and it didn’t work at all until I disconnected the Luna display.
My primary display for the Mac Studio is an LG 5K Ultrafine, the same monitor Apple used to sell before they started selling their own 5K Studio Display. OWC had a bunch of “used” ones that were in excellent condition for around $700. I should have bought two, though. It doesn’t have all the features of the Studio Display (six speakers with Spatial Audio, three mic array, 12 MP Ultra Wide camera with Center Stage, though the stand is more adjustable than the tilt-only stand at the low end of the Studio Display), but I can make those up other ways, like the Continuity Camera with my iPhone 14 Pro. I still might get a Studio Display at some point, or if I find a good deal on another LG of the same model. I’m not sure I want to just buy a used one on eBay but I have seen reputable sellers selling used ones around the same price.
The other cool thing is the keyboard and trackpad sharing between the Mac Studio and iMac. I’m using one keyboard and trackpad with both computers and it’s perfectly seamless. It has been great when I want to go between the two computers to get the settings from the iMac and copy them on the Mac Studio. I can even literally copy and paste from one computer to the other as if they were the same machine.
Overall, I’m pretty happy though I’m still getting used to the setup (two 27″ monitors on my desk is a lot and I have to leave room for my audio monitors (speakers)). And even though I haven’t pushed it, I can tell it is much faster and smoother than the iMac. It runs cooler processor temperatures, too. That’s another negative about using the iMac as a display is that it’s likely using more energy and generating more heat than the Studio Display would.