Is The M5 MacBook Pro Better For Video Editing? (Buyer’s Guide)

Matt Johnson holding an M5 Macbook for Video Editing

M5 MacBook Pro Buyer’s Guide for Video Editors: Should You Buy It and What Specs Actually Make Sense?

The new 14 inch Apple MacBook Pro with the M5 chip is finally here, and if you are a video editor who has been thinking about buying a new laptop, you are probably asking yourself two very specific questions:

  1. Should you even buy this new M5 MacBook Pro at all?
  2. If you do decide to buy one, what specs actually make sense for video editing without wasting a ton of money.

In this buyer’s guide I want to help you answer both of those questions clearly and honestly, because not every new Apple release is automatically the best choice for video editors.

At the time of writing this, Apple is only offering one version of the M5 MacBook, which is the 14 inch MacBook Pro. There is no MacBook Air with M5, no 16 inch MacBook Pro, and no M5 Pro or M5 Max chips available yet. If you want an M5 laptop today, this single configuration is your only option.

Should Video Editors Buy the M5 MacBook Pro?

The short answer for most video editors is: probably not (at least not right now).

Based on everything we know so far, the M5 is a fairly incremental upgrade when it comes to video editing performance, and until we see an M5 Pro or M5 Max, it is hard to justify choosing this over discounted previous generation models.

That said, there are some real improvements with the M5 that can matter depending on how you work, so let’s walk through those before writing it off completely.

Faster Storage and Larger SSD Options

One of the most noticeable upgrades with the M5 MacBook Pro is the internal storage speed. Apple has moved to PCIe Gen 4 SSDs, which support transfer speeds up to roughly 6800 megabytes per second. That is nearly double the roughly 3500 megabytes per second we saw on the previous generation, and in some real world tests it can be even faster depending on the workload.

If you regularly copy large video files to and from your internal drive, especially if you shoot in 4K, 6K, or 8K resolutions, this faster storage can genuinely save you time over the course of a project. It is not the kind of upgrade that makes headlines, but it is absolutely something working editors will feel day to day.

Along with the speed increase, Apple has also expanded the maximum internal storage option on the 14 inch model to 4 TB, up from 2 TB on previous base models. As always, Apple’s storage pricing is extremely expensive, so this is more about what is technically possible rather than what I would actually recommend most people buy.

GPU and AI Performance Improvements

When it comes to raw performance, the CPU improvements in the M5 appear to be fairly modest, roughly around a 10 percent increase compared to the previous generation. For video editors, though, the more interesting change is the GPU, which has seen a much larger jump, with Apple claiming around a 34 percent increase in GPU performance.

This matters because modern video editing software, especially DaVinci Resolve, relies heavily on the GPU for playback, rendering, and effects processing. A stronger GPU can lead to smoother timelines and faster exports in many situations.

On top of that, Apple has added neural accelerators directly into each GPU core, and this is where things start to get more interesting for editors who use AI powered tools. Every major editing platform is adding more AI features with every update, including things like AI music editing, animated subtitles, multicam switching, voice isolation, upscaling, and denoising.

Apple specifically calls out tools like Enhance Speech in Premiere Pro, claiming it runs over four times faster than on an M1 MacBook Pro and nearly three times faster than on an M4 MacBook Pro. They also tested Topaz Video AI, where the M5 reportedly performs over seven times faster than an M1 and more than three times faster than an M4.

If your workflow leans heavily into AI based tools, these improvements can actually be meaningful.

Hardware Encoders, Decoders, and Real World Editing

Another important area for video editors is hardware encoding and decoding. These dedicated media engines are one of the biggest factors in how fast your laptop can play back and export video, especially when working with codecs like H.264 and H.265.

With the M5, these encoders and decoders do appear to be faster than on the M4 and earlier M series chips, so if you frequently export client videos in H.264 or H.265, you should see some speed improvements.

However, things change once you move into RAW workflows. Formats like RED RAW, ProRes RAW, and Blackmagic RAW still benefit from hardware acceleration, but they also rely very heavily on GPU performance. The important thing to remember here is that the M5 only has a base level GPU. It does not have the extra cores and performance you would get from an M5 Pro or M5 Max chip.

Because of that, editors who spend most of their time working with high bitrate or RAW footage may actually see better overall performance from an older MacBook Pro with a Pro or Max chip, even if it is technically a generation behind.

So, Who Should Buy the M5 MacBook Pro?

If you regularly use AI powered effects in your editing software, do work in Fusion or After Effects, and want to be somewhat future proofed as these tools continue to evolve, then the M5 MacBook Pro can make sense if you specifically want the newest Apple laptop available right now.

On the other hand, if you mostly edit RAW footage or want a more powerful machine overall that excels at heavier timelines, I would strongly recommend skipping the M5 for now and looking at an M4 MacBook Pro with an M4 Pro chip. With current discounts, those machines are often priced very close to a base M5 and offer significantly more sustained performance for professional video work.

The M5 MacBook Pro Specs I Would Actually Buy

If you do decide that the M5 MacBook Pro is the right choice for you, my recommendation is surprisingly simple. I would go with the base configuration, which includes the base M5 chip, 16 GB of memory, and a 512 GB SSD.

If you have a little extra budget, I would consider upgrading to the faster charger, which is a relatively small cost, and if you often edit in bright environments like coffee shops or near windows, the nano texture display is absolutely worth the upgrade in my opinion.

What I would not recommend is upgrading the memory or storage. The moment you do that, you are pushing the price to around $2000, and at that point you are much better off buying an M4 Pro MacBook or waiting for the inevitable M5 Pro and M5 Max models, which will almost certainly be significantly faster for video editing.

Should You Wait?

If you can wait, history suggests that the M5 Pro and M5 Max models will arrive sometime in early 2026, likely around the $2000 price point, and they should be a massive upgrade over the base M5. There are also rumors that Apple may introduce OLED displays in future MacBooks, possibly in 2026 or 2027, which would be a truly meaningful upgrade for video editors.

If you cannot wait, the M4 Pro MacBook Pro currently offers the best balance of price and performance for most editors.

No matter which route you go, choosing the right laptop comes down to understanding your workflow and not just buying the newest thing because it exists. Hopefully this guide helped you make a more confident decision.

If you want to dive deeper into editing techniques themselves, I also have a free “Edit Videos Like a Pro” guide that covers some of the most important lessons I learned over years of professional editing, and it applies regardless of which software or computer you use.

Thanks for reading, and I hope this helped you choose the right MacBook for your video editing workflow.

Interested in building your own PC instead? Check out my buyer’s guides.

Please note: Some of the Amazon and B&H links in this article are affiliate links and I earn a commission from them.

The Best Sony Video Format Settings (And When You Should Not Use Them)

Matt Johnson holding a Sony camera with the video format menu open

You just bought a Sony a7V, or another recent Sony camera, and now you’re staring at the video format menu wondering what on earth you’re supposed to choose.

Totally fair question!

Sony gives you a lot of options, and while that flexibility is great, it can also be confusing if you just want to know what setting will give you the best results without wasting time.

So let’s start with the short answer, and then I’ll explain why I recommend it, plus the specific situations where you should actually do something different.

Here’s The Short Answer:

For most situations, I recommend filming in XAVC HS, selecting the highest bit rate available, and making sure it says 4:2:2 10-bit if your computer can handle it.

That’s it.

If you want a quick reference you can come back to later, I’ve also put together a Sony Video Formats Cheat Sheet that shows you exactly which settings to use. It’s completely free!

Now let’s talk about why these settings make sense, and when they don’t.

A Quick Note on Testing and Hardware

Before we get into the menu breakdown, you should know that while this video and article are not sponsored by MSI, they did provide me with the RTX 5080 graphics card I used for all of the testing discussed here. Thanks to MSI for that.

I’ll also link to this card, along with other MSI GPUs I recommend for video editing, since they currently offer the fastest performance for modern codecs.

This hardware context matters a lot for what we’re about to talk about.

Understanding Sony’s Video Format Options

When you open the Sony menu and go to Shooting → Video Format, you’ll see several options, including:

  • XAVC HS
  • XAVC S
  • XAVC S-I
  • XAVC S HD

If you’re using a cinema-line camera like the FX3, FX30, or FX2, you’ll also see a DCI 4K option.

For the vast majority of your filmmaking, I recommend XAVC HS, and the reason is simple: XAVC HS uses H.265 compression, which is the most advanced and efficient codec your camera can record internally.

That means higher image quality and smaller file sizes at the same time, which is exactly what we want.

Choosing Frame Rate and Bit Rate

Once you select XAVC HS, you’ll need to back out and head into the video settings to choose your frame rate and bit rate.

You’ll typically see options like 24p, 60p, and 120p.

If instead you’re seeing 25p, 50p, or 100p, that means your camera is currently set to PAL mode, which is used in many countries outside the United States. This has to do with electrical frequency and broadcast standards, and we don’t need to go down that rabbit hole here.

What you need to know is that if you want access to frame rates like 120p, go into the yellow toolbox menu and switch your camera to NTSC.

From here, let’s assume we’re choosing 24 frames per second, and now Sony throws a bunch of other options at you, like 50M, 100M, 4:2:0, 4:2:2, 8-bit, 10-bit, and it suddenly feels overwhelming.

Let’s break it down quickly.

Bit Rate, Bit Depth, and Chroma Subsampling Explained

The number followed by an “M” represents the bit rate, measured in megabits per second. Higher numbers mean more data, which means higher quality video, so I recommend choosing the highest bit rate available.

Next comes 8-bit vs 10-bit, and this one is easy. Always choose 10-bit.

10-bit video records dramatically more color information, enabling your camera to capture billions of colors instead of millions, which results in smoother gradients, better skin tones, and far more flexibility when color grading.

The last option, and the one that causes the most confusion, is 4:2:2 vs 4:2:0, which refers to chroma subsampling, or how much color data is stored per pixel.

4:2:2 records more color information than 4:2:0, so on paper it sounds like something you’d always want to use. And in a perfect world, that would be true.

But here’s where your computer matters.

Why Your GPU Determines Whether You Should Use 4:2:2

This entire topic is the reason I reached out to MSI and asked for an RTX 5080 to test with.

Older computers, including Macs from before Apple’s M-series chips, older NVIDIA GPUs, and essentially all AMD GPUs at this point, do not offer hardware acceleration for H.265 video encoded in 4:2:2 color.

What that means in practice is that editing 4:2:2 footage on those systems is noticeably slower, with choppy playback, laggy scrubbing, and longer render times, because your computer has to decode everything in software.

Newer hardware changes that completely.

Apple’s M-series Macs and NVIDIA’s 5000-series GPUs support hardware encoding and decoding of 4:2:2 video, which makes editing dramatically faster.

To show you what that looks like, I tested the same DaVinci Resolve project on the same desktop computer, first using an RTX 3080 and then swapping in the RTX 5080.

With the 3080, playback wasn’t terrible, but scrubbing wasn’t smooth, and rendering a 10-minute project took 4 minutes and 6 seconds.

With the 5080 installed, playback was dramatically smoother, scrubbing felt instant, and the same render finished in 1 minute and 23 seconds, making it roughly 66% faster.

That’s a massive difference.

So Which Settings Should You Use?

If you’re editing on:

  • A Mac with an M-series chip, or
  • A Windows PC with an NVIDIA 5000-series GPU

You can safely shoot XAVC HS, highest bit rate, 4:2:2, 10-bit and enjoy both great image quality and fast editing performance.

If you’re using:

  • An AMD GPU
  • An older NVIDIA card
  • An older Intel-based Mac

Then I recommend choosing 4:2:0, 10-bit instead. The image quality is still excellent, and your editing experience will be significantly smoother.

The One Big Limitation of XAVC HS

There is one annoying limitation of XAVC HS that I was really hoping Sony would fix with the a7V, but unfortunately it’s still here.

You cannot record 4K at 30 frames per second using XAVC HS.

Yes, it’s weird, and yes, it’s been weird for years.

If you need 4K 30p, the workaround is to switch your video format to XAVC S, then select 4K 30p, 140M, 4:2:2, 10-bit.

XAVC S uses the older H.264 codec, which is less efficient than H.265, but the image quality is still very similar, so don’t stress about that.

The good news is that now that Apple and NVIDIA support hardware acceleration for 4:2:2, using XAVC S no longer comes with the editing penalties it used to.

Final Thoughts

Sony video formats can get complicated quickly, but once you understand what the camera is doing and how your computer factors into the equation, the right settings become pretty straightforward.

For most situations:

  • XAVC HS
  • Highest bit rate
  • 10-bit
  • 4:2:2 if your hardware supports it

And remember, if you want a quick reference you don’t have to think about, you can download my Sony Video Formats Cheat Sheet completely free.

If you want to learn more about cameras and filmmaking, consider subscribing, and as always, thanks for reading.

A Wedding Filmmaker’s Review Of The Sony a7 V: The Bare MINIMUM

Matt WhoisMatt Johnson holding a Sony a7 V in his review of the camera

The Sony a7 V feels less like just another camera refresh and more like a statement from Sony about where their cameras are headed next. This camera sets the new baseline for what future Sony cameras will be capable of, and while it may not hit some of the same headline-grabbing specs as its competition, it is an extremely capable hybrid camera for filmmakers who want strong photo and video performance with far fewer compromises than the a7 IV. More importantly, it has me genuinely excited about what we may see next in cameras like the A7S IV and an FX3 Mark II.

In this post, I’m reviewing the Sony a7 V from the perspective of a wedding, commercial, and documentary filmmaker, and the big question I want to answer is:

Is the a7 V a camera you should buy for real-world filmmaking?

A Familiar Resolution, but a Completely New Camera

On paper, the Sony a7 V shares one familiar spec with the a7 IV, which is a 33 megapixel full frame sensor, but that is where the similarities mostly end. The sensor itself is brand new, and nearly every meaningful feature of the a7 IV has been changed or improved in some way.

What’s important to understand is that the a7 V is now the entry point for Sony’s future camera lineup. The features and capabilities in this camera are very likely the minimum standard we should expect going forward, and in many cases, those features will almost certainly be pushed further in higher-end models.

The Most Important Upgrade: BIONZ XR2

The single most important upgrade in the Sony a7 V is the new image processor, the BIONZ XR2. This is the first new processor Sony has introduced since the original BIONZ XR debuted in 2020 with the a7S III, and nearly every Sony mirrorless camera since then, including the flagship a1 II, has used that same processor.

Sony says the BIONZ XR2 is their fastest and most efficient image processor ever, and that matters more than almost any single spec. A more powerful processor enables higher frame rates, higher resolutions, better rolling shutter performance, improved battery life, and reduced overheating, and we are seeing benefits in all of those areas with the a7 V.

Just as importantly, this camera is clearly not pushing the processor to its limits. That tells me Sony intends to use this chip across multiple camera generations, and if that’s the case, we should expect far more aggressive specs in future cameras like the A7S IV and FX3 Mark II.

Body Design and Physical Upgrades

The a7 V body is very similar to the a7R V, to the point that it uses the same battery grip, with Sony claiming a slightly refined hand grip for better comfort around the index finger. Even without a direct comparison, the camera feels excellent in the hand, and Sony’s ergonomics continue to improve with each generation.

One of the best carryovers from the a7R V is the fully articulating and tilting screen. This is the best screen design Sony has ever put on a camera, allowing you to flip it out for self-filming while still being able to tilt it up and down for more traditional shooting. I love seeing premium features like this trickle down into Sony’s more affordable cameras.

Sony has also finally ditched the micro USB port, which they held onto far longer than almost any other manufacturer. In its place, the a7 V now has two USB-C ports, allowing you to charge the camera while simultaneously controlling it remotely or transferring data, which is a huge quality-of-life improvement.

For filmmakers who rely on timecode, though, this change is a bit of a letdown. Sony still does not appear to support proper timecode embedding on this camera, meaning timecode may remain a feature reserved for higher-end models like the A7S and FX line.

Audio Improvements, With One Big Miss

Sony added an extra internal microphone to the a7 V, which enables in-camera noise reduction that works with both the internal mics and external microphones. While I personally prefer doing noise reduction in post, it is nice to see this option available for quick turnaround projects.

Unfortunately, that appears to be where audio upgrades stop. The camera still records audio at a maximum of 24-bit, which is disappointing considering competitors have already introduced 32-bit float audio. There is still a chance Sony brings 32-bit float via an updated XLR adapter or saves it for future cinema-focused cameras, but at this point, it is a feature Sony is clearly holding back.

Video Capabilities and Image Quality

The Sony a7 V uses a new partially stacked 33 megapixel sensor, and combined with the BIONZ XR2 processor, it delivers major video improvements over the a7 IV.

The camera can now record 4K at up to 60 frames per second in almost full frame. In real-world testing, there is a slight 1.15x crop at 4K60 (unless you disable noise reduction), which is noticeable when compared directly to 24p footage but far less severe than the crop on the a7 IV. Whether that is a dealbreaker is going to depend on how you shoot, but for most people, it is a very reasonable compromise.

The camera can also record 4K at 120 frames per second, though this comes with a more significant 1.5x crop. Personally, I do not use 4K120 often, so this does not bother me much, and I am far more excited about near full-frame 4K60.

Just like the a7 IV, 4K footage is oversampled from the full sensor readout, resulting in sharp, detailed images. Rolling shutter performance has also been dramatically improved thanks to the faster sensor and processor, making this camera much more usable for handheld shooting.

Competition Is Catching Up Fast

In isolation, the a7 V is a very impressive upgrade over the a7 IV, but we do not live in a vacuum. Sony’s competitors have been extremely aggressive.

Canon now offers cameras that can record 7K, including internal RAW and open gate recording. Panasonic offers 6K, open gate, ProRes RAW, and 32-bit float audio. Nikon offers 6K RAW recording with RED RAW and 32-bit float audio at a lower price point.

The a7 V does none of those things. It is still capped at 4K, even if that 4K is very good.

Sony appears to be betting that most entry-level and mid-level filmmakers will be satisfied with excellent oversampled 4K at high frame rates, rather than demanding higher resolutions, open gate recording, or internal RAW. Whether that gamble pays off remains to be seen.

Dynamic Range and Low Light Performance

Sony is now claiming up to 16 stops of dynamic range on the a7 V, which is notable because previous Sony cameras were rated at 15 stops, with only high-end cinema cameras like the Venice 2 reaching 16.

While real-world dynamic range never quite matches marketing claims, footage from the a7 V does show excellent highlight retention and clean shadows, and overall image quality is a clear step forward.

Low light performance is also excellent. The camera has dual native ISOs at approximately 800 and 8000, and while it does not quite match the FX3 or a7S III, it gets surprisingly close. I would feel comfortable pushing this camera to ISO 25600 when needed, especially with modern denoising tools in post.

Overheating, Stabilization, and Battery Life

Despite relying on passive cooling, the a7 V uses a heat sink design similar to the a7S III, and overheating performance is dramatically improved compared to the a7 IV. In real-world use, I was not able to make the camera overheat, and Sony’s own testing suggests solid performance even in warm conditions.

In-body stabilization has also been improved, and Sony’s dynamic active stabilization mode is available for those who want extra smooth footage without a gimbal, at the cost of additional crop.

Battery life is noticeably better as well, thanks to the more efficient processor, and Sony has integrated their AI autofocus processing directly into the BIONZ XR2 chip. The result is excellent autofocus performance that is fast, accurate, and incredibly reliable.

A friend of mine described the a7 V as a “baby a1 II,” and that feels like a fair comparison. It offers many of Sony’s best hybrid features at a much lower price point.

Final Thoughts

The Sony a7 V is a major improvement over the a7 IV and a very capable hybrid camera, but it also highlights how much Sony’s competition has caught up. This camera feels like a strategic move, giving most filmmakers enough of what they want while holding back higher-end features for future models.

Personally, I find myself using Panasonic cameras more often for YouTube work because features like 6K, open gate, and 32-bit float audio genuinely improve my workflow. That said, if you are a Sony shooter who wants excellent 4K60 performance, strong low light, great autofocus, and improved reliability, the a7 V is a camera you are likely going to love.

More than anything, the a7 V makes it clear that Sony absolutely needs to nail the A7S IV and FX3 Mark II. If they do, they could easily reclaim the lead they once had.

I’m very curious to hear what you think. Is the a7 V enough for you, or are you looking elsewhere?