Sorry, forgot to mention: computer is a unibody macbook pro 15.4" with 4gb ram and all the other fun guts. I use it for motion graphics in after effects and have never had any exporting problems.
I can't explain it... I just shot some other footage (
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXiq...Q&feature=plcp ) and it seemed to export fine, no chop. I still cant figure out what happened though (or if it will happen again). The video straight from the camera to the computer worked flawless, it was just the edited version that was choppy.
Step by step: I plugged in the camera, imported the raw video into iPhoto, and then unplugged the camera. I then opened the footage in iPhoto (using quicktime), it played flawlessly. I then made a new project in Premiere to the same specs as the raw video (1080p @ 29.97 fps). I imported the footage, edited it, and played it in the preview viewer (which played smooth). Once I exported the footage, the result was choppy.
Joe, If my computer wasn't to spec I would think the raw footage would be choppy as well, right?
JB, what do you use to edit? My experience lies in After Effects, not premiere, so I'm not married to premiere if something else out there is easier.