Thursday 29 May, 2014

Sony FS-100 compatibility with FCP 7 or X and Premiere Pro

Tip for Sony FS-100 camera users. 

Sony FS-100 shoots a format called AVCHD. This can be edited on FCP 7 (7.0.3) or FCP X (10.1.1). 
In FCP 7 you import clips with 'Log & Transfer'. In FCP X just import clips.

If you shoot HD PS (28Mbps) 1920x1080 50p or 60p, then FCP 7 will not be able to import your files. 
But FCP X (10.1.1) or Premiere Pro CC will.

If you need to edit in FCP 7, you'll need to shoot 
HD FX (24Mbps) 1920x1080 25p or 
HD FH (17Mbps),1920x1080 25p, 
or if you must have 50i/60i, then shoot 
HD FX (24Mbps) 1920x1080 50i or 60i, or 
HD FH (17Mbps) 1920x1080 50i.

In FCP 7 or X, convert to ProRes LT is sufficient, ProRes or ProResHQ is overkill for this format.

Either way, always copy the entire camera card to a folder on your drive. Not just some folder. Copy the 'PRIVATE' folder and any other folder to you drive. Copy to a new folder each card. To avoid dupe clips, use a card, transfer it to hard drive, return it to the camera, format it and use again. Reusing the card will create duplicates on your hard disk.