Vixia HF M32 vs. Mac OS X at DVinfo.net

Brian Kleinman · January 3rd, 2011, 08:18 PM

I'm a wildlife videographer and currently use an iMac with FInal Cut Pro to do all my post production. I have a Canon XL-h1 and just recently picked up a Vixia HF M32 for when I cannot lug around the h1. I shot some test video the other day and went to Log & Capture it via Final CUt and could not get the application to recognize the camcorder. I then googled "Vixia and mac compatibility" and started to feel sick to my stomach after reading all the horror stories of what a pain it is to transfer the data from a Vixia to a mac.

Are there any solutions?

Thanks!

Brian Kleinman

Pete Bauer · January 3rd, 2011, 10:02 PM

I'd just record directly to SD cards and then you can just pull the card out and transfer the files using any SD card reader. I'm on PC and a Vixia HF10 and find it is much slower to transfer from the camera to computer than an SD card. I initially liked the ideal of having built in memory, and I guess it would still be nice to have in case of emergency, but very quickly I found myself avoiding its use.

Brian Kleinman · January 4th, 2011, 12:01 PM

Thanks Pete for you input,

Yeah I agree this is becoming a headache. I did some research and found that you need a program to convert the AVCHD into a workable FCP codec ~ Roxio Toast was one of the applications, I'll probably give that a try.

Brian

Predrag Vasic · January 4th, 2011, 12:06 PM

I don't have the new Vixia M, but mine is its 'granddaddy', the HF-100.

Connecting a camera to the USB requires selecting "PC/Printer" from the screen. That is the only way camera will properly show up on that Mac. One other thing: Log and Capture only works for camcorders that require capturing video in real time (i.e. tape-based DV or HDV, meaning those hooked up via FireWire). Tapeless media is ingested into FCP using 'Log and Transfer' feature. Final Cut should automatically see your camcorder when you select Log & Transfer.

Rather than editing AVCHD video directly (which is a colossal pain, even on fastest computers today), FCP will transcode it into a format that is much more manageable. This is normally Apple's ProRes 422, although if you wish, you can choose AIC (Apple Intermediate Codec). Both of these will take much more disk space than the original AVCHD files, but the result will be significantly lower rate of compression, thus allowing your Mac to work much less to decompress the video in real time while editing.

While I agree that it is easier to just stick that SDHC (SDXC) card into the SD slot on that iMac (or MacBook Pro), there is no need to avoid the USB solution. It is a bit clunkier (and perhaps somewhat slower), but it works perfectly fine.

January 3rd, 2011, 08:18 PM	#1
Brian Kleinman Tourist Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Connecticut, United States Posts: 2	Vixia HF M32 vs. Mac OS X I'm a wildlife videographer and currently use an iMac with FInal Cut Pro to do all my post production. I have a Canon XL-h1 and just recently picked up a Vixia HF M32 for when I cannot lug around the h1. I shot some test video the other day and went to Log & Capture it via Final CUt and could not get the application to recognize the camcorder. I then googled "Vixia and mac compatibility" and started to feel sick to my stomach after reading all the horror stories of what a pain it is to transfer the data from a Vixia to a mac. Are there any solutions? Thanks! Brian Kleinman

January 3rd, 2011, 10:02 PM	#2
Pete Bauer Wrangler Join Date: May 2003 Location: Eagle River, AK Posts: 4,100	I'd just record directly to SD cards and then you can just pull the card out and transfer the files using any SD card reader. I'm on PC and a Vixia HF10 and find it is much slower to transfer from the camera to computer than an SD card. I initially liked the ideal of having built in memory, and I guess it would still be nice to have in case of emergency, but very quickly I found myself avoiding its use. __________________ Pete Bauer The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and science. Albert Einstein Trying to solve a DV mystery? You may find the answer behind the SEARCH function ... or be able to join a discussion already in progress!

January 4th, 2011, 12:06 PM	#4
Predrag Vasic Regular Crew Join Date: May 2009 Location: Manhattan Posts: 131	HF and FCP I don't have the new Vixia M, but mine is its 'granddaddy', the HF-100. Connecting a camera to the USB requires selecting "PC/Printer" from the screen. That is the only way camera will properly show up on that Mac. One other thing: Log and Capture only works for camcorders that require capturing video in real time (i.e. tape-based DV or HDV, meaning those hooked up via FireWire). Tapeless media is ingested into FCP using 'Log and Transfer' feature. Final Cut should automatically see your camcorder when you select Log & Transfer. Rather than editing AVCHD video directly (which is a colossal pain, even on fastest computers today), FCP will transcode it into a format that is much more manageable. This is normally Apple's ProRes 422, although if you wish, you can choose AIC (Apple Intermediate Codec). Both of these will take much more disk space than the original AVCHD files, but the result will be significantly lower rate of compression, thus allowing your Mac to work much less to decompress the video in real time while editing. While I agree that it is easier to just stick that SDHC (SDXC) card into the SD slot on that iMac (or MacBook Pro), there is no need to avoid the USB solution. It is a bit clunkier (and perhaps somewhat slower), but it works perfectly fine.

January 4th, 2011, 12:01 PM	#3
Brian Kleinman Tourist Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Connecticut, United States Posts: 2	Thanks Pete for you input, Yeah I agree this is becoming a headache. I did some research and found that you need a program to convert the AVCHD into a workable FCP codec ~ Roxio Toast was one of the applications, I'll probably give that a try. Brian