Z150 capture trouble
 

Is there a way that's simpler/better to ingest 1080/24p/50mb footage into fcpx than Sony Catalyst? I'm confused and unhappy with it.

In an effort to apologize for lack of participation, I've had a tough couple of years. First it was osteoarthritis, the medication for which gave me diabetes and then severe neuropathy, which forced me to retire. Then my second bout with cancer in 40 years came along (the V.A. seems to think Agent Orange was the culprit). The chemotherapy and radiation was brutal. In any case, I got behind in technology. My last video rig was an EX3, but I've used Canon DSLRs mostly in the last two years when I had time/energy to shoot. I just got a Sony Z150 to try to join the 4K world. But I just can't seem to grasp Catalyst to ingest my footage.

Is there something simpler, more effective for an old geezer with numb fingertips? Doug Jensen's videos used to cover everything nicely for me, but I'm not catching on this time.

Thanks in advance, and it's nice to see you all again. Howdy Bob Hart. G'day, mate.

Re: Z150 capture trouble
 

Hi Charles. You should just be able to import the card directly in FCPX. Insert into the card reader, open Final Cut, and hit command-I for the import window. FCPX will rewrap the footage to .mov, but it’s not changing the codec in doing so.

What version of FCPX are you on? I seem to remember that it didn’t do XAVC-L (a while ago) but has for some time now. Additionally, you may also need a Mac OSX update to progress any further in versions.

Re: Z150 capture trouble
 

I have the latest ios and latest final cut x. I'll give your suggestion a try. I'm really getting anxious to get this puppy working. It'll be nice to shoot video on a camera designed to do so. I still love my 5D Mk3 and my 7D Mk2, however. Thank you.

Re: Z150 capture trouble
 

Nate: Your suggestion worked fine, thank you. Whew. I have pulled all the hair out of my head and have started on the ones in my nose. Thanks again.

Re: Z150 capture trouble
 

At what point in your workflow are the original files from the camera (your negatives) being archived and safely secured in multiple locations if you are importing the clips straight from the memory card and making MP4 copies?

Re: Z150 capture trouble
 

Hey Doug, if Charles chooses to make card archives, he can do that right in the same import window. Final Cut will create a package file containing the contents of the card and will store it in the location you select.

I believe there is no one-size-fits-all solution for backup. Each person must decide their own budget, workflow and level of risk. Even this varies from project to project in my case. YMMV.

Re: Z150 capture trouble
 

That sounds like a pretty handy feature if the backup maintains the entire structure and integrity of the XDROOT folder from the card. It's too bad FCPX can't use the original MFX files, though. Pretty archaic. It seems like such a waste of resources to have to convert the clips during import. Once again, so happy I use Premiere and not FCPX or Avid.

Re: Z150 capture trouble
 

Well, you see, it actually can. FCPX has happily accepted .MXF files for a number of years now, it's just a little bit more convoluted process for someone who isn't completely comfortable with the file structures on a memory card. You could certainly copy your digital negatives to storage, then drag and drop those .MXF clips into FCPX, choosing to either keep media in place, or to copy it into the library package file for a self contained project. For someone like you, Doug, I think that external media would be the preferred method.

I've been using FCPX since it's release, and the real issue for me initially was that the Finder in OS X wasn't able to "quicklook" the .MXF files. Because of this detail, I fell into the process of importing into FCPX straight from the card, re-wrapping to .mov – I also renamed the files for better organization, for as you know the FS5 does not offer file naming in-camera. In this way, I could browse files faster to find what I needed. This issue has since been remedied by Apple, and now I'm sure .MXF would be a fine choice. Old habits die hard I suppose... For Charles, the import from card method is the most straight forward, but as with everything, he's welcome to try things another way! Hope that clears things up.