File Import AX100

[Phil Stanley]

I did post this in the AX100 section but no replies yet. I would appreciate any help.


Having just purchased the AX100, file import has me a little confused. There seems to be various folders as sub-folders on viewing the SD card

With the Camera set to XAVCS When importing 4K files I dragged the AVCHD file from the SD card onto the desk top, then tried to open it in Premiere Pro CC and got a file not recognised error message.

There is a sub folder folder with an MP4 file which I can import successfully.

So can anyone enlighten me as to whether I am doing something wrong or I need to convert the AVCHD file to use in PP, or do I use the MP4 file, is there a difference in Quality?

[Mark Watson]

Use the software, Play Memories Home, to import the files off the card, then try using those imported files in your NLE.

I have no problem with the imported files from the camera into CS6 PP, but I have always used the Sony import software. For a quick test, I just shot a 15 sec. clip of 4K video and pulled it directly into PP with no problems. Maybe your clips were over the file limit and need to be joined together, as Play Memories Home will seamlessly do for you.

If shooting UHD, to pull the video file directly off the SD card, navigate into the memory card: PRIVATE/M4ROOT/CLIP, and select the file with the .MP4 extension.

The AVCHD files are in their own folder, and shouldn't have anything in there unless you're switching the camera into AVCHD recording mode (under the menu: Image Quality/Size, File Format.

Mark

[Phil Stanley]

Mark thank you for the reply

When I look at the card folders there is an AVCHD file

There is also a folder called M4 root, this has a sub folder with MP4 files (folder name clip)

So is it the MP4 files that I should be importing or the AVCHD file.

After conducting bit of a search on google I am coming to thinking that the MP4 files are a wrapper for XAVCS so it is these that I should be using

It's all a bit confusing

[Ron Evans]

If you use Playmemories you will not have this confusion as all the clips will get transferred as clips not just files. Playmemories will only show you these clips and none of the support files. Playmemories will create a folder named the date of transfer to the PC and place all the clips there with supporting files. You can transfer these clips then to any NLE or search in Playmemories by the folders or by calendar. Very useful. I keep all my family stuff in these folders but for projects create directories on another drive etc.

Family stuff shot with all my Sony still and video cameras ( HX30U, AS30 headcam, CX700, XR500 ) in the family directory and all the project stuff from my NX5U, NX30U etc on a separate drive. Always use the Sony software for all these camera never the NLE or me picking files. NX5U and NX30U with Sony Content Management Utility and the others with Playmemories. Never had any problems with transfer from any of these cameras.

Ron Evans

[Jeff Harper]

Why can't you just create a folder on your storage drive, name it what you want, and drag and drop the clips? I know for FCP you need the whole file structure, but isn't it different with Premier? I know with Vegas I just bring the files over, back them up, then edit. Very simple.

It takes me almost no time to import clips from up to four cameras.

[Phil Stanley]

Originally Posted by Ron Evans

If you use Playmemories you will not have this confusion as all the clips will get transferred as clips not just files. Playmemories will only show you these clips and none of the support files. Playmemories will create a folder named the date of transfer to the PC and place all the clips there with supporting files. You can transfer these clips then to any NLE or search in Playmemories by the folders or by calendar. Very useful. I keep all my family stuff in these folders but for projects create directories on another drive etc.

Family stuff shot with all my Sony still and video cameras ( HX30U, AS30 headcam, CX700, XR500 ) in the family directory and all the project stuff from my NX5U, NX30U etc on a separate drive. Always use the Sony software for all these camera never the NLE or me picking files. NX5U and NX30U with Sony Content Management Utility and the others with Playmemories. Never had any problems with transfer from any of these cameras.

Ron Evans

Thanks Ron, hadn't got that far in the manual.

[Phil Stanley]

Originally Posted by Jeff Harper

Why can't you just create a folder on your storage drive, name it what you want, and drag and drop the clips? I know for FCP you need the whole file structure, but isn't it different with Premier? I know with Vegas I just bring the files over, back them up, then edit. Very simple.

It takes me almost no time to import clips from up to four cameras.

Thanks Jeff, I think I have worked it out now, and yes I can import the clips, I was under the impression that you had to just import the AVchd file, but there is a sub folder with MP4 clips in.

[Ron Evans]

Originally Posted by Jeff Harper

Why can't you just create a folder on your storage drive, name it what you want, and drag and drop the clips? I know for FCP you need the whole file structure, but isn't it different with Premier? I know with Vegas I just bring the files over, back them up, then edit. Very simple.

It takes me almost no time to import clips from up to four cameras.

The problem with doing this is that if your clip is a hour long the recording medium is formatted FAT32 so there may be 5 files that need to be joined without losing sync for video and audio. Just placing these files on a timeline , as many have discovered, leads to a loss of audio during the transition between these files. Using Playmemories completely avoids this issue. The engineers who designed this system provided the correct software for joining these files. Why not use it. I too use 4 or 5 cameras for my projects all with continuous times of between an hour and 2 hours and I have never had any problems using Sony software and no time is saved by not using it. I do create my own directories on a hard drive so that I can keep data from each camera separate and just direct the software to store in that directory by camera. Then I can just drag these files onto the timeline either in Vegas or mainly Edius.

Also for a family event where one is taking both video and still pictures with the same camera Playmemories will transfer all these files in one session and in calendar view show them all by date and time taken and even GPS location ( even speed for the headcam ). Even remember the files previously transferred. Very useful for the average family person to archive and search. None of this is possible if one just transfers the files manually. You just end up with a file on the computer.

Ron Evans

[Ron Evans]

Originally Posted by Phil Stanley

Thanks Jeff, I think I have worked it out now, and yes I can import the clips, I was under the impression that you had to just import the AVchd file, but there is a sub folder with MP4 clips in.

If you use Playmemories it doesn't matter if you have a mix of AVCHD, XAVC-S and still pictures you will see them all available for transfer as full clips or still images and not files that you have to figure out what to do. If you always use Playmemories it will even transfer only the new clips it hasn't previously transferred for you without you thinking about the details.

Ron Evans

[Phil Stanley]

Thanks Ron, I'll check that out

Phil