We write this tutorial to help people who need help importing Sony PXW-FS7M2 MXF video clips into Final Cut Pro X. If you are just in the same situation, you may keep reading and learn how to encode Sony PXW-FS7M2 XAVC-I, MPEG-2 and XAVC-L footage to ProRes codec for use in FCP X fluently.
Expanding on the original FS7, Sony’s PXW-FS7M2 XDCAM Super 35 Camera System is a flexible 4K camera system. The variable ND can be adjusted to provide between 2 and 7 stops of ND. The camera can capture footage to optional on-board XQD media cards in either DCI 4K (4096 x 2160) or UHD 4K (3840 x 2160) at up to 59.94 fps or HD at up to 180 fps. The camera records in your choice of XAVC-I, XAVC-L, or MPEG-2. The Sony PXW-FS7M2 records videos in MXF format.
In fact, sony has introduced XAVC Apple FCP X plugin for FCP X along with the Sony utility. However, the plug-in requires Final Cut Pro X 10.1 or later, that means if you cannot import Sony PXW-FS7M2 4K XAVC I/L to FCP 7 and FCP X 10.0.9 or later version. Luckily, there is an easy way to fix the issue. The easy workaround is to change the file extention from “XAVC I/L” to “ProRes”, which is a friendly format supported by Final Cut Pro. Here is an easy and efficient solution for you.
For various complex reasons, FCP X users may get stuck in dealing with MXF footage. I’ve had difficulty with Sony PXW-FS7M2 MXF files in the past when I’ve used it in FCP X before. Pretty sure I’ve ended up converting them using Acrok Video Converter Ultimate for Mac. Although it’s not ideal to have to go through an additional step, it does work, and is a good utility that’s fast, keeps original quality, and comes from a reputable and responsive developer. If for whatever reason you are unable to use Sony PXW-FS7M2 MXF files in FCP X properly like me, you can convert them first. Here’s a simple guide demonstrating how to re-encode Sony PXW-FS7M2 MXF clips to ProRes .mov for use in FCP X flawlessly.
Free download Sony PXW-FS7M2 MXF to FCP X Converter
How to convert Sony PXW-FS7M2 MXF to ProRes MOV via Acrok 4K Video Converter?
Step 1. Run this Mac Ultimate Video Converter and load your Sony PXW-FS7M2 4K MXF videos into Acrok software by clicking “Add files” or directly dragging through your Mac.
Step 2. Under “Format” profile, choose “Finl Cut Pro” >> Apple ProRes 422 (*.mov) >> “Setting” in the bottom of “Format” interface to set the video/audio parameter if you like to custom “bite”, “Resolution” etc. For example, you can adjust video resolution to 1980*1080 for more smooth editing on FCP X (10.0.0-10.0.9), FCP 7 and FCP 6.
For Final Cut Pro X (10.1.0 – 10.3) user, please set the output video resolution. Click “Settings” button then select “Orginal” in Resolution column.
Step 3: After above steps are finished, hit “Convert” button to start converting Sony PXW-FS7M2 4K MXF footage to ProRes 422 MOV Video Converter on Mac. When the conversion is OK, just click “Open” option to find the converted videos and then import them into FCP X for editing.
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