Super Easy Steps for Editing Sony F3 XDCAM video in Final Cut Pro 7

This guide shows you how to edit Sony F3 XDCAM file with Final Cut Pro 7 supported files in two ways.

Many of our customers have expressed concern about how to use the XDCAM EX footage that is recorded to SxS cards on the Sony PMW-F3 camera. After all, Final Cut Pro will not work with these files natively. However, Sony has provided an efficient and simple tool called “XDCAM Transfer” that addresses this exact problem.

Main Interface of Sony's XDCAM Transfer Utility:



XDCAM Transfer simply changes the file wrapper from the MP4 file that Final Cut Pro doesn’t understand to a Quicktime MOV file that Final Cut Pro can edit natively. And since there is no “transcoding”, XDCAM Transfer will process the video clips as fast as your system can copy the files. This means your videos will be ready to edit in minutes, not hours. Simply give this procedure to your editor, and their system will be ready to edit your Sony F3 footage in 10 minutes or less!



XDCAM Transfer Preferences Menu

Disclaimer: This workflow is only for Intel based Macs (MacBook Pro Laptops and MacPro Towers) with OS X v10.5 or later and Final Cut Pro 7 installed. This procedure will not work for PowerMac systems or Final Cut Pro 6 users.

1. Install required software (listed below) and reboot as needed.
2. Open XDCAM Transfer.
3. From the XDCAM Transfer menu, select “Preferences”.
4. On the Import tab, set the folder that the transferred material will be saved to, and close the Preferences menu.
5. In the main XDCAM Transfer interface, click the Add button in the bottom-left corner.
6. Browse to either a mounted SxS card in a card reader, or a copy of the “BPAV” folder that was saved to a hard drive on-location.
7. Click on the new item in the left “Source” pane, then select “Import All Clips” from the File menu.
8. Open Final Cut Pro 7.
9. From the File menu, select “Import”.
10. Select the clips from the import folder you specified in your XDCAM Transfer Preferences menu. Now you’re ready to edit!

Mac Software Required All-In-One Mac Package (SxS Device Driver, SxS UDF Driver, XDCAM Clip Browser, and XDCAM Transfer)

Download – 71.9mb

The package above contains all four of the following pieces of software. Individual links provided as a courtesy.

Sony SxS Device Driver v1.0.5

Download – 1.1mb
Sony SxS UDF Driver v1.0.1 (File System Driver)

Download – 426kb

Sony XDCAM Clip Browser v2.6

Download – 69mb
Sony XDCAM Transfer v2.12

Download – 32.7mb

But as far as we know, XDCAM Transer always bring your crash issue, and the 

procedure above is complex for beginners, what's more, the workflow only works with FCP 7. T

o find an easier and effective way, you just need to get help of Pavtube HD Video Converter for Mac which can convert Sony F3 XDCAM videos to FCP 7 comptible Apple Prores codec for natively importing in Final Cut Pro 7(same in FCP X) on Mac. This will be a 

super simple way!