EX1R workflow questions

[Don Greening]

[Scott Morrison] “1. Is it absolutely necessary to use the clip browser to get the clips of the card then import them into FCP with the transfer tool or is it okay to just use the transfer tool. Do you loose any quality this way?”

Think of the Clip Browser as a copy tool and XDCAM Transfer as a program that converts the native EX .mp4 files into a format that FCP can use for editing. This is an oversimplification of what these two programs do but this is essentially what they’re designed for.

You can use XDCAM Transfer to import your files directly into FCP without any loss in quality.

[Scott Morrison] “2. After importing the clips and disconnecting the camera, in the source bar of the xdcam transfer tool the card is still showing up, should i keep that? delete it? is there any crucial clip information stored there that i should archive anywhere? “

What’s left in the XDCAM Transfer window after you eject the camera/card is the data for all the clips. If you deleted all the info and navigated again to that particular card the same data would show up again. You can choose to keep the data or delete it, depending on your particular workflow. Personally I delete the card data after I’m finished importing the clips.

[Scott Morrison] “3. my third and final question is, once all is said and done what is the best/proper way to erase the clips off the sxs card and ready it for use again? “

There is more than one way to delete media off the SxS Cards. In the Camera you can choose to do a simple delete or a reformat of the card. Deleting only gets rid of the card directory and leaves any camera profiles you’ve written to the card (for transferring to other EX cameras). Reformatting will not only delete the clips but will also get rid of the camera profiles, if any, on the card.

You can also use the Mac’s finder to delete clips off any SxS Pro Card that has been mounted on the computer’s desktop. When I’m transferring BPAV folders to a attached hard drive on-site I use the finder to empty the cards before returning them to my camera operators.

Some folks treat deleting SxS Pro Cards the same way they delete info from SDHC or CF flash cards used for still photography: by reformatting every time. The reason? A photographer friend of mine who teaches photo classes swears he’s seen ghost images of previous photos underneath new ones on a CF card when just using the delete function. Reformatting, he says, will stop that from happening. I can’t help wonder if the same thing might happen with an SxS Pro card.

For the record I’ve never seen this happen when simply emptying a card using the Mac’s Finder.

– Don

[Greg Ondera]

I really recommend you get Vortex Media’s DVD instructional program for the EX1 <https://www.vortexmedia.com/DVD_EX1.html> and it will help you think through this process. I indeed think it important to use Browser as a means for keeping track and not writing over BPAV files.

Greg Ondera
http://www.Plexus.tv
http://www.SurgeonToday.org

[Brian Moore]

I highly recommend downloading the FCP plug-in which allows you to use Log And Tranfer in FCP….rendering clip browser unnecessary. I love it, here’s the link:
https://www.sony.ca/xdcamex/software.htm

[Craig Seeman]

XDCAM Transfer may be unnecessary but ClipBrowser is a MUST. You’re going to dig yourself into a major hole if you don’t use it with CRC checking and back up your BPAV.

[Scott Morrison]

Thanks to all of you so much, it really helped get rid of any uncertainty i had before. Once again i cant thank all of you enough,

-Scott

[Brian Moore]

Are telling me I still need the clip browser software?

Once I log and transfer, the solid clips show up in the capture scratch folder and i can move them around and view them without FCP or Clip Browser….providing back up, correct? Please, please correct me if I’m wrong as I am new to the XDcams myself.

[Craig Seeman]

[Brian Moore] “Are telling me I still need the clip browser software? “
If you’re a professional, yes.

[Brian Moore] “Once I log and transfer, the solid clips show up in the capture scratch folder and i can move them around and view them without FCP or Clip Browser….providing back up, correct? Please, please correct me if I’m wrong as I am new to the XDcams myself.”

Once you Log and Transfer they’re re-wraped to MOV. You MUST copy BPAV with ClipBrowser and back them up. They are your camera master, not MOV.

ClipBrowser has nothing to do with MOV nor can it view them or back them up. ClipBrowser is to Copy, VERIFY the Copy is GOOD, then you backup the copy so you can erase the cards.

[Manfred Kraus]

XDCAM Transfer doesn’t show the clips that were taken in SD mode.
How is the correct way to bring SD clips from EX1R into the FCP timeline?

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