sony hxr-nx5u nxcam and Final Cut

[Kari Mitchell]

Hello there,

I am trying to get my footage from the sony HXR NX5U into Final Cut 6 but I am having no luck. My instructions book refers to a PC and tells me to install the File Manager but my Mac will not initiate the disc.

The camera is brand new and I am trying to upload some test footage. If anyone can make suggestions that would be very much appreciated. I will keep trying in the meantime.

Cheers,
Kari

[Christopher Smith]

Hello,
You don’t need that software. All you need to do is go into final cut and select… “file” + “log and transfer”. I think you have to have final cut 6.5 or later. Anyway, once you do log and transfer it will pull the footage in and transcode it to Apple Pro Res. It’s super easy but I did find that it takes about real-time to do the transcode to pro res.

Christopher Smith
Senior Broadcast Specialist
Warrington College of Business Administration
University of Florida

[Kari Mitchell]

Hi,

Thank you for your reply! The problem I am having is that my MacBook does not recognize the camera. I have taken it to a Mac store and he could not understand it. He said it is not recognizing the camera and thought it may have something to do with it not using Firewire. Someone else told me that USB should be fine. I am at a loss but I am still researching. I am not as computer savvy as the other people who post here but I was told that the camera is compatible with Final Cut 6. Could the version be the issue?

The person who sold it to me assured me I could use it with FInal Cut 6. I have also read posts from others who have not had a problem with using 6 and this particular camera so it appears the issue is mine. I am just not sure of the next step. I appreciate your help.

Thanks again,
Kari

[Christopher Smith]

Hi, try using a card reader instead of the camera. I have not tried using the camera, just a $12 USB card reader and Final Cut sees it without a problem.

Christopher Smith
Senior Broadcast Specialist
Warrington College of Business Administration
University of Florida

[Kari Mitchell]

Hi again,

Yes, that is what someone else suggested. I find that a bit discouraging though because I just paid nearly a thousand dollars for the flash unit. There is no point keeping the camera if I cannot use it to it’s capacity. I don’t want to have to make more purchases because what I bought does not seem to work. No one can seem to help me. If I cannot figure this out I will return it to the place I bought it from. If they cannot help me, then I will return the camera. Thanks you for your help, I appreciate your time.

Cheers,
Kari

[Christopher Smith]

OK, I’m a little confused. You do have the Sony HXR-NX5U camera right? It costs about $4,000. Buying a $12 card reader to get the footage in your Final Cut machine is not a big deal or worth getting rid of the camera for.

Christopher Smith
Senior Broadcast Specialist
Warrington College of Business Administration
University of Florida

[Kari Mitchell]

Hi Chris,

I understood that this camera shoots either with cards or the memory unit (which lasts up to 11 hours as you know) but maybe I have misunderstood something. However, if this is the case then I should be able to use what I have already purchased. It is not about the $12. It is about not being able to find answers on how to use the memory unit. My manual is geared for a PC.

I know the solution must be simple, but without knowing how to use the unit, what is the point of having it? Buying cards seems to be a band aid for the problem not really solving the problem. I am not trying to be difficult, I am just a frustrated customer who spent 7 thousand dollars on gear and cannot get any footage off the memory unit. Each place I take it for help, they tell me I should never have bought a SONY if I use a Mac. I don’t believe this to be true because I have seen other posts where others are using it just fine but for some reason this isn’t working for me. In the end, the suggestion is to get cards and not use the memory unit. The memory unit should work, I am juts trying to find out what is wrong.

I appreciate your time very much, I am just disappointed.

Kari

[Christopher Smith]

Sorry about that Kari. I didn’t realize you were using the add on unit. I don’t know anything about using that unit since I did not purchase it. Try contacting Sony tech support directly. That is what I would do. There has got to be a simple solution. If not, then yes, I would return it and use the SD cards. I like them way better than using an attached drive which I have tried in the past with another camera. Hope it works out for you.

-Chris

Christopher Smith
Senior Broadcast Specialist
Warrington College of Business Administration
University of Florida

[Kari Mitchell]

Hi Chris,

Woohoo – it’s working! I can’t tell you what a happy lady I am 🙂

Thank you for your patience as I fumble my way through this learning curve.

Cheers,
Kari

[Christopher Smith]

Awesome! Great to hear. I totally understand trying to figure out the new tech as I just went through the same thing after working strictly in DV for 10+ years. Hope you love the camera as much as I do. Take care.

-Chris

Christopher Smith
Senior Broadcast Specialist
Warrington College of Business Administration
University of Florida