How to import Sony PXW-FS7 4K XAVC into FCP?

Sony released a new camera PXW-FS7 in 2014. It uses the same sensor as the Sony PMW-F5 and a lot of the camera is, I am sure, shared with the F5. The XDCA-FS7 supports the vivid colour of 12-bit linear RAW at either 4K or 2K resolution. Use a single BNC cable to connect the XDCA-FS7 to Sony’s HXR-IFR5 interface unit and AXS-R5 recorder. The XAVC codec options are great. As FS7 user, you may plan to import and edit Sony PXW-FS7 4K video on Mac, below content will be helpful.

In this article, we’re looking at loading Sony PXW-FS7 4K XAVC video to Final Cut Pro and other various non-linear editing systems. Keep reading for a brief how-to.

After testing many video editing programs with Sony PXW-FS7 XAVC videos (4K 59.94P VBR, bit rate 600Mbps, MPEG-4 H.264/AVC), the result shows that we can’t import 4K XAVC footage from Sony PXW-FS7 to FCP (FCP X, FCP 7, FCP 6) directly due to the codec incompatibility. Something else, there’s actually no way to edit Sony PXW-FS7 4K recordings in Final Cut Pro natively. In this case, to have a smooth Sony PXW-FS7 4K workflow on Mac OS X, you’d better convert Sony PXW-FS7 4K XAVC to FCP edit-friendly format with proper settings. It will save you both time and trouble, and all you need is to drag the result videos for prompt editing.

The process is surprisingly easy and can be done with the help of Acrok Video Converter Ultimate for Mac. The program can effortlessly encode/re-encode Sony PXW-FS7 video to advanced encoders like Apple ProRes 422, Apple ProRes 4444, H.264, etc. to seamlessly fit for FCP. If you are Windows user, you can free download the software Windows version.

Download the Sony PXW-FS7 Video converter (Windows | Mac)

How to import Sony PXW-FS7 video into FCP X/7/6?

Add XAVC files

Run the Sony PXW-FS7 to FCP converter program you just set up. Drag and drop 4K XAVC video files to the software. You can also hit Add files button to import videos to the app. If you need to combine the loaded files into one video, you can click "Settings” button then check the “Merge all files into one” box.

Choose output format

To import Sony PXW-FS7 footage into Final Cut Pro, you need to choose Apple ProRes codec video as output. Click the “Format” bar and select Final Cut Pro> Apple PreRes 422(*.mov) as output format.

Tip 1. To import and edit Sony PXW-FS7 XAVC to Premiere Pro CS6, Avid Media Composer, iMovie or Final Cut Express, you can go to "Editing Software” category to get the appropriate output options.

Tip 2. Besides conversion, Acrok HD Video Converter for Mac also provides some simple video editing functions, including "Crop", "Watermark", "Effect" and "Audio Replace". You can edit FS7 video here easily.

Start video conversion

When you finish all above, hit blue “Convert” icon to start converting Sony PXW-FS7 video to Apple ProRes 42 video for Final Cut Pro. You can follow the conversion process from the pop-up windows.

After the conversion, it’s freely to import  Sony PXW-FS7 4K XAVC into FCP X, FCP 7 and FCP 6  for smoothly editing.