This post provides a solution for people who are looking for an easy and direct way to work with Sony .mxf files in FCP, Avid and Premiere. It displays a quick guide on converting Sony .mxf files to FCP, Avid and Premiere editable formats maintaining HD quality on video.
Can anyone kindly suggest a good converter for Sony .mxf files?
“I shoot with a Sony PMW-300 camera, which shoots .mxf files. While my workflow with Sony Vegas works perfectly with these files, others using FCP, Avid or Adobe Premiere don’t always have the codec for .mxf files, and they need to sometimes have these files converted. Can anyone kindly suggest a good converter for Sony .mxf files that gives results will closely match the original .mxf file? Please advise options. Thanks in advance.”
Our Quick Answer: By using HD Video Converter program, you are able to convert Sony XDCAM/XDCAM HD or XAVC MXF files to whatever format you need for editing and playing. It comes with very easy to use menus and produces very good quality DNxHD/ProRes/AIC/QuickTime conversions as well as bulk processing so you could load it with files and leave it alone to do the job. All that and more make this converter app very valuable.
You can download a demo version (for both, PC and Mac) to have a try. They are not free but it is totally worth it.
The HD Video Converter supported Sony cameras include but not limited to
XDCAM Series
- PMW-500/400/300/200/160/150/100/1000/50
- XDS-PD2000/PD1000/1000
- PDW-HR1, PDBK-MK1
XDCAM EX Series
- PMW-350/320/TD300
- PMW-F3/EX3/EX1R/EX1/EX30
XAVC Series
- PMW-F55 / F5
- Sony PXW-X70/PXW-X160/PXW-X180/PXW-X200/PXW-FS7
- Sony HDR-AS100V POV Action Cam
- Sony FDR-AX1/AX100
- Sony Alpha A7S digital still cameta
- Sony PDW-HD1550 recorder/player
Mac Sony MXF Converter – convert Sony XDCAM/XDCAM HD/XAVC .mxf files to QuickTime for editing in FCP, Avid and Premiere
The steps:
Step 1: Start up HD Video Converter as a Sony MXF to MOV Converter. When its main interface pops up, click ‘Add File’ to input your source media.
Step 2: Choose output format for FCP, Avid or Premiere
1) To convert Sony .mxf media for editing in FCP or Adobe Premiere Mac version, from ‘Profile’ list, select ‘Apple ProRes 422 (*.mov)’ as output. The ProRes codec is best suited for editing in FCP X and its former version FCP 6 and FCP 7. Additionally, the ProRes codec can also be imported to Premiere Pro and DaVinci Reslove for editing without a glitch.
Note: Only Mac version has the ‘Final Cut Pro’ profile.
2) For the purpose of converting Sony .mxf files for editing in Avid or Premiere Windows version, from ‘Profile’ list, choose ‘Avid DNxHD (*.mov)’ as output format under ‘Avid Media Composer’ column.
Important: If you’ve loaded a number of video clips to do batch conversion, please do remember ticking off ‘Apply to All’ option before you start.
Step 3: Custom video and audio settings
If necessary, you can click ‘Settings’ button and go to ‘Profiles Settings’ panel to modify video and audio settings like video encoder, resolution, video bit rate, frame rate, aspect ratio, audio encoder, sample rate, audio bit rate, and audio channels. 3D settings are also available.
Step 4: Start Sony MXF footage to QuickTime MOV Conversion
When ready, click ‘Convert’ to start format conversion. As soon as the conversion is complete, you can click ‘Open Folder’ button to get the exported MOV files for use in FCP, Avid or Premiere with optimum performance.
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