Uploading footage to FCPX - trying to figure out why i cant do it the proper way

I can get my footage from my Canon 5D onto FCPX, but it isnt the proper way that most people do.

the way i do it is by first, plugging in my camera to my mac and opening iPhoto. i download them to iPhoto and they are then saved to my mac. (at this point, i have not opened FCPX)

Second, i then open up FCPX while iPhoto is still open. I drag the footage that i want from iPhoto onto my FCPX timeline. thats it.

it isnt the way i see on tutorials on the internet. it isnt the way that FCPX shows in the "Help" section on the software. It simply wont let me do it. i dont know what I'm doing wrong.

any help would be great.

First, what version are you using? Second, what happens when you connect the camera or mount the card and open the Import window in FCP?

i am using version 10.0.8

when i connect my camera to my mac. a window pops up from FCPX (when FCPX is already open). It is the window where you import all of your footage. at the top of the window it says "Media Import." Nothing shows up in that import window.

Can you please post a screen shot of what you're seeing? What's in the sidebar on the left? What is listed under Cameras and under Devices?

at the moment i am unable to get a screen shot of my computer.

under Cameras and under Devices it states the following:

Cameras:
Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Apple FaceTime HD camera

Devices:
Macintosh HD

My camera is plugged in and it shows nothing.

What happens when you select the Canon camera?

when i click on the canon camera it changes to a different window. but the footage is not there. it shows none of the footage there.

question: On the bottom of that screen, it shows an Import button. I dont see the footage, but do i have to click that to see the footage?

I don't think you can connect that specific camera directly with FCP X. Try using a USB card adapter to read the card directly.

OR copy the card contents into a folder on your Mac.

ok i think that makes sense. ill experiment with that a little bit.

Make sure the camera is set for playback and not to shoot.