Compatability Import AVCHD video from Sony NEX-5N

Hi All, Been seriously looking at purchasing a Sony NEX-5N but then came across the below info in a blog post. Can anyone tell me if FCPX has fixed these compatability/import issues with the Sony AVCHD format etc? Many thanks for any info you can provide. Cheers!

"FCP and FCPX can not recgonize the AVCHD 2.0 60P footage from the Sony Nex 5N. (Other editing systems like Adobe Premiere Pro CS5 will handle the .MTS files without a hitch). Luckily we turned to the twitterverse and got a few solid suggestions. Andrew Reid over at EOSHD recommended using Media Converter to simply convert the AVCHD files into .MOV files. That solved the problem of reccognition. We were in! Not quite, we had to backpeddle a little because our footage was shot at 60P but played back normally. No slow motion effect. Step two. We had to then take the new .MOV files and convert them to ProRes files in MPEG Streamclip and then conform them to 24P in Cinema Tools. We picked up the second half of the equation from our dear friend Philip Bloom. Finally we were able to start editing. This conversion process took a considerable amount of time. A good thing to know for future refrence. This is mostly due to the very new AVCHD 2.0 CODEC required to shoot 60P at 1920 X 1080. I’m sure there will be plug ins and remedies in the near future."

I think you're reading some really obsolete information. CS5? FCP had supported. 60p AVCHD for some time.

I'm afraid you may have been getting your information from not so well informed sources.

As Tom says FCPX handles 60p AVCHD quite well for some time now, so absolutely no need for an external converter. I can confirm FCPX imports NEX-5N video without a glitch.

As to your 60p footage playing at normal speed on a 24p timeline whereas you would like it to play in slow-motion: select the 60p clip on your Timeline and in the Retiming menu choose Conform Speed. You will get beautiful slomo using every single frame of your 60p video, easy as that. Actually Conform Speed is Cinema Tools inside FCPX. I'm sorry to hear you have lost such a lot of time starting with the wrong information.

- Ronny

Hi Ronny,

I believe the name "Conform Speed" has changed to "Automatic Speed" in the same retime menu in FCPX 10.1.
It has the same function though.

Robbert-Jan

Hi Robbert-Jan,

You are correct, thank you! Still getting used to all the new things

- Ronny

My thanks to all of you gentlemen! I appreciate all that info and it certainly answers my questions. Happy Holidays to all of you! Cheers! Gabriel dtbpro