The Sony PMW-EX3 is a flash-memory based high definition camcorder capable of a variety of frame rates and resolutions using Sony's new XDCAM-EX intraframe codec. A "big-brother" to the PMW-EX1, the PMW-EX3 ups the ante by providing an interchangeable lens mount. Whether shooting in 720p, 1080i, or 1080p modes, the PMW-EX3 has it all covered. Its bevy of output settings lets users take advantage of fast and slow motion, as well as popular frame rates such as the "film-like" 24p mode. However, many users are facing problems while importing Sony EX3 footage into FCP X for editing, as follows:

Q1: "Will there be a sofware update to final cut pro X to allow the Sony PMW-EX3 to import directly into the program? rather than importing via XDCAM transfer?
Final Cut Pro X, Mac OS X (10.6.8)"

Q2: "Sorry if this is a bit basic but I can't view or edit the files of my newish Sony EX3 on this here iMac (or my MBP). I have downloaded the XDCAM EX software off the Sony site but I still can't import my EX3 video into FCP X. I would like to be able to import files into FCPX for full editing."

As far as we know, native EX and XDCAM support may be up to Sony, not Apple. There is no “native” XDCAM EX support (unlike native DSLR support) in FCP X- and the XDCAM Browser won't do the trick, nor will the Clip Browser. You have to use something you may not have used before:XDCAM Transfer. Using this plug-in, you can view thumbnails of your video clips and import the videos into your Final Cut Pro project. But the most troubling of all is that some users even struggled to download the plug-in, problems still occurred during the importing process. How to solve the problem?

Sony XDCAM EX camcorders like the Sony EX1, EX1R, EX3 usually record MPEG-2 codec MP4 format video, which is not good for editing in Apple Final Cut Pro, and you will encounter importing and codec problems. The best method to fix Sony PMW-EX3 to FCP X issues is to convert Sony PMW-EX3 MP4 footage to ProRes for editing in Final Cut Pro. In this case, Brosoft Video Converter for Mac could be the solution for you. The program comes with several optimized format for Final Cut Pro, which enables you to transcode raw XDCAM footage to ProRes 422, ProRes 422 HQ, for using in Final Cut Pro X directly. Just download it and follow the tutorial below guide to achieve your goal.

Free download the Sony XDCAM to FCP Converter:

(Note: Click here for OS X 10.5)

Guide: Convert Sony EX3 footage to ProRes 422 for Final Cut Pro X

Step 1. Launch the program and click the "Add" button to load EX3 separate .mp4 files for converting.

Step 2. Click on the “Format” and you will get a dropdown menu and then select Final Cut Pro > Apple ProRes 422 (*.mov), which is the best format for Final Cut Pro.

Step 3. Click “Settings” to set video resolution (1920×1080/1440×1080/1280×720/720×480), bitrate(from 1Mbps to 20Mbps), frame rate (24p/30p) as you like. To deinterlace, crop, trim XDCAM MP4 video, click “Edit” menu.

Step 4. After above settings, hit “Convert” button to start transcoding Sony EX3 MP4 to ProRes for directly importing to Final Cut Pro X.

After a quick conversion, you can click the Open icon to locate the converted ProRes MOV files. Now import your new ProRes files into FCP X. At this point the raw XDCAM footage will not be needed for your editing workflow, but you can choose to keep the raw footage for archiving process. Happy editing.

Related Guides:
How to import Sony XDCAM MXF/IMX files in Final Cut Pro
How to Ingest MKV/AVI/WMV files into Final Cut Pro
How to Edit MP4 files with Final Cut Pro