Nikon D5 MXF and Final Cut Pro X workflow

Since updated to macOS High Sierra, lots of FCP X users have serious troubles dealing with MXF files from Nikon D5 and other camcorders. Is there any possibilities to solve these problems? In this article, we explain a workaround to transcode Nikon D5 MXF footage for easier use in Apple's Final Cut Pro X.

"I have an issue with Nikon D5 MXF footage in Final Cut Pro X. Worked perfectly with Sierra, not working anymore with High Sierra. FCP X reports an import error, then you can play the clip but no sound. Does anyone have the same issue? How do you solve it? Please kindly suggest a solution if you know. Thanks in advance."

After the upgradation to 10.4 with macOS High Sierra, FCP X has issues coping with MXF footage from Nikon D5 and other cameras. To be able to use Nikon D5 MXF media in FCP X fluidly, you could convert them first. Check a guide on how to encode Nikon D5 MXF files to ProRes codec for editing in FCP X fluently.

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How to transcode Nikon D5 MXF footage to ProRes for FCP X editing?

To transcode Nikon D5 MXF video files to ProRes, do as below:

Video Converter (It is available for Mac, simply download the proper version depending on your computer.)

Step 1: Start up Video Converter for Mac and click "Add File" to load Nikon D5 MXF video files that you need to convert into this program. This converter supports batch conversion, so you can import a bundle of Nikon D5 MXF files into it to do conversion at a time.

Step 2: Click "Profile" to select output format. We would recommend choosing "Final Cut Pro" > "Apple ProRes 422 (*.mov)" as output format. Apple ProRes is FCP X's favorite editing codec, which FCP X will recognize and handle well.

Tips: If necessary, you can click "Settings" button to modify video and audio parameters like encoder, resolution, frame rate, bitrate, aspect ratio, sample rate, and audio channels. You can also "Enable 3D Settings" to add 3D effect to your source media.

Step 3: Start MXF files conversion. Click "Convert" to start Nikon D5 MXF files to ProRes conversion. As soon as the conversion is complete, click "Open Folder" to get the generated files for editing in Premiere Pro on your Mac with optimum performance.