Canon xa10 and Canon t3i footage

[Keith Betters]

I really need help in setting up the right sequence in Adobe Premiere CS6. I bought an xa10 about a month ago. I was rendering out my first project with footage from it. I recorded it using the 24PF which I understand records at 60i which ultimately is 29.97fps. Ok, here is where my problems lie. When I rendered out the output file, the xa10 footage looks choppy. The sequence is setup for 23.97fps because thats what I edit the t3i footage with. Now when I tested the xa10 footage on a 29.97fps sequence it looks much better. So do I need to convert the xa10 footage to 23.97 to edit on the same sequence as the t3i? If so, whats the best format to convert it to? I don't want to loss quality but I dont want the files to be huge either.

Any help will be much appreciated, I have scoured here and google and unless I missed something I'm stumped! Thanks!

[Keith Betters]

Is there not anyone who combines xa 10 footage with canon dslr footage? If so, any help would be appreciated, thanks.

[Jeff Harper]

Sorry Keith, I personally do not know about 24PF, I only record in straight 24p or 60i, to avoid the very issue you are having. Verify what PF24 is exactly if you need to, then I would take your question to the Premier forum for correct use of Premier. Just a thought. Sorry I can't be of more help.

[Keith Betters]

Thanks Jeff, I think I've made a mistake by filming with 24PF the last few weeks but its a 4th camera so Ill just convert it the best way I can and cut to it only when I need to. From now on I will use 24p if mixing with 23.98 canon dslr footage. I will only use 30PF if I'm recording at 29.97 with canon dslr. I'm really considering the xf100 though for several different reasons, that being one of them.

[Jeff Harper]

Hi Keith, I think that converting it, if possible to match the attributes of your other footage would be the best thing if you have no other ideas. It is what I would do. I like having matching footage on the timeline. It kind of allows you to just proceed and not worry about how the end result will turn out, IMO.

[Keith Betters]

Yea I converted it twice using Adobe Media Encoder. By the second convert it looks better. I have about 3 weddings that I will have to do this too, but from now on its 24p. I thought about that at first but decided against it because I thought it was 24 fps and not 23.98fps. However, I have discovered it is 23.98 and will use it from now on.

[Jeff Harper]

Keith, I screwed up two weddings recently and in the middle of a hundred clips, about 20 miscellaneous ones are 60i, and all the rest are 24p. I have to search and find the bad ones, convert them. It's a real mess, and I dread dealing with it. I convert using HDLink, which does an fantabulous job of converting, but seeking out each clip, etc, what a pain.

Good luck with your mess!

[Keith Betters]

Hey Jeff that sounds good. Where can I buy HD link from and how much does it cost? Is it the one by cineform?

[Jeff Harper]

Keith, it's only available with this package: Cineform .

It's expensive, but it works well. Download a fully functional trial and use it for free to convert your footage and if you like it you can buy it!

It's a tad confusing to figure how to use, but it's very fast and works a treat, as they say.

You might also have to install an ac3 decoder, it's a free plugin or codec that is painless and is required, but it's no biggie.

[Keith Betters]

Thanks Jeff for that link. Seems like a great choice. My only issue is I don't want to spend that much for something I only need to convert 1 camera angle for 3 weddings. Also, like I said " I converted the footage twice and that made it look more usable on a 23.98 timeline. Thanks though, it looks exactly like what I need. I am thinking of purchasing ClipWrap to rewrap the mts files, since I am on a mac and cannot watch them natively. I have to import them just to see what files are what, lol that is a pain. Especially when I'm just trying to separate the files into different folders!

[Jeff Harper]

Keith, didn't realize you were on a Mac. As far as expense, you could in theory download the trial and convert all three weddings within 14 days and you'd be good. But as you say you're on a Mac, so you might need something else anyway, I have no clue re: Apple.

[Keith Betters]

Your absolutely correct! I might just do that. I just downloaded VLC player for mac and it plays the mts files just fine for free! That's cool because I just need something to show what files are what. I shot a recital over the last 3 days with different age groups, and when I copied the files to the hard drive I couldn't tell which files where what. But with the VLC player I can at least organize them into folders.

[Jeff Harper]

Keith, Windows 7 recognizes and plays avchd files natively and shows thumbnails, so if you decided to move to Windows 7 this would be an advantage, FYI. I can't imagine not being able to see my thumbnails.