xdcam hd files into after effects

[Geoff Tompkinson]

Hi,

I am considering getting a 350 but I only produce single clips and do not have either Final Cut or Premiere - I work entirely in After Effects.

Is there an easy way to get the files produced by the Xdcam into After Effects ?

Thanks

Geoff

[Nate Weaver]

XDCAM Transfer Software, but officially you'd need the codecs that only come with FCP to be able to work with the files.

If you could get your hands on the codecs...or be willing to buy FCP just for that purpose...

[Geoff Tompkinson]

Thanks for the suggestion but I am working on a Mac.

I find it difficult to believe that I may decide not purchase on of these cameras simply because I can't get the files into after effects without having to buy a complete editing package to do it.

Amazing

[Simon Wyndham]

Blame Adobe, not Sony.

[Nate Weaver]

Well, is $1200 really that much of an expenditure when you're working at this level?. Hell, that's 2 batteries.

Personally, I'd just get the camera, and scavenge the codec later. It's not THAT difficult to get your hands on.

[Alister Chapman]

You could always look around for a decklink card, older HD cards can sometimes been found on ebay for $200. But you will need a decent drive array for uncompressed HD. failing that ask someone to capture and re-encode the files.

You can get FCP pretty cheaply if you shop around for an old version, say version 4 (ebay?) and then use the apple upgrade path to upgrade to vesion 5.