FCP 7 Will not Recognize Canon XHA1

That list simply shows what's been tested and is only a sampling of cameras. If you shooting a standard format, have the correct settings on the camera for playback, the correct settings in FCP, no additional devices connected to your computer, I'm pretty sure it will work. You should start by trashing your preferences, making sure the camera is correctly set up, launch the application, and select the correct preset.

Kent,

This is not an FCP problem (I've got the same camera and it works fine with FCP7) its an input problem. iMacs don't have firewire 400. I'm not sure there is a way to connect your camera to your computer without out it 😟

You can import your footage via your old computer and then transfer the media to your HD. There probably is a better solution...

Good luck!

Sebastien

All of the iMacs have some FireWire I think. If it only has FW800 you then need to get a 4-pin to 9-pin cable to connect the camera to the computer.

I'm having the same problem with my XH-A1. I do have a ProMax external drive with 400 & 800 but that won't help me capture will it? I'd really like a solution to this as well.

Every system is different to some degree. We'll need some help.

Please give your full system specifications, what computer, what drives, how everything's connected, what settings are on the media, what settings you're using in Final Cut, and finally what version of the software, of the OS, and of QuickTime you are using.

Canon cameras have a long standing issue with sharing the firewire bus with other devices (aka hard drives). Not all Canon cameras have this connection issue, but hanging around this site I've come to recognize their ability to connect in FCP is the most problematic of all the camera brands. If you have a Canon camcorder, and can not get it to connect up with FCP, the following is a way to sort through the issues and get it to work. Some are elegant - some are ugly.

Before we go any farther

• You should be using 'Firewire Basic' as the control protocol. If you aren't, go change it and try again.

• Your camera settings for output MUST match the capture preset. If they don't, it won't work. If you are changing settings on the camera, it MUST be unplugged from the firewire cable for the settings to change.

• You may want to return your installation of FCP to it's default state. This may be especially important if you have been flailing about with your settings. Download and run Digital Rebellion's Preference Manager. Use it to delete your preferences.

With some confidence that the software installation and camera settings are correct ... the most direct solution is to purchase another, non-Canon device to use as your capturing machine. The Sony DSR-11 (now discontinued) or more current DV/HDV deck is highly recommended for DV work. A deck will save wear and tear on the camera's lightweight drive mechanism and will allow you to permanently connect a NTSC/PAL monitor for proper viewing. If you are working with HDV, you may have other issues ...

Beyond that, the path you take depends on the model of computer you own.

1. If you have a G5 tower or a MacPro, capture to a second internal drive with only the camera attached. If you need to move material to firewire drive, disconnect the camera. A second internal drive is quite inexpensive these days if you do not already have one.

2. If you have a G5 tower (PCI) MacPro (PCI), G4 powerbook (PCMCIA) or MacBookPro (Expresscard 34) with an available slot, purchase the appropriate firewire card for the slot. Connect your camera to the card and you should be good to go. The new card creates a unique bus and will avoid collisions with the external drives.

3. If you do not have a slot or a second internal drive and you are stuck with the camera, welcome to the camera/drive shuffle.

• shut down and remove the external hard drive(s) from the system
• connect the camera directly to the firewire port of the computer
• start the camera then the computer
• capture to your internal (system) hard drive
• shut down the camera and computer
• disconnect the camera and reconnect the external hard drive(s)
• start hard drive(s) and computer
• move captured files to external hard drive(s)
• edit

If you output back to tape or wish to view your work on an external Video (NTSC or PAL) monitor, you need to set up the camera to use the firewire out as the A/DV converter or VTR - which means reversing the steps:
• copy the file back to the internal drive
• shut everything down
• disconnect the external drive(s)
• connect the camera to the firewire port (and the TV to the camera if needed)
• start the camera then the computer
• play the file.

One caveat here - You may have difficulty getting the file back to tape without dropping frames. Playing files off of the system drive is very demanding and they may have a hard time keeping up.

All in all, if you do not have the option for second bus (i.e. iMacs, eMacs, iBooks, MacBooks) you may want to think about a computer with expandable options next time.

There is the option of capturing using iMovie, but that brings on it's own set of problems and is not recommended.

Good luck.

x

You cannot use the DV capture preset unless you are downconverting from the camera. You may have corrupted the preferences in messing around with them. You should trash them first. Make sure the camera is set to output HDV. Launch the application and set the correct preset. FireWire NTSC is the wrong device control BTW. NTSC is standard definition. There are HDV device control presets.

Kent

FYI- All suggestions here are great for cameras in general when connecting to FCP but as you have found out with the Canon XH-A1s it is extremely frustrating and has one of the worst records for successful vs unsuccessful connections or capture. Canon is finicky and unforgiving hands down.

Here is a link for my cameras and computer settings that helped another user with a similar problem:
http://discussions.apple.com/message.jspa?messageID=9917686#9917686

From my experience you do need to have a 400-400 connection. I've spent a fair amount of time researching this and haven't found someone who has successfully connected 400-800 to capture HD video. Also I've never had any long term success with Canon's connecting firewire via external HD this is from owning G5 and Mac Pro, Lacie HDs with Firewire 400/800 USB 4pin to 6pin. I have the Canon XL1, GL2 and XH-A1, ALL had problems connecting and the former 2 cameras connection circuitry failed. This lead Canon to go with a more reliable Firewire connection protocol.

Canon does not export true SD-HDI (1920) only compressed (1440) so that might be the problem with the aspect compatibility problem. The XH-G1 does SD-HDI but its 3K more.

Hope the above link and suggestions help. There should definitely be a support group specifically to help Canon users with FCP/FCS!!!

Best,

S

Message was edited by: Sscandiuzzi

-Awesome! Glad it worked out.

Its good to know that you can connect via an external to the new computers, gives me more confidence in upgrading my MacBook Pro.

I have to say that when I finally got my Canon setup properly I haven't had a problem by following the 'rules'. Canon has great lenses, really great as you know with your 5D so I would stay with Canon. Even buying another Canon is better then having to change your whole workflow. Changing to flash, P2 or other solid state recorders greatly increases the price to well over 5K. Conversely, with MiniDV you have a physical copy of your work and thats at most $15 backup vs $1000 4 TB storage backup which still could fail and your data is gone.

This is tough and I'm in the same boat. I'm looking to add a B camera to my setup as well and I can definitely say that after I've looking at Sony, Canon, Panasonic, JVC and the Red Scarlet- which says it starts at 3K but when you build it it can be well over 10K- I keep coming back to Canon.
Under 5K and going with a reputable brand, your looking at a camera that doesn't have interchangeable lenses (unless you buy used or get Redrock adapter). Interchangeable lenses are important to me because I want more control over DOF but thats getting into cameras costing over 5K like JVC GY-HD200, which I really like.

Saying ALL that, If you already have a great lens like the Canon 5D and you want another camera to go with it that shoots natively at 1920 you may want to buy the Canon XH-G1 7K or Canon XL-H1 8K both exports in SD-HDI (1920). I don't know if you can genlock the DSLR 5D to prosumer camcorders or how hard it is to match the WB and other picture settings though...

Sorry for the long post but I'm also going through the same dilemma. Let me know what you find out regarding another camera I'm curious too.

Good luck!

Sebastien

You guys might want to check out the Panasonic HMC150. Solid state and nice workflow with FCP. No Canon connection issues either. I recently switched to the HMC150 from the XHA1 simply because I wanted to use the SD card media. Had no problems connecting the XHA1 to my MacPro. But today I am trying to set up a friend with his new XHA1 and new 27" iMac and I am ready to throw them both out the window! lol. And I feel really bad because I recommended this setup. So I guess he has 3 choices: buy an external drive that has both 400 and 800 connections and hope for the best, upgrade to a MacPro since it still has its 400 connections, or return the XHA1 and get the Panasonic instead.