How can I record video with a Canon 1Dx DSLR which will feed straight into Adobe Premiere or Final Cut?

Question

My university is setting up a video production studio and they want to use a DSLR camera to record videos. However, they want the camera to feed the video into an iMac with Premier or Final Cut installed while it is recording, so I can preview it on the computer screen. Can this be done?

I read somewhere that Premiere and Final cut both use firewire to do this but neither the 1Dx and iMac have firewire inputs. I also read that I can use USB 3 or thunderbolt cable and a Black Magic or AJA box but there are so many products on their sites and I'm confused. Also, the 1Dx only has USB 3 and HDMI outputs.

Please help.

Best Wishes Greg

Answer 1

Any DSLR that can provide a live video signal (such as via HDMI) can feed that signal to a recording device (such as Atmos SHOGUN) or monitoring device (such as a TV monitor). In order for your computer to handle live video, you need a live video input port, typically found on cards such as the Blackmagic Design Deck Link card. BlackMagic's Media Express software can record and/or monitor live video.

I would be surprised if Adobe Premiere Pro (or other NLEs) can handle live video as an editable stream. But MediaExpress can record with a confidence monitor, and then Premiere Pro can edit the resulting file.

Answer 2

In Final Cut Pro X, you simply connect your camera or card reader to the computer, and choose "Import" and it should show up. There's a tutorial here.

The documentation for Final Cut Pro X is online. You can read the docs on file import here.

I've not used Premiere in a few years, so I don't know the workflow there.