5D Mark II Final Cut Pro Codec and Workflow

I just got through running some tests through Final Cut Pro working with the 5D Mark II and various codecs, etc... Initially my workflow wasn't working out as I found that the footage wouldn't play through without being jumpy, and then when I exported, lets just say, it didn't look pretty. With a little time spent, I have managed to work out my workflow and wanted to share in case others come up against this while trying to work with this stunning 1080p footage.

I switched my settings over to AppleProRes422 30p and the problem was solved. The footage ran smoothly on my 8 core Mac Pro with a mere 2 gigs of RAM. However, I did just upgrade to 10 gigs yesterday as I have been meaning to for some time and just needed something like this to push me over the edge.

However, when I exported to quicktime and then tried to convert to H.264. It simply wouldn't do it on my Quad G5 Tower running plenty of RAM or my 8 Core. Quicktime pro, for some reason, crashed every time. But, it was an easy fix to just open Final Cut Pro again and Export using quicktime conversion. This worked perfectly and I am proud to say that the footage looks pristine.

Just wanted to give a heads up to those that my be having any trouble with their 5D Mark II footage being jumpy in FCP. Apple ProRes422 is the answer and converting to H.264 for the web right from within FCP.

This workflow is fantastic!