Many thanks for your help, John EB, but I'm afraid I still haven't been able to establish a connection so that the Magix software can download/import/record the camcorder video file. Very frustrating, but many thanks for getting back in touch. Cheers, John.

@johnebaker @lindeanlad

An alternative, if you have the second drive, is to use the Sony software that is located on this drive.

However I do not use this as it creates, and spreads the files over, new folders by date for the images and video. This can make video editing a pain.

I take the opposite view; if the Sony can download it's files into dated folders, it is probably doing so by naming the files themselves with date/time. This is the ideal situation because any project folder set up will automatically have the files sorted by named date and time.

I don't have a Sony but do download from a Nikon using it's ViewNX2 software and have it set up to download and name files by Date/Time. That is far more preferable than trying to manually dragging and dropping files off the camera's card using Windows Explorer.

I would persist in trying to get the Sony transfer software working.

Many thanks for this advice. Appreciated.

@lindeanlad

Upon further investigation (I've never used this feature), it appears that MMS will import (not "record") video files from USB (and other) devices.

Plug in your camera and make sure it is visible in some form in Windows Explorer (it will be something like a drive or "Sony Camera bla bla bla").

Start up MMS, click on the red button (File>Record Audio Video Images) or hit key R. You'll get this screen:

Click "AVCHD"

You should be presented with this:

Set it up as you like, including the Advanced button, click on the files you want to import then click Import.

My MMS correctly imported a video file and renamed it by date/time (alas not in my preferred format).

Nice.

Where exactly, are you getting that error message?

@AAProds

Hi Al.

It may depend on how the Sony software behaves. While I agree the Nikon software works great and is very versatile. The Capture NX 2 Transfer 2 software only works with Nikon camera files on my system which means a slight disparity of ability between camera types when trying to add additional files to the folders for other camera files if recorded at the same location and an additional file renaming regime is required for the added files to correspond with the Nikon file naming. At least for me. Can you get the program to recognise files form other cameras?

The reason I like Capture NX2 for this is it doesn't try to create it's own library when opened by searching all the computers hard drives which Adobe LightRoom used to do (I don't know if the new versions still do it as I stopped using Lightroom). I used to create GBs of data files doing that on the C: drive.

If the Sony software does a similar thing to Lightroom then I wouldn't use that either.

Ray.

@AAProds, @CubeAce

Hi Alwyn, Ray

. . . . if the Sony can download it's files into dated folders, it is probably doing so by naming the files themselves with date/time. This is the ideal situation because any project folder set up will automatically have the files sorted by named date and time. . . .

By default the folders are named by date and only video/image recorded on that date are put into the folder - this results, IMO, in a nightmare of a folder search when editing and trying to find particular shots that were taken over a period of days/weeks/months becomes a nightmare.

PMHOME can be set to import to a specific folder however without due care this can result in all videos and images going into one folder which can create, IMO, another nightmare situation.

. . . . it doesn't try to create it's own library . . . .

Do you mean it copies all the inages into its own folders as well as leaving them in their original locations, or is it like most file managers, creating a database holding the locations and metadata from the files?

John EB

I'm pleased to say that the issue has now been resolved, Ian. My mistake was clicking the wrong option in the Magix video source box. All sorted now, so many thanks again for all your kind help. Cheers, John.

@lindeanlad

Good to hear! Happy editing.

@johnebaker

John, I see what you mean, although sorting videos into days and months isn't a bad thing, as I mentioned. If for no other reason, you can quickly move them into a proper storage structure. I have every video I have ever taken with all sorts of cameras sorted in year, month and day order, with date-time file names.

Not naming files by date-time is pretty silly on Canon's part; it should have a look at ViewNX2.

@AAProds

Hi Alwyn

. . . . Not naming files by date-time is pretty silly on Canon's part . . . .

You can add in Sony, Panasonic, Nikon, Olympus and several others to the list - their default naming systems are sequential numbering with character prefixes.

My newest camera, the DJI Action Cam 3, naming convention is the first camera I have had with a prefix-data-time-sequence-character format eg DJI_20221214160526_0004_D.MP4 for video and DJI_20230121125304_0298_D.JPG for images - looks pretty messy to start with 😕.

AFAICS, ViewNX 2 is limited to images only, and has similar features to Sony PMHOME and Magix Photo Manager both of which can handle some video formats as well.

John EB

https://www.den4b.com/products/renamer

Can change filenames to DT in multiple folders; I haven't come across a file type that can't be changed apart from Apple (for which I use Photosync). Presets allow you to clean up those DJI names in a flash.

My Renamer presets:

@AAProds @johnebaker

Hi John. Al.

The Nikon NX Studio Transfer 2 importer will transfer and rename as required any jpg. tiff. mov. nev. or mp4. file is sees but will not import any raw file it sees that is not marked NEF so any timelapse or motionlapse video taken with a DJI action camera will only be stitched together using the cameras jpg files and not use the DNG files that these cameras produce as the DNG files will not be imported.

I have been using this software since Capture NX, which was back then, even better than the current offering and a better raw editor for NEF files. When Google bought Capture NX for it's U-point technology Nikon then produced NX Studio which doesn't have as an extensive use of the U-Point editing system as it once had. I can still use capture NX but it will only edit raw files up to the D3 generation cameras.

Ray.

@AAProds, @CubeAce

Hi Alwyn, Ray

. . .  Renamer . . . .

I use Advanced Renamer for when I need to rename image/video files in the same way.

. . . . DJI action camera will only be stitched together using the cameras jpg files and not use the DNG files that these cameras produce as the DNG files will not be imported. . . . .

Interesting - the Action 3 produces a mp4 video file in camera, which DJI Action cams use jpg/DNG files for Slo-Mo and Timelapse?

John EB

@johnebaker

Hi John.

While not strictly an action cam, my Osmo Pocket captures a DNG file with each jpg taken.

It will create time-lapse and motion-lapse using the jpgs but the DNG files could be used to make stills of the frames from if wanted or if you have a program that could stitch such DNG files into a video then I suppose that would be possible. Slow-motion is captures as either mov. or mp4. Panoramas and single stills are also taken as jpg + DNG.

@johnebaker

I have tried to upload a jpg of one of my folder containing both but the website at present isn't playing ball.

I notice once I select a file from the PC the file location does not appear in the upload box.

I rebooted my pc and now I can upload images. Odd. I wonder if that is the case every time I can't upload files here?

Ray.