Canon has announced the development of a plug-in that will allow EOS MOVIE footage shot on EOS DSLRs to be edited more quickly and easily in Apple’s Final Cut Pro editing package.

Canon has revealed that a free Beta release of the plug-in will be available to download for testing and evaluation in March 2010.

What’s known as ‘EOS MOVIE Plugin-E1 for Final Cut Pro’ is being developed to provide an even smoother workflow for EOS MOVIE users who edit using the Final Cut Pro software suite. The plug-in will enable the ‘log and transfer’ of video footage from the Canon EOS 5D Mark II, EOS 7D and EOS-1D Mark IV DSLRs – all of which offer full 1080p High Definition video recording.

The plug-in will convert EOS MOVIE footage to Apple’s high quality ProRes 4:2:2 codec at approximately twice the speed of Apple’s standard conversion. Additionally, users will also be able to add timecode, reel names and metadata to footage quickly and easily – further enhancing the experience of EOS MOVIE users when editing their footage.