Mini-DV camcorder compatibility

Can someone tell me what this actually means:
"This camera has a firewire port, but it does NOT work with a Mac for digitizing..."
I read this while doing some research on JVC mini-dv camcorders. I'm looking to upgrade my old JVC which worked fine when I plugged it into my MBP for the first time the other day. Do I need to be concerned about compatibility?

Without seeing more of the article you were reading, I am hesitant to guess what that means. Possibly they are saying that you can't use that cam to pass analog video through to digital.
AFAIK, all miniDV cams with a firewire port WILL work with Macs. However, some of the JVC non miniDV cams have presented problems to users, even though they are supposed to be compatible with iMovie 08.
You have had JVC, with no problems I assume, but there are better quality miniDV cams from Sony and Panasonic. Maybe check out more reviews of these cams here:
http://www.camcorderinfo.com/

Similar Messages

Mini DV Camcorder

Hello, I have an old analog camcorder, and am ready to purchase a mini DV camcorder. I am interested in transferring to i Movie and then edit and burn DVD's. I have been told that the Canon ZR series is excellent for compatibility with i Movie. Does anyone have any recommendations on what to purchase? Thanks, Jim

Jim,
I'll be the voice of the other side, since so many here have bragged about Sony.
I love my Canon Elura 100. I read its review on camcorderinfo.com, and it was well reviewed there. Canon brags that their 1/5 CCD is bigger and better than competitors' 1/6 CCDs. Also, the Canon website would have you believe that their widescreen mode uses the entire CCD, as opposed to other brands that create a false widescreen by cropping the top and bottom of the frame. Go to Canonusa.com for their side of the story. Compare it to the reviews on camcorderinfo and believe what you wish.
To avoid Canon's infamous dislike of "daisychaining," I connect the Firewire directly to my Mac Mini, rather than importing into my external hard drive. I have not had to disconnect the external drive in order to use the Canon; they have coexisted peacefully.
Another thing I like about Canon is the software that comes with it. They make sure that their photo software is Mac compatible. Of course, you don't need anything outside of iLife. But I have had occasion to use the Canon photo software in cases where it could do things that iPhoto/iMovie couldn't do, especially for AVI video clips. Please note that this was for features of my still camera; I have not used the Canon software for any DV footage, and the movie software that comes with the camcorders is NOT Mac compatible. It is the photo software, Image Capture, that I have occasionally used.
I don't work for Canon or receive any compensation for praising their products. I am just a happy consumer who has acquired a degree of brand loyalty based on good experience.
Of course, feeling is believing. It really is important to go to a store and check out the camcorder's controls. You have to decide if you want the controls on the flip-out viewscreen, if you like more or fewer buttons on the back of the body, etc. The design of the Canon ZR series differs from the Elura. Camcorderinfo's review harshly criticizes the layout of the Elura. While I can't argue with any of their points (they are all based on fact) I can say that it hasn't interfered with my use and enjoyment of the camcorder. It really comes down to personal preference.
To convert your old analog footage you need to get a model that has analog input or AV/DV passthrough. I have used my camcorder to capture old analog Super 8 tapes (VHS, too) to mini DV tape, imported to iMovie, and created a DVD. The Elura will convert straight from analog to the Mac (without using a DV tape), but I wanted to update my old footage on DV tape, so I chose not to use the passthrough feature. [From a quick glance at the Canon website, it seems that only the ZR 700 model has the analog to digital conversion feature. The Elura is gone from their list, but still may be for sale at retailers or online stores.] You may also consider a model that has an input for an external microphone. Many models do not; the Elura 100 does.
Both Sony and Canon mini DV camcorders have a good reputation and will work well with iMovie. Just be sure you get the features you need and that you can live with the camera's controls.

Camcorder compatibility w/ Mac

I've read conflicting info about camcorder compatibility with macs. Some say that using a firewall there is no issue uploading from any brand of minidvd camcorders. Others say this is not true, swear up and down that there are compatibility problems w/ Canon models vs. other brands. I want to purchase a Canon ZR900, ZR930 or ZR950 as these have had good reviews but am reluctant to do so until this question is answered.
Thank you!

The firewall in Mac OS X has absolutely no bearing on camcorder compatibility. The camcorder does not use the network.
With regard to mini-DVD camcorders, they record their video in MPEG2 format, which suffers two problems: 1.) it's a highly-compressed lossy format that's really poor for editing (the video they shoot is not intended to be edited, only played back as is); 2.) recompressing the MPEG2 to create a new movie makes things worse.
Since you're asking about the Canon ZR series, and they are MiniDV and not mini-DVD camcorders, that may not be important to you.
Canon models don't have any particular problems. It's true that they use what OS X calls the FireWire basic profile (IEEE-1394 raw video) rather than IEEE-1394 DV, but the problem there is only that the OS X FireWire driver drops frames (rare, but it happens) sometimes with the basic profile. You generally won't notice, but it can be annoying (you can run Linux on your Mac and it works just fine, it's not a hardware issue). Just make sure that if you use Final Cut you turn off the option to terminate if a frame is lost (and there's a bug in FC where a dropped frame causes it to lose VTR control of the camcorder).
That said I have a Canon ZR mini-DV camcorder (ZR500 -- standard definition), and it's a nice little camera. It's performance in low-light is not all that great, but in well-lit situations the video is quite good. Were I to buy a new camcorder, I'd go with a high-definition model that does 1080i, even if I were outputting to DVD because the sharpness of the video pops even there. However, though I am fond of the MiniDV cassettes as a backup medium, there's some huge advantages to SD and HD storage for camcorders (for example, no low-frequency hum from the DV tape mechanism), but AVCHD is really tough (takes a lot out of your computer) to work with.

Is JVC Everio GZ-HM330 Camcorder compatable to Mac OSx and if so where can I download the software please?

Is my JVC Everio GZ-HM330 Camcorder compatable to Mac OSx and if so where can I download the software please?

chrisfrommarion wrote:
Thanks, while it worked on yours it doesn't work on mine, any other ideas?
Are you holding down the "d" key, all by itself, just after the system shuts down for a restart?
And how long did you hold it down?
I held mine down for about 40-50 seconds. Then I lookat at my routers WAN light and it was flickering so I let up on the d key.
If that does not work then maybe there is something wrong with your MBP. Is that the reason you want to run this test, something isn't right with your unit?

Looking for a GREAT mini DVD Camcorder that is compatible with my MAC! :-)

Ok. Here it is: I have a Sony DCR-TRV350 Camcorder, which I LOVE. However, the DVI port on the camera is screwed up. I bought a new DVI firewire, alas, to no avail. I cannot get the information from the camera to my Mac. So, making my fun, goofy movies is being inhibited by a fix, that will cost nearly as much as a new camera. I am looking for a new camera, that takes advantage of the firewire port on the Mac. Any suggestions? I would prefer a Sony. I am looking for advice from someone who knows, better then I, (that should be easy) of a good camcorder (miniDVD?) that works well with a Mac. I just want to have fun, bringing in footage to iMovie HD, editing, and posting them to Metacafe. Any and all input is, of course greatly appreciated. Thanks so much!!
~ George

"..I wish Apple would tell me "why" a standard MiniDVD camcorder would not be compatible with I-Movie, because I can not think of a single logical reason.."
iMovie was designed to work with "DV" digital camcorders. These were, and are, camcorders which record video in a particular method onto DV, or miniDV, tape. iMovie wasn't designed to import or edit analogue 8mm or Hi-8 recordings, so it won't. iMovie can't handle an incoming analogue (non-digital) signal. (..But if you put one of those 8mm or Hi-8 analogue tapes in a Digital-8 camcorder such as the Sony DCR-TRV350, mentioned in the very first post, above, you can then import it as a digital signal through the camcorder's FireWire connection..)
Various other digital recording methods came and went, and Apple have supported some, but not others: there was the short-lived Sony "microMV" tape format which Apple didn't support, although you can handle that with MPEG Streamclip. Then there was HDV, which Apple does support ..but they did that by creating an Apple Intermediate Codec, into which the MPEG-2 video format of HDV tape gets converted during import.
Then there were various MPEG-2 DVD video formats, and the various movie formats used by solid-state memory-chip camcorders. Now there's AVCHD format, for memory chips, hard drives and DVDs.
These methods of recording video just keep multiplying - because the camcorder manufacturers want to offer "Look! Ours-does-it-better!" claims. But just because they produce a camcorder which records video, that doesn't mean that Apple (which doesn't make camcorders) has to provide a means to edit all these weird formats which keep springing up. Surely, the camcorder manufacturers should be providing Mac-compatible, or iMovie-compatible, editing methods for their devices, shouldn't they?
As Thomas mentions, there's a list of some compatible camcorders (see above) ..but that's a list of camcorders which are compatible with the latest iMovie '08 (..which can deal with some DVD camcorders, but not those which record DVDs in AVCHD format..) and AVCHD format can be handled only by Intel-based Macs, anyway.
So for an MPEG-2-based mini-DVD camcorder and iMovie HD 6, copy the files into your Mac, and then use MPEG Streamclip to convert them to iMovie HD 6 compatibility.
For iMovie '08, some miniDVD camcorders are compatible (those using MPEG-2 recording). For DVD camcorders using AVCHD recording, you may have to copy the recordings onto your Mac, and then download and use "Voltaic" to convert the recordings into iMovie-editable format.
"..I can not think of a single logical reason.." ..the reason is that manufacturers just want you to buy these cameras. But they don't give a hoot that you can't edit the material they record, and so it's left to Apple, and other software developers, to try to devise some way to "unravel" the compressed recordings for you, and make them editable.

HT1146 Camcorder compatibility

I have a MBA and would like to buy a camcorder. I need to be able to import the pix to edit on imovie11, but it appears there are a lot of issues with fireware/usb ports etc. Is there a reasonably anguish free product for £500 or less that someone can recommend that will definately work?
Thanks,
SM

The firewall in Mac OS X has absolutely no bearing on camcorder compatibility. The camcorder does not use the network.
With regard to mini-DVD camcorders, they record their video in MPEG2 format, which suffers two problems: 1.) it's a highly-compressed lossy format that's really poor for editing (the video they shoot is not intended to be edited, only played back as is); 2.) recompressing the MPEG2 to create a new movie makes things worse.
Since you're asking about the Canon ZR series, and they are MiniDV and not mini-DVD camcorders, that may not be important to you.
Canon models don't have any particular problems. It's true that they use what OS X calls the FireWire basic profile (IEEE-1394 raw video) rather than IEEE-1394 DV, but the problem there is only that the OS X FireWire driver drops frames (rare, but it happens) sometimes with the basic profile. You generally won't notice, but it can be annoying (you can run Linux on your Mac and it works just fine, it's not a hardware issue). Just make sure that if you use Final Cut you turn off the option to terminate if a frame is lost (and there's a bug in FC where a dropped frame causes it to lose VTR control of the camcorder).
That said I have a Canon ZR mini-DV camcorder (ZR500 -- standard definition), and it's a nice little camera. It's performance in low-light is not all that great, but in well-lit situations the video is quite good. Were I to buy a new camcorder, I'd go with a high-definition model that does 1080i, even if I were outputting to DVD because the sharpness of the video pops even there. However, though I am fond of the MiniDV cassettes as a backup medium, there's some huge advantages to SD and HD storage for camcorders (for example, no low-frequency hum from the DV tape mechanism), but AVCHD is really tough (takes a lot out of your computer) to work with.

How to connect my mini-dv camcorder to new imac with no firewire

I have a Sony Mini-DV camcorder (Handycam) and used to connect it via firewire to my last iMac.
My new iMac doesn't have firewire - just thunderbolt & usb.
Is there a way I can use this camcorder on my new iMac? Are there adaptors, etc.?
Thanks.

As far as I know, all recent iMacs still have a firewire 800 port.
So you would need a firewire 400 to 800 adapter.
21.5" and 27" iMacs ports
One model here:
http://www.sonnettech.com/product/fw_adapter.html

Connecting MacBook to Samsung Mini DV Camcorder

I have a MacBook and I would like to get my videos from a samsung mini DV camcorder. How can I do this? I don't have firewire port on MacBook. I tried buying a firewire with USB end and it does not work. Please help.

Sadly you need a MacBook that has Firewire. USB 2 camcorders exist, but all of them compress video before sending it via USB. The newest MacBook Airs and Pros are compatible with Thunderbolt which can be converted to USB 3 which doesn't have the capacity of bandwidth issue, but can interfere with WiFi. Firewire and Thunderbolt are far better standards to deal with.
And there is no way to directly convert a Firewire to USB signal or vice versa.
If your mini-DV camcorder records to media directly on the Camcorder such as mini-DV discs. http://www.macsales.com/ offers tray loading DVD drives that may be able to read those discs.

Help me choose a mini dv camcorder

I've been trying to decide between the Kodak Zi6 and the Canon ZR900. I've never used a camcorder before but want to be able to edit frame by frame I have a brand new iMac and am enrolled in the one to one program so I will be able to learn how to use iMovie. The canon costs $100 more.
Any thoughts?

If you are looking specifically at mini-DV camcorders, you will see that individual makes / models are not listed on the "iMovie '09 Camcorder Support" page.
There is only the generic statement:
"+iMovie '09 works with most Mini DV tape-based camcorders that use a FireWire cable (also known as IEEE 1394 or i.Link) to transfer data. iMovie works with DV (standard definition) or HDV (high definition) formats.+"
So, it sounds to me like you better get one with a Firewire port, and then take a gamble that it will work with iMovie '09. Perhaps a thorough web-search can answer the question.
I am fairly sure I will be buying iLife '09 soon. My Canon Elura 100 (mini-DV) camcorder works flawlessly with iMovie HD ('06), so I have my fingers crossed regarding '09.

I captured from mini-dv camcorder to FCP7 using control from my computer and firewire. I cannot find the file or clips I transferred anywhere except for in Finder. How do I get the clips from Finder to FCP7. Also I did not see audio on the computer meters

I captured from mini-dv camcorder to FCP7 using control from my computer. I only find the capture clip in Finder. How do I get the clip in Finder to FCP7.
Also my audio in the capture was not showing up on my audio meters on my computer-is this normal. Thanks

you will not see the audio meters from within fcp move while capturing.
If you only see the captured clip in the finder, not within fcp, there's something wrong. You might try deleting your fcp preferences
https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-2491

Mini-DV Camcorder V. DVD Camcorder?!

I want to buy a camcorder but I'm not sure if it should be a Mini-DV Camcorder or a DVD Camcorder. What would be most compatible with iLife 04 and my computer in general, (statistics below).
I have two in mind: Sony Mini-DV DCRHC24E and the Sony DVD105.

iMovie likes to take take video from the device via iLink (Sony speak) or Firewire (Apple speak). The DCR-DVD105 doesn't have iLink/Firewire so to use that you'd have to insert the DVD in to the iMac and then import to iMovie (you may have to perform some conversion too depending on the format Sony are using).
Should you move up to a new iMac with a slot-loading disk drive the camcorder would become useless as you can't put an 8cm disk in the new iMacs.
Of course the disadvantages of the DCR-HC24E MiniDV version is that tapes of course need re-winding etc. Note that the MiniDV version doesn't have DV in which means you can't archive projects back to tape. I'd advise looking for a model with DVin and DVOut.
You might wish to post in the iMovie forum too as the users there may have further experience.
regards
mrtotes

Connecting a Samsun Mini DV Camcorder VP-D381

Hi there. I'm trying to capture footage from a Samsung Mini DV Camcorder Model VP-D381. I'm using Premiere Pro CS3. When I go into the capture window it says capture device offline. I'm using a IEEE 1394 Firewire connection on my Desktop PC, however when I plug both ends of the cable into the camera and the PC, my system (Windows XP) does not recognize the new hardware. Are there some drivers I need for my Firewire card? My camcorder did not come with any drivers and I cannot locate any online. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

This is highly contradictory.
the camera makes a noise to let me know it's connected. It's just the windows isn't recognizing that anything is plugged in.
Is it recognized or not, that is the question. DOES WINDOWS RECOGNIZE THE CAMERA? Whatever sounds the camera makes, whether it whistles, burps, cries or whatever is not relevant.

Connecting a JVC GR-240 Mini DV camcorder to iMac

Hello,
I am completely new Mac user, having used recently decided to ditch my home Dell Pc in favour of a Mac. I have tried to connect my JVC GR-D240 mini DV camcorder to the iMac via the firewire port. Neither iMovie HD (which I downloaded) or iMovie08 seem to recognise the camera – the only source they allow is the build in iSight camera. The camcorder is placed in play mode, but nothing happens.
I can connect the camera to my old Dell PC, record to avi and then copy this to the Mac, but this is not an ideal solution as I am getting rid of the PC soon.
Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks.
PS – I have one of the new silver iMacs.

Hi Philip,
connect the cam, switch it on and start the System Profiler (About this Mac menu).
Look into Hardware/Firewire, there you will see the firewire bus and your cam should be shown.
If this is not the case, then there might be something wrong with your installation or your mac.
You could also download the Firewire SDK from http://developer.apple.com/sdk/
There you will find the AVCBrowser in the applications folder of the SDK. I don't know but it might be possible that you also have to install xcode, which you will find on your DVDs shipped with the mac. Connect the cam, start AVCBrowser and you cam should be shown. In the Browser you can check a lot of thinks on the cam.
I had only one problem with a Sony with dead fw-port, but as yours still works with the Dell it seems to be somethink on the mac side.
Try repair permissons and have a look into /var/log/system.log, if you find anything about firewire there post it.

Mini DV Camcorder to Firewire 800?

Currently I have a mini DV camcorder that feeds into the Firewire 400 port of my old iBook.
Now want to upgrade to the new Macbook Pro but it doesn't have a firewire 400 port
Can I put the Mini DV output into the Firewire 800 port on the Macbook Pro?

Not with the cable you have. You need to get a 9-pin Firewire 800 to 4-pin Firewire 400 cable. Anything on the page below should work for you. I've purchased cables from this company before, I'm really happy with their service.
http://www.firefold.com/9-Pin-to-4-Pin-C53.aspx
Cheers!

Connecting Sony Mini-DV camcorder to Mac..

I have a Sony Mini-DV camcorder that I'm trying to connect to my Mac so I can save some video i've taken. The Camcorder is about 5 years old. The only output ports it has are: a really small USB, a slightly larger square looking port that says
i DV under it, and the old yellow audio/video out. I connected the camcorder via a mini usb converter to one of the regular usb ports on the back of my mac and nothing happens. It doesn't even recognize that something has been plugged in... Is there anything I can do to connect this camcorder to my Mac???

Hi
A. As Lennart writes but there are in some cases two FW-Cables depending
on how the FW-port looks on Your Mac
either a
• 4-pi to 6-pin FireWire Cable - or -
• 4-pi to FW-800 connector FW-Cable
Some new Macs only have the FW-800 port eg MacBook-Pro
B. On some Cameras You need to look into the Camera menu and set DV-out
so the Camera port gets active.
Yours Bengt W

Mini-DV camcorder compatibility

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