Calling Video Editing gurus: Capture device is a DVCAM digital video tape player?

Question

I recently had five old reels of 8mm film (family stuff from the 1950s) consolidated through a professional video transfer company. The resulting master I received is a 124-min DVCAM video digital tape. I would like to capture this to my computer and edit the footage with Pinnacle Studio 11 Ultimate. I have two questions:

1) Can my program actually capture this format?

and

2) How expensive are the DVCAM VCRs? Can I rent one cheaply or will it cost me a bundle (I don't have nor have I ever seen a DVCAM player)?

Thanks!

Answer 1

I think the person who did the conversion from 8mm to tape is not very nice.

http://bssc.sel.sony.com/BroadcastandBus...

The good news is that all these decks will handle DVCAM format and have firewire (IEEE1394a, i.Link) connectivity. Perhaps your video converter service provider is willing to transfer from that DVCAM tape to a hard drive (that you supply)?

Answer 2

Yes, Pinnacle should have no problem, with these caveats:

It depends upon what your PC inputs are.  Fire-wire is the most common, but there are a few variations.  I have a Matrox RT2500 capture card.  It comes with a dongle (connector) which accepts composite input, so I can input either way.  I edit using Adobe Premiere 6.5.

You could also use a DVCAM, instead of a player, to import the files into your PC.  A wedding videographer will probably have one you may rent.  The catch is you'd need to make certain you have the correct cable(s) from the output connector of the camcorder and input to your desktop.  The cost to rent a DVCAM should be too much...especially since they're going the way of the dodo eventually.

A couple of notes here:  

- Videography is an AWESOME pastime, but requires a significant investment of frustration and sweat equity.  Be prepared for a lot of trial & error.  Your efforts will be rewarded by priceless memories to share.

- Video requires a lot of hard drive space and processing power.  If your PC is older, you may consider upgrading.

- If this sounds like too much hassle, you may approach the wedding videographer I recommended and have them do the editing for you.  Good luck!!