Can footage taken with a mini dv camera be put on a computer?

Question

i'm cosidering buying a samsung mini dv camcorder vp-d371w but i don't know if it can be connected to a computer for editing or not

Answer 1

most likely yes, just make sure to get a firewire cable that will plug into it, and that your computer has a firewire card.

Answer 2

all dv cameras comes with firewire, check out my guide for more video tips...

Answer 3

The Samsung VP-D371W is a miniDV tape based camcorder. It uses the DV port (this is a 4-pin) and connects to the firewire port (not USB) of your computer to transfer video from the miniDV tape to your computer. If you don't have a firewire port, install one. The port installed on the computer will be most likely 6-pin... but can be 4-pin. It depends what you have or decide to install. You need firewire400 (Also known as i.Link or IEEE1394a). USB will only be used for web streaming (if the camcorder has the feature) or for transferring stills.

MiniDV tape based camcorders typically do not come with a Firewire cable in the box - you need to buy it separately.

MiniDV tape provides the best available quality becuase it compresses less than any of the other storage types used by consumer camcorders. Personally, I would stay with Canon, Sony or Panasonic.

DO NOT BUY A DVD BASED CAMCORDER.