Firewire vs usb connection??

Question

hi buying a mini dv camcorder this week. ive heard that i should get one with firewire therfore here is my question. does connection my camcorder via usb and importing my video loose a considerable amount of quality? how bad is the quality? shouldi pay the extra to get a firewire port put on my computer or is it fine to use via usb?

just dunno weather to pay the extra and get a firewire camcorder if the quality is not that bad with usb anyway, any one got an experience? also is firewire really quicker?

Answer 1

Plain & simple you need firewire. Just search the resolved answer section. Better yet peruse the manufacturers support site for your camera model for the official answer in case you lost your manual. USB is for streaming as webcam or transfering jpeg images.

Answer 2

If you have a mini dv (cassette) camcorder….

Your dv camcorder has to have a firewire connection (ieee 1394) in order to download video, your PC probably did not come with a firewire port, so you will have to buy one and install it, since most computers (except possibly brand new) don't come with a firewire port, your camcorder did not come with a firewire cord so you have to purchase a cord too. Your camcorder did come with a USB cord and that is used for downloading stills from your camcorder.

Answer 3

firewire cards are easy to install and are cheap. make sure you have the correct drivers that are compatible with your editing software.

usb is ok but doesn't do as good a job as firewire does. i've been importing movies and editing using FW for around 7 years and RARELY have a problem. i see time and time again people asking why their usb won't work so to me, FW is the only answer.

all firewire based camcorders will have usb 2.0 now anyway and the price is not going to be any more expensive so why not?

Answer 4

usb is fine

Answer 5

there's no difference in quality just speed. Firewire is a lot faster