Mini DV Camcorder?

Question

I just have a few questions about a miniDV camcorder. A specific example would be this one:

http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/proddetail.asp?sku_id=0665000FS10098860&catid=10545&logon=&langid=EN

First. I know MiniDV is a tape, but does this camera also transfer with a USB 2.0 like it says? My computer does not support Firewire.

Second, this is about MiniDV in GENERAL. If I hook it up to my computer and import the video, does it import in the clips i've taken (stop, start recording) or does it all upload as one huge file and I have to split it up myself.

Third, can I use Mini DV format with Windows Movie Maker running on Vista Home Premium? I absolutely NEED this to work.

I think that is about all I need to know. I GUARANTEE 10 POINTS to the best answer. Please help!

Answer 1

The camera on the link provided, i am afraid, does not use USB. on the outputs section of the statistics it says it only supports firewire and S video.

for ques #2, yes it imports in the clips you have taken. you play the tape and you press a button starting when you want to record the video on the tape and press a button which ends the recording off the tape.

and for your third answer,

the answer is yes.

on a side note;

If your looking for something with USB, consider the Panasonic PV-GS 59.

I bought it about a year ago for approx $280. its a Mini DV. the optical zoom goes up to 30x. it has good basic charactersitics. size wise, it is fairly compact. it can record in both 4x3 full screen and 16x9 widescreen. it has a zoom mic, to record sound further away and comes with importing/editing software.

Answer 2

mini dv needs firewire. If you don't have a firewire card installed, you will have to get one.

It downloads the way you shot it, so if you shot 30 seconds then 1 min that's how you will see it.

Vista sometimes has some compatiblity problems with firewire.

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

Your dv camcorder needs 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. Make sure your camera is in playback mode.

Answer 3

I wanted to include a link to the DCR-HC52 miniDV tape camcorder's manual, but for some reason, the Sony support site is not available.

Go to www.sony.com - on the right in their banner, hover on "Service & Support", under "Electronics", mouse over to "Product Support". Enter "DCR-HC52". Read through the manual - there is a section on connecting to a computer.

I read through the page to which you linked - I saw no reference to USB. The "Outpus" link opens a window that describes - generically - what types of outputs camcorders might have - but this is not HC52-specific.

As a miniDV tape based camcorder I would not expect it to export DV format video to a computer using USB. ALL miniDV tape based camcorders send DV format video to a computer over Firewire.

Typically, firewire cards are cheap:

http://shop4.frys.com/product/3864737?si...

Of course, this presumes your computer has an available PCI slot.

If you just cant do this, then the other option is to use the AV port on the camcorder and connect the AV cables to a analog/digital bridge like

http://www.pinnaclesys.com/PublicSite/us...

which connects to USB - but as analog, this video quality will be nowhere near as good as the digital quality you can get with IEEE1394a.

As for importing the clips, generally speaking, the video editor has two "storage" areas. A clips pane where the individual clips reside, and a "timeline" where you do the actual editing. In MovieMaker, when you connect using firewire and "Capture", the individual clips (each time you hit start/stop) will populate the clips pane. Then drag the clips you want to the timeline and cut or do a transition or add text/credits... whatever. But the MovieMaker file will be one big file.

Your last question makes no sense. Get the firewire card working and you'll be fine - there is no "camera-device specific driver" like there is with USB where every little device has its own driver requirement. Firewire/IEEE1394/i.Link works differently. When the firewire card drive is working properly, then whatever is connected to it has smarts to operate correctly with the application and Operating system.

And no, a firewire to USB converter will not work.