What minidv camera has the best quality for the 100-200 dollar range?

Question

im looking for one with good picture audio and other quality. but where does the firewire hook up to th computer?

Answer 1

There is no new miniDV tape based camcorder under $200... available from Panasonic, Canon or Sony - and I would not consider any other manufacturers.

A miniDV tape based camcorder connects its DV port to the Firewire400 (IEEE1394a, i.Link - all the same thing) port on the computer - if you don't have one, it needs to be installed:

http://shop4.outpost.com/search?search_t...

You will also need a firewire cable:

http://shop4.outpost.com/product/4338375...

USB will not work to transfer video from the camcorder to the computer.

Answer 2

The Canon ZR850 is a $200 MiniDV Tape-using camcorder that is great for the price.

The FireWire plugs directly into a FireWire port (you can see what a FireWire port looks like by checking out pictures of Macs at apple.com).  Just beware that, as with most MiniDV camcorders I know of, the Canon ZR850 does not come with a FireWire cable.

http://www.jr.com/JRProductPage.process?...