Why won't my ZR850 Video camcorder transfer videos?

Question

I've been able to capture and transfer videos in the past. I recently change the tape and now can't transfer. I have the firewire connected and the computer sees the camera, but says there are no videos or pictures on the camera. However, I can watch the videos on the camera.

It maybe a setting that got changed accidentally?

I would appreciate any help as my son is in Afghanistan and these are videos of his little boy taking his first steps.

Thanks.

Answer 1

That's very puzzling... I'm not too sure what you mean when you say that the computer said that there were no videos; the Canon ZR850 is a miniDV camcorder therefore captures footage by playing it through the camcorder. Well, I'm not sure if this pertains to your problem, but I can only think of a few things. Firewire can be very picky, and the order of the process is very important, so try these steps:

     1) Insert your tape into the camcorder, and rewind it, and queue it to the point in which you would like to start the capture, then turn the camcorder OFF.

     2) Connect the firewire to the firewire port in the computer (usually in the back of the computer)

     3) Connect the other end to the camcorder. Make sure the camcorder is OFF when it is plugged into the firewire (very important!!). With power running through the firewire, it is dangerous if there is also power running through the camcorder; it may short out the firewire port. However, the computer may be on

    4) You may now turn ON the camcorder, and set it to "VCR" or "Playback" mode.

    5) Your computer should recognize that a camera has been connected, allowing you to capture footage. If not, launch your editing program anyway and look for the capture menu. Then press the record button on the Capture window, and you should see a preview of your footage playing in BOTH the camcorder AND the computer capture window as it is capturing to your computer.

[if the computer contiously fails to recognize that a camcorder has been connected, then it may be a faulty firewire. In a worst case scenario, it may even be a problem with the firewire port in the camcorder]

I doubt that this was your problem, as you said the computer recognized your camcorder, but it is always good to be safe with all the connections. The only other problem I can think of is if you change the playbak settings on the camcorder so they are different than the settings when recorded. I would make sure that, for example, if you shot in SP, than it is in SP in the camcorder when you capture (the same goes if you recorded in LP, or XP). I do not think this would affect anything, but its worth a try.

      If you have an ancient computer, that may be a problem too. The most likely problem is the capture settings in the program. Make sure that if you shot in standard definition that you don't create an HD project or say its HD in the capture menu. Be sure to specify that the source is a DV camcorder via firewire IEEE 1394...if you are using Sony Vegas or any other AVCHD editing platforms, the computer may think its supposed to capture footage from a hard drive camera, which may confuse it, so make sure its set to DV.

    

   SETTINGS TO CHECK:Also, when you open the capture window, you may want to check the settings. Make sure its NTSC (for USA), rather than PAL (for Europe and other places). In addition, I assume you shot in an aspect ration of 4:3, so set it to that, rather than 16:9. It should also be set to 29.97 frames per second (approx. 30fps).

I will add anything if I think of it. If you have more info pertaining to the specific problem, that may help too :)

Wish I could've been more help. I am sorry I couldn't give you a more definitive answer, but there is so much that could be causing the problem. Best of luck!!!