How can I transfer video from Mini DV camcorder to mac using firewire without imovie?

Just curious, why do you not want to use iMovie? Maybe there is a way to circumvent the problem you have with it?

iMovie is normally free when it came with your Mac, but I guess it got deleted and the iLife DVD / second grey Restore DVD is lost now.

Anyway, download and install QuickTime Player 7 if you haven't already from here, open it (it should be in your Utilities folder - Finder > Menu Bar > Go > Utilities) and go to Menu Bar > File > New Movie Recording while your DV camera is connected to your Mac via Firewire.

hagop said:

Thanks for the suggestion simsaladimbamba, I'm going to record the video play through quick time player.

Is there a free software or app where I can edit some parts of the video? Because on quick time player I can only trim the video.

Click to expand...

You can also copy and paste selected sections of the video from one QT Player window to another.

What about the Restore DVDs for your Mac? Have you lost them?

solved! download sony mini dv camcorder into imovie 11

This took me days to figure out but, looking at other posts it seems that the new 800 firewire cables don't wont work. You need an older 400 firewire cable and a a400 to 800 adapter. Not having that, I connected the camcorder to my Lacie rugged firewire hard drive. It has a 400 firewire and a 800 firewire port.

I connected camcorder to 400 firewireport. Then connected wire from 800 port to my firewire to thunderbolt adapter then to the Mac. Presto!!! it works!!!!

Also remember to goto the menu on the camcoder and turn the AV-DVI on.