Analog to digital converter OR DV camera?

[ClassicBean]

I just inherited a Sony Hi8 handycam. It's in great condition and has rarely been used.

Of course, being attached to my MacBook Pro, I would love to be able to edit stuff in iMovie and throw it on my Apple TV.

So, my question is this:

Am I better off buying an analog to digital converted for $150 - $250? Or am I better off getting an entry level DV camcorder which I've seen for about $299 here in Canada. Again, I don't want to buy anything expensive like an HD camera at this point so it's just something to play with.

Is the quality of an entry level DV camera going to be better than converting the analog tape to digital? Or vice versa?

Any help is appreciated.

 

[ppc_michael]

The quality of DV will almost always be noticeably better than analog tape. How much better increases with the price of the DV camera. So for a $299 DV camera, I guess it depends on what you want to do, and how much money you have available for it. If it's just home movies that you and your family will see, Hi8 will probably suffice. If you plan on making short films or something that you might want other people to see, DV is probably the way to go.

 

[ClassicBean]

The quality of DV will almost always be noticeably better than analog tape. How much better increases with the price of the DV camera. So for a $299 DV camera, I guess it depends on what you want to do, and how much money you have available for it. If it's just home movies that you and your family will see, Hi8 will probably suffice. If you plan on making short films or something that you might want other people to see, DV is probably the way to go.

I;d pretty much be using it for home movies. That said, do converters work fairly well? I have read some about some issues with jumpy pictures, lost frames, etc. Is this fact? Or fiction?

Not sure I want to shell out even $150 for a device that might give me trouble.

 

[ppc_michael]

I;d pretty much be using it for home movies. That said, do converters work fairly well? I have read some about some issues with jumpy pictures, lost frames, etc. Is this fact? Or fiction?

I've had a Canopus ADVC100 for about five years now, and have never experienced a single problem with it. I don't know about other people, though.