Camcorders that play well with Mac

[bridger1]

My 1998 Sony mini DV camcorder has finally bitten the dust and I'm looking for a new camcorder where I can edit in I-movie or final cut pro. As a total newbie, I'm wondering if mini-dv is still the best way to go, or if flash is better? (I would like to utilize my 14 years of mini dv tapes if possible).
I've been looking at HD-mini dv, however my budget is under $1,000.00

Any suggestions or personal experiences are appreciated.

 

[arjen92]

Most cameras are flash based these days. And then it's most likely AVCHD. Which is pretty compressed, but your mac should be able to edit and convert it faster than when you have to play back a tape.

I also think you're referring to HDV tapes. These are the exact same tapes as normal DV tapes. So don't go pay extra for "HDV tape", they're the same as DV tape.

Canon sold the HV30 (or HV40). It records on HDV tape and has quite some options. (microphone input, setting white balance etc.).

You could switch to flash based, unless you really want the less compressed HDV tapes. And also having an instant back-up of your footage. And also being able to play back your old tapes.

If all of this doesn't matter, you could just go for flash.

Also, you might look into getting a used HDV prosumer cameras that use.