Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Uploading video from HD camera w/o firewire.
- Thread starter danbif
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
You need a computer with Firewire.
There is no other way. There are no Firewire to USB adapters anyway.
You need to find someone with a computer that has a Firewire port.
There is no other way. There are no Firewire to USB adapters anyway.
You need to find someone with a computer that has a Firewire port.
Does your camera require a FireWire connection? Some of the new cameras use USB for still images and FireWire for video, others use USB exclusively. What is the model of your camera? Without that, it's hard to say what you can and cannot do with it.
It's HDV (HD on DV) so it can only be transferred via Firewire or SDI or Composite Out and Component out (the last two are available on your camera if you look at Canon's product page).
The following is an example of how to connect a (H)DV camera to an iMac with a Firewire 800 port (not available in any Unibody MacBook - aluminium or white) I saved from another thread:
You most probably need a 4-pin to 9-pin Firewire cable like the following:
The 4-pin end goes into your camera, the 9-pin end into your iMac.
4-pin on camera
9-pin on iMac (FW 800 port)
The following is an example of how to connect a (H)DV camera to an iMac with a Firewire 800 port (not available in any Unibody MacBook - aluminium or white) I saved from another thread:
You most probably need a 4-pin to 9-pin Firewire cable like the following:
The 4-pin end goes into your camera, the 9-pin end into your iMac.
4-pin on camera
9-pin on iMac (FW 800 port)
Last edited:
I have the Canon HV20. I don't know about the "Vixia", but the regular HV30 is almost identical to the HV20. And the HV20 can not transfer via USB in my experience. I also have a Unibody without FW. Which sucks, considering they put it back in the next revision.
In any case, finding another computer to do the transfer is the best solution. There are products by Pinnacle (I think it was Pinnacle) that can convert on the fly through a neat little box. But that's probably expensive, bad quality, and more time-consuming than finding another computer.
Remember that on a Windows computer you'll likely be capturing it in HDV, which isn't even recognized by FCP (don't know about the latest version. I hope I'm wrong).
All this nonsense and lack of money for a new macbook has made me stick to my old Dell for video, editing in Sony Vegas Pro which is super fast on that old laptop.
In any case, finding another computer to do the transfer is the best solution. There are products by Pinnacle (I think it was Pinnacle) that can convert on the fly through a neat little box. But that's probably expensive, bad quality, and more time-consuming than finding another computer.
Remember that on a Windows computer you'll likely be capturing it in HDV, which isn't even recognized by FCP (don't know about the latest version. I hope I'm wrong).
All this nonsense and lack of money for a new macbook has made me stick to my old Dell for video, editing in Sony Vegas Pro which is super fast on that old laptop.
I got my new 15" MacBook Pro i5 back in October and was about to import video from my canon HV20 when I noticed I couldn't. I Just ordered the Black IEEE 1394b Firewire 800 9 Pin - 4 Pin Cable Male / Male - 6 FT from Amazon for $5.50ish after shipping
As an Amazon Associate, MacRumors earns a commission from qualifying purchases made through links in this post.
If it is a new-ish Air with Thunderbolt:
http://store.apple.com/us/product/MD464ZM/A/apple-thunderbolt-to-firewire-adapter?fnode=51
