Hi,
Just a quick question (apologies, very newbie). I need a cheap way to capture from the XL2 to FCP on a Mac. Would it be a good idea to get a Canon ZR 950 ($239 from B&H)?

Any suggestions greatly appreciated.

MJH

Hey M.J.

This has been covered many times before. Try these threads:

http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=95993&highlight=camera+capture

http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=104203&highlight=camera+capture

http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=72645&highlight=camera+capture

There are many more threads that cover this if you cannot find what you need in these. My suggestion is to just do a search. I use my Canon HV20 and it works pretty well, but any DV camera with firewire should work. Hope this helps.

Ryan

Thanks and apologies for a repeated question, Ryan. I looked around before posting and didn't find the info, but I must've been using the wrong key words. The links are very useful.

MJ

This year I've been performing live capture directly from my XL2 to a MAC. I use DV Monitor Pro and it does an excellent job for capturing. No more time spent in capturing from tape to disk, no more drop frames, no more audio and video out of synchronisation.

The file created by DV Monitor Pro is ready to use in Final Cut Pro. You can start your editing right away, within no time.

As per your question, a cheap DV camera can do the job but this is not the same as a DV Deck (something like a Panasonic AG-DV2500).

If you own a MacBook..., I would strongly suggest you slowly move to a tapeless environment. Tapes should only use then, as backup.

Hey Daniel - I don't want to hihack the thread, but I was doing a search just yesterday for Mac capture software, and was pleasantly surprised to find some:

Scopebox ($$$)
http://www.scopebox.com/store.html
and
Capture Magic ($)
http://www.scopebox.com/store.html

I was wondering if you knew how they compare in features to DV Monitor. I am sure you haven't tried all three, but you have used at least one, and could say what's great and what's not.

Hey Jack,

Unfortunately, I did not.

I can only speak for DV Monitor Pro http://www.redlightningsoftware.com/Home.html

I've used BTV Pro before and had problems, out of sync, not reliable.

I've decided to invest a little bit more in DV Monitor Pro and I am very please with what it does. Since I've started capturing with this software I did not have to capture from DV tapes.

I am not taking advantages of all the features it provides but I felt for 199.00$ I could not go wrong.

When filming, I do not have the time to do any manipulation on the computer. When it starts, it has to work and after 70 to 90 minutes of recording I need to ensure that when I press the record button to stop the recording everything is saved onto my hard drive.

Maybe, I could take advantage of the possiblities it provides prior capturing.

The next step for me will be to go HD and I am thinking to go with a Panasonic HVX-200 which then is a natural fit. There is a HD Monitor Pro version and I've heard that it was reliable also.

Hope it helps!

Daniel