What setting do i use in Final Cut Express to capture SD 16:9 DVCAM footage shot with a Sony DSR500?.... Ive tried DV Pal Anamorphic but it seems to only show a 4:3 capture window in FCE and the 16:9 footage is squeezed into the 4:3 capture window... I remembered when I captured and edited some HDV there was no problem and it was displayed in a 16:9 window...

FYI using FCE HD latest version on a Macbook Pro 1.83Ghz

I use FCP and not FCE, but I think they're pretty much the same in this regard. The DV PAL Anamorphic preset should be correct. The fact that you shot DVCAM instead DV SP doesn't matter, the data is in the same format.

The capture window isn't going to show you widescreen, it will always be squashed like you describe. Assuming it's like FCP.... look in the browser window and scroll all the way across to the right until you see the anamorphic column. All your clips and sequences should have a check in that column. If they don't, then click on the item and it should change to a check.

That's all you need to do. It doesn't matter how you capture the footage, it's all just standard definition DV. So you can add the anamorphic check after capture and everything should be fine.

thanks Boyd for the clear explanation....

Do you know why it only shows a square capture window for 16:9 footage? Can the window be expanded? I seem to recall when capturing HDV the window was in the 16:9 format....

Yes, you're right about HDV. That's because all high definition video is in the 16:9 aspect ratio. But standard definition is 720x480 (or 720x576 in your case). Actually I think the capture window is just showing you square pixels so it wouldn't be either 4:3 or 16:9.

Why is it like that for SD but not HD? I dunno, I guess it was a design/programming decision they made many version ago. When I capture I also have widescreen a monitor connected to my camera so I can watch it there for this very reason.