Taking the plunge - DataVideo DAC-100

If it costs more that any DV camera with A/D passthrough which you can use exactly the same way and also have the benefit of a working DV camera for making better video than VHS, don't buy it, buy a DV camera instead. One device with two uses is better than one with one right? And there are a few how the heck do I get this A/D converter to work to suggest they are not seamless.

I agree with Ricktoronto. (hey, another Canadian!) After considerable research, it occurred to me that once I'd completed my project of converting my old tapes, the Analog/Digital converter would at that point become absolutely useless to me!

I almost bought a DAC-100 or something similar in order to convert my VHS tapes to digital, but it seemed more practical to purchase a DV camera. For one thing, the camera's A/D passthrough feature was exactly what I needed, plus I had a perfectly good camcorder at my disposal once I'd finished transferring the old tapes to digital. I bought a Canon Elura 80 mainly because its onboard Firewire port made it Mac-compatible. (I love how I can connect the camera and view my footage in iMovie, and then rewind the camera's tape, right from iMovie!)

Anyway, if you already have a camcorder , but it doesn't allow A/D passthrough, then yes the DAC-100 would be a wise purchase.

I would say for the same or less $, a 2nd camera with A/D passthrough is still a superior purchase since the converter is a one hit wonder, why bother at all? It can't be faster since you have to play back in real time, so it is just a part of a DV camera for the same or more money with less features. Plus I suspect there are not a lot of DV cameras without A/D conversion.