inexpensive camcorders with AV/DV passthrough - suggestions??

Do you specifically need a camera or will a dedicated converter do the trick?

http://desktop.grassvalley.com/products/videoconversion.php

Hi-
The answer to what will work best for you is determined by how you answer this question:
Once I get the files on my Mac, I plan to ____________________ with them.

Thanks

Hi -
I think the best route for you would be to find a camcorder that will do the analog to digital conversion so that you can use the files on your Mac to edit, add soundtracks, etc.
The Elgato and other similar devices output in a file structure know as H.264, which is good for recording and playing back, but requires file format conversion to be efficiently edited. They also don't address your goal of shooting more material yourself.

Perhaps you know someone with a camcorder that has the feature, or someone will jump in with a suggestion of a particular camcorder.

If not, I guess the best thing would be to do research at a site like
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/browse/Camcorders/ci/1820/N/4294548420
and see if you can find one that does the conversion and fits your budget.
Good luck!

Any Panasonic or Sony DV camera less than five years old will most likely do the job if the above has Composite or S-VHS input.

Al

Probably not. It's a hard drive camcorder that records to MPEG2, not DV.

You need to look for a *miniDV camcorder* that has both
1) *a/v inputs (analog)* and
2) *FireWire input/output*

Different manufacturers call analog-digital passthrough by different names. Canon calls it AV-DV OUT. Most if not all of the Canon miniDV camcorders support analog-digital passthrough. Some Sony, Panasonic and other miniDV camcorders also support passthrough.

Generally the spec sheets do not spell out whether or not the camcorder supports passthrough. You'll have to look at the manual - fortunately most camcorder user manuals can be downloaded free from the manufacturer's website.

You can use iMovie, Final Cut Express and number of other applications to capture video via passthrough. iMovie comes with every Mac. Generally the software that comes with the camera itself is not needed, and often it is useless anyway.

The Canon Optura and Elura series were (are) excellent miniDV camcorders. Many of the Z/ZR series also support passthrough. You can find these on eBay, Craigslist, KEH, etc. Will be more in line with your budget. Suggest looking for an Optura 20 or Optura xi - fantastic cams.

Martin is right about looking online. I bought a Panasonic 300X Digital cam from Craigslist for under $100. It's a dedicated pass through and has worked perfectly since I got it early this year. I prefer Craigslist because I met the person and learned more about why she was selling it and the condition of the camera.