HT201338: Apple Thunderbolt Adapters: Frequently asked questions (FAQ)

Learn about Apple Thunderbolt Adapters: Frequently asked questions (FAQ)
noremacameron

Q: Can I connect a firewire 400 to firewire 800 adapter and then a firewire 800 to Thunderbolt adapter(standard Thunderbolt to firewire adapter) together to digitize video from a miniDV video camcorder?

I have a 10 year Canon MiniDV camcorder that I used to connect via firewire to digitize the data.  Now my IMac only has a Thunderbolt connector and my camcorder uses the older firewire 400 standard.  I would like to digitize the video into my IMac.  How can I do this?

iMac, Mac OS X (10.5)

Posted on Dec 15, 2014 7:30 PM

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Q: Can I connect a firewire 400 to firewire 800 adapter and then a firewire 800 to Thunderbolt adapter(standard Thunderbolt to firewi ... more

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  • by Niel,

    Niel Niel Dec 15, 2014 7:36 PM in response to noremacameron
    Level 10 (312,548 points)
    Mac OS X
    Dec 15, 2014 7:36 PM in response to noremacameron

    Yes, you can.

     

    (118345)

  • by dot.com,Helpful

    dot.com dot.com Dec 15, 2014 7:55 PM in response to noremacameron
    Level 2 (434 points)
    Dec 15, 2014 7:55 PM in response to noremacameron

    I did a little looking around and found a Thunderbolt to Firewire 800 adapter, and then a Firewire 400 to 800 adapter, but no Thunderbolt to Firewire 400. Amazon and Apple stores had the Thunderbolt to Firewire 800 cable and Amazon had the Firewire 400 to 800 adapater.

     

    Wherever you get the cables, ask them if it will work OK with what you want to try and do - if they don't know make sure you can return if there is a problem. I think it will because the Thunderbolt side is so much faster than what the camera can pump out to it. If it were the other way (Thunderbolt device to a Firewire computer I would expect that to fail since the Firewire could never keep up with the data rate of the incoming Thunderbolt device).

     

    Maybe if you have a local Mac user group or a friend with an older mac with a firewire 400 port you could do it this way too?

     

    Good luck