Capture Cards and Adapter Cards
The video on your camera has to be transferred to your computer. It's kind of like plugging in a VCR or DVD player. For whatever output plug is on your camera, you will need the same input plug into your computer. If you have a Firewire output from your camera, you'll need a Firewire input.
If your computer doesn't have the same input plug as what's coming out of your camera then you'll need to buy an adapter card that does have the same input plug.
What's the difference between an adapter card and a capture card?
An adapter card is like any other adapter. It lets you plug in something that doesn't fit, like an adapter so you can plug your hairdryer in the outlet of a foreign country or your new DVD into your very old TV.
What an adapter card doesn't do, is convert your video from tape to a file type that's used on your computer. Your computer processor does that. The speed your video gets converted depends on the speed of your processor.
A capture card actually has a chip on the card that does the conversion work so capturing video is faster.
What outputs are on my camera?
DV camcorders all have FireWire outputs. The new camcorders have USB 2.0. Most of the old ones have A/V output or S-cable.
All Macs and Sony computers have Firewire built in. Most computers don't have A/V input. All computers within the last 5 years have USB input. That's why we recommend getting a DV camera with USB 2.0 output.
What if my camera is Firewire output but I don't have the inputs?
You can buy a Firewire adapter card for around $20. Buy it from a retail chain that has installation service. Bring in your computer when you buy the card. It will take them 5 minutes to install the card.
What if my camera only has A/V output?
Honestly, go buy mini-DV camera. It will save you time and money.
For A/V you'll actually need a capture card. A specialty capture card that has A/V input runs the same price as a cheap DV camcorder. They have to be special order and unless you have Windows XP, they can be tricky to install.
These specialty capture cards get pricey. A good one wth A/V starts around $200. We use the AceDV/IO which we bought at Video Guys (www.videoguys.com) for $300.
If you're set on trying to get editable footage from these older cameras, then pay someone to just capture the footage you need into an editable format so you can edit it yourself. You bring in the tape, and tell them what you need captured. They'll capture it can give you back a DVD with a bunch of captured video files. The cost for this service is anywhere from $60-$85 an hour.
Your money would be better spent on a new camera.