I just got a G4 tower and am looking to get a camcorder that work well with imovie. There are so many options out there that I am having trouble making a decision. I am willing to spend around $1500, though i wouldn't mind sending less. I would love to get everybodys input on this.

[bradr]

If you're willing to go up to $1500, I'd recommend a Canon Elura. It's a great camera with features found on cameras costing $2400+. My favorite features are OPTICAL Image Stabilization (no loss of picture like electronic IS) and Progressive Scan mode for a film-like appearance. That one's hard to describe, but take my word for it.

Yes, I like the Canon Elura, too. www.bugdig.com is selling it for about $1130.

Ben

I've got a G4/400 Sawtooth and my Sony TRV510 works great. It was plug & play with the firewire cable. iMovie can control the camera remotely (as advertised). Also, this camera can play all the old 8mm tapes from my old camcorder. I think it costs around $1000.

i would try to get a bit more cash and go for the Canon GL1 ($2000) The Elura is nice but for a bit more, the GL1 is far superior!

[trazanka]

Have to agree with the Canon Elura, works great with iMovie. Impressive picture quality.

Something to consider now is Canon also has the EluraMC2 which is supposed to be the same as the Elura but more compact and it has a dedicated memory card for capturing digital pictures. I have seen this one for $1300.

Check www.cnet.com for prices and reviews of other camcorders, they will also show the lowest prices of online retailers who sell the cameras.

Hope it helps.

[macmaam]

Read many great things about the Elura before deciding to purchase one. Unfortunately, it has not yet arrived, so i can't give any first-hand feedback. Here's a link to a story/review by a professional, who also uses an XL1. http://digitaljournalist.org/issue9909/cameracorner.htm
Check the price on theweb-shop.com. Found it there for US$1033, no shipping charge. Shipping has been slow, but it seemed worth waiting 3 weeks to save a couple hundred bucks.

[Kozmik]

What the hell? You want to get an excellent camera but you want to use it with iMovie??? Use some of that $1500 to buy Adobe Premiere!

[csimon2]

I agree with Dark Half. The Canon GL1 is wonderful and looks cool and makes you look like a true professional.

[Kozmik]

But iMovie doesn't.

If you can afford a tiny bit more, I'd say go for the Canon Optura Pi. It has much better battery life than the Elura, a bigger LCD, and the image quality is great. Works awesome in low-light as well. The design of the camera is much better too - they put the mic on the front instead of the top, and there is a hot-shoe for adding a light or a better mic. Works great with iMovie too.

You can see all the Canon models at www.canondv.com.

[fibroptikl]

I am going to go for a Canon Gl1 and Beachtek XLR Adapters.

[Kozmik]

I'm sorry, I know I'm sounding a bit annoying here. Honestly, though, I need an answer here. ehelgo, what is the logic in spending $1500 on a camera if you're going to use it with iMovie??? If you just want to do home videos and edit them with iMovie, you don't need a $1500 camera! It's ridiculous to spend that much for videotaping your family reunions. Do you want to professional-type stuff? Then plop down some $$$ for Adobe Premiere, a REAL video editing program. I'm sorry, I just don't see the logic in what you want to do. Also, the Sony DCR-TRV520 is decent.

[This message has been edited by Kozmik (edited 09-17-2000).]

[wags1_9_99]

I've got the 1999-model equivalent of a Sony DCR-TRV520. The camera's MSRP is only $1100, but you can get it for less.

I've used it with iMovie 2, and it works great, has good quality, and is fairly easy to use. It does use Sony's proprietary Digital8 format, but that doesn't make any difference to me.

Another option and very highly recomended is the sony TRV-8/9/10/ or 11. This series is incredible. The largest screen by far, puts the Elura to shame and even the GL1. And the overall size of the camera is the same as the Elura.
Secondly it has an incredible lens (Carl Zeiss) The clarity on it is one of the cameras greates assets. I have been able to shoot less then a quarter inch away from objects and get perfect clarity. Thirdly they come with photo cards. Depending on the model you can get as high resolution as many still digital cameras. (1024x768 resolution.)
Don't bother with the 3 chip cameras like the GL1 or XL1 if you are not a profesional. The difference is hardly noticeble on a consumer television. Save the money for the software. I would go for Premiere.

Enjoy

[scottiB]

Might be the Motor City connection, but I have to agree with Kozmik on this. I recently purchased a Canon ZR-10 for $881.00. It has all the functions I need to get started (it's the first video camera I've ever had).

It's slightly larger than the Elura, the stabilization is digital--not optical, and it's not the greatest in low light (but a $30 tripod takes care of that). However, it is always on, powered and ready to go. I figure that I'll use the hell out of it of a couple years, then the three-CCD cameras will be more in my price range.

Bear in mind that you'll need to spend about an extra $100 or so on DV tapes (Costco: $25 for 4) and an extra long battery.

All the cameras mentioned are great, I did a lot of research. Just buy one and use it; it's a blast.

If you are really serious about video, you need a more technically advanced camera than the Elura, etc. My shop has the Sony PD-150, a totally superior solution with 3-CCD performance, 2-channel XLR audio, DV and DVCAM formats, etc. Cost of 2 or 3 times higher than those small cams, but well worth it for the performance advantage.

I spent $1799 (at CameraSound) for a Sony TRV 900 (I use Final Cut Pro - much better than Premiere) and it is fully copmpatible. Canon has some Firewire compatibility problems I don't want to deal with.

[Kozmik]

No, Premiere is superior! I have both FCP and Premiere, and I prefer Premiere. It's easier to use and, in my opinion, much better.

[cteselle]

I have had experience with the following:

• Canon XL1
• Sony TRV-10
• Sony TRV-20
• Sony PC5

I have to say that I like the Sony's the best. I have heard that there are some differences and incompatibilites with Firewire on the Canon models.

For size I would have to go with the PC5, it is about the size of 4-5 zip disks stacked...

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Promote Chicken Randomness

Premiere may be easier to use in some functions but Final Cut Pro out classes Premiere a thousand to one. Until the day that Adobe marries Premiere with After Effects is the day that Final Cut is the superior program. Premiere is way to limited.
Not to get too off topic...

The first question is what are you going to do with your new camcorder and iMovie? How much you spend and what you buy is all about what you want to do.

I also think most of those that have posted replies forget that while iMovie2 may not be FCP or Premiere, it wasn't intended to be, either. It's a good video editing package that comes FREE on all new Macs. Does anyone really expect it to compete with software costing several hundred dollars? If so, you need to re-evaluate your thinking. iMovie2 may not be perfect, or perfect for every situation, but it is far superior to anything in it's class.

Does anyone expect a Chevy to drive as well as a BMW? You get what you pay for and have to remember what the product was designed for.

[cfenger]

I use the Sony TRV-8 and Final Cut Pro for my work. As noted earlier, it's a terrific little camera. If I had had the loot, I would have gotten the TRV900. I haven't used any of the Canons, although I considered the GL1 when researching my purchase. You won't go wrong with any of the cameras mentioned. I agree that some (e.g., the 3CCD TRV900 and GL1) are overkill in terms of "home" movie production. I ultimately made my selection based on the price (paid $1179 online 1 year ago) and feature set of the TRVs (restrained good looks, comfortable in my hand, large LCD viewer, good controls, zeiss lens, optical stabilization, Sony quality, etc.). The software platform should be what works for you. iMovie's great for simple projects (and I doubt that anyone viewing a iMovie produced 30 minute documentary with simple titling, no nonsense transitions, and a basic background score could distinguish it from one produced on it's way higher-priced brethren). Both Premiere (I used to use it and switched over to FCP) and FCP are fine pieces of work. Demo them and choose the one that suits you.

[ppmax]

hi--id just like to log a vote for sony's new vx2000. this thing is a beaut. i picked one up for about 2600 and its worth every penny.

also, dont let anyone talk you into buying a non-dv camera!

Having just gone through this myself, I chose the Canon ZR-10. It seems obvious that you are in the same user class as I am and I don't see any sense in dumping money into an Elura unless you are a serious user or have money to burn. If you do have money to burn, I say go Canon and buy as good as you can afford.

If you don't have money to burn and want a great quality, highly compact MiniDV camera with Analog in and a color viewfinder (not present on many other low-mid quality MiniDvs), the ZR-10 is a great choice. The Sony units are big and heavy, although good, and the Panasonics lack features on the lower cameras, and the JVC seemed cheap to me. I'm sure this will elicit an argument but I liked the Canon, just my opinion. Also, you can get one for about $700 including shipping at Centore.com. No endorsment of that site, I just read it on Dealmac.com today.

As for Adobe vs. FCP, I have played around with both and prefer the FCP interface. Again, just my opinion as a novice user. If you are using iMovie 2, FCP will be the next logical step.

I've got a JVC and haven't been able to get it to work with my iMac at all. I've tried iMovie and iMovie2. Has anyone here managed to get a JVC camera to work with any Mac configuration?

How about Panasonic PV-400? Do they work well with
Macs? How about the quality of the images?

Thanks.

In response to questions about particular camera compatibility and for those looking to get a camera to use with iMovie, You should check the lists of cameras that Apple has tested and deemed to be compatible with iMovie. For a list of cameras compatible with iMovie 1.0.x, see:
http://til.info.apple.com/techinfo.nsf/artnum/n31238

For cameras compatible with iMovie 2, see:
http://www.apple.com/imovie/shoot.html

I purchased one of the little JVC mini DV camcorders and couldn't get it to work with imovie at all, even more annoying was the noise recorded on tape from the motor drive. It was extremely dissapointing, thus I returned it and picked up a Sony DCR PC100, it's an absolutely fantastic little camera. It's feature packed and has an outstanding picture quality. It works flawlessly with iMovie and iMovie 2 on my G4/450.

I'm just doing the home movie thing too but I sure enjoy my high end sony camcorder.

[yuhui]

Hi

Just to add my $0.02 after buying 2 - yes, 2 - digital camcorders.

My first camcorder was a JVC GR-DV10. This was an awesome camcorder, LCD screen, image stabilization, optical zoom, up to 2-hr battery life. Then I tried using it with iMovie and *boom* it wouldn't work. I could connect it indirectly to the Firewire port through my external VST hard disk and import, but it would refuse to accept edited exports. The only DV-editing software I've found that works with (almost) any camcorder is Digital Origin's EditDV, but you'd need to *buy* it, and it installs its own Firewire extensions which conflict with QT's extensions.

So my first tip is: find out what camcorders are supported by your software. For iMovie, go here: http://www.apple.com/imovie/shoot.html

Needless to say, I quickly sold off my JVC camcorder *sob* and bought a used Canon ZR, the original model that looks more like a camera. This has pretty much what I was looking for: LCD screen, image stabilization, Firewire connectivity. But it doesn't have its own light bulb for low-light situations, and it's battery life is about 1 hr, fortunately I have 2, but we all know that recharging is a pain.

I haven't used my Canon camcorder as extensively as I did with the JVC one, but it seems pretty nifty based on some test shots. I haven't tried importing/exporting with iMovie, so I guess I should get around to doing that.

As for price, I can't really compare, since (a) it's 2nd-hand, and (b) I bought it at eBay, where most electronic items usually sell for much less than MSRP.

But if you have $1,500 to burn and aren't using the camcorder professionally, I'd say go with what others have recommended, including Canon Elura and ZR-10. I personally don't buy Sony products because they look ugly and cost a bomb. Panasonic's products apparently have some issue with Firewire connectivity, so this is important: find out what camcorders are supported before going out to buy, that was my first and largest mistake.

That's all for now. Hope that helps.
Yuhui

The GL-1 also has the ability to convert VCR tapes and has a special add-on lens available to do true 19.9.

I've played with a LOT of camcorders and here's what I'd recommend:

If you have the money, the Sony TRV900is a camera that is extremely hard to beat. With it's 3 CCD imager, it captures color that no other camera in it's range can except maybe the Canon GL1 (as it has 3 ccds too) which costs more. You can get the TRV900 for around 1700 if you shop around even at the reputable places. I got one for about that much at cameraworld.com during a sale once (they have $100 off sales quite a bit.)

If you don't have that much, try the Sony TRV11 which is also a minidv camera (I don't recommend the digital 8 series, they're just WAY too big and bulky). It has spectacular quality for a 1 ccd camera and does a very nice job in a nice tiny case. About the only tiny pick I have with this model (and the other sonys) is that the menu button is only accessible after opening the 3.5" screen (which is beautiful actually). I picked up a trv 11 at sears using a pricematch from www.video-direct.com for under a grand.

The TRV20 (another sony) is neat but it's main difference from the TRV11 is that it does megapixel stills. (the trv11 does 640x480 non interlaced stills as does the trv900) Unfortunately, the megapixel stills of the trv20 in my opinion, are of poor quality. You could easily pick up a trv11 and a coolpix 800 (2.1 megapixel) and get spectacular results on both pix and video for the same amount of money as the trv20. Not to mention the trv20 needs a flash attachment (add $100) to get good indoor photos which the coolpix has built in.

I've never used a canon I've liked on the low end. The gl1 is pretty good but the rest seem to have a slow ambivalent focus (many times the focus just wanders in and out like it can't figure out what to focus on) This drives me crazy so I avoid them. The color on the canons is awesome for a 1 chip camera. Too bad for the focus. Anyway... maybe they've fixed this on the new elura mc or the pi model. I'm not betting on it. Also, the battery life on many of the canons is abysmal and, in some cases, like the ultura, you're stuck with the tiny 35 minute battery as it goes inside the camera. I think they've remedied this on many of the models

JVC... many of the cameras are feature packed. I've had trouble getting them to talk to imovie or fcp properly. The video is decent enough on these cameras but the steady shot is a BIT too steady for me. For example if you pan, it jerks like it's trying desparately to keep the scene steady. ???? who knows why this is. Turning off the steady shot fixed the problem but I'd hate to have to turn it on and off all the time.

So, go for the trv900 if you have the $ otherwise the trv11.

I have used all of the Canon cameras and have found out the following:

The ZR10 is a great little camera for your basic users. It is compact and weights next to nothing. It doesn't have the world's greatest low light capabilities, but who shoots a lot of video in those conditions?

The Elura2 & Elura2 MC are alot better that the original Elura. Canon has fixed the problems that were common with the Elura. The MC has the capabilities of saving the stills on the memory card. This is great, it allows you to transfer the stills faster than coming from tape.

The OpturaPi is an amazing camera. I have used it in all situations. Low light is great and when I added the video light it was even better. Plus with the Progressive Scan feature you can pull off 1 frame and print it or save it as a jpeg and it is as clear as any 35mm camera, no distortion.

The GL1 & XL1 are for the video enthusiast. The XL1 is the same camera that shoots the video from the space shuttle. Also Jay Leno uses a XL1 when he does the "Jay Walking" segment of his show.

[mcdoken]

well, you've probably got so many answers now that your decision is just as complicated as before, but I'll add another that I haven't seen discussed.

I have a Sony DCR-PC100. Although it doesn't have the optical image stabilization, it does have electronic. On the plus side it is as small and light as the Elura and can also take megapixel digital stills to a MemoryStick. about 100 1152x780? images on a 64MB chip. Image quality pretty decent. They also offer a big battery that will work for nearly 9hrs if you don't use the LCD screen. FireWire and all the usual extras. I considered for quite a long time before deciding, so I'm pretty satisfied with my choice.

[bugs]

So much knowledge on this forum!

I am concerned about service and support. Has anyone had a camera repaired? Do you have to mail it in and wait for weeks? Which mfgrs have the best policy?

I tried to reach JVC customer service for two months with questions about Mac FireWire compatibility. The email I finally got was jibberish and after a few more attempts by email and phone a technical support person said that they didn't have the answer to my question, but he would mail me an owner's manual which might have the answer. Of course I will never buy a JVC product now unless it is cheap and disposable!

A couple years ago, Apple kept me waiting for three months for repairs to my computer monitor. Fortunately an independent service technician loaned me one while I waited. This is a serious issue.

But what about the others? Canon serves professionals - surely they have a good warranty and fast service? (expensive too, no doubt)

I understand your problem about dealing with JVC, but their products are quite good and the prize very good. I bought the JVC-DVL 107 (in Europe), I guess that the same type would be called something different in the US. There is hardly any mention of computers in the manual, except that you can buy an optional software package for a PC, nothing for a Mac. It's kind of funny, as some of my friends have had similar DV-camcorders for almost a year, but not one had done any editing on a computer. But what do you expect? They all use PC's. Me I´ve had my JVC, with my G3, for 3 weeks and I´ve been playing around with it on my Mac more or less constantly. I sent in a letter 3 weeks ago when I bought the camera, it is reproduced below, with extra info following:

"I´ve been reading this tread with some interest, as I am very interested in buying a JVC-DVL 107 (PAL) for my Mac system. To me at least, this camcorder packs a lot of power per dollar. Yesterday I discussed the various problems between JVC and Firewire,to the JVC people here in Iceland. The result was that they allowed me to borrow the camera to test it with my system (G3/400MHz, 512 Mb RAM, OS 9.04, software iMovie). The results were very good, everything worked perfectly. I had total control over the camera from the iMovie software and getting material into the Mac was simplicity itself. I initially had problems getting my edited final product back to the Mac via the DV in plug, but a restart with the MacOs9all extensions set fixed that. So I, at least, can verify that this particular JVC camcorder works perfectly with my G3 system, when running the correct extension set. And the results, when viewed on TV, were breathtaking."

Since this letter, I've tried the JVC camcorder with Final Cut Pro and everything worked perfectly. I've recorded back to VHS, interchanged tapes between different brands of DV camcorders with no problems. And I've identified the extensions that are affecting picture quality back to the JVC camcorder on my system, as Apple's own open transport and a USB driver from SanDisk for my Nikon dicital camera.

[epetrack]

This has been a helpful thread as I go to get my first dv camcorder. I'm still trying to make a final decision between the Canon ZR10 and one of the Sonys (?TRV320 perhaps). Use will be mainly for family videos, and I do like the small size of the ZR10. I have an obvious "novice" question. My understanding is that for "still" pictures, the zr10 "records" the picture for 6 seconds, and this can be transferred to the Mac via firewire cable- correct? If so, does that cable come with the camera, or do I need to get it (and ?any software) separately? Sony seems to have so many cameras within $300-400 of each other, and their web page offers no way to directly compare them, making it difficult to figure out differences. Any other suggestions for a small unit under $1000? Thanks--

Just thought I would mention that *at least one* JVC cameras does work, I have a DVL-505 that interfaces with my G4 500 and iMovie 2.01 properly. I picked up the JVC at Costco for $750. The movies look sharp on a TV, which was my goal.

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When I use Premiere i feel like im stepping back in time =). Until adobe agets off there butts and starts to develop an upgrade. I will always be a FCP user. It's just cooler to use =) and since it's optimized for the G4 well...need i say more?

[CaseCom]

Originally posted by epetrack:
My understanding is that for "still" pictures, the zr10 "records" the picture for 6 seconds, and this can be transferred to the Mac via firewire cable- correct? If so, does that cable come with the camera, or do I need to get it (and ?any software) separately?

I have a ZR-10. You need a FireWire cable to transfer the video to your Mac. It does not come with the camera. I was one of the lucky ones who bought an early iMac DV where Apple included the cable as part of a special deal. Otherwise, it'll run you about 40 bucks. You can buy them from the Apple Store, directly from Belkin or I'm sure you could also get one at Outpost.com or CompUSA.

Make sure the FireWire cable you buy is the "4-pin/6-pin" variety. The camcorder has a 4-pin FireWire jack; your Mac (I'm assuming it's FireWire-equipped) has a 6-pin FireWire jack.

As far as capturing still images, you can use the 6-second freeze-frame feature, but all it does is freeze the video frame for 6 seconds. There is no built-in memory card to capture the stills. To create the still image, you need to do one of two things:

1. Use iMovie 2 ($49 download from Apple) to convert a video frame to a JPEG file.

2. Canon offers a floppy disk adapter (sold separately) that can put still images on a floppy disk. I have never used this option, though, so I can't tell you how well it works, or even if it works for a Mac.

[This message has been edited by CaseCom (edited 10-16-2000).]

Just starting in digital video and after comparison of camcorder (Sony, Canon, JVC ,Panasonic etc.) features elected to get a Sony DCR-PC100. A palm sized camera that is comfortable to use. Normally don’t buy Sony products as they have always been high quality but also usually high price. Have been pleased with camera and used it for a family event importing the video easily in to my Mac(Powerbook 2000 400Mhz with 192meg RAM) into iMovie 2.0.1. Fire wire cable extra. For a first learning experience, iMovie was super and the results were very good including adding transitions, titles and musical sound track. Rolled the finished product back into PC 100 and then to VHS tape. The picture quality from the VHS tape is markedly better than the earlier technologies.
Re-imported the finished product into iMovie to make some updates and it handled the clips (pictures and titles), the sound remained intact but the transitions were eliminated. I don’t know yet if there is a way around this. Oh by the way be prepared to devote about 200-250 meg of disk space per minute of video. The 5 1/2minute video I made clocked in at 1.13 gig without external compression if such can be used.

Used various search sites (RUSURE, my simon, sherlock etc) and found a variation in price of about $700. I bought mine from Focus Camera (nearly the lowest price) for about $1550. They have a list of accessories and their purpose that I found extremely helpful. The camcorder has a 1 megapixel still capability, two image sizes with 3 granularities and images are saved on a removable memory stick. I have used this in conjunction with a laptop card from Sony without problem one. Pop memory stick out of the Sony and into the card and away you go. I am pleased with the quality of both the stills and the video and the jury is still out relative to the sound quality recorded. Just starting to learn the array of features.

After months of dabbling on this matter myself....I was tossed with a prosumer 3CCD camera (CanonGL1) or a nice consumer end camera (Sony DCR-PC100)....after reading information from various sites like www.supervideo.com and talking to some of the video engineers at my work, I discovered that the Sony DCR-PC100, because of its Megapixel CCD, that its quality is almost equal or better on some aspects than that of a 3CCD. Sure enough I bought it, totally rocks. The small size, LOADED with features, and alot of accessories. Only thing i dont like is placement of the mic (on top). It picks up alot of the shooters voice because it aims up. BUT...other than that...i love it.... www.aaanet.net is selling it for $1380.00
I bought mine from www.vanns.com due to fact that they are authorized Sony dealer(meaning they can fix it if it breaks) and have competitive pricing.
I was turned off by Canon DV cams also in part that my friend who works for them said that repair and callbacks for the cameras are taking up to 12 months.

I have a Sony PC100, great camera, good quality with mega pixel ccd. Small enough that you can take it anywhere. I have used it with both iMovie and FCP.. no problems.

If you are wanting something like the PC100, I'd personally go for the TRV-20 which is the EXACT same model as the PC100 except:

1. it has a nicer form factor (it is the traditional palm style model instead of the upright) MUCH easier to hold in my opinion and it is roughly the same size.

2. it has a beautiful 3.5 inch screen (the pc100 only has a 2.5")

3. it also is a megapixel camera

4. the mic is on the FRONT of the camera which captures sound as it should (the mic facing the ceiling on the pc100 is not very good)

However, I will say this: neither the pc100 nor the trv20 are worth the $400 price difference between that and the trv11. The quality of the stills on either just don't warrant the $400 which you could use to get a much higher res dedicated still camera that already has a flash (which the pc100 and trv20 have optional for $100) See the www.egroups.com pc100 or trv20 groups for examples of stills that people have taken with these cameras, they're just not that great in my opinion. The quality of video on the trv11, 20, and pc100 are all fantastic however.

If you are in love with the pc100 vertical form factor (not sure why) you might want to wait for the pc110 which also includes a flash for stills. You might be waiting a while though (rumored to be out in March although the PAL version is already in Europe so maybe it'll be sooner).

2 cents...

I use FCP, but occasionally iMovie2 suits my purposes better. Don't shortchange iMovie2--it's certainly not professional caliber, but as has been mentioned, you could do a simple 30-minute documentary with layered audio, basic titling and decent editing, and most people wouldn't be able to tell the difference.

With that said, though, FCP rocks. Not only is it a great editing platform, but a) it's Altivec optimized, and 2) multi-processor aware. Transitions render in a flash, and it's very, very easy to manipulate. Adobe Premiere is a good piece of software, but FCP's education price of $499 made it the obvious choice for me.

I use a Sony TRV-900, and I would just offer to you what I once read on another DV forum: Don't cheap out up front. You'll be SO glad you got a 3-CCD, you'll gladly make those slightly larger payments to your credit card company Plus, it works flawlessly with FCP and iM2 (as do many cameras).

The GL-1 is a great camera, too, but if you're not concerned about the professional look, get the TRV-900. The LCD alone makes it SO much easier to frame difficult shots. Granted, the GL-1 has 30fps progressive scan, but I couldn't be happier with my TRV-900. Go to www.bealecorner.com for one of the best DV sites on the web, and a good discussion of the TRV-900 and the GL-1.

I hope this helps.

John

[jcarr]

Another thing to consider is that the SONY cameras will usually input analog video as well as export. This is a nice feature if you have archival footage that you would like to use with iMovie or FCPro.

As far as I know the Canon cameras do not do this (perhaps the higher end ones do).

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I'm cookoo for Cocoa Apps!

[petek]

I have a JVC GR-DVF21U which does work with my Mac G3 and Adobe Premiere. I haven't tried it with iMovie yet. I've heard that it doesn't play well with iMovie.

I love using this camera; the controls are all at your right fingertips (no turning the camera sideways to get to buttons next to the LCD like Sony & Canon. It seems to take a beating - at least it survived a week at Disney World and Universal with nothing more than alot of scuffs.

However, it doesn't allow the computer to control it - you have to use the camera playback controls. A little annoying, but since it was only $600, I'm not complaining too loudly.

Since 'ehelgo' was willing to part with more money, the Canons are probably the best bet. But for someone on a budget the DVF21U is worth looking at.

I have the same JVC. You're right, it's a breeze to operate. I have to use the Sony converter for it to work with imovie and final cut pro. I was going to get rid of the JVC but when I operated the sonys and canons, the JVC was much easier to use. You can use all the major features without ever missing a shot.

I just purchased a "refurbished" Canon Elura for $800 and have to say it works flawlessly with imovie 2 and I tried it VERY briefly on Final Cut Pro and it functioned well.( no apparent problems). It does have the ability to take still pictures and they are easily made to jpegs on imovie 2. There is no "multimedia storage" card but that has not been a problem.The digital video and the size of the camera are simply incredible. I have an older Sony HI8 that I got a lot of use out of but there were many times I would not use it because of the larger size. Not with the Elura. And with Imovie 2, I literally made a short movie with flying titles and fade ins and outs on the 1st day with no reading of the manual! VERY easy! I am looking forward to using the analog in on the Elura to save some important older videos. I looked at the Sony TRV-11 VERY closely and consider it a very good 2nd choice for me. I like the form factor and the way the Elura is held compared to the Sony TRV-11.

[Quadzmodo]

Sony TRV 320. I purchased mine 2 months ago and I havne't had a single problem with it. Enjoy whatever you get, and MAKE sure you buy a battery at the time of purchase because the tiny energy life of the battery that comes with the camera is pathetic. Well at least for my sony anyway.

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It's just my humble opinion.