View Full Version : what sort of setup do I need to have to transfer footage to my laptop/hard drive?


Lee Stokes
May 24th, 2013, 11:47 AM
I have a Canon XL2, what sort of setup do I need to have to transfer footage to my laptop/hard drive?

I used to transfer taped footage via firewire from the camera directly to my old desktop, but its obviously not the same cable for my laptop?

My laptop has:
5-in-1 digital media card reader
4 x USB 2.0 ports (1 x shared eSATA port),
1 x HDMI port,
1 x VGA port,
1 x RJ-45 Ethernet port,
1 x headphone jack,
1 x microphone jack

I am sure this is a simple solution, I am not very tech savvy (Canon XL2 as a prime example!).

Thanks, please reply to me only.
Lee

Edward Carlson
May 24th, 2013, 01:28 PM
You need a computer with firewire. That's the only way to get the digital signal into your laptop.

Bryce Comer
May 25th, 2013, 09:22 PM
Lee,
Sorry I can't be sure this will work, as I've never used one, but simply did a search.
5ft USB To Firewire iEEE 1394 4 Pin For iLink Adapter Cable Free Shipping on Aliexpress.com (http://www.aliexpress.com/item/5ft-USB-To-Firewire-iEEE-1394-4-Pin-For-iLink-Adapter-Cable-Free-Shipping/935001681.html)
The price is certainly right. If it doesn't work, it looks like there are other options out there. I know for sure Pinnacle make a hub that connects to your laptop via USB2.0 & had a firewire port for digitizing your footage. Again, I haven't tried it, but something like it will solve your problem of how to get your footage into your laptop.
Regards,
Bryce

Chris Soucy
May 25th, 2013, 10:09 PM
Bryce.................

You know that old saying about "if it looks too good to be true, it usually is"? Well, that link is a good example.

Just plonking one type of plug on one end and another on the other of a piece of cable won't get the job done, there needs to some sort of converter/ processor in the middle, and for $2.49, you ain't going to get one.

Going to have to go quite a way up market from that to get it to work.

The cheapest solution that will work is for Lee to go find an old desktop that someones junking (absolutely no shortage of those, and they're FREE!), as long as it still fires up, has Firewire and a working optical drive, better yet, network capability, you're done.

XL2's aren't going to last for ever, so there's no point spending a bundle, if he can't for some reason get his hands on a cast off PC, it'd almost be cheaper to junk it (the XL2) and buy a new camera.


CS

Don Palomaki
May 26th, 2013, 05:38 AM
Many laptop computers have a card bus adapter slot. (Not clear if yours has). You can find IEEE 1394 (aka: Firewire, iLink) adapters for around $25 that work in the slot.

IEEE 1394 and USB are different communications protocols, with different voltage levels and data rate.