What is the best camcorder to use with a MacBook Air?
I just got my MacBook Air (10.7.4) a couple months ago (about august 2012) and I am looking for a camcorder that is compatible with it. I just got a Sony handy cam camcorder for my birthday this month and it is not compatible with my MacBook. Any suggestions? I heard the Cannons are good?
MacBook Air best answer:
Answer by L
“Handycam” is Sony’s generic name for all their consumer-grade camcorders. If you got a new Sony Handycam that records to high compression AVCHD MTS files and saves to flash memory or hard disc drive, it will work just fine with your MacBook Air.
Connect the camcorder’s USB cable to the Air’s USB port. Put the camcorder into Play/PC mode. If iPhoto launches automatically, quit iPhoto. Launch iMovie. Name the project. Under “File” import or capture the video. There is no software on the disc that came in the box with your camcorder that your Air needs – for that matter, there is nothing on there a Windows based computer needs, either.
If you need to change the default launch behavior when you plug the camcorder into the computer (i.e., you don’t want iPhoto to automatically launch), use “Image Capture” in the Applications folder to make the change.
The Canon HF R, HF M, HF S series camcorders also capture consumer-grade high compression AVCHD MTS files. Comparably priced camcorders will behave similarly. Connecting them to a Mac is the same as the instructions provided above for your Sony.
If you were lucky enough to receive a miniDV tape based camcorder for your birthday, your computer *must* have a firewire port. The MacBook Air and a couple of versions of MacBook do not have a firewire port and have no way to add one. All other Apple Macintosh computers made in the last 10+ years have a firewire port.
