Comment USB vs FireWire (Score 1) 106
Use FireWire when available...always. USB 2.0 (Hi-Speed) has a looooong way to go before the various bridge hardware is mature enough to compete with FireWire. Even then I don't think USB 2.0 is up to the task.
As for Sony DV camcorders...USB is primarily for transferring still images from Memory Sticks or webcam functionality.
If you own a Mac, you're basically hung out to dry on USB support. You probably don't want it anyway. Just get a MemoryStick reader and be done with it. Never EVER buy a camcorder expecting greatness out of its still camera functionality.
If you want to transfer video, then FireWire is the [i]only[/i] practical choice. FireWire's isochronous transfer capability, low-CPU usage, etc. make it much better suited to high-bandwidth applications than USB.
If you are having problems importing DV video over FireWire/i.Link to your Mac, then I can't really help you. I'd suspect Sony is at fault if that is the case. Apple's FireWire DV driver/shim should pretty much handle any generic camcorder.
As for Sony DV camcorders...USB is primarily for transferring still images from Memory Sticks or webcam functionality.
If you own a Mac, you're basically hung out to dry on USB support. You probably don't want it anyway. Just get a MemoryStick reader and be done with it. Never EVER buy a camcorder expecting greatness out of its still camera functionality.
If you want to transfer video, then FireWire is the [i]only[/i] practical choice. FireWire's isochronous transfer capability, low-CPU usage, etc. make it much better suited to high-bandwidth applications than USB.
If you are having problems importing DV video over FireWire/i.Link to your Mac, then I can't really help you. I'd suspect Sony is at fault if that is the case. Apple's FireWire DV driver/shim should pretty much handle any generic camcorder.
