The Canon ZR960 was introduced in 2009 and sold until 2012. Sony's last consumer-grade MiniDV camcorder was the DCR-HC52, introduced in 2008 and sold until 2009. Schools preferred the ZR960 because of its external microphone and headphone jacks, which the Sony lacked.
I'm not 100% sure but I do believe the Canon was the last consumer grade Mini-DV camcorder. Thanks for the comment I may want to find a Sony DCR-HC52 to add to my collection. And thanks for watching.
@@WaybackRewind Nope. The same day they released the ZR960, they released HV40. The Canon HV40 in my opinion is the greatest consumer MiniDV camcorder ever made. The HV40 was an HDV MiniDV camcorder. HDV was a high definition version of MiniDV.. It used the same exact tapes, and was just an upgraded 720 and 1080 version on MiniDV. All of the HDV MiniDV camcorders are great. The problem is only JVC, Sony and Canon made HDV MiniDV camcorders, and made only around 5 models each, so there are around 15 HDV models, and most of them are pretty expensive today. I know Canon made just one prosumer HDV camcorder, Sony made 2 prosumer version, and JVC made none that I am aware of. Sony and Canon both made 720 and 1080 versions of HDV MiniDV camcorders, but JVC only made 720 versions. They also tried to claim you needed a specific HDV tape, which was a lie, because regular MiniDV tapes work, and record in 720 and 1080. What I think it was, was the HDV tapes would play in all the brands, but if you recorded to normal MiniDV tapes they would only play in the brand you recorded it with. For example, if you recorded the HDV on a Canon, it would playback on all the Canon HDV camcorders, but would not playback in Sony or JVC camcorders or DV VCRs. For some reason I think only the actual HDV tapes would play in all the 3 brands devices. It was like that with a lot of regular MiniDV camcorders as well, The tapes would play in that brands devices, but not another brands devices. They were clearly doing something to block you from playing in another companies devices. Nonetheless, technically the HV40 is also their last MiniDV camcorder. The HV40 was popular in Hollywood, and several movies have been shot with it. It was just a consumer MiniDV HDV camcorder, but it was good enough for movies and TV. No doubt the HV40 is the best consumer MiniDV model ever made, but that is not saying a lot because all the HDV models were great, and they too were used and are still used for making broadcast TV.
@chrisgullett4332 thank you for your input but I am confused if the XR960 was released the same day as HV40 how is it one is later than the other? I don't know for sure what is the last consumer DV camcorder but the ZR960 is in the conversation. I am familiar with HDV. Check out my videos on the XL H1s. The quality is very good at 1980i. Thanks for watching.
@@WaybackRewind I never said it was later. I literally said they were both the last MiniDV camcorders Canon released. There was no single last MiniDV camcorder released by Canon, they released multiple devices on January 5th 2009, two of those devices were the ZR960 and the HV40. The XL H1 line was prosumer, the HV40 was for the consumer line. Nonetheless, I would take the HV40, even over prosumer MiniDV camcorders. Just my opinion, but I think the HV40 was the greatest consumer model MiniDV camcorder ever made. The HV40 was the only consumer HDV camcorder that had 24P just like the prosumer HDV cameras, it had a full size HDMI port. It was basically like a prosumer model made for their consumer line. It is almost like today it is a modern MiniDV consumer grade camcorder.
The good news is that the tapes are already digital. The best possible conversion will by my type 2 method. Laptops with firewire are scarce but older laptops will have one. Good luck and thanks for watching. th-cam.com/video/XW3ooXVkWvE/w-d-xo.htmlsi=BSez-XRGPKYLDrJc
That is a good question. The only fact I could find is that Sony stopped manufacturing mini DV tapes very recently in 2023. It is likely that all we have left is new old stock. They are still for sale at reasonable price in 2024. I suggest you stock up if you need them. VHS-C went out of production in 2016 and are still available new old stock, but getting scarce and expensive. Thanks for watching.
I love the firewire. USB in those days were a pain to get onto a computer. The video was ( in my opinion) better and sharper. I have 4 computers -3 with firewire. One I put a card in.
Firewire is great. If you have a desktop computer the firewire cards are still available. If you have a laptop there is a solution too. Check out my analog to digital part 7. Thanks for watching.
Hi! I have the same camrea but I'm not sure where to buy the battery for it because I would love to use it. Do you know where I would be able to fine the battery and it's charger?
Regarding what you said about Firewire, I commented on another video of yours about it. A friend told me there are some camcorder models which let you capture footage via USB instead of Firewire. Not sure it's true but if so it's hard to understand which models offered that. After using an analog to digital convertor box by elgato - I noticed the captured footage isn't impressive to say the least. Also even SD card camcorders like Sony DCR-SX33 had blotchy/muddy footage (which is digital!), But only capturing via firewire gave the best capture quality. But what can you do if you you can't have Firewire? You're asking around about those USB camcorders. Any clue...? :)
I will also reply on the other video regarding the USB transfer. The early 2000s was a great transition to digital from tape and some formats were better than others. DV was the best of the early digital formats despite being on tape. The transfers over DV were full resolution. The USB was typically not full resolution, it was designed to compete with webcams, which were very low quality back in the dial up internet days. I wouldn't expect there are any cameras that can transfer DV over USB but you have given me something to investigate. The harddrive and Mini-DVD used highly compressed MPEG-2 which was didn't look very good at all compared to DV. Thanks for watching.
@@WaybackRewind Thanks so much for your feedback! Yeah, I'm just looking for that older miniDV / Hi8 kind of look, yet, that it's captured quality won't be that butchered when transferring to PC. Especially when I need to blow up that footage's size into 1920px or so - you still want things to relatively look intact so I'm looking for a way to do that without firewire (btw, I transferred Hi8 footage via that analog to USB Elgato adapter and in a way the worse footage of a Hi8 felt better than a MiniDV footage, or that Sony DCH-SX33 SD card digital footage that broke up quick. Maybe the worse the footage is- the less you see it breaks when blown up? :) Anyways, I'm less interested in those newer HD camcorders because they lose all of that special 90's look.
@eladbari some Panasonic models can capture full DV footage over USB, ConsumerDV has a video about it going over the standard here: th-cam.com/video/LGfQpY__F3U/w-d-xo.html
@@hunsbergIt seems reasonable that there may have been a time when full DV capture via USB was a thing. It's hard to say which cameras have that, but it was by no means common. None of mine do that. The USB was there primarily for streaming or photo transfer only.
@@WaybackRewind well panasonic made gs400 and gs500 in the era when usb 2.0 was introduced, this cameras can transfer same signal as firewire (just check output settings for usb on camera there is some webcam mode and DV mode)
Depending on the age of your MacBook you probably have a thunderbolt port. Which means you can get a firewire to thunderbolt adapter. This would allow you to connect the camera digitally to the MacBook. Those adapters use thunderbolt 2 so you might need a thunderbolt 2 to thunderbolt 3 adapter as well. After you sort all that out you can capture the files in real time to the computer.
What firewire to USB adapter did you buy? Almost nothing will work if it just rearranges the pins. The only one I know thst works is the Pinnacle movie box. Let me know whst you got. Thanks.
This is a MiniDV tape camera. Although digital it only records to tape. If you have an external recorder you can record to an SD card, but there is no such provision built-in. Thanks for watching.
I honestly don't know. I don't have any PAL tapes and no way to create any. A search on the interwebs came up empty. If I find out I'll let you know. Thanks for watching.
No. There were usually PAL cameras made alongside the NTSC models. They would usually add another letter to the end of the model number to indicate the difference. Not interchangeable though...
![[How To] Best Way To Clean Tape Heads On Any Camcorder](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/wfKcMoWL0pU/mqdefault.jpg)
![Save precious memories BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE! | Mini DV and 8mm Archive Guide! [Everything you need]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/fN9GJh8gVRc/mqdefault.jpg)
![เจ็บที่ยังฮัก - ม่อน วรวิทย์ [ Official Mv ] จอนนี่มิวสิค](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/KALIGSRSjFs/mqdefault.jpg)
The Canon ZR960 was introduced in 2009 and sold until 2012. Sony's last consumer-grade MiniDV camcorder was the DCR-HC52, introduced in 2008 and sold until 2009. Schools preferred the ZR960 because of its external microphone and headphone jacks, which the Sony lacked.
I'm not 100% sure but I do believe the Canon was the last consumer grade Mini-DV camcorder. Thanks for the comment I may want to find a Sony DCR-HC52 to add to my collection. And thanks for watching.
@@WaybackRewind Nope. The same day they released the ZR960, they released HV40. The Canon HV40 in my opinion is the greatest consumer MiniDV camcorder ever made. The HV40 was an HDV MiniDV camcorder. HDV was a high definition version of MiniDV.. It used the same exact tapes, and was just an upgraded 720 and 1080 version on MiniDV. All of the HDV MiniDV camcorders are great. The problem is only JVC, Sony and Canon made HDV MiniDV camcorders, and made only around 5 models each, so there are around 15 HDV models, and most of them are pretty expensive today. I know Canon made just one prosumer HDV camcorder, Sony made 2 prosumer version, and JVC made none that I am aware of. Sony and Canon both made 720 and 1080 versions of HDV MiniDV camcorders, but JVC only made 720 versions. They also tried to claim you needed a specific HDV tape, which was a lie, because regular MiniDV tapes work, and record in 720 and 1080. What I think it was, was the HDV tapes would play in all the brands, but if you recorded to normal MiniDV tapes they would only play in the brand you recorded it with. For example, if you recorded the HDV on a Canon, it would playback on all the Canon HDV camcorders, but would not playback in Sony or JVC camcorders or DV VCRs. For some reason I think only the actual HDV tapes would play in all the 3 brands devices. It was like that with a lot of regular MiniDV camcorders as well, The tapes would play in that brands devices, but not another brands devices. They were clearly doing something to block you from playing in another companies devices. Nonetheless, technically the HV40 is also their last MiniDV camcorder. The HV40 was popular in Hollywood, and several movies have been shot with it. It was just a consumer MiniDV HDV camcorder, but it was good enough for movies and TV. No doubt the HV40 is the best consumer MiniDV model ever made, but that is not saying a lot because all the HDV models were great, and they too were used and are still used for making broadcast TV.
@chrisgullett4332 thank you for your input but I am confused if the XR960 was released the same day as HV40 how is it one is later than the other? I don't know for sure what is the last consumer DV camcorder but the ZR960 is in the conversation.
I am familiar with HDV. Check out my videos on the XL H1s. The quality is very good at 1980i.
Thanks for watching.
@@WaybackRewind I never said it was later. I literally said they were both the last MiniDV camcorders Canon released. There was no single last MiniDV camcorder released by Canon, they released multiple devices on January 5th 2009, two of those devices were the ZR960 and the HV40. The XL H1 line was prosumer, the HV40 was for the consumer line. Nonetheless, I would take the HV40, even over prosumer MiniDV camcorders. Just my opinion, but I think the HV40 was the greatest consumer model MiniDV camcorder ever made. The HV40 was the only consumer HDV camcorder that had 24P just like the prosumer HDV cameras, it had a full size HDMI port. It was basically like a prosumer model made for their consumer line. It is almost like today it is a modern MiniDV consumer grade camcorder.
@@chrisgullett4332 okay got it. Thanks, I'll check it out.
Extremely informative
Thank you and Thanks for watching😊
Joystick is better than touchscreen because the touchscreen eventually stops working😢😢😢
It is true that a touch screen can go bad, but in general, I prefer a touch screen. I find it more intuitive.
Thanks for watching.
I have this exact model! Now if only I could digitize the tapes 🙃🙃🙃
The good news is that the tapes are already digital. The best possible conversion will by my type 2 method. Laptops with firewire are scarce but older laptops will have one. Good luck and thanks for watching.
th-cam.com/video/XW3ooXVkWvE/w-d-xo.htmlsi=BSez-XRGPKYLDrJc
Hi, are new MiniDV cassettes still being produced or is there only remaining stock to buy?
That is a good question. The only fact I could find is that Sony stopped manufacturing mini DV tapes very recently in 2023. It is likely that all we have left is new old stock. They are still for sale at reasonable price in 2024. I suggest you stock up if you need them. VHS-C went out of production in 2016 and are still available new old stock, but getting scarce and expensive.
Thanks for watching.
I love the firewire. USB in those days were a pain to get onto a computer. The video was ( in my opinion) better and sharper. I have 4 computers -3 with firewire. One I put a card in.
Firewire is great. If you have a desktop computer the firewire cards are still available. If you have a laptop there is a solution too. Check out my analog to digital part 7.
Thanks for watching.
Hi! I have the same camrea but I'm not sure where to buy the battery for it because I would love to use it. Do you know where I would be able to fine the battery and it's charger?
I added a link for the battery and charger to the description Thanks for watching.
Mini DV was a good format when it came out.
The arrival of digital format was significant. It allowed nearly lossless editing for the first time. Thanks for watching.
Yup. Fire wire for capture was good. Video, Audio, Deck Control all in one cable.
@bgcreations6995 Yes, being able to copy the files directly from an SD card is nice, but firewire was revolutionary
Regarding what you said about Firewire, I commented on another video of yours about it. A friend told me there are some camcorder models which let you capture footage via USB instead of Firewire. Not sure it's true but if so it's hard to understand which models offered that.
After using an analog to digital convertor box by elgato - I noticed the captured footage isn't impressive to say the least. Also even SD card camcorders like Sony DCR-SX33 had blotchy/muddy footage (which is digital!), But only capturing via firewire gave the best capture quality. But what can you do if you you can't have Firewire? You're asking around about those USB camcorders. Any clue...? :)
I will also reply on the other video regarding the USB transfer.
The early 2000s was a great transition to digital from tape and some formats were better than others. DV was the best of the early digital formats despite being on tape. The transfers over DV were full resolution. The USB was typically not full resolution, it was designed to compete with webcams, which were very low quality back in the dial up internet days.
I wouldn't expect there are any cameras that can transfer DV over USB but you have given me something to investigate. The harddrive and Mini-DVD used highly compressed MPEG-2 which was didn't look very good at all compared to DV.
Thanks for watching.
@@WaybackRewind Thanks so much for your feedback!
Yeah, I'm just looking for that older miniDV / Hi8 kind of look, yet, that it's captured quality won't be that butchered when transferring to PC.
Especially when I need to blow up that footage's size into 1920px or so - you still want things to relatively look intact so I'm looking for a way to do that without firewire (btw, I transferred Hi8 footage via that analog to USB Elgato adapter and in a way the worse footage of a Hi8 felt better than a MiniDV footage, or that Sony DCH-SX33 SD card digital footage that broke up quick. Maybe the worse the footage is- the less you see it breaks when blown up? :)
Anyways, I'm less interested in those newer HD camcorders because they lose all of that special 90's look.
@eladbari some Panasonic models can capture full DV footage over USB, ConsumerDV has a video about it going over the standard here: th-cam.com/video/LGfQpY__F3U/w-d-xo.html
@@hunsbergIt seems reasonable that there may have been a time when full DV capture via USB was a thing. It's hard to say which cameras have that, but it was by no means common. None of mine do that. The USB was there primarily for streaming or photo transfer only.
@@WaybackRewind well panasonic made gs400 and gs500 in the era when usb 2.0 was introduced, this cameras can transfer same signal as firewire (just check output settings for usb on camera there is some webcam mode and DV mode)
😀
How do you put the film onto MacBook?
Depending on the age of your MacBook you probably have a thunderbolt port. Which means you can get a firewire to thunderbolt adapter. This would allow you to connect the camera digitally to the MacBook. Those adapters use thunderbolt 2 so you might need a thunderbolt 2 to thunderbolt 3 adapter as well. After you sort all that out you can capture the files in real time to the computer.
I bought a fire wire to usb adapter
What firewire to USB adapter did you buy? Almost nothing will work if it just rearranges the pins. The only one I know thst works is the Pinnacle movie box. Let me know whst you got.
Thanks.
can this camera record video to sd card?
This is a MiniDV tape camera. Although digital it only records to tape. If you have an external recorder you can record to an SD card, but there is no such provision built-in.
Thanks for watching.
can it play PAL tapes?
I honestly don't know. I don't have any PAL tapes and no way to create any. A search on the interwebs came up empty. If I find out I'll let you know.
Thanks for watching.
No. There were usually PAL cameras made alongside the NTSC models. They would usually add another letter to the end of the model number to indicate the difference. Not interchangeable though...
Thanks. The North American models usually have a "U" in the model number and the European one have and "E".