Canon VR70 camcorder not recognized by OS X, how to download movie?

[Sheilagh Ann]

I have a Canon ZR70 camcorder that I used with no problem in earlier iMac versions. My OS X does not recognize the camera in media in iMovie when I connect it. The camera is not listed as a compatible device. I don't see any instructions on how to troubleshoot this problem Do I have to download the miniDV videotape some other way? And how do I get it into iMovie to edit and share?

 

[Cory Cooper]

Hello and welcome.

-Which model Mac?
-Which version of OS X/macOS?
-Which version of iMovie?

I am not familiar with that model Canon...how old it it, and is that the correct model number? Could it be a ZR70 instead?

C

 

[Sheilagh Ann]

Hello and welcome.

-Which model Mac?
-Which version of OS X/macOS?
-Which version of iMovie?

I am not familiar with that model Canon...how old it it, and is that the correct model number? Could it be a ZR70 instead?

C

You're right it's a ZR70 at least 10 years old. The Mac is OX S El Capitan, version 10.11.6. iMovie is Version 10.1.6

 

[Cory Cooper]

Yeah, that is one of the older DV (IEEE1394) FireWire equipped cameras. Later versions of iMovie dropped support for them.

Even if you upgraded to iMovie 10.1.6, you may still have a copy of the older iMovie '11 (9.x) in your Applications folder. Do you see it? If so, you could use it to capture the video from the Canon.

C

 

[Sheilagh Ann]

Yeah, that is one of the older DV (IEEE1394) FireWire equipped cameras. Later versions of iMovie dropped support for them.

Even if you upgraded to iMovie 10.1.6, you may still have a copy of the older iMovie '11 (9.x) in your Applications folder. Do you see it? If so, you could use it to capture the video from the Canon.

C

I don't see any older versions. Can I download one somehow? If not, any suggestions on how to get the movie out of the camcorder and on to something (flash drive?) that will download to the current version of iMovie?

 

[Cory Cooper]

Unfortunately, there isn't any official way to download the older version. It was available on an install disc, so if you happen to still have the, you could try to see if it would install.

I don't know of any way to copy the tape to a flash drive other than via the Mac. Maybe if you have access to another computer, you could use it as an interim step. Or, there may be third-party software that can capture the video from the Canon, but I have extremely limited experience with digital video.

C

 

[Sheilagh Ann]

Okay, thanks for your help. This iMac doesn't have a disc drive, which I do miss. I actually still have the iMac that I replaced with this one. If I hook it up and download to the earlier version of iMovie, will it be appear in the new version of iMac on the other computer?

 

[Cory Cooper]

No worries.

If you hook up the other iMac, and use the old version of iMovie, you can import the video from the Canon. Then, you can copy the file to an external hard/flash drive, and move it to the new one and import it to iMovie.

This may help:

C