Got an old Panasonic GS120? Here’s how to transfer your video to PC, even if you’re missing the CD that came with the camera.

Our Panasonic GS120 digital video camera was new in 2004 (I think). Our recordings sat on tape for years, because I coudn’t download them to my PC. (Where is that CD? Hmm….)

No worries. With Firewire, Windows Movie Maker, and a laptop running Windows XP, you have all the necessary parts.

A brief method follows. For more detail, see Guy Bruner’s excellent article, “Firewire and the Panasonic 3CCD Camcorder”. With loads of pictures and detailed text, he’ll have you downloading your video without further ado.

Wish I’d known.

Here’s my approach, “Capture your Mini DV Camcorder video with Firewire”

Part 1: Connect camcorder and PC

1) Get a firewire cable: it has 4–pin connectors like this –

2) Get a PC with Windows XP or later, and a 1394 port (it may be marked “1394″). Connect the cable. The port looks like this:

3) Find the DV port on the Panasonic camera and connect the Firewire cable – (I opened the cover under the power supply connector to the right):

4) Power up both PC and camera. Your PC should detect the connection and the camera.

Part 2: Download from Camcorder to PC using Windows Movie Maker

5) Open Windows Movie Maker (WMM).

6) View WMM’s Tasks pane (select Tasks under the menu) and choose “Capture from video device” This will launch the Video Capture Wizard.

7) Choose a filename and folder for the clips you want to save, click “Next”.

 8) On “Video Settings” (screen 2 of the wizard) choose “Best Quality for Playback on my PC”. (I recommend this option because other options produced an “unknown error” message for me). Click “Next”.

9) For “Capture Method (screen 3 of the wizard), choose “Capture parts of the tape manually” and accept the default preview setting if you wish. Click “Next”.

10) Cue your tape to the desired capture point. On “Capture Video” (screen 4 of the wizard) click “Start Capture”. Your camera will begin playback. Leave this screen of the wizard open while video is being captured.

11) Pause the playback at a desired stopping point using the camera or the controls in the Wizard. Click “Finish” on the wizard’s “Capture Video” screen.

12) Edit your clips. WMM should display them in a Collections window, after the wizard imports them and then closes.

For more help, see Bruner’s article. Because I have an important question for you. . . .

How would you charge for this method of downloading editing?

If you love to create video web content for clients like I do, you may have to use an older camera. One of my clients has a gallon bagful of tapes she’d like to use for clips on her website.

One drawback with digital tape — you have to download at play speed. For faster transfers, you have to use a hard-disk style camera. And master a new technique.

Done that too… That’s another article…

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