How do i find a card for my camcorder?

Help! How can I download footage from my Samsung MiniDV Digital Cam? Do I need a memory card?

• We bought this camcorder the other day and I can't figure out how to get the footage off the tape. I downloaded the codec and driver programs that came with the cam, but when I hook it up with the USB nothing happens. I can't even find the programs to try to open from there. I know they're installed for sure, though, because they show up on Add/Remove Programs. I'm trying to translate the instructions, do I need to buy a memory card or can I transfer off tape? How do I get this footage off my camcorder???

• Answer:

  The easiest way is to use the firewire port on the DV camera. When you use the USB port there are sometimes audio/video sync problems. I much prefer using the firewire port. Connect it to your computer and your computer will see it and recognize it as a device. Use your software to transfer the images from the tape to your computer. This is easiest done when using software such as Pinnacle studio 10. You can capture the footage into this program, then edit it and make it into a DVD! The basic version only costs around $80 (Best Buy). The software is consumer based so it is easy to learn and grows with you as you learn it. I've created many videos with this software. Hope this helps!