Help with Panasonic MiniDV PV-GS29

lmsweb · Member Joined: 17 Apr 2007 Location: Canada

Hi all!
Hoping you can help as I am a newbie to this!
I recently purchased a "used" Panasonic MiniDV PV-GS29 camcorder. I say used, but in actuality it was won in a raffle and the owner never actually used it. Unfortunately, she had lost the software CD that came with it. I bought it specifically to take to Cuba a few weeks ago to record our trip for my Mom back home here (long story short, she is terminally ill and couldn't come with us, but really wanted to be "part" of my 6 year old daughters trip)

I went out and bought a FireWire cord, and on the front of my PC there is an IEEE1394 port. I have various video editing software programs including Pinnacle, Windows Movie Maker, etc. However none of them are detecting the camcorder when it is plugged in. I do have the camcorder set to playback mode.

Can anyone offer any help or advice at all? I even downloaded WinDV and IT won't recognize that the camcorder is plugged in either. I have over 2 hours of footage that I would really like to make into a movie for my mom to see (apparantly the 300 plus photos I took with my digital camera aren't enough LOL

Many, many thanks for any and all advice you can offer. I've been reading here and did a search but none of the previous threads seem to address my specific issue.

Lisa

ScorpioDragon · Member Joined: 11 Dec 2004 Location: Laguna Niguel, CA

If you have Windows XP, it should automatically recognize it when you plug it in.

EDIT:
I have a PV-GS35 that I purchased over a year ago and fortunately have not had any problems with it. It sounds like the connection on your cam may be defective, since it seems other people have had problems with their Panasonic. You may have to take it to the shop if all else fails.
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cdb · Member Joined: 28 Feb 2003

If you plug the firewire cable into the camcorder and into your firewire port, and turn on the camcorder WITHOUT any video editing software running, you should still hear the Windows sound and (at least the first time) see the "found new hardware" icon in your system tray that indicate that Windows "sees" the camcorder. If this doesn't happen then no software will be able to capture from the camcorder. You may need to use the A/C connection to power the camcorder. Or power off the camcorder, remove and reconnect the cable at both ends, then power the camcorder up again.

I have a Panasonic PV-GS35 (and a Canon GL-2) and (with both) sometimes the firewire connection doesn't "take" the first time, or will inexplicably drop if I have it on but don't use it for a few minutes. It has never dropped while capturing though.

festmaster · Member 1st Class Joined: 16 Aug 2004 Location: Charlotte

I have the PV-GS39 and have had terrible problems with the Firewire connection. There was an addendum sheet stuck in my owners manual that warned that the firewire connection should only be connected while both the camera and computer were powered off. The computer was to be started first and then the camera. Only then is it safe to start to capture or the firewire port can short out. Sure enough, I didn't look at the sheet until my firewire port on the camera shorted, and none of my computers could see the camera. I spent a bunch of time with Panasonic on the phone to get them to pay for the labor on the repair. Once I received the repaired unit it only took 4 weeks before the firewire port shorted out again.

Bottom line seems to be that this line of Panasonic cameras has a design flaw on the firewire connection. I won't even try to get this repaired again.
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mikeheffner · Member Joined: 29 Apr 2007 Location: United States

I recently received a Pansonic PV-GS29 as a gift. I've read that some owners are attempting to xfer to their pc using firewire. I was/am under the impression transfer from the GS29 is not possible at all. True? Untrue? Where are you even plugging into on the cam? Any help would be awesome. I almost don't want this thing b/c I cant transfer and edit on my pc.