pass thru or analog to digital converter?

[nerie]

I have some VHS tapes and some 8 mm stuff and am currently using the analog to digital converter option on my canon optura xi to convert to dv. am I better off doing this or buying a analog to digital converter device? is there a difference in quality?

[sitlet]

using your cam should work perfectly fine. you might see a little better quality with an external a/d converter like the Canopus advc-100, but it probably wont be that much. if your willing to spend 300 bucks to get a little better quality, thats up to you