Laptop as a field monitor

[georgegmacdonald]

My wife and I are video newbies. She would like to shoot videos of her craft lessons to distribute to friends and family. We envision a set up where my wife can shoot the videos without a camera person, using a camcorder mounted on a small tripod and pointed down at the table where she will do the crafts. She would like to be able to see what the camcorder is shooting, preferable on her Mac Laptop, while she is recording. Is using the laptop as a "field monitor" common practice? What features should we look for in the camcorder and in the Mac software, in order to do this? Are here any recommendations for the camcorder, software, or tutorial sites where we can learn more? Thanks for your help!

[edDV]

My wife and I are video newbies. She would like to shoot videos of her craft lessons to distribute to friends and family. We envision a set up where my wife can shoot the videos without a camera person, using a camcorder mounted on a small tripod and pointed down at the table where she will do the crafts. She would like to be able to see what the camcorder is shooting, preferable on her Mac Laptop, while she is recording. Is using the laptop as a "field monitor" common practice? What features should we look for in the camcorder and in the Mac software, in order to do this? Are here any recommendations for the camcorder, software, or tutorial sites where we can learn more? Thanks for your help!

If the camcorder has Firewire out, it can be monitored on any Macbook with a Firewire port. iMovie will work. So will many other programs depending on what you want to do.

If the camcorder lacks a Firewire output, you would need a video capture device for the Mac. You could also use any small TV set with a video input.