USB3 v IEEE1394a

[GerryB]

Good day to you all,
I'm in the initial stages of buying a new laptop which I will use to record video live from a Canon HV40. At present I use the IEEE1394a connection and a six year old Dell Latitude.
Looking at the new Dell laptops only the very top of the range now come with IEEE1394 and the Dell sales rep says that using USB3 with an adaptor to IEEE1394 will work.
If I remember correctly Adobe Premier Elements and Pro are very particular about the connection for recording video to the HDD, so does anyone have any experience of using USB3 to IEE1394 with Premier Elements or Pro?
Looking around the various sources it seems that IEEE1394 is becoming a redundant technology!!
Many thanks,
Gerry

[Steve Grisetti]

No, a USB connection with an IEEE-1394 adaptor will not work as a true FireWire connection.

With the camcorder, I'd insist on a true FireWire port.

[sidd finch]

you can always use an Express Card with a firewire input. I have used these a lot and they have worked really well.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/7 ... press.html

Sidd

[GerryB]

Steve, Sidd,
Many thanks for the replies.
Looking at the Dells and Sonys today Firewire and Express card slots are consigned to history.
Dell do a Gaming range of laptops which are supposed to have a Firewire port but it does not show on the Tech Spec.
Speaking with a local PC builder even he cannot get laptop chassis and mother boards with Firewire.
I may have to keep my old Dell Inspirin in service with PreEl3 running.
Mac Books use a Thunderbolt interface to provide Firewire but that must suffer from the same drawbacks as the USB-Firewire adaptor.
What is the world coming to?
Best wishes,
Gerry

[Chuck Engels]

Lots of the new laptops don't come with express card ports anymore either.

[GerryB]

Thanks for the replies above.

Talking with a friend who is a MAC user we got on to Firewire connections, naturally, and he says that MACs come with Firewire 800 port which does not look like the 4 pin or 6 pin connector that I'm used to seeing. I now realise that the 1394a is a "400" connection and the 1394b is an "800" connection and there are leads and adaptors to connect 400 leads to the 800 port. My question is, "does the 400 port connection on a camera to the 800 connection on a MAC act as straight forward Firewire link and not cause complications with Adobe saving live video to HDD?

Many thanks in advance.

Gerry