Wed Aug 16, 2017 10:45 am
This "pass-through" method is one that I used in the late '90s and early '00s and - as you correctly say - it does tend to work OK because the incoming signal is corrected by the input converter in the camcorder. However, you're a bit limited in that you only have either a DV-MOV (Apple) or DV-AVI (Windows) file at the other end of the FireWire cable due to the very nature of the interface, and the DV stream is subject to a 5:1 compression by default.
Blackmagic Teranex 2D, Ultrastudio Express, Intensity Shuttle (Thunderbolt), Two H.264 Pro Recorders (Mac OSX) & lots of old VTRs used for digital archiving of legacy video formats for major libraries, broadcasters, universities and public archives.