Is it possible to use the VV30a Capture Utility to capture footage from an analog video camera connected to my Canon XL1s camera? So basically, I'm using my Canon XL1s camera as a converter from analog to digital. Will this idea work?
I capture analog all the time using my Sony TRV-11, which has the analog passthrough. To really make this feature work, your camera not only needs to be able to accept analog input, but also should be able to pass it through directly to the 1394/Firewire cable, without first recording it to tape (some cameras can only record analog to tape -- this works, but it takes a lot more time and adds wear to your tape mechanism).
I usually take out the tape whenever I'm capturing from analog, or printing back directly to analog (VHS/SVHS). This way, I don't risk accidentally writing to tape. Also, if you forget to follow the advice in the earlier post (to turn off camera control), every time you start an analog capture, the capture program will start your DV tape rolling.