P2 Adapter to Macbook Pro 10.6 OS X Snow Leopard ?

G

Gustavo Caraveo

New member
Hey Guys,

I just recently broke my Powerbook G4 and I started looking into the new Macbook Pro laptops... I know this has been asked and pretty much its "like beating a dead horse" but I'm looking into getting an adapter or some kind of answer. I've been searching fourms like crazy the last couple of days and everybody is saying the Panasonic P2 PCMCIA card to Expresscard adapter/reader (retaill value $120) isnt compatible with Mac 10.6 OS X Snow Leopard..

1. Heres the thing, most of the post/threads that I read are from a year ago... so has the driver been created/problem fixed?

2. I know people has been talking about the AJ-PCD2GPJ but at 350? thats a little steep...

3. Also theres people who have went to the route of buying a laptop with pcmi port but thats not really an option since all my money is going to the new macbook pro..

Sorry to ask but no threads or posts recently have been able to answer this question.. most posts are from a 1 year ago...

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated..

thanks,
Gustavo Caraveo
gcaraveo@hotmail.com
 
Well, all you really need is a FireWire cable. You can mount the camera directly and transfer files. The down side is, you tie up the camera while doing it. Would be a fix until you can get an adaptor.
 
Use the cam's USB2 or FW connect mode. Other than that based on your needs and budgets, you would have to buy extra cards. I think the PCD2GPJ is a bargain, but that's my view.
 
youre not looking hard enough. this has been answered. i know, because ive answered it at least twice. but im happy to answer again because its easy ; )
if you are going to stay on mac (which is an approach i greatly support!) you have like 3 realistic options. listed in order of what i would do:

1. get a new MBPro and just lay out the extra cash for the panasonic usb adapter
NOTE: if you dont NEED the extra performance of the brand new i5 or i7 macbook pro, you can pick up a refurbed 2.66 "last seasons model" direct from apple for about $1800. i consider apples refurb stuff actually BETTER than new. because each unit has actually been tested before shipping.

2. get another old G4 powerbook

3. get a new or new ish 17" MBPro and use the duel adapter.
BUT this will require you to buy a copy of OSX leopard (thats leopard, NOT snow leopard) and erase and reinstall with the older OS.
NOTE: im not sure whether the brand new i5 and i7 models will run with leopard or not. id call apple sales and find out first...

4. simply connect the camera to your new macbook pro via usb or firewire. i dont consider this a real option, because i think its ridiculous to think you can just stop production for 10, 20, 30 minutes or more while you transfer a card.
 
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hey i'm new to this so i just want to verify - i have a macbook pro that's running OS X 10.4 Tiger, and obviously does not have a PCMCIA slot. I can just connect the HVX200 via a firewire cable to my laptop while the P2 card is in there and get the files off it that way?

thanks
 
There is one more option:

Direct download from the cam (host mode) to a powered HDD. This is a pretty good option if you don't want to take your laptop, or if the drive is crowded. If this interests you, search and you'll find advice on this, but the consensus is to avoid the cheap drives from the box stores.

Grant
 
hey, thanks for both of your guys' advice. i've got a lacie 500gb "rugged" drive, which i was advised was a solid buy, do you think that would do the trick as an offloading solution for the field?

is there anything i need to do to it to get it field ready?

thanks!
 
Dual Adaptor on a brand new MBP is possible, but painfully convoluted.

I boot from an external HDD over firewire800, running OSX 10.5. Then connect Dual Adaptor and P2 media. Transfer via P2CMS.

Its very temperamental.


Jason
 
I just got a new Macbook Pro Core i7 running Snow Leopard to replace my April 2008 model MBP which was running Leopard. My plan was to give my father my old machine because he wants a Mac (he is currently using a four year-old Dell laptop for work... just simple word processing, e-mail, web browsing, etc.) and I have already promised to give it to him. I intend to keep this promise, but it means that I need a second machine for offloading footage if I'm to use my Duel Adapter to transfer footage.

My question is probably one that's rather simple to answer, but not being an expert on these matters I'm not really sure how exactly to phrase it. What I want to know is which specific Powerbook G4s should I be looking at as options for transfering. Because I will be offloading to Mac-formatted external hard drives I want to use a second Mac for this purpose rather than getting a PC, but I want to spend as little as possible. Are there particular models/releases of the G4 Powerbooks that won't work? What specs should I be looking for in order to identify a compatible machine?

Thanks so much for humouring a newbie. :)
 
which specific Powerbook G4s should I be looking at as options for transfering
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to my knowledge, ANY pcmcia slot equipped powerbook G4 should be ok. i know i tested it out with my dads old, OLD like 800mhz 15" and it read the card just fine.

BUT why get a second mac? why not just get the new panasonic single slot usb 2.0 reader for your macbook pro?
http://www.spec-comm.com/store/index.php?l=product_detail&p=3684

if youre just dead set on an old powerbook G4 i'll sell you my tried and true P2 offload workhorse (sound doesnt work and lid wont fully close) for $200
 
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Thank you very much for the help, wgzn. In that case I will begin scouring ebay and Craigslist for a good deal. :)

[EDIT]I suppose that I think that having a second system will offer the added benefit of allowing me not to bring my nice, new machine on set with me. That means that if (heaven forbid) something goes wrong on set and damage is caused to my machine at least it won't be the computer that I edit on. It will be a cheaper, more replaceable machine.
 
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the added benefit of allowing me not to bring my nice, new machine on set with me.
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very, VERY wise of you. but what if you have to edit on site? if you go the old powerbook route, id suggest getting the 1.5 ghz version. i forget what it is, but there is something my old 1.0 ghz machine wont do. maybe its the newest version of quicktime or fcp or whatever. but i know theres something...

there is one MAJOR thing: my old 1.0 ghz machine works GREAT for offloading. but only having usb1.0 (as opposed to usb2.0 of the new unibody models) is a DRAG. because clients often bring usb2.0 drives for offloading their footage - and usb1.0 is SSSSSLLLLLLOOOOWWWWW!
so i have to keep a small fleet of firewire800 drives on hand i can send them off with...

i had a shiny new unibody macbook pro about 8 months ago and it was stolen on set. they got the machine, power supply, camera charger AND the clients hard drive...

we had shot there repeatedly with no incidents... i guess the wise thing is dont get too comfy!

if you take your machine on set - LOCK it with a security cable to something clumsy - like a chair. or an elk... and get one of those motion sensor alarms that make a piercing shrill sound if the machine is disturbed...

at least it won't be the computer that I edit on
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oh, if your MBPro is your ONLY or at least primary edit machine. i would NEVER think of bringing it on set...
 
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Great advice all around, man. Thanks again. In that case I will limit my search to the 1.5GHz models so that I can have USB 2.0 ports.

Editing on set hasn't ever been an issue for me personally so being able to run FCP at all (let alone well) isn't something that matters very much to me. I just need something that I can dump footage onto without using my camera (HPX 170) as the transfer station.

To this point all of my experience shooting has been my own shorts and a few projects that I've shot for friends so taking the time to transfer an hour or so of footage from several P2 cards via USB 2.0 (I suppose what I mean is directly from the camera, but I am not sure if I'm phrasing this in the right way) while I eat lunch really wouldn't be such a big deal in most cases. However, I am planning to shoot a documentary about an amateur axe throwing league here in Toronto in the coming weeks and I want to be able to shoot constantly over the course of several hours with just brief breaks to start transfers. It's important to me not to miss any cool footage. This is why I need some kind of solution that allows me to keep shooting while I transfer footage.

Your suggestion seems like the best one.

[EDIT]Yeah, my new MBP the only editing machine that I own.

Also, I just found this auction. If it stays under $600 or so I might just go for it since based on other prices I've seen so far it looks like a heck of a deal. It's a bit more machine than I need, but i would be able to run FCP on it to edit in a pinch should the need arise.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Near-Mint-15-Ap...ViewItem&pt=Apple_Laptops&hash=item3cae2479ab
 
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In that case I will limit my search to the 1.5GHz models so that I can have USB 2.0 ports.
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whoa. i didnt say that the 1.5ghz had usb2.0. in fact, as i recall - it does NOT. but it does have some spec that my 1.0ghz machine does not. im sorry, i forget what that is... maybe its just that 1.5ghz non-intel chip is the lowest spec fcp will work with? all i KNOW is that the version of fcp i use on my desktop machine wont launch on my 1.0 powerbook

i think that older (non-unibody) entry level macbook pros had usb 2.0. and you can find those online for under a grand. WAIT - those didnt have the PCMCIA SLOT... so nevermind that - unless you wanna go the whole duel adapter route... and few people would suggest that!

but really. my old 1.0ghz machine gets used every week. without problem. just forego the whole usb thing and get you a couple firewire800 drives. one for you and one to hand off to clients (if you think that would be needed)

i use these all the time:
http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Other%20World%20Computing/MS8U7500GB16/
 
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My mistake. Firewire would be a better idea. I have just bought my hard drives from shops normally and it's becoming harder and harder to find them. That said (duh... *smacks self on forehead*) if I'm thinking about buying a machine online then getting some Firewire drives at the same time of course isn't an issue.
 
would using a PCMCIA USB2.0 adapter solve your problem?
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yeah it would - as long as the adapter was compatible with the old non-intel machine.

the only drawback would be that tying up the pcmcia slot would mean youd first have to copy the P2 card to your computer. eject the card. insert the adapter and connect the drive then copy the card AGAIN to the external hard drive. PITA from where i stand ; )

easiest option in my opinion would be:

get an old pcmcia and fw800 equipped powerbook and a firewire800 drive (or three)
 
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I have just bought my hard drives from shops normally
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"shops" you must be in the UK?

no. not hard to find at all. i get nearly all my production drives from macsales.com
here in the US i order one day and they arrive a day or 3 later... no probs.
 
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