Camera Interfaces

In addition to removing video tapes and putting them in a player, many cameras have output jacks. Some cameras will have a Composite RCA jack that you can plug directly into Analog video gear. Sometimes cameras will have Composite out via a 3.5mm to RCA adapter. Note however that there are several standards of the 3.5mm to RCA; so make sure you have the right one for your camera. Newer, digital, cameras may have Firewire (aka IEEE 1394), Thunderbolt, Thunderbolt2 etc. Converting these protocols to modern USB, USB-C, Thunderbolt3 or HDMI can be confusing because many of the adapters look similar but are a mess of incompatibilities. This section hopes to share knowledge on getting these protocols working with modern computers. See also the section on Video Connectors The yellow jack we are all familiar with now. Some cameras will have a 3.5mm jack that outputs Composite, see Video connectors for a discussion of 3.5mm adapters. A digital standard that may be found on DV cameras, recorders and monitors. (also some VTR units) Apple Thunderbolt To Firewire Adapter MD464LL/A B&H Photo Video https://www.studio1productions.com/Articles/Firewire-1.htm Firewire support might be dropped in macOS 26 (Tahoe) https://www.macrumors.com/2025/06/19/macos-tahoe-beta-drops-firewire-support/ Found on iphones and ipads; converting this to USB To connect to USB peripherals, the Apple Camera Connection Kit is recommended. Lightning to USB 3 Camera Adapter - Apple Connect USB-C Hub to iPhone | USB-C to Lightning | haQ attaQ Shares connector shape with Thunderbolt1 and Thunderbolt2. Mini DisplayPort vs Thunderbolt: What’s the Difference? Connector is physically identical to Mini DisplayPort. Shares connector shape with Thunderbolt1 and Thunderbolt2. Displayport 1.2 USB-C connector Displayport 1.2 (optionally Displayport 1.4) Can drive two external 4k 60Hz displays USB-C connector DisplayPort 2.0 Can drive two external 4k 60Hz displays (perhaps more.) A thunderbolt 4 PCIE card, requires that the motherboard supply additional data connectors to support Thunderbolt 4 On MacOS you can use the following command to get information about connected Thunderbolt Devices. system_profiler SPThunderboltDataType USB-C refers to the physical connector. Many different types of signals may be carried over this connector and not all of them are compatible. This is very confusing.