8mm film, to digital, to firewire

[Jack Honeycutt]

Hello all....

This may be  a specialized question, but I am not sure where to start to 
look for a answer.  Perhaps someone can refer me.

The issue:

I have some old 8mm film I want to burn to DVD (with iDVD).  I have read a 
bit on the process.  I project my 8mm, film it with my digital video camera 
(Canon Optura 20)  then pump the video into my Mac via the firewire 
port.  Edit it, then burn it.

I have a G4 700 Mhz Sonnet processor, 1GB of RAM, and a EIDE high speed 
controller card connected to 160GB 7200 RPM HD.  The controller card is a 
Sonnet Tempo Trio card which is a firewire, USB and EIDE controller card 
that plugs into a empty PCI slot:

http://www.sonnettech.com/product/tempo_trio.html

My Mac is a Power Mac 7600.  Bus speed is 50Mhz. I am running Jaguar 10.2.6

I know I can do the above,  but here is my question:

Can I take the output from my digital video camera, and bypass the tape, 
and go directly into the firewire port, and onto my HD?

Will I drop frames?  Do I care if I drop a few frames?  Will my eye see a 
difference between dumping digital tape into the firewire port verses a 
direct feed from my digital video camera into the firewire port (no tape)??

I  am going to call Sonnet tomorrow to see what they can tell me. I don't 
know if the firewire feed goes from the firewire port, right to the ribbon 
cable (on the same card) the feeds my HD, or if it goes into the 50Mhz bus, 
and then into the HD.  I think if the video has to travel the old, slow, 
50Mhz bus I am screwed.  But if it does not, maybe I have a chance.

This Sonnet Tempo Trio card is quite smart (it should be; it cost about 
$170), so I wonder if the 50Mhz bus of my old computer even comes into 
play....????

I have done the above in Windows (converted 8mm film to DVD) but I want to 
do this on my Mac.  I just don't know enough about how the Mac works to 
figure out if it can take a live feed or not (with out dumping a ton of 
frames).

Will I drop a frame now and then?  Will I drop a bunch of frames?  Will it 
take all the frames?  I don't know how to tell.

Any advice, web links, mailing lists, or referrals appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

jack in Portland Oregon