what software are you usin

what software are you using? A lot of times you have to connect the camera and set it to Playback/VCR mode (or whatever your camera calls it) before you launch your editing software.

You know if your computer has recognized the camcorder if you go to the Apple at the top left corner of the screen, Go to “About This Mac” > More Info > Firewire (left side) > see if your camcorder is in the list of hardware connected though firewire.