I can't download photos/video from my canon FS31 to my macbook air

SOURCE: TRANSFERRING VIDEO FOOTAGE TO COMPUTER

Hello,
you can access via USB only SD card on your camcoder.
The only way to transfer from the tape is via Firewire (IEE 1394) . You should have this port on your PC or laptop, if not you can buy external firewire card .
regards,
Konstantin

SOURCE: Macbook not recognizing camcorder

I had this problem when first plugging in my Canon zr80 to my Mac. What I did first was (if you have it) open up the program Imovie in you're applications menu. Then plug the firewire cable into both the camera and computer. Turn the camcorder on and set it to play(VCR). Once this happens you should see a "DV in" on the camcorders screen, followed by a blue window on you're computer. The rest should be easy.

SOURCE: I would Like to upload

try using USB or Firewire - the mac should detect it.

Alternatively, you could use a flash card reader.

SOURCE: I have a Panasonic PV-GS59

This type of camera usually downloads video over a Firewire (DV, IEEE1394) connection. Some mini-DV cameras have a USB connection but it is used only for stills.

Most PCs have a USB port, but no Firewire port. Macs often have a Firewire port but may not have USB. As most Windows PCs do not come with this interface, you might need to fit an add-on Firewire interface card. This will come with a driver for the card. As you have a MAC, you may already have a port.

Suitable Firewire (DV) cables can easily be found on Amazon or eBay. You will need the kind with a small (four pin) connector at one end and a larger (six pin) connector at the other. My Samsung mini-DV camera came with the correct lead. I did not need a driver, just some sort of video editing software that can accept input. Even Windows Movie Maker that ships with Windows will work.