# Good quality camera w/ mic input?



## hollowbody (Jan 15, 2008)

I'm using a JVC Everio right now to record shows and it's ok, but not great. Anyone out there have any experience with any really great video cameras that either have a good built-in mic, or an input for an external mic?

Ideally, I'd like to do HD, but I'd be open to a standard-def camera that just has a good picture. I bought the JVC to use at home, so I hadn't really done any research on it when it came to recording, but now that I'm looking to do some band demos and stuff, I'd like to get something a little better quality.


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## blam (Feb 18, 2011)

I have a Canon 5D mark II. its great and you can get an external mic on it, but a very pricey set up. fantastic in low light.

I have a Panasonic HDC-TM700 here at work. it's nice and i believe you can get an external mic for it as well. the video quality is pretty good as well. I could take it home and record something for you if you like?

the built in mic probably isn't the best though.

when it comes to recording gigs you need something that can handle low light, and your average consumer video camera wont be great in low light.


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## hollowbody (Jan 15, 2008)

blam said:


> I have a Canon 5D mark II. its great and you can get an external mic on it, but a very pricey set up. fantastic in low light.
> 
> I have a Panasonic HDC-TM700 here at work. it's nice and i believe you can get an external mic for it as well. the video quality is pretty good as well. I could take it home and record something for you if you like?
> 
> ...


Haha, yes, I've found that out. 

The Canon is a touch beyond my budget. I have a Nikon D40 and my JVC Everio that I can possibly sell to raise some cash and add a bit on top to get something decent. I've been thinking about a DSLR that shoots video, but didn't know if they took external mics. Apparently they do 

I've seen a few recommendations for the Kodak Zi8, it's pretty cheap (almost frighteningly so), does HD (in a manner) and has an external mic input. But is it any good??? For the price tag, I'm guessing NO, but you never know.


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## blam (Feb 18, 2011)

jump on youtube and find low light samples of any camcorder you're interested in. there's a good chance you wont find any with a decent mic for gigs and stuff if it offers external you dont need one. you'd want it to be somewhat directional anyways.


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## bw66 (Dec 17, 2009)

If you're happy with the video quality, but just not the sound quality, it might be worth your while to buy a decent audio recorder and sync the audio to the video on your computer. There was a good article in Acoustic Guitar Magazine a few months ago that explained how to do it. If I get a moment I'll try and find the exact issue and post a link.


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## hollowbody (Jan 15, 2008)

bw66 said:


> If you're happy with the video quality, but just not the sound quality, it might be worth your while to buy a decent audio recorder and sync the audio to the video on your computer. There was a good article in Acoustic Guitar Magazine a few months ago that explained how to do it. If I get a moment I'll try and find the exact issue and post a link.


Yeah, I've done that at home and it's an option, but the I'm no so much "happy" with the video, it's more that it's tolerable. I would definitely prefer finding something that does a higher rez and captures club conditions better as well as getting a much better sound. Currently, my mic clips way too easily and the sound is compressed like crazy. I'm not expecting wonders here, but I would like something that doesn't sound offensive to me


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## jimihendrix (Jun 27, 2009)

The Zoom Q3 HD is supposed to be an awesome unit....


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## seanmj (May 9, 2009)

I have the Q3 HD... so far it's been pretty good. The major drawback is the lens is pretty small... and it doesn't zoom in that far. 

For audio, you can adjust the sensitivity of the mic... which I forgot to do on my last show... as I had it set to hi... so everything was distorted making the audio useless even for youtube. I will hopefully have some better results posted in August/September.

The picture/vid is pretty decent. There's a few lighting options for different situations... so if you have a little or a lot of light present... it will do a fairly decent job.

The line in is a bit useless. I initially thought it would at least be 1/4 inch... but it's an 1/8th inch jack... and I don't even know if it's mono or stereo. I was hoping it would be stereo... but the jury's still out on that. The 1/8th inch format really puts a damper on plugging anything useful into it.

Sean Meredith-Jones
www.seanmeredithjones.com


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## 4345567 (Jun 26, 2008)

__________


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## Chito (Feb 17, 2006)

I have an older model, the Canon HF200. It takes great videos but needs an external mic. Recording directly using the built-in mic is not too bad but I connect an Audio Technica AT 825 which actually comes with a 1/8in jack adaptor.


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## shoretyus (Jan 6, 2007)

We had a Canon HFR10 that my wife bought for under $300 in the fall that has not bad internal mic and as an input for mic. I have also run in a line from my recording rig..

YouTube - ‪shoretyus's Channel‬&rlm;


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## flashPUNK (Feb 16, 2006)

Just throwing this out there... My iPhone 4 is great. You can get tripod mounts for them now: google 'The Glif'.


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## hollowbody (Jan 15, 2008)

nkjanssen said:


> Anybody here try the Canon HF M300?





Chito said:


> I have an older model, the Canon HF200. It takes great videos but needs an external mic. Recording directly using the built-in mic is not too bad but I connect an Audio Technica AT 825 which actually comes with a 1/8in jack adaptor.


Sounds interesting. They looks pretty decent and not too bad a price. Chito, thanks for mentioning the AT825. I'll be looking at some mics as well once I decide on a camera.



flashPUNK said:


> Just throwing this out there... My iPhone 4 is great. You can get tripod mounts for them now: google 'The Glif'.


Yeah, the mic limiter is pretty decent on my 3GS and it does ok video, but it's not great in dark rooms. I've been playing with mine at rehearsals to see how it does. The Tripod attachment is cool, though. Thanks! 



shoretyus said:


> We had a Canon HFR10 that my wife bought for under $300 in the fall that has not bad internal mic and as an input for mic. I have also run in a line from my recording rig..
> 
> YouTube - ‪shoretyus's Channel‬&rlm;


Was that with the internal mic? I thought it was from the board, but when the camera went by the tambourine, the tambourine faded in and out.


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## Rick31797 (Apr 20, 2007)

Chito, i have the same video camera, bought it because of the external mic.. but found out it ends up recording mono.. so i order a splitter to run to mics, too see how that works, thought the internal mics were not too bad.. what i didnt know is.. when u hook up an external mic too it, there is no way too control the record volume.... so recording a loud band may not be good, also changing the MOV file too wmv. so win media can play it is a pain.., but overall it not bad..


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