Q. Ok, I've asked questions about camcorders, microphones, and webcams that have good sound quality. And I've found the perfect thing, a Panasonic HDC-SD100 HD Digital Camcorder. But guess what, it costs a little less than 1000 dollars. And thats too much. Is there any other camcorders that are similar to this one, but has a little smaller price tag? I'm okay with bad video quality, but I need the sound quality.
A. Here's a bit of camcorder insight: no matter how much you spend on a camcorder, the built-in mic sucks! Obviously some are better than others, but none would be sufficient for real professional stuff. Built-in mics have an omni-directional pickup pattern which means it picks up sound in every direction. It sounds nice, but it's not. You pick up annoying background noise, and the overall sound is unfocused and quite has quite a bit of echo. So my advice is to get the cheapest camcorder with a 3.5mm mini-stereo microphone input which will allow you to connect external mics...
Some cheap** ones: Canon ZR series (starting at $200-ish. But not all have the mic input, so make sure of that. I know the ZR40 has one, as well as the newer models the ZR900 and ZR930. If I'm correct, the older models of Canon Opturas have them as well (like the Optura 10). I believe the Panasonic PV GS500-ish (can't remember the exact number) has one too.
Your cheapest option is to get the ZR900 (or if you can find a used model of the ZR40 or Optura 10).
Now that you've save a lot o money, you have more to spend on a good external mic. If you want to go the cheap route, get a nice mini-stereo shotgun:
1) RODE VideoMic
2) Sennheiser MKE300
3) Azden SGM-X
4) Audio-Technica ATR-55
If you want the absolute best audio, get an XLR adapter (the good kind, not those crappy XLR female to mini-male cables) like those made by Beachtek for around $180, and get a pro XLR mic:
1) Sennheiser ME66
2) RODE NTG-2 (or NTG-1)
the Azden SGM-1X is pretty good too, and cheap :)
Hope that helps!!!
Some cheap** ones: Canon ZR series (starting at $200-ish. But not all have the mic input, so make sure of that. I know the ZR40 has one, as well as the newer models the ZR900 and ZR930. If I'm correct, the older models of Canon Opturas have them as well (like the Optura 10). I believe the Panasonic PV GS500-ish (can't remember the exact number) has one too.
Your cheapest option is to get the ZR900 (or if you can find a used model of the ZR40 or Optura 10).
Now that you've save a lot o money, you have more to spend on a good external mic. If you want to go the cheap route, get a nice mini-stereo shotgun:
1) RODE VideoMic
2) Sennheiser MKE300
3) Azden SGM-X
4) Audio-Technica ATR-55
If you want the absolute best audio, get an XLR adapter (the good kind, not those crappy XLR female to mini-male cables) like those made by Beachtek for around $180, and get a pro XLR mic:
1) Sennheiser ME66
2) RODE NTG-2 (or NTG-1)
the Azden SGM-1X is pretty good too, and cheap :)
Hope that helps!!!
Can someone help me find a camcorder that allows for good sound quality?
Q. Hi!
I'm looking for a camcorder cheaper than £350 that has good sound quality, as I want to record live classical music. I know this means I need an external mic, so if someone knows of a camcorder which is good and allows for external mic, plus a mic worth spending money on, please let me know :)
thanks!
I'm looking for a camcorder cheaper than £350 that has good sound quality, as I want to record live classical music. I know this means I need an external mic, so if someone knows of a camcorder which is good and allows for external mic, plus a mic worth spending money on, please let me know :)
thanks!
A. What is needed is manual audio gain control and good location of the mic(s).
It also depends on what sort of classical music. Solo, duet, trio, quartet, chamber music, etc. will have requirements different than a full orchestra.
There are a few entry level Canon camcorders (FS series, maybe one in the MV series) that have a 1/8" (3.5mm) stereo mic jack. But they do not have manual audio gain control.
The reason you need manual audio gain control is that even acoustic - classical - music can get loud enough to overdrive the automatic audio gain circuit - the result will be muddy audio and "static" (audio peaking at the loud passages).
Just because a camcorder has a mic jack, that does not mean it also has manual audio control.
It is possible to use the camcorder's internal built-in mics successfully - but the location of the camcorder (hence the location of the mics) is important because of the stereo separation and balance. With external mics, they can be located away from the camcorder... But even built-in mics need manual audio control. I guess the point I am trying to make is external mics are not a "hard and fast rule".
There are some Sony camcorders in your budget range that have a very rudimentary "MicRefLevel" menu toggle for "Normal" or "Low" gain. I am not aware of any SOny camcorders in your budget range that have an audio-in jack. There are some Canon camcorders in your price range that have a similar "Mic Attenuation" toggle.
The least expensive camcorder - of which I am am aware - with a mic jack and more granular manual audio control is the Canon HV40.
Another option is to use whatever camcorder you want - but record the audio with an external audio "field recorder" like those from Zoom, Edirol, Tascam, M-Audio and many others. These generally have built-in mics - and can connect external mics if required. All have manual audio control. When you import the video for editing, import the audio from the field recorder, sync the audio, then mute the audio that came in with the video...
It also depends on what sort of classical music. Solo, duet, trio, quartet, chamber music, etc. will have requirements different than a full orchestra.
There are a few entry level Canon camcorders (FS series, maybe one in the MV series) that have a 1/8" (3.5mm) stereo mic jack. But they do not have manual audio gain control.
The reason you need manual audio gain control is that even acoustic - classical - music can get loud enough to overdrive the automatic audio gain circuit - the result will be muddy audio and "static" (audio peaking at the loud passages).
Just because a camcorder has a mic jack, that does not mean it also has manual audio control.
It is possible to use the camcorder's internal built-in mics successfully - but the location of the camcorder (hence the location of the mics) is important because of the stereo separation and balance. With external mics, they can be located away from the camcorder... But even built-in mics need manual audio control. I guess the point I am trying to make is external mics are not a "hard and fast rule".
There are some Sony camcorders in your budget range that have a very rudimentary "MicRefLevel" menu toggle for "Normal" or "Low" gain. I am not aware of any SOny camcorders in your budget range that have an audio-in jack. There are some Canon camcorders in your price range that have a similar "Mic Attenuation" toggle.
The least expensive camcorder - of which I am am aware - with a mic jack and more granular manual audio control is the Canon HV40.
Another option is to use whatever camcorder you want - but record the audio with an external audio "field recorder" like those from Zoom, Edirol, Tascam, M-Audio and many others. These generally have built-in mics - and can connect external mics if required. All have manual audio control. When you import the video for editing, import the audio from the field recorder, sync the audio, then mute the audio that came in with the video...
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