Does my camcorder have an xlr adapter for audio inputs?

Q. I have a Canon vixia hf100 camcorder HD, Thanks in advance

A. From the canon site - AV Mini Terminal/Headphone Terminal3.5 mm 4 pole Mini-jack - is what this camcorder has. You can get a Microphone with a XLR end on it, simply get a cord with a XLR end on one end and a 3.5 MM end on the other end. Or go XLR to XLR, get a mixer and then then cable to camera from there.

See what i use to capture audio - http://asimplelife.ca/boss.html

Original Question

Good Digital HD camera with XLR input?

Q. I need a good Digital HD camera to shoot impromptu scenes, and I'd prefer it have some XLR input for recording audio from a wireless receiver. My budget for the camera is around $500, and it must be captured to a card and not a tape. I know this severely limits me, but I wanted to see what my options are nonetheless.

Thanks!
Okay, two things I need to reiterate:

1. I do NOT want to deal with tapes. I need a camera that will capture video directly to an SD card or something similar.
2. Around $500 means anywhere from $0 - $600 maximum. It does not mean going three times over the amount specified.

I'm not looking for maximum production quality; I'm looking for speed in getting ready to shoot.

A. I agree with Ryan and lare... a bit more...

First, on XLR inputs. There is no high definition camcorder or camera in your price range that has XLR audio-in connectors - but you *might* be able to use an XLR adapter (refer to BeachTek or juicedLink)... so the camera or camcorder needs to have at least a 1/8" (3.5mm stereo audio input that the XLR adapter can plug into. Since these XLR adapters run about $300 (you *should* have phantom power available so your mic choices are not limited), that leaves $300 for your camcorder or camera budget. As far as I know, there are no decent cameras or camcorders for $300 that have a mic jack of any kind - or if they do, their lenses and imaging chip are so small that anything less than daylight will result in grainy lowlight video being captured (or adding a video light - whch adds to your budget).

Since you specified high definition to flash memory, - and we assume you want to edit - this also means that your computer needs to be able to deal with either AVCHD-compressed MTS files (same with the video editor you plan to use) or MOV files (and Windows editors will need a transcoder to convert those to something more useful like WMV).

So... before anyone can make any sort of specific recommendation, knowing the complete environment and making a more informed recommendation will save you lots of frustration in the future... The closest camcorder I cant get you to is something in the Canon HF M series - the HF R series *might* work, but doubtful - in either case, the XLR adapter will be needed.

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Which Prosumer Camcorder?

Q. I am looking for a prosumer camcorder that has manual controls (zoom, iris, focus, white balance etc.), XLR inputs (or something just as good), with good video quality in any light (possibly hd, but not totally necessary). I don't really care about the format because I don't mind buying tapes, and I wouldn't mind buying sd cards (I don't really like the hard drive ones because my computer has very little space). It would also need to be able to edit it on iMovie '09 on my new mac mini (2 ghz intel core 2 duo, 2 gb, 1067 mhz, it's the new one so it's graphics are good). The camera would need to be in the $1,000 range (I have no $) but I could maybe go higher. If you have any questions just ask them and follow my question and I should answer them within a day.
p.s. I have some light experience in the film area, I took a class for a year and was a volunteer teacher at a film school for elementary kids. I have only used 1 prosumer camcorder (Sony DCR-VX2100) and really like it compared to my stupid Canon ZR830 (terrible picture and audio). I will probably be using this to make my own films, but I might film weddings and stuff to try and earn money. Thanks for your help.
Thanks for everyone's help. I think I might go with either the Canon GL2 or the Sony DCR-VX2100 (Wow! What complicated names, what happened to 1, 2 ,3). I think I like the Sony better because of it's manual features. Has anyone used both, which one do you like best?

A. There are only two connection methods to get audio into a camcorder. XLR (pro) or 1/8" (3.5mm) stereo jack (that can be augmented with an XLR adapter like those from juicedLink or BeachTek. Having the audio-in is part of the equation - the other parts are having external mics and the camcorder's manual audio control.

In the $1,000 range, the only choices you have are the Canon HV20/HV30/HV40 or the Sony HDR-HC9. Anything that does high definition under about $3,000 will have small lenses and small imaging chips and will provide you with poor low light behavior.

Everything beyond this is outside your stated budget.

Working our way up from the HV20/HV30/HV40 or the Sony HDR-HC9 which are DV/HDV...

Canon GL2 and Sony DCR-VX2100. Standard def DV only (4:3 or widescreen), larger lenses and imaging chips. 1/8" audio-in; manual controls on the outside.

The Sony HVR-A1U has XLR jacks - but it is a bottom loader and uses the same lenses and single CMOS inmaging chip as the HDR-HC1. The HVR-HD1000U is merely a higher-end consumer cam in a shoulder-mount form factor.

Panasonic AG-DVX100b. Standard def only. Big lenses, big imaging chips, can do P2 cards.

Most of the consumer AVCHD gear captures at an anemic 17 mbps so there is way too much compression applied. Plus, neither the hard disc drive nor flash memory cams in this area have manual audio control... The best Sony can come up with is "Normal" and "Low" settings in the MicRefLevel menu selection for mic gain.

Sorry to break it to you... but "prosumer" starts at closer to $1500 and that's for standard def only... Then there's tripod or other steadying devices, mics, XLR adapter, additional recharcheable high capacity battery or two, wide angle and tele lenses, cases, cables, etc...

From a $/gig perspective, miniDV tape continues to be the least expensive. At about $3 per 60 minute tape (I use the cheap Sony Premium tapes in 8-packs from Fry's - they are cheaper in quantities from tapestockonline), that turns into 14 gig of standard definition or 44 gig of high definition storage. Just don't reuse the tapes.

For your Mac environment, all you need is a firewire cable to connect the camcorder's DV port to the Mac's firewire port... I do that pretty much daily with my DV/HDV gear on an iMac. iMovie '09 will be fine - certainly better than '08...

Original Question

SD Camcorder with XLR mic ports on the cheap?

Q. It's September the 13th, 2009 and I have a question about camcorders.

Does anybody know of a Standard Definition video-camera that has external mic inputs for around $0-$500 ? I'm expecting it would cost $300 to $450.

I would like to use an XLR (directional) type microphone with it and I've heard this requires either:
· XLR connector
· XLR ports
· XLR adapter

I've also heard the following was some things you want in a camcorder and some are optional:

· 3 CCD
· image stabilization
· low-light performance
· headphone jack?
· bundled video editing software
· Lux 2 to 7 (lower is better)

Anybody know of that camcorder that is reasonably adequate and can accept XLR microphones?
Sir. What do you think about the Canon FS21 or 22?

A. The $0-$500 price range is consumer grade. There is no consumer grade camcorder with XLR audio-jacks.

The Canon FS series of flash memory SD card and ZR960 miniDV tape based standard definiton camcorders have a 1/8" (3.5mm) stereo audio in jack so an XLR adapter (like those from juicedLink or BeachTek) would be used in order to use mics which use an XLR connector. They do not have a headphone jack - but you can use the AV-out (Red-right audio; White-left audio) RCA jacks connected to an adapter to connect headphones and monitor the audio being captured. "XLR port" and "XLR connector" are the same thing on a camcorder.

The only camcorder I can think of that uses a 3CCD array and is in the $0-$500 price range and is standard definition is the Panasonic PV-GS320. It is miniDV tape based and has no audio-in jack (and certainly no XLR audio-in jacks).

Most camcorders starting at about $250 (and over) have some sot of image stabilization. At the low end this will be "digital" stabilization. Optical stabilization is a lot better and typical of more expensive camcorders.

There is no consumer camcorder in the $0-$500 with "good" low-light performance. In this price range, the lenses are less than 37mm diameter size. They are not big enough to capture enough light to behave well under low lighting conditions. As well, the imaging chips are too small (typically in the 1/6 inch range) to grab light under low light conditions. As the price goes up, the lenses get bigger... so do the imaging chips. This paragraph covers the "Lux 2 to 7" portion of your requirements as well. You may find these entry-level consumer cams reporting in at about 6 lux. The video is grainy at that level.

There is no consumer camcorder that has useful software bundled in the box. The bundled Microsoft MovieMaker (Windows XP SP2 and newer and Vista) and Apple iMovie editors are WAY better than any software bundled with the camcorder.

The least expensive camcorder - of which I am aware - that has XLR audio-in is the Sony HVR-A1U. It is a miniDV tape based DV/HDV camcorder with a single CMOS chip and a 37mm diameter lens. It has a headphone jack and LANC port. It has manual audio control and a single lens ring that can be either manual zoom or manual focus - but not both at the same time. It is about 4x more than you want to spend.

The least expensive standard definition camcorder using a 3CCD imaging chip array that has a mic jack and manual audio control and a proper headphone jack and good manual zoom and focus is the Canon GL2. It is about 3x more than you want to spend. It is miniDV tape based. It has a 1/8" (3.5mm) stereo audio in jack so an XLR adapter is required.

I have both a juicedLink CX231 and BeachTek DXA-6. They both work well under different audio environments.

Then there's the Panasonic AG-DVX100 (about 4x more than your budget) and the Canon XL2 (about 7x more than your budget. Both the DVX100 and XL2 are miniDV tape based, standard definition, pro-grade camcorders which have large lenses (72mm, if memory serves) and 3CCD imaging chip arrays in the 1/3" range. They do quite well in low light environments. They also have proper headphone jacks and good manual audio, zoom and focus controls.

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Is there any way to boost low recorded audio with an audio and/or video editing software?

Q. I recorded an event with a Sony HVR-A1U camcorder, and the audio input of my external microphone was in the wrong XLR input causing the audio to be extremely low. Is there any way I can restore the audio as far as boosting it?

A. Try Audacity. You may need to import/boost/save/import/boost save a few times depending on how low it is.

There will be a lot of hiss, too. The filters in Audacity can only do so much and not impact the actual audio.

Next time, get your A1U into manual audio mode and pay attention to the audio meters - and use closed-ear muff type headphones so you can hear what the camcorder is recording.

Original Question

Is there any way to boost low recorded audio with an audio and/or video editing software?

Q. I recorded an event with a Sony HVR-A1U camcorder, and the audio input of my external microphone was in the wrong XLR input causing the audio to be extremely low. Is there any way I can restore the audio as far as boosting it.

A. Several days ago, the same problem occurred to me. One of my friend recommended me use the iSofter Audio Recorder Vista to deal with the low recorded audio and it worked like a charm!
It support audio file editing, and you can edit audio files as you like.
For more info, you can go to http://www.softwarewikipedia.com/index.php/ISofter_Audio_Recorder_Vista
or if you use WindowsXP,you can go to
http://www.softwarewikipedia.com/index.php/DvdXsoft_Sound_Recorder_XP
Hope it can help you.
Wish you have a good time on Christmas!

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what is the best way to record two wireless mics on a camcorder?

Q. I am looking for the best way possible to record, 2 wireless mics onto one camcorder. I have a BeachTek 4 with 2 xlr inputs. If anyone has a good method please tell me.

Thnks

A. Use the BeachTek... is this a trick question?

Mic base stations into the BeachTek; BeachTek into the camcorder's mic-in jack. That's how I connect my Shure lavalieres' base stations...

I guess it would help to know which mics and base stations and which camcorder...

Original Question

When using an external wireless mic, should I use one or 2 channels on my camcorder?

Q. Im looking to get the Cleanest sound at a wedding.
My cam has XLR inputs but I dont know whats the correct procedure.
Its the first pro cam I have and I have no clue about sound

A. Too bad you did not tell us which camcorder.

A decent camcorder or camera with XLR inputs splits to left/right audio. There will be a selector near the XLR connectors on the camcorder that indicates "M"ono or "S"tereo.

If you have one mic plugged into only one audio channel and "S"tereo selected, then the audio will be recorded to that one side and the other side will have no audio. If you want, you can copy this single audio channel to the blank channel when you edit.

If you have one mic plugged into only one audio channel and "M"ono selected, then the same audio will be recorded to both sides.

Your question is a perfect example as to why you should PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE with the equipment you have BEFORE you arrive at the gig so you know what to expect when everything is ready to go and you press record. If you do not go and try this *NOW*, you are wasting the opportunity to learn how your equipment works.

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What's a (relatively) cheap shotgun mic that works with a basic A/V input on a camcorder?

Q. I have a Panasonic HDC-SD9 camera. No XLR input. I don't have the money to get a converter and and XLR-capable shotgun mic. I have around $140 I'm able to spend on this. The Azden SGM-X mic looks like what I need, but I'm unclear on whether it would work with my camera, since it's not a "mini-DV" camera.

A. Since there are no consumer camcorders under about $1,800 with an XLR mic connector, this is no surprise - most consumer camcorders have no mic jack at all - and when they do, it is a 1/8" stereo mic jack.

The Panasonic HDC-SD9 does not have a 1/8" mic jack. AV is OUT only, not in. There is no way to connect an external microphone with any kind of jack to this camcorder.

Camcorders do not need to be "miniDV" to have a mic jack. MiniDV is just a storage media type - like hard disc drive or flash memory. The Canon FS10, FS11, FS100 and HF10, HF11 and HF100 are flash memory based camcorders that have a 1/8" (3.5mm) mic jack.

Original Question

Can anyone suggest a camera for £400 or less with these specs?

Q. I need a camera with these features,

manual & auto focus
a mic input with either 3.5mm jack or xlr input
full HD capabilities, mainly with 25FPS but 50 is ok
manual & auto iris control

if anyone can find or suggest a camera with these features id be very grateful, thanks

A. Yes, but closer to £450. The Nikon D5100 has those features.

But you should know more about using a still camera to shoot video

http://www.luminous-landscape.com/reviews/camcorders/cam-cam.shtml

The additional cost of video accessories can exceed the cost of the cameras itself.

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