Mini-DV or hard drive camcorder w/ microphone input and manual focus under $500?

Question

Augh! I'm just going crazy! I'm attempting to find a good, solid, yet relatively simple camcorder. Trying to keep it under $500, and there certainly are a lot of cameras in that price range... but I cannot find a single one that has a microphone input! Why on earth are companies not including this cheap feature on most cameras now?

Here's the type of camera I'm looking for:

-Preferably Mini-DV, although an internal hard drive camera would suit me fine too

-Ability to adjust focus manually (I know most cameras have this... the easier to adjust the better)

-MICROPHONE INPUT. I like to have a lot of control on the sound in my work, and an external mic is often the best route to go.

-Headphone jack would be great too.

I have a feeling I'm going to have to bump up to at least $800, but I figured it couldn't hurt to ask!

Answer 1

You can have a look at Sony DCR-SR45 30GB handycam Hybrid Camcorder. A decent deal for it is only $430.

http://www.dealstudio.com/searchdeals.ph...

Answer 2

My Canon Optura 60 has manual focus, mic input, and aperture settings... but it's about $600.

I would recommend it, except you might need a bigger battery, and it has poor lighting indoors.

http://www.amazon.com/Canon-Optura-MiniD...

footage I shot with it = http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4DRnprLTO...

Answer 3

Least expensive camcorders with mic-in jack:

Canon ZR800, ZR900, ZR930.

They do not have manual audio control. They shoot standard definition only.

Least expensive camcorders with mic-in jack and manual audio control:

Canon HV20, HV30, Sony HDR-HC7, HC9.

All four shoot standard definition and high definition, have manual zoom and focus - of varying degrees of ease of use. I *think* all four have a headphone jack. Go to the manufacturer's web site, download the manual and verify.

All seven are miniDV tape based.

Answer 4

Your problem is that MiniDV is kind of on the way out for consumer camcorders... it's mostly just a low-end thing now.. most "serious" buyers go for high def models. As well, the trend is to make these things tiny, and the first way you do that is to cut out features.

AND things like mic inputs, manual focus, and headphone monitors tend to be more advanced features. Not that they should be... you're just not going to get good audio without an external mic (or off-camera recorder... I use both), they simply don't spend much effort on good built-in mics.

Check out Canon... they have six current miniDV models, none have mic inputs (and in fact, I can't tell the difference between them). They do offer a mic input on their new Flash memory camcorders (FS-10, FS-100), but these are so small there's no room for headphone jack that I can tell. This is also true of the HD version, the HF-10 and HF-100 ($650). Personally, I would consider flash over HDD these days, given the low price of SDHC cards right now.

I would take a hard look at the Canon HV20... it's more expensive than you're looking for, but it has all the features. You can shoot in DV mode forever with that model, but if you want HDV, it's there... and in 24p as an option. This is one of the best consumer camcorders of the past 10 years. This has been replaced by the Vixia HV30, so if you can find it in stock, it's likely to be discounted. The HV30 does everything you want, too, but it's more likely to run around $800.

Another option is the JVC GZ-MG555 Everio G. This is a "hybrid" HDD/Flash camcorder (my main gripe with HDD... you're stuck with only that capacity, is removed if it can use SD cards too), about $450 street. I haven't used it myself, though I owned a JVC miniDV camcorders years back, and it lasted me over 10 punishing years before it went to the great gadget bag in the sky. Anyway, this one has mic input and manual focus, no headphone jack, and the additional slight annoyance that you need a dock to get to some of the connections, such as Firewire and analog video... though many HDD models don't include either of these at all. The main complaint about this one (as with many HDD models) seems to be battery life.

Another HDD option is the Sony DCR-SR200.. this has a mic input (though only via the hot-shoe, not a 3.5mm jack), manual focus, and of course no headphone output (they dropped this on the newer DCR-SR300).

And finally, there's the rather weird SC-HMX10 from Samsung. This is another flash-based camcorder, about $400, with 720p "basic high def" rather than the usual 1080i in a camcorder, and as well, recorded as their own version of MPEG-4, rather than following the newer AVCHD standard. But as small as this is, it has a mic jack and manual focus (but via touchscreen, that's not ideal). I haven't seen a sample of the video, but it might be worth looking at in more detail.