What is a good camcoder to get?

Question

I want to make a documentary, and need to buy a camcorder, most importantly I need to be able to interview people, so I will need one either with a good mike inbuilt, or one that I can attach a mike to (advice on this would be good too). Also, it needs to be durable and not too expensive. I will be conducting most of my research in pubs!

Answer 1

you will need to buy Canon GL1 or Canon GL2. They are prosumer camcorder at reasonable price. You can buy them used through ebay.For the Mike, you have to buy the separate one then plug into to mic input on the camcorder since non of built in microphone will work good for what you want to do. I suggest you buy the shot gun microphone so you can attach it on top of the camcorder. It will work great up to 10 feet away. Here is one of the good one to buy from the honest store. Check this link:http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/23...

Answer 2

There is no camcorder with a good built-in mic.

You will need a mic jack and manual audio control.

The best video is captured on miniDV tape.

The cheapest camcorders that meet these requirements are:

Canon HV20, HV30

Sony HDR-HC7, HC9

These are all consumer-grade HDV cams - they can shoot in high definition and standard definition.

The next set of camcorders jumps in price a bit - as previously mentioned - Canon GL2, Sony DCR-VX2100

Both of these are standard definition cams.

Then there is another jump to the Sony HDR-FX1, FX7 (both high def cams)...

and up to the Canon XL2, Sony HVR-V1U, Z1U, Canon XHA1 and Panasonic DVX100B and HDX200... some high def, some standard def... go to the manufacturer's product page to find which is which.

The good mics typically use XLR connectors. Many of the above camcorders have only 1/8" (3.5mm) mic-in jacks, so you will need an XLR adapter (like those from BeachTek). I would suggest a switchable mic like a NRG Research SA-568 which can be either camera mounted or hand-held and be used as a "normal" mic or a shotgun mic. Audio Technica makes a couple of good ones, too.

Answer 3

well i did a mistake when buying mine

make sure its got a memory card slot

and that it can take pictures

you might want to buy the new ones with  a hard drive built in

most mics on camcorders are gr8 but im sure that 99% of them have a slot for external mics

good luck mate