[brookie]

I have two DV camcorders and like the benefits of tape.

However, occasionally I have to turn an edit round in a few minutes at live events (e.g. vox-pops), so I'm interested in an SD or hard disk camera that I can shoot with and then plug in to the computer and work with the footage immediately.

I don't need HiDef and don't want to spend more that I have to - video quality doesn't have to be perfect - but I need good audio to hear what the people say so external mic and ideally manual audio level would be great.

Any suggestions?

[redsox_mark]

JVC GZ-MG575 is the only non-tape, standard def cam with mic in which I am aware of.

Or there is the Sony SR11, which can shoot in SD or HD.

[A n d r e w]

Originally Posted by brookie

. . . video quality doesn't have to be perfect . . .

Well that's a relief because pictures from the MG575 are certainly far from perfect.

But as Mark says, it does have a microphone input (and an accessory shoe for mounting a camera mic) but from what I recall (I had one briefly but returned it because of the relatively poor image) there's no audio level adjustment. Could be wrong on that. It records audio in 16-bit only.

If your video is destined for the web it might be okay pictures-wise, but at roughly £400 there are much better performers out there. Only thing is, nothing else around that price mark has a mic input.

I'll check the MG575 manual to see whether there is level adjustment or not.

Andrew.

EDIT: Nope. While it allows you to display the incoming level in the LCD (bars), you can't adjust the level in-camera. Still, better than nothing eh!

[brookie]

Originally Posted by Courtaj

If your video is destined for the web it might be okay pictures-wise, but at roughly £400 there are much better performers out there. Only thing is, nothing else around that price mark has a mic input.

The video is generally played back through a projector.

It's getting hard these days to find a camera with decent audio control.

I guess I could use my DV camera and record directly into a laptop although inconvenient.

Or try one of those direct to edit hard drive recorders - although they are not cheap.

[brookie]

Is there a memory-based camcorder (rather than hard disk) that would meet my need for external mic?

[redsox_mark]

Yes - Canon FS10/11/100 have a mic input. And decent enough quality.

[brookie]

Originally Posted by redsox_mark

Yes - Canon FS10/11/100 have a mic input. And decent enough quality.

Is that three different models?

Are they different specification levels or older and newer models?

[redsox_mark]

3 different models: FS100, FS10, FS11.
All the same except the FS100 has no internal memory, FS10 has 8 GB, FS11 has 16 GB.

[brookie]

Originally Posted by redsox_mark

3 different models: FS100, FS10, FS11.
All the same except the FS100 has no internal memory, FS10 has 8 GB, FS11 has 16 GB.

Thanks for the clarification.

Given the dropping price of SD cards, presumably the FS100 makes most sense?

[redsox_mark]

Yes - FS100 is best value.