Budget camcorder with mic input
Hi everyone!I just wondered if anyone had any advice they could share. My 12 year old son is after a camcorder. I want to get him a fairly cheap one (who knows how long his interest will last!) but it would really need a mic input. He is a singer and has YouTube ambitions...
I've been looking around, and many of the budget ones don't seem to have this, although I thought it would be fairly standard.
Any recommendations? I don't mind going second hand. I am thinking of a budget of £150, but flexible. We have a dynamic mic, and can get a 3.5mm adapter cheaply. 1080p is fine. You really need to look at the specs. But, as you say, only the higher priced units have external mic inputs. I find electret condenser mics work well.
Or consider an audio recorder and a video editor. Most VEs can sync the sound with the video easily.
Cameras in the Panasonic range. If you can find a HC-V700 or HC-V750 (both pre 2015) they both have mic inputs and the 750 has a headphone output. The problem with Audio recording is the effects of the room you are in.... Quickly he'll discover he needs a room with soft furnishings to kill any hint of echos( these can be added under controlled conditions later-on, in the EDIT process. ).
Most camcorders will have a reasonable mic built-in and this will reduce the Price to nearer yr Budget... OR as Terfyn suggests secondhand is probably OK, if you know what your are looking for....
Budget also for Tripod, Pop-Guard.
An alternative is a GoPro "Action-Camcorder" which will have a microphone (of sorts)... there are "Look-a-likes" available from about £50, giving you some budget-over for an Audio recorder, like Zoom which start about £80 - these are music-quality and have stereo mics built-in.... an input for external.
Be careful using any mic. adaptor... this puts a bad strain on the camcorder/recorder input.... far better to use a short screened cable (with the correct plug/Skt.), so it can be mechanically supported away from the input. If the socket on any electronic kit is damaged,it's virtually a write-off in Cost-Terms, to have it repaired . . . meanwhile it will produce crackles. For recording, your son should have the mic fixed to a stand, to eliminates handling-noise . . . this may not be the image he wants for YT.
And finally beware of the COPYRIGHT problem... ((unless he writes his own songs, plays the Guitar, etc.)).
Copyright exists in a song's Words as well as Music... and can be expensive if you step over the mark. For YT they may turn-off the Audio if it breaches Copyright....Copyright is something few youngsters believe in.
Ideally look for a camcorder that has manual-focus, as this stops it "hunting" at the wrong time...the GoPro's styleare fixed-focus, but unusually Wide... so everything appears sharp, including the shelves in the background!....
Maybe try a local Movie-Making Club as their Members will have gear at many Budget-levels and folk who know most of the snags....
Good Luck.... Running a dynamic mic into just about any domestic camcorder is likely to be problematic, as they are designed for condenser mics. You may find you cannot get the audio loud enough or the background noise is very loud. This is because the output from a dynamic mic is a fraction of that from a condenser mic.
Some good advice on here about using an external recorder and syncing up afterwards, or simply using the internal mic.
You might also consider a cheap DSLR as these have both the manual lens and mic input. A Canon Eos 600D records 1080p, has a mic input and can be manually focused. They turn up on eBay and marketplace for about £200 with the basic 18-55 lens and if the performing doesn't work out it's also a good first DSLR!!
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