Hey all,

Well, my camcorder has broken down and apparently the part to fix it costs 1300 so, its time for a new one. I don't exactly have a ton of money to spend, but I'll be looking used as well as new. I'm looking for a good budget camcorder that really shines in audio performance. I'll be using it mostly for videotaping my bands shows, so I'd like something that won't crap out too easily under high volumes but also has a crisp audio pickup. I'd like good video quality as well, but to me the audio is the most important.

Thanks to anyone who can share words of advice or recommendations!

Sorry to be the one to break it to you but there are no budget video cams with great audio. The best you can do is mediocre audio. The audio chain is about the worst thing on a consumer cam. Almost all consumer cams have AGC which cannot be turned off. Not good for recording music.

If you want great audio you will have to spend significantly more than you are thinking or buy a very good external recorder and a good mic designed for high SPLs (sound pressure levels) like music.

Good luck.

Dennis

How much is your budget?

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Sektionschef

Panasonic SDR-S100
Sandisk Ultra II 2GB SD Card
Raynox QC-505 0.5 WA
IBS 5X Tele
Velbon Ultra Maxi F Tripod
Magix Video deluxe 2008plus

Preferably under 500. Are there exterior attachments I can get for cheaper cameras to improve the sound?

The best you can get for this money would be a camcorder with mic-input plus an external microphone.
If the $500 budget should already include camcorder+microphone then the only models I know are the Canon ZR900 series.
The next model with external mic input would be the Sony HC96 which is already about $500 excluding the external microphone. The HC96 only comes with a Hot shoe where an external mic can be connected to. As a sony accessior you can buy an external adapter(don't know the exact type) that turns the hot shoe into a external mic input(3,5mm connector).
If you are looking for used models then try to find a Panasonic GS300 or GS500 or GS400.
Hope that helps

__________________
Regards
Sektionschef

Panasonic SDR-S100
Sandisk Ultra II 2GB SD Card
Raynox QC-505 0.5 WA
IBS 5X Tele
Velbon Ultra Maxi F Tripod
Magix Video deluxe 2008plus

What about a Sony Sony DCR-DVD405? What caught my eye is the fact that it records in 5.1 surround sound, which makes it sound like it has a bit more effort put into the audio department to me.

Any comments on this cam? I have the opportunity to buy one for 285$.

Just because it is 5.1 doesn't mean it will necessarily sound good. Being restricted to an on cam mic will severely limit the quality of what you record.

Even with an external mic you will not get "great" sound on any consumer cam. The mic is but one issue. The entire audio subsystem is just not up to recording "great" audio even if you plug an expensive mic into it. AGC is one problem I mentioned before that will destroy your audio.

If you want "great" audio you need either a pro cam with good external mics or a separate audio recorder with good mics. And you need to monitor your audio with headphones as you record so you know that levels are set right.

Good luck.

Dennis

Ok, well apparently it has a jack to plug in an external mic (sony products only). So maybe I'll just pick that up since its fairly cheap and then try to find an external mic.

Well--I'm not sure that having a jack for an external mic is so useful, if the camcorder cannot set audio recording levels, and show a level meter.Check if the cam can do those things.

Well, you would only want to turn off AGC if one can set the audio recording levels manually, correct? (Of course, any cam that has manual audio controls would be able to turn off AGC, and set the levels manually instead, no?)

If there are no manual audio level controls then one needs AGC. If they cannot be set manually, the levels need to be set automatically. No level setting at all could result in badly clipped audio.

Is there a difference in AGC quality? Do some brands and cams, that don't have manual audio controls, set the levels automatically better than others do? Has anyone compared the AGC quality of various brands and models?

Nope. IMO that kind of thing is just a gimmick to attract consumers and make it appear to have "high-end audio", which is nonsense. "Zoom microphone" sounds like a meaningless gimmick to me as well.

Check out BH Photo Video for audio and video gear.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/con...orToReadReviews

Link to zoom h2 field recorder for around $200.bh_zoom_h2_link

Yes, I was refering to cams that had manual control for when AGC is turned off.I'm sure there are some better than others. But I don't recall ever seeing AGC comparisons. Most people who know what AGC is don't want to use it so wouldn't be interested in comparisons. People who don't know likewise wouldn't care since they aren't thinking in terms of good audio for a point-and-shoot vacation-type cam.

Good luck.

Dennis