What is a good cheap camcorder?

For my PV-GS15 camcorder, what kind of cheap external mic. would be best and cheap with good quality?

• I have my PV-GS15 camcorder and the sound quality isn't very good with the built in micophone, so i was wondering if anyone could give a suggestions of a microphone that can be used on our camcorder, and would improve our sound quality. We are 14-15 year old teens making nice amatuer movies/trailers/fims with a low budget. So far, we have 9 videos posted on 'YouTube' and are doing great. If anyone could possible give tips on our filming interest, that would be great! Feel free to contact my email anytime. Our videos: http://www.youtube.com/profile_videos?user=ghaskleAL

• Answer:

  Lol. Very creative and funny stuff. Loved the junior thug "jumping" out the window (slithering?). You guys should be encouraged in filmmaking , no matter what the authorities say... Anyway, this is my first recommendation: Get the microphone totally off the camera and onto a boom pole (can be improvised) being held by a semi-intelligent human being who can place it in the best spot for sound capture without ruining your shots (can't be improvised). Even if you have to buy a cheap mic you will hear a big difference if you can target your sound source rather than simply placing a mic (even an expensive one) on the top of the camcorder and hoping for the best. You are already working at a considerable audio disadvantage with the PV-GS15 because, like most all consumer-grade camcorders, it has a non-defeatable audio AGC (automatic gain control). In effect, you have an unintelligent machine operator inside the camcorder who tweaks the record levels continuously as you go. It's a good thing that he works for free because sometimes he really stinks. But if you know he's there you can usually work around him by making sure there are no sudden loud sounds or long silences to cause him to wake up and turn the knobs up or down unexpectedly while you're recording. As far as a mic goes, it will depend on your budget. Assuming that it's a tiny one, I would recommend that you get an APEX175 Shotgun Condenser mic. It is a balanced low-impedance mic (less pickup of external interference), has a pro-type xlr connector (can be used with all kinds of equipment, not just a camcorder), has a super-cardioid pickup pattern (very directional - rejects sounds from the back and sides), is a condensor type (very wide frequency response), and will work on phantom or battery powered (in phantom mode the mixer supplies the power through the mic cable). And best of all it can be had for about $80. The only thing it doesn't have is a low-cut filter to better reduce noise for dialog capture. Spend a couple of hundred more for a Sennheiser and you can get that feature too. Anyway, search the web by this model for vendors or buy it through eBay. You will also need a way to get the audio from the mic into your camcorder's microphone jack. First you will need a low impedance mic cable long enough to go from the end of the boom pole to your camera positions. Then you can either buy an XLR to 1/8" stereo mini adapter or you can have one made. If you have an adapter made I would recommend that you have it made in a balanced differential configuration so you can use audio editing software to further reduce noise in the editing process. If you need to know how to do this you can email me and I will explain it to a techie with soldering skills. You will also need to obtain a boom pole (can be improvised), a shock mount (can be improvised), and a wind screen (can be improvised). A word of caution! Be sure to make every effort to assure that no person or dangerous thing (moving car, pedestrian, power line, etc) comes into contact with the microphone cable while it is plugged into the camcorder. You can very suddenly and easily rip the side of your camcorder off, pull it into a pond, pull the camera operator off a ladder, roof, etc. to very tragic consequences if you do not be exceedingly careful. To prevent this type of thing you should ALWAYS have at least one conscientious person (assistant camera or production assistant) who is responsible for keeping an eye out for possible tragedies while everyone else is concentrating on acting and shooting. Check the links below for eBay sources and feel free to email if you need more assistance. Good luck! WK