[Recovered Thread: 77750]

[timtak]

I am sick of my mini DV tape camera not functioning due to "dew." I don't want to buy another expensive camcorder with moving parts (mini dvd or mini-hard disk). I am happy with the quality of flash memory video (contentional still digital cameras or hybrids.

But I need an external microphone!

An external microphone seems to be essential if one wants touse voice. The built in microphones are essentially sensitive and not directional enough to home in on a narrator, so for interviews or reportage the lack of a microphone ends up with sounds being picked up from all around.

Here are a couple of video's taken with my sony cybershot and you will see that the audio is picking up a lot of background noise.
http://tinyurl.com/dgd4f
http://tinyurl.com/7a4w8
This might do for some purposes, but my intended use is to make English teaching materials, so the absence of distractingbackground noiseis very important.

So, please can you tell me which (top range)hybrids have an external microphone jack?

Then I will compare with my favourite non-hybrid digital camera (Olympus c-770 at the moment).

Cheers

Tim

[fishycomics]

Wish I had th answer but I do not. as its the holiday season, the vid did not play for me.

pmp players can be modified if you can make a jack and not have the vide part touching the jack you may be in bussiness but the jvc has a harddrive camcorder. and you may need to loo at the list and see whats available, sorry if I were no help.

[timtak]

Yes...I could even attempt to add a microphone jack to my sony Cybershot....but...it sounds dangerous. Last time I opened the case a bit of metal fell out and it cost me $35 to have it fixed.

Also the gain/impedance whatever of an internal microphone may well be different to that which I have in mind.

Tim

[sgspirit]

So far as I know, none of the hybrids have a microphone jack. Having seen inside the Digilife DDV-810, I know it has a connector on the circuit board where the integrated mic plugs in, so if you could determine a compatible mic, and set up the needed wiring, you could connect an external mic to that connector. Maybe even find room in the case (and the 810 has room inside for it) to add a jack and a switch. That would be neat.

And a few minutes later, come to think of it, you could remove the integrated mic, use that opening for the wiring, and just splice in as much wiring as you need, maybe a jack, and use the integrated mic as a remote mic. The 810 has a very sensitive mic, though.

[timtak]

NISIS Pocket DV H10 has a microphone jack apparently. I have no idea what the picture quality is like though.

I am pretty set on the Olympus C-770 but I am a bit worried about the lag between audio and video.

[fishycomics]

you may have read me wrong, the mpvr i own you may plug in an external object and bypass the cameras lens/mic. you'll be plugging in a jack, but need to not have metal touching the vi jack section, hope that cleared it up..



olymus over the hybrid OLYMPUS by far

[timtak]

I have been thinking
1) the slowness of the C-770's focus
2) the purported lag between video and audio when using mpeg4
3) The lack of a lcd display that can be tiltled towards the front
means that the Olympus Camedia c-770uz is not ideal.

This morning I took apart my Casio Exilim xyz Z3 and I could see the microphone connectors. It was a little bulls eye with a centre of about 1.5mm and an outer circle of about 3mm. I am think that if I can find a small enough drill bit I should be able to solder some wires onto the circuit board, let them trail out of the camera and connect from there, but I am worried whether or not an external microphone will work.

I am afraid I don't understand your posts but it seems like you have attached pieces of wire to the circuitboard of your hybrid camera.

Speaking of hybrids, in the local store yesterday there was a new Panasonic hybrid with a 2Gb card that touted itself as the future of video recording. I think that it is probably the future of video recording but it too does not have an external microphone.

So....Camedia or Exilim 550 and a soldering iron???

Tim


Tim

[fishycomics]

my post was very simple the camera has an pmp portable media player it has an av inmput, and output. you take a stereo plug, it plugs into the camera like your ear buds, instead of messing up the camera like you are doing you take a plug like this and get an external mic at best buy.

[timtak]

I see. It is possible to plug an external mike into your hybrid. That is nice. But I believe I am right in saying that you do not vouch for the video quality.

I am going to have a look at the Exilim p505. It seems to have the microphone connections in the flash. That means that the connections may be more available.

[fishycomics]

As we must understand it is a pc camera not a home movie camcorder . be careful about opening a brand name camera up can be costely