<p>The Canon VIXIA HF R500 is the least expensive consumer camcorder (from a major brand) that I have been able to find. I own one and love it. It has an external microphone jack that is compatible with my wireless lapel mic receiver.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.usa.canon.com/cusa/consumer/products/camcorders/consumer_camcorders/consumer_camcorders/vixia_hf_r500" rel="nofollow">http://www.usa.canon.com/cusa/consumer/products/camcorders/consumer_camcorders/consumer_camcorders/vixia_hf_r500</a></p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-08-02T21:43:03.823Z
2014-08-02T21:43:03.823Z
Corey
<p>If anyone is still looking for a similar setup that won't break the bank, I'd go with a laptop mounted cam - I have a Logitech HD Pro Webcam C920 which can be mounted on a tripod, too. The quality is amazing for the price (under $80), and I've used it to record lectures, demonstrations, as well as for recording and live streaming of some pretty unruly comedy and music shows. It has a stereo microphone that's really good (it made a crystal-clear recording of a live band in a noisy cafe from the back of the room), shoots well in low light, and has a decent zoom. It also does some onboard preprocessing, so HD recording won't overwhelm your laptop if it's an older/cheaper one.</p>

<p>With a tripod and a longer cable, you can do pretty much anything you'd do with a standard camcorder <em>in a static situation</em>. Depending on your software, you can attach an external mic to your laptop too, though I found the built-in mic of this cam superior to anything I've got.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-04-29T03:40:37.683Z
2016-04-29T03:40:37.683Z
Silvia
<p>Inspired by @Professor Sparkles♦'s answer, I decided to go for <code>Samsung Galaxy S4</code>* and a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fWjDl0e8YjQ" rel="nofollow">noise-reducing microphone with 3.5mm jack for Samsung (and other phones)</a>. I will keep you posted if this combination works well.</p>

<p>* I was offered <code>Galaxy S4, S5</code> and <code>LG G3</code> as the best video producing smartphones currently in the reseller's catalogue. My choice was based on desired quality\price trade-off.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-04-29T08:36:36.153Z
Just because I tried out this combination and promised to reply... well, the microphone does clear the sound, but yet it is far from studio-quality sound.
Mateva
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-02-06T09:33:33.633Z
Yes, you'll need to pay quite a lot of money for studio-quality sound - have you tried the phone's built in microphone ? It might even be better than the external mic you have.
Jonas Czech
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-08-07T01:37:18.070Z
2014-08-07T01:37:18.070Z
Mateva
<p>You can try following </p>

<ul>
<li>Kodak PlaySport (Zx5) HD Waterproof Pocket Video Camera - Black (2nd
Generation) </li>
<li>GoPro HERO4 Silver</li>
</ul>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-02-08T08:38:58.797Z
2017-02-08T08:38:58.797Z
user18004
<p>Do you own a high-end smartphone? You can plug-in pretty much any microphone and have very decent audio quality. Some Android phones even support usb mics.
So you probably need a cheap adapter for standard stereo or mono mics to work with the 3 channel type headphone+mic jacks in modern phones. Something like this: <a href="http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B004SP0WAQ" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://www.amazon.com/StarTech-com-headsets-separate-headphone-microphone/dp/B004SP0WAQ/</a></p>

<p>It then only depends on the video quality of your phone. If that is satisfactory just get some sort of tripod adapter or other type of stand for phones and you're good to go. Definitely the cheapest solution if you already own a fitting phone.</p>

<p>If your phone is not an option I recommend you go with a webcam and USB microphone attached to your PC or Laptop. Most recording softwares have the option to choose a different audio source than your video recording device.
You can get a decent quality webcam for 20-30€ and a decent quality USB mic that can capture room audio for 15-20€.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-07-30T14:04:34.407Z
My phone sucks, but I plan to buy a new one, anyways. Just to complete my question; so these USB ports on cameras do not support USB mics?
Mateva
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-07-30T14:17:21.843Z
@Mateva I'm going to guess that 100:1 they do not work like that. For USB to work, it requires a complex/robust driver to be able to know how to communicate with a variety of outside devices when they get plugged in, and a camera has a very limited USB driver only capable of performing activities that the developers had intended it for like being a client device for data transfer (i.e. communicate with a host like a computer for transferring files).
Scott James Walter
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-07-30T14:57:50.527Z
Makes sense, thank you. But it would be good if they did.
Mateva
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-07-30T13:53:22.990Z
2017-05-13T17:49:29.090Z
2017-05-13T17:49:29.090Z
timonsku
<p>I am working on some homemade lectures so I need good quality of sound, but unfortunately I do not have any budget so far(amateur stuff). </p>

<p>I am looking for a camera that can shoot in Full HD and can have an external microphone attached. I do not need anything further than that, though.</p>

<p>I was considering <code>SONY HDR-CX240</code> until I found out it cannot have external mic.
(What if it is a USB mic? It does have a USB slot.) So, should I quit this choice and buy a more expensive camera? Which one whould you recommend?</p>

<p>Is it possible that I record with the camera and external mic attached to my laptop at the same time?</p>

<camera><microphone>
What is the cheapest camera I can plug external microphone to?
Mateva
# What is the cheapest camera I can plug external microphone to?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2014-07-30)

I am working on some homemade lectures so I need good quality of sound, but unfortunately I do not have any budget so far(amateur stuff).

I am looking for a camera that can shoot in Full HD and can have an external microphone attached. I do not need anything further than that, though.

I was considering `SONY HDR-CX240` until I found out it cannot have external mic.
(What if it is a USB mic? It does have a USB slot.) So, should I quit this choice and buy a more expensive camera? Which one whould you recommend?

Is it possible that I record with the camera and external mic attached to my laptop at the same time?

**Tags:** camera, microphone


---

## 5 answers

### Answer by username_5 on 2014-07-30. Score: 6 | Accepted answer

Do you own a high-end smartphone? You can plug-in pretty much any microphone and have very decent audio quality. Some Android phones even support usb mics.
So you probably need a cheap adapter for standard stereo or mono mics to work with the 3 channel type headphone+mic jacks in modern phones. Something like this: [https://www.amazon.com/StarTech-com-headsets-separate-headphone-microphone/dp/B004SP0WAQ/](http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B004SP0WAQ)

It then only depends on the video quality of your phone. If that is satisfactory just get some sort of tripod adapter or other type of stand for phones and you're good to go. Definitely the cheapest solution if you already own a fitting phone.

If your phone is not an option I recommend you go with a webcam and USB microphone attached to your PC or Laptop. Most recording softwares have the option to choose a different audio source than your video recording device.
You can get a decent quality webcam for 20-30€ and a decent quality USB mic that can capture room audio for 15-20€.

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: My phone sucks, but I plan to buy a new one, anyways. Just to complete my question; so these USB ports on cameras do not support USB mics?  
> **username_6**: @username_0 I'm going to guess that 100:1 they do not work like that. For USB to work, it requires a complex/robust driver to be able to know how to communicate with a variety of outside devices when they get plugged in, and a camera has a very limited USB driver only capable of performing activities that the developers had intended it for like being a client device for data transfer (i.e. communicate with a host like a computer for transferring files).  
> **username_0**: Makes sense, thank you. But it would be good if they did.  

---

### Answer by username_1 on 2014-08-02. Score: 4

The Canon VIXIA HF R500 is the least expensive consumer camcorder (from a major brand) that I have been able to find. I own one and love it. It has an external microphone jack that is compatible with my wireless lapel mic receiver.

<http://www.usa.canon.com/cusa/consumer/products/camcorders/consumer_camcorders/consumer_camcorders/vixia_hf_r500>


---

### Answer by username_2 on 2016-04-29. Score: 2

If anyone is still looking for a similar setup that won't break the bank, I'd go with a laptop mounted cam - I have a Logitech HD Pro Webcam C920 which can be mounted on a tripod, too. The quality is amazing for the price (under $80), and I've used it to record lectures, demonstrations, as well as for recording and live streaming of some pretty unruly comedy and music shows. It has a stereo microphone that's really good (it made a crystal-clear recording of a live band in a noisy cafe from the back of the room), shoots well in low light, and has a decent zoom. It also does some onboard preprocessing, so HD recording won't overwhelm your laptop if it's an older/cheaper one.

With a tripod and a longer cable, you can do pretty much anything you'd do with a standard camcorder *in a static situation*. Depending on your software, you can attach an external mic to your laptop too, though I found the built-in mic of this cam superior to anything I've got.


---

### Answer by username_0 on 2014-08-07. Score: 1

Inspired by @Professor Sparkles♦'s answer, I decided to go for `Samsung Galaxy S4`\* and a [noise-reducing microphone with 3.5mm jack for Samsung (and other phones)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fWjDl0e8YjQ). I will keep you posted if this combination works well.

\* I was offered `Galaxy S4, S5` and `LG G3` as the best video producing smartphones currently in the reseller's catalogue. My choice was based on desired quality\price trade-off.

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: Just because I tried out this combination and promised to reply... well, the microphone does clear the sound, but yet it is far from studio-quality sound.  
> **username_3**: Yes, you'll need to pay quite a lot of money for studio-quality sound - have you tried the phone's built in microphone ? It might even be better than the external mic you have.  

---

### Answer by username_4 on 2017-02-08. Score: 0

You can try following

* Kodak PlaySport (Zx5) HD Waterproof Pocket Video Camera - Black (2nd
  Generation)
* GoPro HERO4 Silver


---

