Camcorder With Mic Input Review (December 2023)

If you are searching for a vlogging camera and microphone, read our article about vlogging equipment. Do you think that finding the right camcorder nowadays is really hard? I experienced the same as you! I searched for camcorders with a mic input and couldn’t find them easy, so I decided to make it easier for you and save you a lot of time. Get right to the best camcorder with mic input and save even more time and money!

If you like to know why the following camcorder is the best, please read the whole article – we have a detailed explanation and many test details for you. For those who have no time to read it all, but still need a recommendation, we are presenting you the winner right now:

Best Camcorder With Microphone Input in 2021 – Canon VIXIA HF R800

The Canon VIXIA HF R700 was the best camcorder with a mic input for years. Now we finally have the new model R800 with many improved details. But still remember – the Canon VIXIA HF R800 is primary made for the use with an external microphone and should not be used with its internal microphone. We recommend you the Rode smartLav+ external microphone, it has a fantastic price-quality ratio and captures sound in high quality, especially in combination with this amazing camcorder. More about the microphone at the end of this article. If you want to avoid beginner mistakes, read the full article and don’t forget to buy a memory card with at least 32GB and a lightweight tripod, beside the external mic, to get perfect videos!

Panasonic HC-V770

In addition to its Full HD resolution and the microphone input jack, this camcorder is connectable to WIFI networks and has a special high-dynamic range feature which reduces bright spots for a professional look. A lot of people are using this camcorder for remote shooting and for realtime-broadcasting on Ustream. Some parents use it also as a baby monitor. If you do a lot of outdoor shootings, this camcorder is for you!

Canon VIXIA HF G40

I know, its a Canon, but they are really really good. It is easier to tell you what this camcorder hasn´t got than what features are on board. It starts with the amazing capability to do 1080/60p recording in MP4 with a native 24p progressive mode. It has a great CMOS sensor, WIFI connect-ability and FTP transfer integrated. You will save a lot of time with this camcorder. If you are shooting often and especially if you are shooting often indoors and by low-light conditions, you won´t regret buying the G40.

A Camcorder With Mic Input is mostly used for:

Video Interviews

It doesn’t matter if you want to record a video interview indoors or outdoors, the external mic is a must-have. During interviews the environment is most of the time quite noisy and unpredictable, so you will need a lavalier mic for you camcorder with mic input.

Education Videos

All the whiteboard videos you have seen out there are a well-known source for educational purposes. Cameras with a mic input ensure that you won’t get a hall effect and they are good enough to record all the content you need for this purpose.

Selfpromotion Videos

All the Youtube makeup videos and Videlog (Vlog) submissions are recorded with a better cam, but just the better once thought about the external mic which gives them premium sound quality.

Outdoor movies

Amateur outdoor movies need an external mic to have any sound recorded. The most common mistake is to forget this and to rely on the internal camcorder mic, which can’t be enough for this purpose.

Best 4K camcorder with mic input – Sony FDRAX53

There are not many 4K camcorders with mic input on the market, especially with the ability to connect an external  microphone. The Sony FDRAX53 is a great camcorder because of its 35mm Carl Zeiss Wide Angle Lens, the Night Shot Infrared System (shooting in complete darkness), a large 3.0 inch Xtra Fine LCD touch-screen and the Exmor R CMOS Sensor. All this together gives a beautiful high quality video. This camcorder has a 100Mbps bit rate, which means that 4K is recorded with 30fps and 1080p at 60fps. It has 3.5mm stereo jack mic input. Be aware of the model FDRAC33 which isn´t recording 5.1 sound at Full HD and higher resolutions.

Best Full HD camcorder with mic input – Canon Vixia HF R700

After we compared every aspect of every single Full HD camcorder with external microphone input on the market, we have concluded that the best camcorder and the best buy camcorder are the same one! It is the Canon VIXIA HF R700.

The Canon VIXIA HF R700 has a Full HD CMOS Image Sensor and records at 1080/60p in MP4 (35 Mbps) and AVCHD Progressive (28 Mbps). Canon R700’s sophisticated Image Stabilizer corrects camera shaking, so even handheld taken videos are sharp.

The only thing which is not included when buying the Canon R700 is a high quality SD card. You should get yourself a SDHC, because of the speed. Some camcorders won’t record on SD cards. The right capacity of the SDHC card is always a tricky question, but you should know that approximately with 8GB you may record 1.5 hours, so we suggest you a 32GB so you may record up to 6 hours material, without hurrying every time to your PC to transfer your files in order to free space on the SDHC card. This SDHC card from SanDisk has shown  amazing performances in every professional SD card test.

Used camcorder with mic input

If you don’t want to pay for the newest technology, there is one option more – to buy a used camcorder with a mic input like the Panasonic HC-X920. This 38MP camcorder is a 3D camcorder from the finest production ever. The Leica Dicomar lens is a prize-winning lens and a proof that the videos shot by this camcorder will be stunning. This camcorder has WiFi and of course an external microphone input (with 5.1 recording included), but it has no internal memory, so be sure to buy a big SD(HC) card if buying this masterpiece of technology. The 3D recording is amazing, but the live white balancing takes a while. The sharpness and details you get with this camera are really rare on the market and shouldn´t be compared with other products, because the Panasonic X920 is a market leader in this segment.

Best external microphone for a camcorder video recording

The first thing you want to buy after getting a camcorder with a mic input is logically – a microphone. On the market you may choose between handheld mics, lapel mics, shotgun mics and all of them you have in a wired and a wireless edition. For video interviewing and recording YouTube, whiteboard and presentation videos we suggest you to use lapel mics (they are also called Lavalier mics). The only thing that they all have in common is that they should be connected with a 3.5mm jack to the camcorder.

There are so many lavalier microphones on the market, so it easy to get lost. Some brands made a lot of bad models, but RODE has overperformed its competitors in this field for miles. This lavalier was made primary for using it in combination with smartphones, but almost every Youtuber is using it:

If you chose a wired mic, then you should see if the length is ok for you, if not – here you can find extend cables with the 3-5mm jack. For this RODE lavalier mic you will need the cable extend for sure:

And if you decide not to use your smartphone and connect it to your camcorder, then buy this converter too:

It looks like much, but in real it isn´t. All these parts together cost barely $100 which is a low price compared to microphones which achieve this quality. If your camcorder has the possibility to mount a mic on the top, we suggest you this mounting bracket, which is almost performing well as the lapel mic:

These microphones are called directional microphones, because they only record the sound from the direction they are pointed to. Sounds from the surrounding won´t be recorded. Directional microphones are good if shooting interviews outdoor or similar. If you want you may buy a tripod and a case for the camcorder. Be aware, every brand has its own tripod connect mechanisms and the cases are much smaller than you may think.