Spec me a camcorder

[MikeHunt79]

I know sod all about them, right now I use the video mode on my P&S, and while it's ok, it's not great.

This is what I would like:
High res (720p would be fine)
External mic input (again high res sound would be nice, such as 24/96)
Small and light, preferably SD cars used to save video files.

That's all I can think of right now, budget, cheap as possible, but still reasonable quality. Entry level stuff really.

 

[MikeHunt79]

24/96 audio isn't going to be found on anything other than high-spec prosumer or full pro cameras. If at all... External mic input can also be tough to find these days on any HD product under £400. Sony models especially seem to go with their propitiatory accessory shoe over standard audio inputs.

Seems silly to have HD picture without HD sound, but I guess they've got to make them cheap somehow.

Scratch the 24/96 sound then, I already have quite a bit of sound recording gear, so I guess if I'm really after high quality sound for something, I can record the sound separately, then sync it after. Any sound will be fine, even mono!

 

[MikeHunt79]

When you say worse looks, do you mean the camera itself looks nasty? To be honest, that doesn't really bother me, as long as the picture quality is good I'd be happy.

I'll check some review sites, but I'm always sceptical of review sites as they always have an agenda or bias, which is why I'd rather have recommendations from people like you or me who spend their own cash on these things.

Is the Sanyo Exacti range any good? The CG10 seems almost too cheap... What about the Samsung U10?