Does it have an external microphone jack, and is the internal MIC quality any good? would it be suitable for recording discussions?
1165089
Yes it does have a pretty good internal Mic but we have used it only for family get togethers and vacation. Stuff. It has no external that I can tell unless the usb port would accept a usb Mic but can't test the theory since I do not have one. If the room has usual sounds and others talking it picks up the closest people. If at some Loud party it will have problems
575891
It does not have a mic but let me assure you that, for the price and quality, it is 100% worth purchasing and buying a separate microphone/headset along with it. One of the perks to this is that it does have speakers built-in and a microphone slot right in the back.
452261
No external mics included, you have to buy a kit that contains 2 external mics. Which is what I did.
2111371
The quality of the mic is very good the volume rocker on the side helps for the cobition of the background noise from outside , ive used it for videos, voice over the quality is very good if you are starting with the podcasting industry , upgrading will be needed as the quality of sound may be desirable with a little more expensive mic , I would suggest a Blue microphone or the Mammoth brand more expensive but the quality if the best
1567261
There is no microphone jack. You will need a USB adapter in order to use an external microphone, such as one for a headset.
240444
I have not tried it, but a mic with a mini-USB plug ***might*** provide external microphone capabilities.
146290
From my research, it does not have an external microphone jack. Some reviews I've found: http://www.t3.com/reviews/cameras/camcorders/panasonic-hm-ta1-review
757412
I have had units with internal microphones and they are not very good when speaking to someone, you sound like you are in a tunnel or to much road noise. An external mic is the only way to go and the wires can be hidden very easily
263690
There's a microphone input jack that for an external microphone. I haven't used it yet, but that's what it's for. Enjoy your camcorder.
1030240
you can record in mp3 or wav at different bit rates; then remove the micro sd card and you are ready. also you have a line out jack. i haven´t used the usb port, but there is one available to try. As a general comment, it is an excellent recording device. no need to use external mic. I recorded from last rows in a piano concert of a philarmonic concert hall (not for commercial purposes of course) as well as close to a piano and singer in a small living room. Both 10/10
1936220
There is an hdmi mini out which I haven't used, so don't know if it would function the way you want but I'm thinking so. There is an external mic input as well as a headphone jack, though I tried a couple high end shotgun microphones only to get a horrible buzzing sound. The jack works just fine with a lapel mic I tested and a cheap external digital recorder I tried. When I called Sony to find out the tech specks on the jack, they told me it was proprietary info and left me with no help. The store I was working with have up as well helping me find a microphone that would work well with no buzzing. It's a nice camcorder if you can get a used one at a decent price, but for just a little more money there are some better choices. Best of luck on your purchase!
985209
No, it doesn't appear to have an external mic jack, but that hasn't been a problem for my purposes. It picks up sound very well. It has two mics (stereo) on the front under the lens.
674914
Depending on what kind of meetings you are recording, this is a good microphone to use. Know that it is a two sided microphone and picks up all sound so you will need to adjust your recording levels. If the meetings are filled with lots of ambient noise this microphone will pick it up, but with the right recording levels you can minimize the noise.
44580
It has a microphone. It's actually very reliable and durable. I'm hard on my electronics and accessories and its held up well. It's worth it:)
407287
The camera itself does not have an external jack, but you can certainly opt to use your own microphone plugged into a USB or mike port. On my system (XPP), the webcam software detected the other mike and automatically used that one for videos. If it doesn't, you can go to settings and tell it which mike to use. Although the mike on this is adequate, it isn't exceptional and you buy this web cam for the video not the sound. I prefer an external mike for sound anyway as the on-camera ones are positioned wrong and don't have the optimal sound quality
520243
have not had any issues with sound, have used it in multiple locations that have had loud background and foreground sounds outdoors, school concerts and parties. Internal microphone is very good. Only wish the unit had a remote so playback to an older tv was a little easier to manage.
2058433
No issues with external noise. You need to put the mic directly in front of your mouth to get the best sound. Other than that, make sure the engineer has good levels for you.