sound is very low on recodring -- help anybody??? This is a great camcorder, but when I first used it outside, the voices speaking are VERY hard to hear no matter how high I turn up the volume on my PC or in the software. Does anybody have a suggestion for boosting the microphone strength? Or can you tell me if it's possible to add an external microphone to it? Thanks!!! sound is very low on recodring -- help anybody??? This is a great camcorder, but when I first used it outside, the voices speaking are VERY hard to hear no matter how high I turn up the volume on... » Read More sound is very low on recodring -- help anybody??? This is a great camcorder, but when I first used it outside, the voices speaking are VERY hard to hear no matter how high I turn up the volume on my PC or in the software. Does anybody have a suggestion for boosting the microphone strength? Or can you tell me if it's possible to add an external microphone to it? Thanks!!! « Show Less
1055450
If you have a steady hand and you are actually trying to pick up the audio on a conversation, then try zooming in closer to where the voices are coming from, that way the mic zooms in as well, this has been very usefull to me in outdoors shooting.
883762
I think that is just your auto focus. I get the same sounds from my Nikon D3100 in the video mode. But, only when it is focusing. These are primarily still picture cameras. Video is just a nice option and as yet not quite perfected yet, I guess. The more you use the video function, the better you will get at focusing and you can kinda work through it. I personally don't use it that much, but it's nice to have if you do need it.
1057170
Hi, I am looking to buy a mic to attach to the accessory shoe on the Camcorder. Can I use any mic or do I need to buy a Panasonic mic only? Please recommend a good brand if I can use any off-the-shelf mic. Thanks!
295830
Thank you! My mom has this camera and has been visiting, taking pics and video of grand kids. The sound that used to be there for playback seemed to have disappeared. Thanks to your tip, we got the sound back and my mom is delighted! We had checked the volume and sound in settings, but you have to complete this step while the video is in playback. This is not mentioned anywhere in the instruction manual.
934488
Hi, I am looking to buy a mic to attach to the accessory shoe on the Camcorder.Can I use any mic or do I need to buy a Panasonic mic only? Please recommend a good brand if I can use any off-the-shelf mic. Thanks!
1865726
I've had nothing but good luck with this camera. I've had no problem with the built in mic. I thought it worked greast. I haven't noticed any noise. You may have a defective camera. I'd contact Panasonic.
295831
Actually, I figured it out. Make sure you're not on mute, record something with sound. When you play it back, you need to turn up the volume by pressing the up arrow (or top of the) on the circular button to the right of the screen. You will then see the volume go up and start to hear the sound from the playback. Trust me though...the sound quality isn't all that. It sounds better when you play it back on a computer, but not by much. I had to remind myself not to get discouraged because after all...it's not a video camera by design. Hope this helps!
1847688
This camcorder is not set up to record concerts or music. It has no external jacks to install high quality microphones. I would say the sound is standard for an entry level camcorder.
127234
Never tried the mic in that specific situation. My experience is you can control the recorded sound level very well using the db-switches on the mic (-10db, 0 db and +20db) in combination with the mic recording level serting on the camcorder. So with a bit of thinking in advance of what sound level you can expect and setting the switches accordingly, you should be allright.
1150178
I have Vista and the camera's playback sound quality was very poor. I went into the Control Panel/Sound/Recording tab, highlighted the LifeCam Microphone and clicked 'Configure'. In the Configure window I chose 'Set up microphone'. I chose 'Other' for 'mics built into devices' I followed instructions for reading text into the mic. After doing that a few times and getting a warning message that the LifeCam mic is not adequate for speech recognition, the test did optimize the level of the mic on the camera and it seems to work much better.
818230
Subject: Re: Y. Callewaert commented on your answer to the question "Being a Mac user, will this camera work with my Mac and iMovie program?"if you want a sample from the camera, you can go to facebook's Hot SpringsJazz Society and look at the u-tube videos of our Vocal-Rama event .... all6 or so of the u=tubes were taken by the camera and attached mic. Theacoustics in the Garvan Gardens Chapel aren't the best, but I thought thesounds came through reasonably well....Dave
1667817
Thats odd, maybe your mics arent working. Or you source is very far away. Have you tried doing a test video where you speak directly to the camera? If you cant take it back theres a hotshoe mic available for the cameras
1453948
Hi Sharon, I've only recorded a couple videos right after I received the camera and those were only for testing the record function. I didn't record any audio but I do remember some slight wind noise. I just did a quick test recording the tv sound and it was ok. If you decide to purchase the camera, keep in mind the microphone is located on top close to where you would hold it with your left hand. Also, it is not stereo. The camera has served my needs and I've been very pleased with it. Photos are not DSLR quality but pretty good nonetheless. Wi-fi backup and sending via email on my home network work great. Sorry I don't have a better reply regarding the sound quality.
1227941
I know there's a microphone jack on the camera. It's just an RCA plug. Has anyone used a separate mic with the camera? If so, where did you find the microphone? I've been looking on the web. I'm glad that some things are included in the box. From the description, it seemed that there was nothing in the box but the camera -- not even a battery!
104578
Yes - I just bought one - got it on Friday, today's Sunday and I hear incessant camera noise and the unit itself just doesn't have loud enough playback. Haven't found a way to increase volume through the editing process.
264727
I used it under water but the water wasn't very clear so I wouldn't blame the camera. The playback was high def but the sounds under water are fairly garbled as you may expect so you need to mute the playback or add music. For the price in the cam market it is great.
1100979
Problem: Yes, the tape drive system produces an undesirable sound. I sent my original back to have it repaired. Sony could not correct this noise problem, but they did report to me that they tried several of the cameras on site and all of them also made the sound. I requested another new camera which they agreed to, but it does the same thing. Fix: I tried using an external mic on a stand, but the quality would pick up too much ambient noise. I recently corrected the problem by purchasing a Rodeo Shotgun Mic with an adapter shoe for the camera mount. I wish I had done this years ago. You don't realize how important good sound pickup is until you use a good quality mic.