Since you want 1080p, do any of the cameras listed have that capability?

If 1080p isn't of top importance then you have listed some really fine cameras.
I've personally used four of the five. I like that the Panasonic's are shoulder
mount cameras. The FX7 is a great, small camera. And so is the A1U. Not
really much noticeable difference between the two. But if you really need
1080p you should check out my personal favorite small camera; the
JVC GY-HM100U

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The aim of an argument or discussion should not be victory, but progress.
Joseph Joubert, essayist (1754-1824)

Thanks for the reply.

The only camera that has 1080p that I listed was the Panasonic AVCCAM AG-HMC40.

I looked at the JVC you recommended; from the specs that i understand, it's a beuaty. However, it's a bit outside my price range...

The thing about the Panasonic that has 1080p that I don't like is that it doesn't have the shotgun mic (I think that's what it's called... correct me if I'm wrong) which is something that I'd like to have.

My big thing about 1080p is that I like to have the top-end "tech", no sense in working with soon to be outdated resolutions, in my opinion.

Which camera would you rate the highest in terms of build quality, image quality, and sound quality?

Thanks in advance.

No matter which of the cameras you decide on, you will not use the
on-camera mic. You will need to get a good shotgun mic to put on
a boom pole. So it seems to me that the camera that meets your
primary need (1080p) and is in your price range is the AG-HMC40.

It's a fine camera and you will like it. As far as the quality of the
camera build, all of the major manufacturers build quality cameras.
Like just about everything, personal preference comes into play. I
prefer JVC to Canon, but that doens't mean Canon makes poor
cameras. Of course you know that no matter what the camera, to
get good image quality you need excellent lighting and to get good
sound quality you need an excellent mic.

Thanks for the reply again.

Regarding the mic, I have music recording equipment (that I use for my guitar) and was wondering if those mics - they're Shure SM57s - with one of those wind reducer things (don't know what it's called...) would work?

Do any of the listed cameras have an XLR input (the cable for the mic)?

SM57 will work, although it isn't ideal. You should probably get a cheap fishpole (Testrite makes cheap telescopic ones: http://www.markertek.com/Audio-Equipment/Microphone-Accessories/Microphone-Fishpoles/TestRite-Instrument-Co/FP-2.xhtml).

If there's some extra money, Behringer B-5 ($70) is a great value.

As for XLRs, you can get cheap XLR-to-3.5mm cable adapter (for $12), or you could get Panasonic's XLR adapter with 48V phantom power (for that Behringer mic...).

I'm assuming here that you're planning on making features, where you'll practically NEVER need a microphone on the camera, and ALWAYS need one close to your talent, which means an additional guy manning the fishpole (the boom operator).

If you actually need a shotgun microphone on the camera, you could get a shockmount with a shoe adapter (some $50).

Im no mic expert. I think that mic is fine if you are quite close
to it. How well does it pick up if its, say, two to three feet
away from the person speaking?

What you really need is a shotgun mic with a lobar pick up
pattern. But you should check the mic you have. Use what ever
recording device you are currently using, place the mic above you
about three feet away and speak normally. Thats the way you will
record dialogue for your movie. If you get audio that you hare
happy with, then you can use the mic you have.

Agreed. SM57 is unidirectional, but is still fairly wide, compared to any shotgun. Having worked with it (in music setting), I'm sure the quality of audio it picks up will be good. The only question is how much background noise will come with it (due to its wide pattern), and that will depend on the distance from talent, as well as general noise levels around it.

If there's no money for a shotgun, this will still be much better than an on-board mic from a camera/camcorder.

SM57... ah I don't know. You need a LOT of gain for that mic. You'll definitely have very low audio levels if you don't have substantial preamps, and they're is no built-in windscreen. This is the only mic I own and have done quite a few recordings with it, but I really wouldn't consider it for filmmaking.

If you have the experience working in audio then you'd know how to make it work, but otherwise I could see it being problematic.

Thanks for the replies.

Ok so say I don't use the SM57, what would be another (not too expensive) option for recording audio without using the on-board mic?

Thanks for the replies.

Ok so say I don't use the SM57, what would be another (not too expensive) option for recording audio without using the on-board mic?

What you're looking for is a good shotgun mic. That in itself is a
generic term that means any long barreled mic. You want a good
condenser (externally powered) mic with a lobar pick up pattern
to put on your boom pole. Lobar pick up means the mic focuses its
audio pick up to a narrow area. This is why you want to use a boom
pole to get the mic as close the the actor as possible - youll
get clean dialogue tracks with less ambient noise.

?URL? http://www.sennheiserusa.com/newsite/?/URL?
Sennheiser is the mic most used by professional sound recordists.
They are expensive and worth it. Check out the ME-66 and the ME-
67. The MKH60 is the best if you can afford it.

?url? http://www.audio-technica.com/?/url?
Audio-Technica is cheaper. Check out the AT835B. Its a workable
mic, a little muddy and not as directional as it should be. The
AT835ST is a good mic for the price, but it, too, sounds a bit
muddy - the vocals dont sound crisp enough for me.

?url? http://www.rodemic.com/microphones.php?/url?
Rode mics are quite good. Check the NTG (shotgun) series.

?url? http://www.azdencorp.com/?/url?
Ive never used Azden mics. Theyre inexpensive and I dont hear
too many good things about them, but if that's all you can afford
it's MUCH better than using the camera mic.

A good mic is an investment. It will last longer than your camera
- why skimp?

The further away the mic is from the actors, the higher the volume
needs to be. The higher the volume, the more noise you get. Your
goal is to have a very high signal to noise ratio - more signal
(the dialogue) less noise (the background). Even a very good,
expensive Sennheiser mounted on the camera will pick up a lot of
background ambiance because its far away from the actors.

So you need a boom pole. This can be as simple as a painters pole
with a microphone shock mount on it - or a 3 or 4 section,
expandable Carbon Fiber, Graphite Fiber or Aluminum boom pole. The
lighter the pole the better. Expandable is also very convenient. A
pole thats a fixed six or eight feet (painters pole) can pose
problems if youre shooting in a small space like a bathroom or
small apartment or if the boom operator needs to be twelve to
fifteen feet away to be out the the lights.

A good Graphite, five section boom will be light, range from two
feet to nine feet and cost $500 or so. A pro boom-op will invest
in a good pole. No need to spend that kind of money if youre
making one or two shorts a year.

=============================================
The aim of an argument or discussion should not be victory, but progress.
Joseph Joubert, essayist (1754-1824)

Thanks for the reply.

I just checked out the Sennheiser, they seem a little too expensive at this point. However, I am well aware of their quality, I have a Sennheiser wireless system for my guitar/SM57 and a pair of Sennheiser professional studio headphones. If I had the money, I would definitely stick with Sennheiser.

I also looked at the Rodes, but they don't give any prices on the website for the NTG series. What is the starting price of that series?

I still need to check out the Audio-Technicas and the Azdens.

Thanks.

I don't have a price list handy. But a quick search will do the trick.