Reddit reviews ZOOM H1 Handy Portable Digital Recorder (Special Edition White)

>Yo barber gimme that Zoom H1 microphone!

FTFY

Yes there are. Obviously there's no work around to record the audio directly to the camera, it either has a mic jack or it doesn't. What you need is an external audio recorder. A cheap one that's fairly popular is the Zoom H1. You can use that with the built in mics, or connect a shotgun mic like a Rode microphone to the 3.5mm input jack. That's the same kind of input jack that you would find on a camera with a microphone input.

With these recorders, everything is saved to a microSD card. Then you need to use video editing software to combine the audio with the video file, there's really no way around that.

Hi mhrazor - I have a Zoom H1, which should work well with your ATR-6550. You can buy a [white one for $95] (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0090XWZB0/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B0090XWZB0&linkCode=as2&tag=battleforthew-20) or a [black one for $99] (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003QKBVYK/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B003QKBVYK&linkCode=as2&tag=battleforthew-20).

That said, if you can stretch your budget by $28, you can get an [open box 4 track Tascam DR-40 in new condition for $148] (http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-53200-19255-0/1?icep_ff3=2&pub=5575034783&toolid=10001&campid=5337235943&customid=&icep_item=370932734790&ipn=psmain&icep_vectorid=229466&kwid=902099&mtid=824&kw=lg). If your ATR-6550 didn't come with one, you'll also need a [$3 3.5mm to 1/4" adapter] (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004P4JUMQ/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B004P4JUMQ&linkCode=as2&tag=battleforthew-20) to plug your mic into the DR-40.

I have both of these recorders, and, if you can afford it, I recommend you get the DR-40 for its two professional XLR inputs and 4 track recording.

Hope this is helpful!

Bill

I would add these to your list. They are way more sound quality oriented than the above.

http://www.amazon.com/Zoom-H1-Special-Edition-Recorder/dp/B0090XWZB0/

http://www.amazon.com/TEAC-VR-20-Portable-Digital-Recorder/dp/B007N0R4C2/

http://www.amazon.com/Tascam-DR-03-Portable-Handheld-Recorder/dp/B0044FNCY8/

or my choice although larger would be this DR05 http://www.amazon.com/Tascam-DR-05-Portable-Digital-Recorder/dp/B004OA6JW0/

Suggestion is go to youtube and look each one up. There will be samples like SO...

From reading the other comments I'm guessing you don't so I would either get a used camera or use your phone. The budget of yours is quite limiting to fit in audio, lighting and a decent camera however it may work if you get a slightly older camera.

I would get the t3i body only which you can get at an average of $300. This has an articulating screen, good for interviews, and is still a good beginner camera years on from when it was released. The lens I would get is the YONGYUO YN50mm f.18 which is an cheap autofocus lens at a fixed distance to achieve the best quality.

For microphones I would reccommend the Takstar SGC-598 which is really cheap and surprisingly good. You can put this on a mic stand and get it as close to both the interviewer and the interviewee for the best sound. You will then need a wire to connect it to the camera. However if you have extra money you can save up for a Zoom h1 which you plug the mic into and it records seperately for better audio.

All in all this kit will cost you $500 for just the audio and no lighting. This would cost you about $50 extra for softboxes however if you shoot in daylight it will be much easier and require less lighting.

Another kit you could try is using your phone for video and then buying just audio and lighting. For this I would get the Rode Videomic Pro, the Zoom h1, a mic stand, a softbox lighting kit (2 lights) and any other things like memory cards etc. This would cost you around $400.