Hi,
I am buying a Canon MVX460 which is the Elura 100 in the USA.
A lot of buyer reviews mention tape motor noise picked up by the built in microphone. As it has an external mike socket but no mounting shoe, would a tie clip mike be effective to overcome this problem.
Having not used an external mike before I don`t know what sound quality to expect. The camera has excellent reviews apart from this glitch.
Any help would be appreciated.

The motor noise will probably not be a problem, reviewers just ahve a thing about it I think.

As for the improvement, huge. Good sound is as imprtant as good video imho. Camera mics are totally omnidirectional and not really hifi. A decent well used mic will add hugely to your movies.

Tie clip mics vary in quality from ok to wow. I have and old sony mic and to me it is wow, 50 quid off e bay. I would say be wary of anything much cheaper unless reccomended.

Tie clips are used for getting good vocal pick up from one person, but clearly they will get other sound.

A more flexible soloution is a short shotgun. You can mount this on the camera or point at the source you want, as they are directional they appear to zoom in on conversations ect. Just like your ears seem to do.

Rode and sennheiser make models for the domestic market for around £100.

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JVC DV5001e (big cam), Sony PC6E (tiny cam), Vinten pro5, PAG light, SM58, Sony ECM50, Sony C-76, 0.5x convertors for sony, Rode video mic, Vegas 7.

It depends on what kind of audio you want to record. A tie clip is good in noisy areas and you want to make sure you get a clear recording of someones voice, examples are wedding speeches, exchanging of vows, a politician promising the sun, moon and stars if you'll vote for him/her... but as Mark says a shotgun mic might be better as is can be used to pick out sounds at a distance and it can also be used to record interviews. If you camcorder doesn't have a hotshoe, then go along to your local music store and see if they have any mic stands, so you don't have to handle it as much when recording.

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Better than a poke in the eye with a pointy stick any day...

Thanks for your help. I will try out the suggested options.