I have a question maybe someone could answer. I'm looking to get a small video camera like The Flip. I want to spend about $150.00 and my main reason is to record live shows. Can anyone recommend one that has a good mic? I like The Flip, but some of the shows I have seen posted using it had a lot of distortion in the audio. Maybe they were too close to the band, I don't know much about them. Know anyone who has had good luck in this kind of thing?

Honestly, leave it to those with proper equipment and people hired by the band. Most of the live videos that I see on youtube are completely unwatchable. Unless you are willing to spend $600+ on a halfway decent DSLR or HD camera with an external mic setup your video will look like a shaky distorted POS. And if there's anything I can't stand it's a goober with a shitty camera getting in the way of my shot :P

The Flip is cool for the money, but if you're looking for good audio, you're probably gonna have to spend more money (unless the flip allows you to add an external mic that is pretty good).
Otherwise, the guy in this Alesis review suggests this gadget:
http://pro-audio.musiciansfriend.com/product/Zoom-Q3HD-Handy-Video-Recorder?sku=H70256

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cFnRTi01pxI&feature=related

 

i use a flip to record skate stuff at the parks..the sound is ok for that. i would probably try to record from the back of the room if recording a live show. i mean it picks up the pops and stuff my board makes when skating nice and clean i'm just not sure how it would handle a loud club.but i am sure going to try it out next time i get to a show!!!

Well, the thing about the groups is your post will at least be more visible for longer, not getting buried amongst the music discussion topics here. And some of the group forums actually do pretty well and are, at times, even more active than this one.

John White said:

No one reads the postings in "The Photographers group", in fact, every time I post something in the group section other then this one I takes days for a response. That's if I get one at all, besides I'm not a photographer, I just want to find a cheap video camera. 

Hideout Admin said:

Please use the Photographers group, guys. Post this there. Thanks.

No one reads the postings in "The Photographers group", in fact, every time I post something in the group section other then this one I takes days for a response. That's if I get one at all, besides I'm not a photographer, I just want to find a cheap video camera. 

Hideout Admin said:

Please use the Photographers group, guys. Post this there. Thanks.

Please use the Photographers group, guys. Post this there. Thanks.

This is a great question. 

I'm kind of in the same boat. 

What I've come up with is something like this:

http://pro-audio.musiciansfriend.com/product/Alesis-VideoTrack?sku=H05500

You might be able to find a better deal on ebay or elsewhere, but Musician's Friend is a very reliable vendor. 

I think you'd be remiss not to spend the extra few bucks for what you get with a brand/item like this.

Good luck and keep me posted.