Anyone besides me having low sound levels on the DVC 80? I am only using the on-board mic, but levels seem too low, even with the level controls all the way up.
Also, the built-in speaker seems next to useless. You almost have to put your ear next to it to hear anything, even with the playback volumn all the way up. I just got this camera, I love it, but I am concerned with the sound.
TIA,
Craig

The following is a comment from scottchapin over in the dvx user forum.

"Quite normal. The built in mics are for ambient recording. They are omni's and would record a lot of camera sound, if their snsitivity were too high.

External mics are the order of the day, and Panasonic intended it to be that way. "

Thanks Scott! hope your not mad for me stealing your answer.



If you want to get good sound (ie. directional sound) then you will need an external mic. With a good external mic your sound will be loud and clear, and you may even hear it on the built in speaker, if not, try headphones.

I agree with Stefan's post regarding external mics.

I just got the DVC-80 earlier this week and used it for the first time on a job today. Audio was clear with both external lavalier and boundary microphones.

My only gripe about the unit is the paltry internal speaker volume, and the fairly low level of the headphone jack output. Otherwise it's a great camera.

Ok, I have an external mic on the way for this camera. I love it, and it does more than I expected it to.
Thanks for all the great advise. Good luck with your DVC 80, and if you would, post some experiences with this camera.
Thanks,
Craig