Re: Affordable HD cam for a documentary- professional look

I agree that using a separate recording device to capture sound is the better way to go; you'll have better quality (24bit), better control and more options.

However, it's been my experience that most filmmakers don't have the knowledge, or really don't want to deal with audio; they want an easy solution to recording good sound. If you are one of those people, then hiring someone to just capture the sound for your project is a more reliable way to go. A better way is to learn at least the basics about sound recording, and even take the advice that Dave H. posted above.

Audio is as important or more so to all types of filmmaking, and should be treated that way :)

Best,

Dave J