Digital cameras forum: Best $200 Camera with video for low light and fast action?

Thanks for the tip. I really appreciate it! I'm checking that camera out now.

I see it over at woot com today. For those just starting out, not 15K?

Do you have any recommendation for good video and acceptable audio?

To make a good $200 camera, it is necessary to cut as many costs as possible.
A digital camera's purpose is to take good "still" pictures. The ability to take video is a bonus because that can be done cheaply (mostly firmware). So, you will not get excellent audio; you get the least expensive audio circuits that is competative with the competition.

And that is basic AGC (automatic gain control).
Which will boost the sound if the sound is too low.
It will not lower the sound if it is too high.
If you try to record live music you will get distortion if you are too close to the music source.
There is no adjustment for loudness.

Camcorders are more likely to have good audio circuits than digital cameras.
Recently a couple of digital cameras were released that boast of their audio abilities but the cheapest one is over $2500.

The bottom line is that there is no low cost digital camera that has good sound or microphones good enough for live music recording.

..

A AGC will indeed attempt to attenuate a high signal. But it can't work miracles. If the signal is strong enough, distortion will occur. The other side of the coin is that depending on the design, an AGC can attenuate a signal too much...it might avoid clipping distortion, but end up reducing the dynamic range so much that the sound is very "flat" sounding.

So...I'm sure you can find a $200 camera that will record music with acceptable (read: not great, but good enough) audio. But don't take my word for it. Go to YouTube and watch and listen to some examples. With that, my Sony HX9V, which I purchased factory refurbished for $240:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m7dKPVc3UlI&feature=share&list=UUoQwYXSWcgIkx6n6Ve-zZMA