What is an "external microphone" and would I need one for my camcorder?

What is an "external microphone" and would I need one for my camcorder?

Tim Smith (Camcorder Training Specialist) gives expert video advice on: What kind of sound quality can I expect from my camcorder?; What do I need in order to use an external microphone for my camcorder?; Can I use professional microphones with a consumer camcorder? and more...

Maybe one of the options you've got is to add an additional microphone to your camcorder, called an “optional” mic or an “external” microphone. There's lots of choices, but, essentially what that is, is the on-camera mic is really not sufficient for what you need to record, and you need to make another selection. There's a lot of mic choices out there, so think about what you need before you go shopping.