I went the action cam route (went with Sony instead of GoPro because of battery life) but those cameras just aren't very user friendly. The wifi android app didn't work all that great either. I'm starting to wish I had not jumped the gun and sold my Vixia so quickly. Might just have to buy another on eBay unless I can find something smaller/lighter weight...

Sony HXR-NX30 Palm Size NXCAM HD Camcorder with Projector.
If you don't need the XLR inputs I believe they come off. If you don't need XLR inputs at all I believe you can buy this same camcorder in Sony's consumer line up with out the XLRs and save some money.

Jerry K

Hmmm, that's a $3000 camera, double what I paid for my XA10. That camera is definitely overkill for my needs. I paid $549 for the Vixia. Even the consumer version of that camera, HDR-PJ760V is too much..

Another vote for the Sony NX30 and I'm certain you can get it a bit cheaper than $3000.

We have three of these plus a couple of the NX70s and everyone loves them. Money very well spent. Low light performance is remarkably good for that sized camera and chip. I've even found the projector handy for showing shots to a group of
performers.

Only thing to watch out for is the lens is not all that long but that's probably because of the gyro stabilization on the NX30. I would say the other downside is like all these sized Sony cameras they do suffer from "menu-itis".

Bob.

Well, this may be too small and lightweight, but it won't shoot like a toy.
http://www.sonycreativesoftware.com/forums/ShowMessage.asp?ForumID=4&MessageID=878621

Mike, don't know where you're located but Google shows lots of places carrying the camera for about $1,850 in the USA.

EDIT: Okay, so the "U" model is for the USA, so I guess you're elsewhere.

From some of the reviews I'm seeing, it looks like a cool camera. Some people hate the projector, think it doesn't belong on a prosumer camera. I think it would be an interesting feature.

NX30 $3,000 B&H has it for $1,849 plus a rebate offer.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/853433-REG/Sony_HXR_NX30_HD_Compact_Camcorder.html

You don't really mention how you'll be using this camera, or how small it has to be, or how long it has to record, so I'll steer the conversation in a different direction and mention the Panasonic Lumix G6, which is a 16MP Micro FourThirds digital camera that records 1080p video. It looks like a DSLR, but it is much smaller, mirrorless (with electronic viewfinder -- like a camcorder), and all plastic, so it's very lightweight. (but clearly bigger than a GoPro) Currently $649 at B&H.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/968554-REG/panasonic_dmc_g6kk_lumix_dmc_g6_mirrorless_micro.html

Your request for "wireless" operation made me think of it, because it has WiFi capabilities that allow you control it, see what it's recording, etc., via a smartphone. I just got this camera, but haven't tried out WiFi or anything like that. The various online reviews I found seem to like this camera and the quality of the video.

The 14-42 kit lens (28-84 mm 35mm equiv) is a manual zoom, so you wouldn't be able to zoom the image remotely with that lens. Since it has a 16mp imager, you can choose digital 2x and 4x "teleconverter" options, which zoom 2x or 4x times the actual lens zoom but without any loss of resolution.

Edit: Now that I think about it, since 16:9 photos are 4608x2592 pixels, it seems like it can do 2x with no loss of resolution (for 1080 video) but 4x would involve some loss of resolution.

Edit #2: I just looked up the Vixia HF M500 that you said was too big and too heavy. The G6 w/ kit lens is 4 oz heavier than the Vixia. Sorry!

Check out this Sony hdr-as30v very small but has allot to offer.
I know a videographer that has this camcorder and loves it.
Cost under $300

http://www.amazon.com/Sony-Definition-Action-Camera-HDR-AS30V/dp/B00EVIBN8U/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1388897548&sr=8-1&keywords=sony+hdr-as30v

http://store.sony.com/compact-pov-action-cam-zid27-HDRAS30V/B/cat-27-catid-All-Action-Cam;pgid=zeh.EzZeFPVSRpDNUFUX6Old0000qeKNTWA9;sid=g9oUJQWKkvoGJVdCYEe0IZ2ASuFa4GrGxqsjlGZF?_t=pfm%3Dapr

I'd look at the Panasonic HC-X920. I have the older version - the TM700 which has great video quality - 3 chip CMOS sensor. The only draw back is you have to use manual WB if you are on snow to get the color right. The 920 has Wifi capability I believe. Under $800 at B&H.

Mike

My main camera these days is a Panasonic GH3 (which I adore) but I also have a little Panasonic GF3 which I bought for next to nothing as a return at BestBuy. Here's what I like about that camera:

1) Small
2) Cheap
3) Relatively large sensor
4) Same interchangeable lenses as my main camera
5) Hackable. It ruins the same hack as the GH2 except that it still doesn't do 24p. You can however bump up the bitrate up to whatever your SD cards will handle (I keep mine around 22Mbps), remove the video recording time restriction, and enable both PAL and NTSC modes.
6) Touch screen focus and decent intelligent auto modes.

What I don't like:
1) Screen is not very bright.
2) screen not articulable.
3) screen uses strange non capacitance pressure sensing that feels awkward.
4) sensor nowhere near as sensitive as the astoundingly good one on the GH3.

The good thing is that at some point I will replace it with another compact micro 4/3 camera when I see a good deal and it will mix in with my growing lens collection just fine.

Tim, thanks for the suggestion, but yes that one is pretty heavy even without the lens.

Jerry, the action cam I did buy was the AS15 which was the model before the AS30. It may be good for "action cam" style shooting, but right off the bat, there were things I did not like. 1) The camera must be in the clear plastic case to use the tripod mount on the bottom, 2) The wifi app doesn't work all that well for starting and stopping the camera, and it's pretty choppy, loses the connection, etc. Really the only thing that's nice about the Sony action cam is the weight and size..

MTuggy, the TM700 might be a possibility, there's no indication of a remote in the specs at B&H, however, one of the reviews says that they use the remote to start and stop recording without touching the camera, so I guess it does have one available. I will look at this one closer, thank you...

We still have no idea what the application is for this small camcorder. Do you need to mount this camcorder in side a flower pot or inside a car? Most camcorders come with a IR remote will that serve your purpose. Do you need to see the picture over a WiFi connection? Please give us more detail.

Laurence, tell me a bit about AVCHD bitrates. At what point does it not make any difference to go higher? And at lower rates, what are the artifacts, and when do they crop up?

It's going to *somehow* be mounted to a guitar to show the guitarist's perspective of the neck, i.e. if you were the one playing the guitar. This is why the camera should be as small and lightweight as possible. It doesn't have to be a current model, just as long as it shoots 1080P and can record to a 64GB memory card and has a remote. I don't necessarily need to see what the camera sees because the mount will be fixed in one position for the duration of the shoot.

Get a GoPro and download the free app for your smartphone.
Best way to mount go pro on a guitar

Mike

GoPro is a no go, they have lousy battery life

For mounting on the end of a guitar like that and assuming the light levels are good I'd consider one of the incredibly cheap dashcams.

Look up Techmoan's channel on YT, he's tested most of them and there's one about the size of a car remote control that does pretty good. You don't really need remote control with these, just leave it in record. The can be setup to over write the oldest video if they run out of space on the SDHC card.

Bob.

I didn't know about dash cams at all.. Have to look at the features; can't imagine that one of those would work, but I will investigate! :-)

A dash can might be a good way to go but I see two problems you would need to work out. #1 dash cams come with a 12 volt power cord now you need your own 12 volt power supply. #2 most dash cam I have seen record 5 minute files and there is no software that I know of to piece it together like we do with AVCHD files.

Jerry K

Jerry, thanks for saving me the time of discovering those things about the dash cams. I still think my best bet is a small, consumer level camera. Seems like Sony used to make a small one but I'm not sure.