I have found the Zoom Cameras to be a great place to start. I wish I had picked up the Q8 (which has phantom power for an external mic) https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1116341-REG/zoom_zq8_q8_handy_video_recorder.html but it wasn’t out yet. I’m happy with the Q4 and an external XLR w/phantom box. You also don’t need to break the bank on a mic. Someone gave me one of these to try… I don’t record vocals but I was surprised with how well this held up compared to some of my more expensive mics https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/275641-REG/Behringer_B_2_PRO_B_2_Pro_Studio.html.