I guess you could deal with the AVC problem something like this:

If your equipment allows it(*), you could use a VCR (preferably a
Hi-Fi!) to record the picture but NOT the sound from the camera
directly.  Either you use a separate sound plug on the VCR (if it
exists), or you connect to some of the pins in the SCART connection
between the camera and the VCR.  Either you could solder a plug, or use
a SCART cable with separate sound and picture cables, where you can
"insert" the sound from another source than the VCR.

(I have such a cable, you may decide if you like to connect with SCART,
or separate phono, or picture plugs in either of the ends of the cable.
If you combine two such cables, you can "insert" the sound at the
middle, having SCART plugs in both ends.)

My VCR allows for this, although I haven't tried this with a micro-
phone, there probably is some impedance adjustments that must be worked
out here.  You could send the mic signal through a mixer, or even the
sound card on a PC, but be sure that none of the devices you send the
sound through, has AVC.

If you have good sound quality, but still the possibility to adjust
the record volume too high, you may have succeeded!

Another advantage of this is also that you have the possibility to
record _directly_ onto the VHS, tape not loosing any quality by having
to copy from the cassette in the camcorder, it however demands that you
are prepared to record with no need to edit the tape afterwards of
course.

Be careful! Experimenting with this demands that one is careful NOT to
overload any part of the equipment with too high levels of signal, or
leaving loose plugs exposed to static electricity or picking up hum
noise.

And: Some cheaper cameras have counters and clocks and battery level
visible in the picture when they do not record.  You may have to record
a tape in the camcorder to avoid this, even when you make the recording
directly onto the VCR.

Thomas Henden, Norway.

(*) More expensive VCRs should have separate sound (phono)  plugs, and
cheaper ones at least a SCART connector.  I cannot guarantee that your
VCR doesn't have AVC on the SCART or phono connection...