I like the Canon Elura 100 because it is MiniDV - but I don't like it because it has no accessory shoe - which means mounting an external mic will be interesting. You *could* use a camera accessory bar - it is an 8 inch long bar that has a screw to mount to the bottom of the camera (where a tripod would normally mount) on one side - and the other side has a cold shoe accessory mount where the mic is mounted - like an Audio Technica AT-822 stereo mic... The camera takes stills and puts them on a SD memory card... you can shoot stills while taping.

I like the Sony DCR-TRV260 because it has an accessory shoe for an external mic - but it has to be a Sony mic because that shoe is proprietary - and I don't like that it is Digital-8 instead of MiniDV... It takes stills and puts them on the tape - this seems odd - and I don't know how it would handle shooting stills while filming - but that might not matter to you.

The JVC GR-D650 looks interesting... but I have just not been a JVC video camera fan... and I will leave it at that.

The reason I make a big deal about the mic-in is that you may not care now (or you may not have the budget now), but at some point, you will come to understand that the dynamic rangle of the built-in mics just aren't that great on any camera. An external mic will provide you a much richer audio experience - and you can add it later. And you can use the camera with or without it... and you're the one who said audio is important to you. You don't need to be a pro to use an external mic...

I'm leaning in the direction of recommending the Elura (I used to have an Elura 60, and loved it - even though it did not have a mic-in jack - though I wished it did). I now use a Sony HDR-HC1 and connect external mics all the time...

Presuming you transfer your video to a computer for editing, your computer will need a FireWire port. None of these cameras include the FireWire cable in the box, so you need to buy one (4-pin on the camera side; 6-pin on the computer side) - all three cameras have a FireWire/i.Link/DV/IEEE1394 (they are all the same) port. The USB port and included cable (in the box) are for transferring stills from the memory card (Elura 100) only.

Since size matters to you, at least consider getting/using a monopod... tripod is better, but it is what it is...

Have fun. Safe travels. Good luck!