HIGHER BUDGET MICS
Firstly, I have most experience with ‘cardiod’ mics, so I’ll mostly cover them. First in the list of the more expensive mics are the Giant Squid Cardiod Mics:
http://www.giant-squid-audio-lab.com...dbattery1.html
$90 with a 9V battery box - Nice and small for what you want to use them for, also great if you want stealth record live music too. They'll probably put out enough juice to go line-in too.
* NOTE - With all of these higher end mics, it is recommended that you always use at least a 9V battery box to maximise the dynamic range on the mics. 9V is the maximum voltage you can feed to a mic through the 3.5mm jack – Various higher-end preamps like the Core MIC 2496 can supply 48V Phantom Power to a mic, but the connectors must be modified in order to support this voltage:
You will usually have the option of having this modification done when you order. The very top-of-the-line mics like AKGs, Neumanns, DPAs and Schoeps usually only run on 48V, but I won’t discuss them here as I’ve never had the capital to invest in mothers like those). The guys over on taperssection.com would be more help to you there than me...
Up another step in price, and you’re into the Audio Technica modified mics available from Sound Professionals:
http://www.soundprofessionals.com/cg.../item/SP-CMC-2
Or the custom-built ones from Core Sound:
http://www.core-sound.com/cardioid.html
A set of these kind of mics with a 9V power box will set you back about $250, but their small size (‘stealthability’ I suppose), wide dynamic range and fidelity to the source sound make them worth their money. I would recommend the mics I use (Sound Pro modified Shure MX185s), but they don’t sell them anymore
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The benefit of all these styles of mics is that the two mics that make up the stereo feed are free of each other, meaning you can mount them in a myriad of ways. Many people clip them to their glasses, hat, headband, shoulders and so on. ‘Omni’ mics, which these companies also sell, can be used to make ‘binaural’ recordings, where mounting the mics in or beside your ears can produce very realistic, almost 3D recordings.