are you looking to do field recordings with a mic or recording audio output of portable gear, or both? if more focused around recording other gear, the Roland R-07 is reasonably priced and works great (it can also be used as an audio interface). also, the Olympus/OM System LS-P5 is really good. both of them have on-board mics, but I wouldn't consider them ultra high quality. i typically use the Roland R-07 since it can connect to my phone and be used while taking video.