I have never run from mics to camcorder
I always go from pre/recorder to camcorder
Example...
Mics > littlebox > camcorder
Mics > tinybox > m10 > camcorder
My littlebox has dual out so I can bypass the recorder
The m10 I use line out, tried headphone and didn't get as good results
I now have a dr-60d and use the camera out on that with no attenuator cable
A plus to having a recording saved on the m10/60d vs just the camcorder is that I can dubb in post if I want for even better overall sound since a lot of (older) camcorders only do 12 bit on record settings
Now depending on your camcorder, you might be able to just plug the mics in with no attenuator cable at all.
I use the cable because I'm going line signal into a mic in jack