Can I amplify a microphone output slightly?

I want to amplify a microphone output before it reaches a small camera which has a mic input. Would a small, basic pre-amp be able to do this with sufficient control when turned down low? This is for basic podcasting work, not for professional broadcasting. Most of the basic pre-amps (e.g. by Monacor) have gains about 40 to 50 dB, which is probably too much, but if the pre-amp is turned down to say 10 dB would that be okay? Also, if the pre-amp was accidentally turned up, so that I was feeding line-level signals in to a socket intended for an ordinary mic, would that be likely to damage the camera's mic circuits?

If it matters, I'm running an Audio-Technica ATR 3350 condenser mic in to a Kodak Zi8. This seems to combine a mic with a slightly weak output and a camera with a slightly insensitive mic socket. I'm trying to avoid replacing these two bits of kit. Most of the time, it works great, but I'd like on occasions to be able to boost the mic output before it gets to the camera.