ATM89R Hypercardioid Condenser?

[pmk396]

It's my understanding that a hypercardioid condenser mic is the way to go when recording dialog indoors. However, I saw the Audio Technica ATM89R hypercardioid condenser mic at a great price but it looks more like a vocalist's mic used for live performances than a mic for recording audio/dialog for film. Despite it's design, I was wondering if it would achieve the desired results or am I totally looking at the wrong kind of mic?

[gpforet]

What you will most likely find is that a condenser microphone for handheld use will be far less sensitive and pencil-type condensers. There has been much written about the problems with using low sensitivity mics with recorders such as the Zoom H4n. If I'm interpreting the specs correctly, the Rode NTG-3 is twice as sensitive as the ATM89R.

The AT is rated at -42 dB (7.9 mV) re 1V at 1 Pa whereas the Rode is rated at -30 dB re 1 Volt/Pascal (31.6 mV @ 94 dB SPL) +/- 2 dB @ 1kHz.

So, all this is saying that a handheld vocal mic is simply not the right tool to be using at the end of the boom pole.

[JordanBlock]

Adding to gpforet, mics for handheld use are also much heavier than your typical SDC mic. At the end of a boom, every ounce matters.