BEST general purpose shotgun for <$300?

V

VeryNewMediaGuy

Member
I'm off on a press trip tomorrow, flying solo shooting several segments over the course of the next week (how I like it -- only me to blame for the mistakes). This is all very run-and-gun ENG stuff; with no one to hold a boom, I'm going strictly wired handhelds for on-camera 2 shot interviews. But I need a very solid, reasonably decent short to medium shotgun for atmosphere and the occasional soundbite. And I'm totally anal when it comes to clean, clear audio.

Oh, yeah -- as I mentioned, this will have to be mounted on-camera for the most part. In my experience, the puny Sony shotguns make better door stops than mics (same goes for just about any microphone made by a camera manufacturer) and the Sennheisers are fantastic when you've got a grand to spend (or you don't mind spending a couple of hundred to rent a kit). Unfortunately, I don't have the budget for that; this is a freelance gig I'm doing more out of personal interest than anything else. I've been totally spoiled by the candy store gear closets I can pillage at my day job.

I was surprised by the quality of the Rode NTG 1 (I think); how does it stand up against the cheaper Sennheisers?

Has anyone found the audio equivalent of the DVX100?
 
If you are anal about good audio then I would suggest you put your camera on tripod locked off in a medium shot and pick up a boom pole yourself.

You can find a wealth of info on cheap mics using the search function and reading stickies.

Cheers
 
The Rode is the best mike for the money in that price range. You can do no better. I have the cheaper Senn for my 1 chip camera and it is much better than the in camera mike and works well for home movie type stuff, but no comparison to my NTG-1 which I use for my DVX100b.

Just do a search and you will see about 50 people praising the Rode and saying that it has no real equal at that price.
 
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if you find used me 80 with k3 u preamp sennheiser - thats a very nice one
dont know if it cheaper then rody but it sounds very nice
 
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if by cheaper senheiser you mean the me66, don't go there. the rodentg1 is just as good (or better) for half as much.

what wabbit said
 
by the way if some one find me - 80 , i have spare k-3u , comes with ring adaptor and plug for wired " for lectro" sanken or mke 2 lavaliers

100 usd shipped
or 115 if ill have to revire for g-2
385 shipped with new sanken or - 365 with new mke 2
 
depends on the user
some gear will last 30 years - the same **** may go after 5 in bad hands or ruff conditions
302 is it a good mixer? - so why there half dozen broken ones in the repair shop in Israel - kids , kids , kids , bad attitude, stupidity
no even one wendt :-)
 
I still owe you huge for convincing me to buy the 302. I can't imagine living without it, thanks!

I play nice with my toys, so it is still in great shape.

I won't rent my sound gear out for that reason.
 
The LEDs are very cool indeed. Sometimes, I just cycle the thing on and off for hours to see them dance.

Anyone have a good source for a replacement 302 power toggle?

e
 
now tell me why is there 75 to 1 wendts here in rentals ,my next one 3 channel for rentals probably would come from swiss :-)
 
i am very pleased with my azden SGM-2X, it works as an omni directional mic also. very crisp clear sound, and it can even be used as a handheld if needed.
 
That would be great -- if I could direct the real world. As I mentioned, this is ENG work; I can't run with a locked-off shot and a boom pole in my hand. Nor can I carry all that equipment. It's simply too slow and I risk missing the shot. I'd rather have no audio than do that.
 
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