BEST general purpose shotgun for <$300?

If you're *anal about audio*, then who cares about "getting the shot" perfect.... just get the best audio you can- any way that you can. B-roll it later if the shot suffers. Audio is the real CONTENT anyway, especially with run & gun quicky interviews.

-Vic
 
Hmm... maybe I should clarify... The audio IS for b-roll. I'm handling interviews with handhelds.

FYI, completely agree with you, Vic, about audio being the real content. Good point.
 
VeryNewMediaGuy said:
Hmm... maybe I should clarify... The audio IS for b-roll. I'm handling interviews with handhelds.

FYI, completely agree with you, Vic, about audio being the real content. Good point.
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I would agree with you.... two years ago. I am doing doc style a/b-roll exclusively and you NEED to have good nat sound breaks to bring the b-roll alive. I tried and tried (on camera shotguns), but you just can't get the same kind of stuff you can with a dedicated boom op. There is just no way. I am not talking a little difference here, I am talking NIGHT and DAY!
 
overlandfilms said:
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
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You modern people and your leds :P Im a big fan of the VU meters - this discussion has a very nerdy tone. Heh.

Sorry to thread jack - but I think the answer your looking for is in Olegs last post. The Octava will pick up the air from butterfly wings if one happens to fly in the room - use a little extra protection.
 
saneproductions said:
I would agree with you.... two years ago. I am doing doc style a/b-roll exclusively and you NEED to have good nat sound breaks to bring the b-roll alive. I tried and tried (on camera shotguns), but you just can't get the same kind of stuff you can with a dedicated boom op. There is just no way. I am not talking a little difference here, I am talking NIGHT and DAY!
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Agree on all points. Except that bringing a boom pole means I either have to grow another pair of arms or shoot only a quarter of the footage I need to shoot (this is all based on this one particular story I'm shooting where I don't have anyone but me on crew and no budget to change that).

I've shot nearly six hours of footage already, and I opted for the AT897. Here are my thoughts: I'm impressed with the directionality and moderately impressed with the reach but I'm a little disapointed with the lack of vocal presence. Don't get me wrong, it's not terrible by any stretch -- it's just a little light on the low-end harmonics; you know, all those mystical waveforms that make people sound like the people they actually are.

That said, for under $300, and for straight ENG, run-and-gun docu work, it's hard to beat.

Bottom line: I don't have to spend hours with tweaking signal to salvage my audio. That equals a happy me. Thanks for all your help, everyone on here.
 
I used the AT897 as my first shotgun mic for about a year, and you are right about the clarity for dialog issue. You should be able to EQ it in post to try and get it a little better.

Just for kicks, I've mounted my Sennheiser 416 and my Schoeps on the DVX100b for home movies, and they kick the AT897s butt. Still, those mics swing from my boom pole when I'm out working for clients. Would never mount them on-camera for a paying job--- unless there was a special circumstance.
 
vicrattlehead said:
I used the AT897 as my first shotgun mic for about a year, and you are right about the clarity for dialog issue. You should be able to EQ it in post to try and get it a little better.

Just for kicks, I've mounted my Sennheiser 416 and my Schoeps on the DVX100b for home movies, and they kick the AT897s butt. Still, those mics swing from my boom pole when I'm out working for clients. Would never mount them on-camera for a paying job--- unless there was a special circumstance.
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That's kinda my thinking -- in my experience the 416 is extremely prone to handling noise, and the off-axis rejection is SO great that you get the bizarre sensation of an aural zoom during a visual wide shot. Yeah, for the money and the (relative) lack of handling noise, I'm happy with the AT897. Still, lacks that warmth. Very thin...
 
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