TOP 5 SHOTGUNS! (for those with a budget)- READ THIS!

Excellent post.
I discovered this site because i have been shopping for a good mic.(s) . I have learned a tremendous amount from posts here.. some as old as 2003!! A guy named Mattin , Oleg, Ty.... are they still here? Anyway, Heres my opinion based on the countless threads ive read and my real world experience.
I believe that all the mics listed with the exception of the MKH416 are mediocre mics. And i understand people are on a budget. But why bother sinking money into something that is "almost" a great mic? Why not put that money into a savings for a better mic? I wouldnt buy any of the mics above except the mkh416.. Just my opinion.
 
Beautiful work.

I own the ME-66. While it is a decent mike, I would always prefer the 416.
Much better quality, much more directional.

Thanks for the post.
 
I've owned the ME 66 sold it I've got Senn 416, AT 4073a and an Elation which is like an Otava. You said reguarding the AT 4073a, Quote; On the downside: Although Ive never heard of one breaking, it feels very fragile, even more so than the plastic ME66. Only runs off phantom, so you'll need a supply for that - be it camera, mixer, phantom enabled wireless adapter or external preamp.

I've done 2 hurricanes with it (Katrina and Rita), about 10 weeks in S.Africa (mostly Cape Town and False Bay area- a lot of time on the ocean), Mozambique. Caves in Mexico, and Texas. Mountains of Guadamala, Costa Rican jungles, The Amazon river and jungle and much more. I take the AT4073a on those types of trips and the mic has not failed me (I bought it in '98) it looks like crap but it has paid for itself at least 10 times. The Senn 416 is the bomb (that means the best, so my teenage daughter tells me), but the 4073a is a good work horse. I tried the RODE during the Texas Gov. elections last year and it was ok -for the price it's good. I would never buy a mic that has to have batts, if you mount it to your camera and you put decent wind protection on it you will see it in your wide shots. Besides I have a mixer that supplies P48 and the DVX and most of the broadcast DV cams have it (P48) as well. Just my 2 cents. Thanks for the report Timapter. Also I love South Africa Go Natal Sharks!
A.G.
 
Great thread!! Ive read this post several times among many others but when it comes to 1 or 2 party interviews using the dvx 100 Im still confused as to which mic and/or lavalier would be best for picking up just the voices from the interview. Would i need a directional mic to produce crisp and rich sound of the voices? I admit I am slow with this.

With what Ive learned thus far I'm thinking the Senn mkh 416, oktava mk012, rode eng-2, audio technica 897, bluelight from rvacanada... but unsure which one to go with (too many choices and pros/cons). Having little knowledge under my belt I should probably avoid using a mixer and limit my spending to under $1200.00

Once again thanks for this post and any suggestions are forever appreciated. When it comes to audio I must admit I am afraid of making the wrong purchase for my inteviewing needs.
 
Try to get up to speed on all your audio needs before dropping a grand, figure out all your needs so you can bring them into your budget. The stickies have some good links and book recommendations to get you out of that "slow on audio" mode.

Good luck
 
hey thanks for the kudo's everyone! allen, shooting at sea off false bay? shark country! ha ha. also wind country...
 
I have to disagree I have used both the rode and the AT 897 and the 897 is a lot better of a mic it picks up in a much better pattern and there is almost no noise with a preamp imo this is the best mic to go straight into a camera and I have tried them all
 
Timadpter,
Yea sharks with the late Peter Benchly (author of Jaws) I put a wireless lav (TRAM) on him and boomed anyone else he interacted with. Wind- Rycote to the rescue.
Cheers
A.G.
 
KROOKEDKROWN said:
I have to disagree I have used both the rode and the AT 897 and the 897 is a lot better of a mic it picks up in a much better pattern and there is almost no noise with a preamp imo this is the best mic to go straight into a camera and I have tried them all
Click to expand...
i doubt :-)
both pice of ****
 
I'm currently debating over the rode ntg-2 and the at 897, but am leaning toward the rode, mostly based on the evaluation in the first post. if i had a few more bucks I would go with the 4073A, but being a novice in the area I am not sure if I could do it justice and this steers me to wanting to save some money.

But if the 4073A is "far" superior, then I might just bite the bullet.
 
Great!, thnx for the info. B&H has it for $199. I hope to be able to test it out somewhere in the Los Angeles area.
 
OT: I know money can be tight sometimes, but please don't waste a local dealer's time and then spend the money elsewhere.

If you don't support local stocking dealers through your business, they'll eventually disappear. That obviously applies to alot of things, not just audio gear.
 
THoff, thnx for sharing the above. You are very right. In any case, I am thinking about biting the bullet and going ahead with the 4073A. It's about $300 more than the Rode, but I am sure worth it. Will do just a little more research.
 
Where does the Rode NTG-3 rank?

Where does the Rode NTG-3 rank?

I'm trying to find comparisons on the AT4073a with the NTG-3. Where would the NTG-3 rank on this top 5 list?

Also, I know shotguns are mainly for exterior and cardioid mics are for interior, but if we had to, which between the AT4073a and the NTG-3 would perform better at recording interior scenes?
 
I found a Shure sm89 for free (a gift from a school). I know it,s a supercardoid but how does it stand compere to other supercardoid?
Thanks
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top