A shotgun Mic for DVX

Nuthin' Much

Nuthin' Much

No idea what you want a different mic for. For dialogue where the person is more than about three feet away from the camera, no on-camera mic sounds ideal. The only way to have acceptable audio when capturing dialogue is to have a microphone one feet to three feet away from the mouth and perhaps have the microphone slightly angled towards the person from above or if there is noise from the ground, then point the mic at them from below their mouth.

If you're trying to record dialogue from the camera operators position, then you might as well just use the on-camera microphone. Results would probably be about as good as with a shotgun mic.

If you're trying to put a microphone on your camera to look cool (or professional, which is a perfectly good reason) then any mic will work. Within your price range, there are no Sennheiser microphones with a XLR connector to connect with a DVX camera. The cheapest Sennheiser with a XLR connector is about $400, from there the next bump in price range is with the Sanken CS-1 which is about $750, from there the next bump in price range is $1000-1400 for top shelf microphones.

It's pretty slim pickins from $0 - $250 besides the Panasonic, Audio Technica, and Azden models.
Hope this helps.
 
Wells' Thoughts

Wells' Thoughts

Most determine how much they want to spend then try to find something in that price range.

For example:
I have $500 and I want a car to get me from Point A to Point B.
Okay, found a '78 model, doesn't run and it's wrecked but it's within the price range I've set.
Problem is I decided my price range before looking into all available options, which is futile.

I'd probably be better off to save up a little more cash for a better car, get a car loan, or be
stuck with something that doesn't meet my need: a vehicle that goes from point A to B.

Make sense?
 
IIRC, the 835 is a pretty long mcirophone and will not mount well on your camera. Check to be sure, look for an actual length. Now I have an AT-897 for a shotgun mic, and it stays out of the picture even at the widest zoom setting. An add-on mic is going to work better than the built-in mic, most of the time. Just understand the limitations of a shotgun mic.
 
hmm.....

hmm.....

My idea was to get a Panasonic AGMC100G, because I had a pretty good results with it when I rented one. (maninly using it for dialogues)
I don't mind buying it at around $170, but I was kind of looking for something "slightly" better than MC100G, so I found the Audio Technica one.
It seems long, so I don't know if it will fit on DVX well (also not visible with the widest shot), but I'll go for it if it performs better than MC100G.
However, if there is not much difference in performance, I will just buy MC100G because I'm sure it'll fit better since it's made for DVX. :evil:

I kinda need it soon, and I can't afford Senn..... :(
 
Boy, sound is so important, I'd hate for you to skimp on it. I found a used senn mke-66 with boom pole and cords for around $400 on eBay. It's only just a *leetle* bit more :)
 
Ahhhhh..
You guys are putting me into a huge dilemma!

But I totally understand what you are saying though..
The thing is I'm so *tight* on my budget, I don't know if I'll be able to afford another 200 bucks!
I gotta do some thinking and make a decision.
(I'm pretty sure I'm gonna end up with one of the Senns lol)

Thanks for your inputs!
 
i have an at897, i am happy. And its not obscenely long either. it sounds nice too. At B&H i tested a bunch of mics ranging from, 200-500$ the at897 sounded best out of the group. so its the king of crappy mics i suppose.

but it good for the price.
 
No matter what microphone you buy, remember this point:

No matter what microphone you buy, remember this point:

malmsteen said:
. . .You guys are putting me into a huge dilemma!. . .
The thing is I'm so *tight* on my budget. . .
Click to expand...
The best thing you can do for sound is to get the microphone close to the person talking.
If that means using a tree branch for a boom pole, then do it.
 
if you are tight on $$ then for sure you should buy used. Do your homework, check the eBay seller profile... then go sennheiser! It makes such a huge difference in the overall quality. Whatever % of the quality of the production anyone assigns to audio, invariably it's above 50%
 
Peronally I would not buy a budget Sennheiser mic, I just don't think they're that good. Now a GOOD Sennhieser (416 or better)? Sure, if you can find one used in your budget, go for it. Personally I think the 897 is a better mic that the ME66 and the AT4073 is MUCH better than the ME66.

By the way the Rode is good to, and I also like that better than the 66, but I still think the 897 is better than the Rode, especially for a novice as it is more forgiving.

Matt
 
I recently purchased the AT835b (from EVS, thanks Rush!) because I was looking for a reasonably priced and directional mic. Last weekend I finally put it to the test by shooting a friend's wedding which had the ceremony by the ocean and the reception indoors. The mic was mounted on the SENNHEISER MZSCAM mount and I did not have any issues with it showing up in the video even with a fuzzy windscreen on. Though many of the guest we intrigued by the fuzziness of the windscreen... Overall I was really happy with the sound quality both in and out doors.

If you are concerned about the length of a longer shotgun mic you can use a handle like the "NRG GRIP 2 HANDLE BRACKET" (or a el' cheapo from Radio Shack.. Only $9.99), this helps to bring the mic farther back so it's not sticking out so far. I've used this setup as well and actually prefer to mount the mic on the handle.
 
MattC said:
Peronally I would not buy a budget Sennheiser mic, I just don't think they're that good. Now a GOOD Sennhieser (416 or better)? Sure, if you can find one used in your budget, go for it. Personally I think the 897 is a better mic that the ME66 and the AT4073 is MUCH better than the ME66.

Matt
Click to expand...

to each his own, I wouldn't trade my 66 for all the 897s in china. :)

here's the thread on the 4073

http://www.dvxuser.com/V3/showthread.php?t=21506
 
You don't have to post about the 4073, I'm very aware of how good it is. Can I ask you, have you tested the 66 against the 897? I'm not saying that the 897 is a great mic, it's not, and neither is the 66. But of the two I feel the 897 is more forgiving with more off axis rejection and a slightly fuller sound. What has been your experience?

Matt
 
I remember going through this dilemma when I first was looking into mics. My advice is to just try and get the best mic you can possible. Remember, a shotgun mic is a really long term investent that can be used for a really long time (longer life than cameras). Don't be to skimpy when it comes to this.
 
OFF TOPIC:
I sincerely dislike the ME66 and I've used two of them, so it wasn't a bad apple. I read somewhere on this forum one of the AT mics being comparable to a Neumann KMR-81i.. is that the 897 or 4073 or what? I personally use a 416, 81i, and ck93. If the AT is anything like the Neumann, it's probably a pretty good mic.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top