Advice Needed on Oktava Mic.

B

Ben Kayser

Member
I'm an amateur filmmaker looking for a Boom Mic for a Cannon HV 30 camera. I was told that the Oktava MC-012 is a good mic for cheap. Is it?
 
There's lots of discussion on that subject here. It's a great mic for the price. But it neds phantom power, so I don't think it will work directly with the HV30 (I don't know the HV30). So you'll need not just the mic, but some type of preamp or mixer as well. So depending on what your whole situation is, you may be better off with a mic that can be battery-powered.
 
Again, we would need to know a lot more about the situation before answering... do you have any other audio gear, will you be inside or outside, do you have an experienced boom op or not, will you be recording music or dialogue or crickets, etc....
 
ullanta said:
Again, we would need to know a lot more about the situation before answering... do you have any other audio gear, will you be inside or outside, do you have an experienced boom op or not, will you be recording music or dialogue or crickets, etc....
Click to expand...

I have no equipment whatsoever. I'm just preparing to buy. I will be making short films. My guess is that I will be inside and outside recording dialogue. I have no experience with boom operation.
 
the octava would not be an outdoor mic at all. You would want three mics a cardioid like that octava, a normal shotgun for most situations, and if you can swing it a long gun for wider outdoor scenes.
 
I'd say you don't want the Oktava - it's especially sensitive to wind and handling nose, and thus not ideal for inexperienced boom ops. For outdoors, something like the Rode NTG-2?
 
Why said:
the octava would not be an outdoor mic at all. You would want three mics a cardioid like that octava, a normal shotgun for most situations, and if you can swing it a long gun for wider outdoor scenes.
Click to expand...

While I agree that the Oktava probably isn't for this guy, it does just fine out doors.
 
Also: Don´t forget that the Oktava needs phantom power, which the HV30 does not provide. So you will need some kind of a mixer.
 
Pretty sure the 815 was discontinued. I think you might be best off with an NTG-2. It's got wider pickup than most shotguns so it's more forgiving for an inexperienced boom op and it's not bad in indoor situations. The 2 gives you the battery power option, so you don't need a phantom supply right off the bat.

Whatever you go with don't forget shockmounting and wind protection, neither is option no matter what mic you've got on the pole.

Guy over at DVeStore has some great packages you could check out. This: http://www.dvcreators.net/dvcreator-location-sound-package-1/ isn't a terrible place to start.
 
Sorry for hi-jacking, but if you use the Okatava with the DVX (which provides the phantom power I'm told), how much quicker will it drain the battery?
 
The battery drain is mimimal on my system... The Octava MK012 Hyper ROCKS!!! Don't forget the Baby Ball Gag and Furry so you have a fully blimped mic... preferrably on a decent Boom Pole.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top