AT875R for Motorsports?

[bmzero]

I came across this forum through a Google search. I'm very impressed with the user base and information here. Great resource.

I'm basically a web designer that has recently began a trek into videography. I don't want to call it film making just yet.

I have a contract to document a rock crawling race near the end of this month and need a good cardioid mic for my Canon XH-A1. It will be filmed in the woods, but there will be a lot of people around on each side of the course. I would like to have some of the crowd noise. I will probably be following the vehicle through the course on foot and over rocks, around trees, etc., so sound isolation is a must.

The video will be packaged into a DVD and hopefully Blu-Ray. The audience will not be super technical, they just want to see loud vehicles and see them smash into things, so audio precision is not a key success factor of the production.

I have a wireless lav that will be setup in some of the vehicles to catch onboard sound, and I will have two other consumer HD cam's (with Rode VideoMic's) setup at turn points in the course to catch b-role stuff.

So far I've narrowed my choice down to the AT875R for onboard audio on the XH-A1. Seeing the above information, do you guys think this is a good choice? Please keep in mind that the budget is probably maxxed out with the AT875R.


thanks,
.brit

 

[Geosch]

Actually, the 875 is a surprisingly decent mic for the price. If you have to stick with on-camera, it should be fine. You do (often) get what you pay for, but this one's a pretty good bargain. Compact, decent sound, and optimized to minimize the handling noise that's common when camera mounted...

Of course, if you have a bit more of a budget, the options get better, especially if you plan on putting it on a boom pole in the future. But, I'd say the 875 will work pretty well for the price. Just know / remember that proximity is key, so don't expect miracles from an on-camera shotgun - even one that costs 10 times the price.