Basic Run and Gun/Documentary Audio from the ground up

[jcs]

If you don't need/want the battery option, the 875r is a better sounding mic vs. the NTG-2 (and IMO better sounding than the battery powered Sennheiser MKE 600).

I have no issues with the NTG-2 for the kinds of shoots I do with it- battery, mic-on-camera, and typically loud, verite/doc style shooting. If audio quality was more important, especially for quiet shots, a preamp with the AT BP4029 (mid side) or Schoeps CMIT5U would be used. For YouTube, NTG-2 quality is fine- people are looking for good content.

875r vs. 897 (battery power option):

Another comparison with the NTG-2 in the mix:

For the the slight price bump, the battery powerable 897 sounds pretty good.

 

[puredrifting]

If you don't need/want the battery option, the 875r is a better sounding mic vs. the NTG-2 (and IMO better sounding than the battery powered Sennheiser MKE 600).

FWIW, the AT-875r has been a mainstay of my mic locker for years and it's always on my C200. It is so impressive for the money and I am cheap. Sure, there are better sounding mics out there but most of them cost five times the cost of the 875r. It sounds better than any of the sub $500.00 models I've used. It's rugged, short, light and even with the Rycote Dead Cat on it, it stays out of the way.

 

[ggrantly]

One guys opinion regarding AT shotguns:

I own both the AT875 and the AT897. The 875 being shorter, has a wider pattern than the more conventional 897. Otherwise, they are very similar in sound. Of course, the differing patterns can be used to your advantage depending on need. I find the output level to be very similar. The 897 has the internal battery option (like the ntg2) so would be the better choice if phantom power is unavailable. For camera mounting, the 875 is dope due to its minuscule size. The price is swell as well.

Here are a few thoughts about R&G in my experience. If you are working solo, you have to have wireless IMHO. If you are moving around at all, a cam mounted mic just doesn't deliver any quality unless you are ok with inconsistent war zone type audio. And of course, the cost of wireless is not in the OPs $500 budget. In this case, reality rears a cruel truth.

 

[scorsesefan]

FWIW, the AT-875r has been a mainstay of my mic locker for years and it's always on my C200. It is so impressive for the money and I am cheap. Sure, there are better sounding mics out there but most of them cost five times the cost of the 875r. It sound better than any of the sub $500.00 models I've used. It's rugged, short, light and even with the Rycote Dead Cat on it, it stays out of the way.

+1. I picked up one used (barely) from Gotham Sound here in NYC for $100 and it lives on my c100.

 

[IronFilm]

For a dirt dirt dirt cheap dual system sound setup then I'd suggest at a minimum go with: Zoom F4 + Aliexpress Carbon Boom Pole + Rode Blimp + Deity S Mic 2 (for outdoors, get an AT4053b with INV-7 for indoors).

That is the bare bare bare minimum that anybody should be considering, even if they're just a "generalist" or a 1st year film student.

HOWEVER.... if you're literally begging on the streets at the moment for food and living under a bridge, then you could consider: 2ndhand Tascam DR60D, Aliexpress Alu Boom Pole, Marantz Blimp, secondhand Rode NTG1 (for outdoors, for indoors get a Samson C02 with a INV-7)

However I'd say if you're sleeping under a bridge at the moment then you've got bigger issues to worry about than your sound kit!

 

[Noiz2]

HOWEVER.... if you're literally begging on the streets at the moment for food and living under a bridge, then you could consider: 2ndhand Tascam DR60D, Aliexpress Alu Boom Pole, Marantz Blimp, secondhand Rode NTG1 (for outdoors, for indoors get a Samson C02 with a INV-7)

Or go even cheaper with the old nobudget boom solution, a painters pole. You can also fabricate a pretty decent blimp out of foam and some double knit cloth. Kind of depends on how garage you are willing and able to go. Before all this stuff got affordable low budget filmmaking involved a lot of fabricating things that were just not affordable. If you find some old school books on indi filmmaking you will find a ton of innovative solutions. The explosion home/ amature film and video has made a lot of this stuff "consumer" items so in a lot of cases it's hard to justify the time and effort over what you can buy for not much dough.