Best mic under 300US$

rawfa

rawfa

Veteran
Ok, I no nothing of mics and sound, but from reading many treads here and in other forums I understand that the best mic in the world will be worthless in the wrong hand, in the wrong conditions. But let me paint you the following scenario: Imagine you are in the desert with a Sony FX1, the conditions are far from ideal, you do not have a mixer, a pre-amp or phantom power. All you have is a mic that you can plug into the FX1 (any mic will be better than the FX1s' original mic). Which mic should I go for in this exagerated situation without having to spend more than 300US$? Have it in mind that it'll be used to capture speach.
 
If I was in the desert with no phantom power or anything else I would get a Rode NTG2 and use AA power.

Then again I wouldn't be in that situation. I would sell the FX1 and get a DVX, get some phantom power, a mixer, and a MKH416.

-Jeremy
 
Thanks, J. I'll think about it the next time I'm in the desert ;-)

One more question. Would you take the NTG2 over the AUDIO TECHNICA AT897?
 
I prefer the sound of the Rode now to the AT. Just my opinion, plus the Rode is cheaper and you will need some special cables to get these all to work with your set up.

-Jeremy
 
I would... though you'll probably find the field a bit divided on this. Maybe leaning a bit towards the NTG.
 
TheYankee said:
If I was in the desert with no phantom power or anything else I would get a Rode NTG2 and use AA power.

Then again I wouldn't be in that situation. I would sell the FX1 and get a DVX, get some phantom power, a mixer, and a MKH416.

-Jeremy
Click to expand...

That's hilarious but true. Phantom power rules. Would you say the only difference between the NTG2 and NTG1 is the battery for use without phantom power ?
 
Oh, and Ill tell you why - the NTG has a hotter output than the AT897, which will make the preamp on your camera sound a bit better by not needing its higher gain levels.
 
Thanks timapter! I checked out your top 5 mic tread and it was very very helpful. I'm almost certain I will go with the NTG2 right now. It has the option to works on battery or phantom power (which can be helpful in the future, since eventualy I'll get a phantom power supply for sure) and also I can get a XLR to Mini jack cable and plug it directly into the FX1 (until I get an adapter). Thank you guys.
 
rawfa said:
But let me paint you the following scenario: Imagine you are in the desert with a Sony FX1, the conditions are far from ideal, you do not have a mixer, a pre-amp or phantom power. All you have is a mic that you can plug into the FX1 (any mic will be better than the FX1s' original mic). Which mic should I go for in this exagerated situation without having to spend more than 300US$? Have it in mind that it'll be used to capture speach.
Click to expand...
Why am I in the desert? Do I have food and water? Am I lost? Do I have a compass? If not I am breaking open the FX1 to make one. How does this relate to your basic question of "Please tell me what cheap mic to buy" :undecided

Cheers
 
wabbit said:
Why am I in the desert? Do I have food and water? Am I lost? Do I have a compass? If not I am breaking open the FX1 to make one. How does this relate to your basic question of "Please tell me what cheap mic to buy" :undecided

Cheers
Click to expand...


LMAO... The real question is, how much sand is getting in my ass and then how much sand is getting in my gear... My ass concern has to come first because I had having a sandy ass.

-Jeremy
 
Ha ha! Maybe he needs the mic less than a job that wont get him lost in the desert with nothing but a camera. :)

Maybe you should double your rate, blame it on danger insurance, and pay someone else to go get lost in the desert. its what any self respecting professional would do.





and i also hate sandy ass syndrome. :)
 
not really.. .we'll all advise you to get an oktava mk012 for that... similar price bracket, but much better performance in doors.

they used the oktavas on MI:3 for the action scenes!
 
with that price as a limit i would probably recommend a used sennheiser me-66 with the k6 power.

the me-66 is still a great all around mic for lower budgets.

matthew
 
You know I was kidding around with my response but seriously, why are we in the desert? Is this an actual senerio you are going to be shooting under? This part of question has been keeping me up at nights. :embarasse

Rawfa, if you are actually planning to shoot in the desert then DO NOT forget wind protection. I have never shot in a traditional desert (ala Lawarence of Arabia) but I can pretty much guarentee the wind is gonna present big issues.

Good luck (and get back to me on that desert question please, I need my beauty sleep)
 
I am an amatuer so please excuse me. Why use a mixer instead going straight into the camera if he only have one mic?

On a third grader level, what is phantom power?
 
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