GH2 cheap audio needed for a newb

G

gutterball321

Well-known member
I have a new gh2 and I am scheduled to film a couple interviews and need a cheap audio solution. What would you guys recommend... I have a rode ntg-2 and want to be able use that for filmmaking and get a lav mic or 2 for interviews.

I have tried reading but cant get a constant answer, should i go with a juicedlink/beachtek, hook it up to the camera and get a cheap wireless mic? Should i get 2 zoom h1's with cheap lavs, then just have the interviewees put the zoom's in their pockets and then synch it all up later? Should i get a zoom h4n and a cheap wireless system? That just sounds a lot more expensive than getting 2 zoom h1's.

Any recommendations on cheap lav mics and wireless systems to go with these settings?
 
If you need a way to use your NTG-2, then getting a JuicedLink unit might be the least expensive way to go. ( I don't know if the NTG-2 puts out a strong enough mic signal to use it without a pre-amp, but you probably already have this figured out )

The cheapest way to use 2 LAV mics would be 2 Zoom H1 recorders, which might be more hassle to synch up in post, but the quality is pretty good, and it's way cheaper than buying 2 Sennheiser G3 UHF wireless systems.

Forget cheap wireless mics, as nothing below the Sennheiser G3 UHF units will sound very good.

If you had a boom op, then having a half-decent condenser mic going in to a JuicedLink unit and then in to either a recorder or your GH-2 would sound good. A field mixer would be even better, but it would blow your budget unless you rent one.

In another thread I posted a link to a quickie interview I shot a few weeks ago, where I had the output from a Sennheiser G3 UHF hand-held mic going directly in to my GH-2 and it sounds pretty good. I could get away with a hand-held mic because these were quick on the spot interviews. If I had a budget for a boom op, I would have preferred to have used a good condenser mic on a boom, so the mic would be out of shot.
 
The JuicedLink/NTG-2 combo is a great choice on a budget, I use it quite often and get great results, specially if you can put the mic on a stand or on a boompole to get it really close to the person speaking.

You can get the cheaper JL unit (CX211 $189) and use the NTG-2 with a AA battery if you want to save more money, that's the combo i use to do most of my shooting.
 
TheDingo said:
The cheapest way to use 2 LAV mics would be 2 Zoom H1 recorders, which might be more hassle to synch up in post, but the quality is pretty good, and it's way cheaper than buying 2 Sennheiser G3 UHF wireless systems.
Click to expand...

I might start off with this setup and upgrade soon... Do you recommend any cheap lav mics I can plug into the zoom for my interviews?
 
gutterball321 said:
Do you recommend any cheap lav mics I can plug into the zoom for my interviews?
Click to expand...

I hate cheap mics because I can't stand poor sound. The Audio-Technica ATR-3350 does not sound good.

The cheapest LAV mic that I do like is the Countryman EMW which runs around $165.
 
You know, the little mic you can buy for Olympus M43 cams, that fits into the port on the flash mount, is a very nice, tiny mic that comes with a lav clip, and it has a standard mini jack for use in any cam.
It is tiny, and has a smooth, musical sound. You can use it for all sorts of things, like mounting on a wall away from the cam lens, or as a lav mic.
 
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