Cheap shotgun mic for video

Daviesgeek

Daviesgeek

Active member
I am looking to purchase a low cost (under $100) shotgun mic for audio for video. I am wondering what my options are. I've looked at the mics:

Azeen ECZ-990
Azden SMX-10
Audio-Technica ATR6550
Opteka VM-100
Apex 175

Scarily cheap Chinese shotgun mics:
EG1 (aka EC-330)
HTDZ HT-81
EM-320E


What is the quality of these mics? How well do they work? I am going to be using the mic as a boom mic connected to a computer or a field recorder. I am curious to know what other people have to say about these mics.
 
If that's your mic. budget, I assume your camera cost you less than $200?

If your camera was much more than this you have an unbalanced budget and the cheap mic. will not do the camera budget.

From your list, the only one I would look at is the Audio Technica.
 
Of course they'll work but how well is another question entirely. You get what you pay for and the least expensive mic worthy of any consideration for serious use is going to be about 3 times your stated budget.
 
I am shooting with a a 550D. The problem is that I don't own it. It is a family camera, and I've bought (and will be buying) video accessories for it. As of right now, this is not making a ton of moment, so my budget is really small. I am trying to get a good cheap shotgun mic right now, and later down the road, get a higher quality mic.
 
Of course. I am looking for people who have used any of these mics and what their experience was with them.
 
I did forget to ask. Why would you chose the Audio Technica? I would like a little more background, if possible, so when I'm looking for another mic in the future, I actually may have a fighting chance of picking a good mic. Right now, I'm pretty lost. I'm not a sound person. I'm more of a post production guy/camera man (sort of), so I really have no idea what to look for in a mic purchase.
 
The audio technica is the most horrible mic I have ever used. It is not a proper shotgun at all, it uses two spaced capsules that can be switched in together to give some rear cancellation and apparent extra directional ability - however, it sounds pretty dreadful. I have four of them here I bought a few years ago and they are very unpleasant. They're also not made by AT - they are an oem brand badged as Audio Technica. I have an AT 815, and that sounds like a real shotgun - these others don't!



The HTDZ HT-81 is almost identical apart from the connections on the end - but essentially the same design, just a bit longer.
EM-320E - same as the AT one, with XLR output socket rather than hard wired as the AT is.

The Azden SMX-10 isn't a shotgun, it's a one piece stereo mic with two cardioid capsules at 90 degrees.

The on camera mics I can't comment on because they're all compromise mics - as on the camera is rarely the place for a mic if you want it to be better than the one in the camera.

The place I source my stuff from has the dual element versions listed at around £10, including freight to the UK (+VAT).

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/iSK-EM-526-Broadcast-Interview-Condenser-Microphone-/110885628713

These are manufactured in China, and I had one a couple of years ago and they were pretty good - but I can only find them now in Australia - they're no longer on the list I have.

I used to sell a model called an NPM-701 which was a short shotgun, 48V phantom powered only, and they were really good. They used to sell for £89, and were really popular, until the factory just discontinued them. They are still on the list, but minimum order quantity is now 5, and they would be £90 for a mic nobody has ever heard about, so I didn't bother to order more. I've still got one I use myself from time to time, and if anybody in the UK want's to try it out, I'd loan my one out to forum members.

They sound to me like the Rodes - but please, don't buy those dual element ones - they do work, but just sound very thin!
 
Useful info. I was looking at these dirt cheap mics this week. I need a couple of shot gun mics that can and probably will get trashed, so was wondering how they were ( with no high expectations ). Maybe the OP can consider shopping around for a second hand deal? This might be a better bet for the money.
 
The on camera mics I can't comment on because they're all compromise mics - as on the camera is rarely the place for a mic if you want it to be better than the one in the camera.
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The ones I'm looking at that are "on camera mics" will not be used on camera. Whatever mic I buy will be on a boom. That being said, can you comment on them? As I've said in my earlier posts, I don't really have a good idea of what a good mic is/isn't, so I'm looking for specifics as to why is mic is good/bad.

please, don't buy those dual element ones
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How do I tell if it is a dual element, as opposed to a "real" shotgun mic?
 
I can sell you an azden sgm 1x shotgun in great working condition. in my opinion it's the best low budget mic for the money, The build quality is good to. here's a link.
http://www.adorama.com/VDAZSGM1X.ht...g Site&utm_campaign=Other&utm_source=dealtime

I dont have the vibration mount for it. But i'm asking 100.00 and I will ship it for free.

All the audio from this short film was done with it, and to be honest, I didn't have a boom op that day, I laid it on the ground pointing toward the actors for audio. check it out.
http://vimeo.com/7805501
 
I would definitely be interested. A couple things though...first, I need to talk to my business partner. I'm sure it'll be okay, but I will have to run it by him. Second, I'm wondering how the money transfer would work. I don't know who you are or anything about you, so I want to buy it from you through a standard channel, such as EBay or something of the like. I hope you understand that I don't want to take risks. :-) Third, what conditions is the mic in? Can you post some pictures?
 
Real shotguns don't have switches to select between cardioid/zoom or other patterns. So normal/super or other descriptors are a good clue.

If anybody is interested, I could pull one apart and show you what is inside?
 
To be honest - I would rather use the camera mic. than any mic. under $100.

At x3 this price you begin to get something that might be usable - eg: the new Sennheiser MKE 600 at £250, the Ambient TinyMike, etc..

But I would not go cheaper than this.

A professional gun mic. can cost several thousand and the cheapest pro mic. is not a lot less than $1,000, so $100 is just far too too low really.
 
Lets not forget the Audio Technica AT875r it is a very good mic for little money, they float around $200 new. however they do require phantom.
 
Daviesgeek said:
I am looking to purchase a low cost (under $100) shotgun mic for audio for video. I am wondering what my options are. I've looked at the mics:

Azeen ECZ-990
Azden SMX-10
Audio-Technica ATR6550
Opteka VM-100
Apex 175

Scarily cheap Chinese shotgun mics:
EG1 (aka EC-330)
HTDZ HT-81
EM-320E


What is the quality of these mics? How well do they work? I am going to be using the mic as a boom mic connected to a computer or a field recorder. I am curious to know what other people have to say about these mics.
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No such thing under $100 in my experience. Ebay is your best option and depending on your final use you are looking for one of two types of mics. Either for indoors or For outdoors.
A Sanken CS1 type for indoors and I use a Sennheiser MKH416 outside. neither is cheap but they are the midrange of pro.
For under $100 I simply wouldn't use a shotgun, particularly when the mics on my PCM recorders are way better than on-boad camcorder mics or a 'fake' shotgun.
There's a little secret out there that is not discussed much anymore. This mic rocks and it's what I used before I bought other microphones...
Sony ECM-MS908C Microphone. I even figured out how to make it reject side audio by wrapping a tube around it. Hey! That's what a shotgun mic is !
 

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Zephyrnoid said:
I even figured out how to make it reject side audio by wrapping a tube around it. Hey! That's what a shotgun mic is !
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"Wrapping a tube around it" occludes the side ports which are put there to accept sound waves from the side/back in order to combine them out of phase to reject them. That is NOT "what a shotgun mic is."
 
Richard Crowley said:
"Wrapping a tube around it" occludes the side ports which are put there to accept sound waves from the side/back in order to combine them out of phase to reject them. That is NOT "what a shotgun mic is."
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I don't contact the capsule ports. The offset distance is more like 1/2". Sure. not the same as a shotgun but it does help reject side audio... some. And I do prefer my LS11 or Zoom H4N, but neither is under $100, the Sony ECM-MS908C is under $100 and a great all around interview and performance mic BTW. Battery powered and all. Add shock mount and fuzzy and go!
 
Zephyrnoid said:
I don't contact the capsule ports. The offset distance is more like 1/2". Sure. not the same as a shotgun but it does help reject side audio... some. And I do prefer my LS11 or Zoom H4N, but neither is under $100, the Sony ECM-MS908C is under $100 and a great all around interview and performance mic BTW. Battery powered and all. Add shock mount and fuzzy and go!
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Anything that reduces the amount of sound entering the side ports will reduce the directivity of the mic and paradoxically INCREASES the sensitivity to sound arriving from the sides and rear. Shotguns work by the cancellation of wavefronts inside the mic tube - sounds arriving from the sides get cancelled while sounds arriving from the front do not. Anything that interferes with the side ports interferes with that process.
 
John Willett said:
A professional gun mic. can cost several thousand and the cheapest pro mic. is not a lot less than $1,000, so $100 is just far too too low really.
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Several thousand is a bit of an exaggeration, though certainly not the best, good sound can be achieved using an NTG2 or one of a few Audio Technica models.
 
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