C100: Event shooting: built-in or external microphone?

G

guerriglia

Active member
Hi.
I will shoot an event (both outdoor and indoor) in a VERY crowded place, with no interviews. Sound is not the priority, but I don't want it to sound like a cavemen reunion either :-)
Is the built-in microphone good enough? Or do you absolutely recommend an external shotgun microphone? I would rather not spend my entire honorarium for a microphone...
Thank you.
 
Are you using a stabilized lens? Best check that the internal mic does not pick up noise from it.
 
I use a shotgun because I have one. But as Burners says, the internal mic is pretty good, especially if you just need some ambient and/or a scratch track.
 
if ambient souns is all you need i would go with the internal mics. If you need a bit more directionality i would put a Video Mic Pro in there.
 
ambient = internal.

dont make yourself complicated. External mic wound not make a huge difference so internal and AUTO is always the way to go.
 
The internal mic on the Canons is an exceptionally good omni-directional stero mic, but the term "ambience" can be vague - if I think someone will say something I might need, either more than 3 feet form the camera or in a noisy environment, I'd go for a good shotgun like the affordable Rhode or an Audio-Technica...

If you do use the internal, and I often do becuase its sleeker, find a black foam screen, like one for a handheld mic, that fits. I use the one that came with my Zoom recorder, and I secure it with one of those black bungies women use for their hair - available at any drug store.

BTW, maybe because of the heighth of the handle, I don't seem to pick up noise from the camera unless I use the "push-to-focus", which is really noisey. The IS doesn't seem an issue.
 
I will go with the internal mic in this case, but do you have any recommendations for a shotgun or a lavalier with a good quality for a reasonable price? I know that these two things don't usually go together, but nice surprises are always around the corner...
 
I have a 20-year-old Audio-Technica short shotgun (I forget the model#) and a Rhode NTG-1 that I use, both in the same price range... The Rhode is an excellent mic for the price, but does seem more susceptable to handling and wind noise than the Audio-Technica. If you go with the Rhode you'll want a dead-cat outdoors.
 
I use my Rode NTG-2 on one channel - and the internal mic on another channel after I had an entire half day shot ruined because of a bad XLR cable and me not wearing headphones to hear it, now if I still want to be lazy and not wear headphones for the entire shoot, I have the backup internal.
When sound is critical I boom the Rode and monitor, or use my lav mic ( Azden )
 
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