C100: External Mic for C100 Mark 1

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dtechlogic

Member
Hi Guys,

Any of you have use the Azden SMX 30mic with the C100 Also. Is there any other mic you guys recommend. I am planning to use it with my C100 and 80D. So far I have a sennheiser ME66/K6 that I am using at this moment.
 
It depends on what your needs are. I use three types of mics depending on the environment I'm shooting in:

- A shotgun for outdoor dialogue. I use a Rode NTG-3
- A hyper for indoor dialogue . I use an Audix SCX1. This mic gets the most use of any in my bag and I highly recommend it.
- A pair of Countryman wired LAVS for interviews or other situations where booming isn't ideal

I also occasionally rent wireless LAV mics and gear when the need arises.

I got by for a short while with just the NTG-3, but I learned quickly that you really need different mics for different jobs.

You'll also want a decent boom pole and shock absorber. And XLR cables.
 
I say stick with the ME66 or check out the Senn MKE-400. I had the MKE100 and loved the quality compared to my RodeVidMic. Personally I'm not a huge fan of Azden mics as I've never had good experiences with them.
 
Just don't tell us you are putting the mic on top of your C100 to record talent. If you are, then the quality of the mic doesn't matter because other than usable ambient sound, it will sound like crap with any dialog, actors, hosts. You can't refute the laws of physics, a microphone must be placed close to talent to sound good, either a lavaliere worn by talent or at the end of a boom pole, usually placed a foot over the talents head, pointed at their chest. Always kind of cracks me up when I see camera guys running around with expensive mics atop their cameras, world's biggest waste of money.
 
I prefer to have a microphone on top of the camera so that I can sync the files with the sound recorded externally to my SD 702. Also when not recording dialogue the microphone on top of camera can help with ambience. If the ambient sound is low like in quiet landscapes, then if you increase the gain in camera, then you may land up with more noise as the audio is recorded in 16bits (except C300 Mark II).

Sennheiser is good in handling moisture. MKE400 can take a battery and also be plugged into the 80D.
 
puredrifting said:
Just don't tell us you are putting the mic on top of your C100 to record talent. If you are, then the quality of the mic doesn't matter because other than usable ambient sound, it will sound like crap with any dialog, actors, hosts. You can't refute the laws of physics, a microphone must be placed close to talent to sound good, either a lavaliere worn by talent or at the end of a boom pole, usually placed a foot over the talents head, pointed at their chest. Always kind of cracks me up when I see camera guys running around with expensive mics atop their cameras, world's biggest waste of money.
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for single op doc work I like having nice reference and ambient audio.
 
dtechlogic said:
Hi Guys,

Any of you have use the Azden SMX 30mic with the C100 Also. Is there any other mic you guys recommend. I am planning to use it with my C100 and 80D. So far I have a sennheiser ME66/K6 that I am using at this moment.
Click to expand...

I initially started with a cheaper Azden shotgun, moved up to the ME66/K6 combo and then settled on the Sennheiser MKH 416 for outdoor and the Audio-Technica AT4053B for indoor.
My advice is buy used and get the best mic you can.
 
puredrifting said:
Just don't tell us you are putting the mic on top of your C100 to record talent. If you are, then the quality of the mic doesn't matter because other than usable ambient sound, it will sound like crap with any dialog, actors, hosts. You can't refute the laws of physics, a microphone must be placed close to talent to sound good, either a lavaliere worn by talent or at the end of a boom pole, usually placed a foot over the talents head, pointed at their chest. Always kind of cracks me up when I see camera guys running around with expensive mics atop their cameras, world's biggest waste of money.
Click to expand...

I have found this is the only viable option for quick journalistic style work. Even with a mic placed on the camera, differences between mics such as the Sennheiser ME66 and MKH 416 can easily be heard.

Lavs would isolate the talent much better, but that requires more setup time, which can often be none at all during live-event coverage.

When using a mic on-top a camera, trick is to get as close to the talent as possible, which will require a wider lens.

I guess it depends on the type of work you are doing.
 
The 80d can't doesn't have phantom so you will have to buy a mic with a battery. The ME66 or the NTG2 seem to be the most popular for that. Neither are great mics, but they work fine for the purpose.
 
cpreston said:
The 80d can't doesn't have phantom so you will have to buy a mic with a battery. The ME66 or the NTG2 seem to be the most popular for that. Neither are great mics, but they work fine for the purpose.
Click to expand...

I found the Sound Devices MixPre-D is great when mounted beneath the 60/70d (80d) cameras. I used the Juiced Link DT454 for a while, but the potentiometers were to delicate. XLR Phantom in, 3.5mm Tape out to camera.
 
puredrifting said:
Just don't tell us you are putting the mic on top of your C100 to record talent. If you are, then the quality of the mic doesn't matter because other than usable ambient sound, it will sound like crap with any dialog, actors, hosts. You can't refute the laws of physics, a microphone must be placed close to talent to sound good, either a lavaliere worn by talent or at the end of a boom pole, usually placed a foot over the talents head, pointed at their chest. Always kind of cracks me up when I see camera guys running around with expensive mics atop their cameras, world's biggest waste of money.
Click to expand...

This is why I don't sweat anything beyond my AT875R for an on-camera mic. Compact.
 
Plus the AT875R was created as a camera mic, it has super low handling noise and the sound is incredible for a cheap mic. It is my favorite travel mic when I don't want to risk more expensive mics being lost by the airlines.
 
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