C100: internal audio pre-amps

K

kiel

New member
Hey everyone,

I'm buying a c100 for an upcoming travel television show i'll be shooting. My entire rig needs to fit on the back of a motorcycle and I will be the only operator. Any way to cut back on equipment is necessary. Are the internal pre-amps good enough to run a rode ntg-3 straight into the camera? It needs to meet BBC broadcast standards. Or is an external recorder going to be one of my necessary pieces of equipment. Any help is greatly appreciated! I'll be using a ninja.

Thanks!
Kiel
 
The C100 mic pre-amps are very good (well, compared to Sony anyway). I'm very happy with the results with my 416 and Sanken CS1 which I think compare with the NTG3 in terms out output (NTG2 is a bit quiet IIRC).

BBC says 10% or so of content can come from sources other than 4:2:2 50 Mbit, so if a Ninja on a C100 handle on a motorycycle is a bit of a non-starter, you could pass the shot off as part of that.

Pardon me for pointing out the 'bleedin' obvious' but a video recorder on the back of a motorcycle is of course the ideal case study for the use of Solid State Drives in a recorder (not spinning ones - bleedin' obvious of course but it's nice to illustrate the point).
 
LOL - fair enough, not enough sleep this week. :smile:

But that raises the question about what to do about a tripod or monopod - that would seem to be more of an issue than if you had an 'assembled' C100 with Ninja in a backpack or pannier/top box. (gets whistful over memories of my old Guzzi 850 T3)
 
Hey guys, thanks for the reply.

Yes the bike is going to be used as my transportation. Thanks Matt, I also have a 416 that I might be using and some sennheiser lavs. I really just wanted to know if for run and gun single operator shooting if the internal preamps would hold up. Or if I needed to bring along external audio, which certainly complicates things. Don't worry about the tripod, you'd be amazed at how much ear can fit on a bike (my miller compass is coming with me). Ill be sure to post a photo of the bike loaded for you all to have a laugh at. And I will definitely be going the ninja ssd route!

Thanks again!
 
kiel said:
I really just wanted to know if for run and gun single operator shooting if the internal preamps would hold up.
Click to expand...

I can categorically state that I'm very pleased with the C100 mic pre-amps. I have a Pix220 which I got for my EX1R and FS100, specifically because of its lovely mic pre-amps and gentle, progressive limiter. The comparison between the Pix and the FS100's audio circuits was dramatic and conclusive even in slap-dash situations.

However, the C100's are 'good enough' for all but the most audiophile of applications, or if you're doing the '24 bit and fix levels in post' trick.

I suppose there's one little gotcha. You certainly won't want to be riding the levels on the C100 pots. They are a little truculent. The scenario being that you get some level from your interviewee, they settle down, the first question is popped, then the interviewee barks out, wrapping the needles round the end-stops. So you reach for the level knob, and suddenly the voice falls away into the distance, so you end up sort of leaning on the knob to tweak it into the right position. In some respects, EX1's gain pots - although connected to the audio circuitry by knicker elastic, such was the lag between moving it and hearing the change, were at least subtle. Pity about the noise. And the buzz. And the interference.

But I digress. Again. C100 on-board audio. It's (almost) all good.

Pretty much pointless C100 vs Pix... (fairly trivial differences, and yes - we do keep chickens and they live next to the office in case you're wondering)

https://soundcloud.com/mdmatv/cos-11-tests-mixdown

And the finished C100 version (with a bit of multiband compression)

https://soundcloud.com/mdmatv/one-hen-one-c100-final

which is a more pleasant situation than the FS100 & Pix comparison:

 
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Well there ya have it. Honestly, when I close my eyes and cancel out all visuals around me, your C100 tests sounded best. I'm no audio genius but I can't really complain about its quality...
 
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