is xlr is a big plus for a camcorder ?

XLR is a connector, and has the main advantage of being a standard, so a camera fitted with an XLR connector means your microphone choice goes up massively, and you can on most use 48v phantom powered mics.

It doesn't really say very much about audio quality, as some that don't have these connectors have quite good audio quality. On camera mics are general cover. Rarely as victor says, are they capable of the sort of audio externally mounted mics have. If your camera has XLR connectors it usually has better audio facilities too, pads and links. DSLRs often have pretty rubbish audio performance. This isn't really anything to do with the socket type. What do you want to actually connect? That may be more important for making a choice.
 
XLR is a far better and more robust connector than a TRS 3.5mm mini jack or 6.5mm jack.

It is also balanced so you can use condenser microphones as it can pass phantom power across the three pins allowing you to use a great er variety of microphones. Balanced mic cables can also help with hum and noise rejection and are better for longer cable lengths.

The connector also locks so there is less chance of it coming out and XLR cables can be more robust than jack types.

It also makes it easier to change connections and as most cameras usually come with twin XLR's you do not need adaptors if you wish to plug in a camera mic or effects mic and a radio mic, it will also make it easier to interface with a mixer and the levels are also different at line level as they work at pro +4db.

There is usually a switch for each XLR input so you can select LINE, MIC or MIC +48 phantom power easily and some also have an 80hz high pass filter or wind switch for each channel or menu options for levels and filters.

A camera mic can be useful as a back-up or for grabbing general effects but it is always good to have a mic off camera, I personally have a small shotgun on my camera but then also use an AT875r with a rode PG2 and a WS/6 softie for off camera interviews or capture. I sometimes work with a presenter on a radio mic on one channel and the camera mic on the other for general FX.
 
thank you for your comments.
For example, on the Canon xa10, can i use a rode lavalier to be heard on both audio channels instead of only 1?
Thanks in advance,
deleuze3
 
deleuze3 said:
What do you guys think?
Click to expand...

I think you're asking the wrong questions. XLR connectors, in and of themselves, mean very little for sound quality. What they usually mean is a balanced connection and phantom power, which means you can make very long cable runs that are nearly impervious to RF interference, and make use of condenser (and other types of analog) mics that need phantom power. This doesn't so much make the audio "better" as it prevents it from being "worse". IOW, it eliminates a rather large source of noise, and makes it much easier to get the mic(s) in location(s) that make sense (as in, not on the camera). And that, improves audio.
 
deleuze3 said:
thank you for your comments.
For example, on the Canon xa10, can i use a rode lavalier to be heard on both audio channels instead of only 1?
Thanks in advance,
deleuze3
Click to expand...
You can do that on your DSLR. You just need to split the signal and send it to both channels.
However your better off not doing than and just tossing the channel you are not recording to and panning the one you are center.

But that question brings up the importance of your answering the one about what you plan to use the camera for.

If you are aiming at making films for a living or at least polished films that are heading for some decent festivals then XLR connectors may be more important since you will be working the equipment harder. If you are doing home movies or little projects you are not really editing then you are probably better off getting something like the Rode video mic pro and sending a hotter signal to your DSLR.

As others have said XLR is a connector and doesn't inherently add any up tick in audio quality over a 1/8" connector.

If you are really interested in better sound then using a sound recorder and syncing in post will get you better results at a lower price. The downside is that it's more complicated and more work. If you want "point and click" simplicity the XLR is probably not going to give you any major advantage.

So if you are going to be camera mounting your mic then XLR is probably not worth the added coast.
BTW if all you want/need is to be able to use XLR microphones there are adapters and boxes that will do that and send the signal out to a 1/8" connector.
 
I would also assume that, in general, cameras with XLR connectors also have better preamps in them as well. Which can make a huge differens to audio quality if you need to boost the audio signal.
 
One word of warning: as has been mentioned, XLR uses a balanced signal, as opposed to unbalanced on 3.5mm connectors. This means it's rather hard to adapt one to the other -- it's not just a different plug, it's a different way of carrying the audio. From what I've heard, while it's possible to get adapters, the results can be extremely bad.

You can get very good results converting XLR to 3.5mm using a preamp, but that's another expensive box which needs its own batteries.

Oh, and on XLR, phantom power is 48v -- on 3.5mm, the equivalent is called plug-in power, and is 5v -- so definitely not compatible.

In other words, whatever you go for, you might want to think in terms of going all in on that one standard. So if you use an audio recorder, say, then camera, recorder, and all mics, would either ALL be 3.5mm, or ALL XLR.
 
GaryNattrass said:
... It is also balanced so you can use condenser microphones as it can pass phantom power across the three pins ...
Click to expand...

Actually the 3.5mm equivalent is plug-in power; it works a little differently and uses a different voltage, but the result is the same.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top