Lavalier for DSLR Interview

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payal_choksi

Well-known member
Hi all,

i want to buy a lavalier for interviews to be recorded on 5d mark III. i wanted your views on countryman b3 to be used with tascam/zoom. is it a good choice for interviews in closed as well as in open areas?

regards,
 
The B3 is a good mic for interiors or exteriors. One would definitely want a windscreen for exteriors though, especially if it's not hidden under clothes.
No mic will sound very good recorded on a DSRL, and most would use the DSRL's audio for sync purposes only.
 
Rick R said:
The B3 is a good mic for interiors or exteriors. One would definitely want a windscreen for exteriors though, especially if it's not hidden under clothes.
No mic will sound very good recorded on a DSRL, and most would use the DSRL's audio for sync purposes only.
Click to expand...

i plan to use this mic with tascam dr-40 into 5d mark iii.
does it come with xlr connection or 1/8?
 
Either or... depends on which connector type you order. The B3 can also be ordered with a wireless input connector ( for instance a locking 1/8" for a G2/3) and a XLR Phantom Power supply adapter, but that would be more expensive.
For typical hardwired operation into a DR40.
http://www.markertek.com/Audio-Equi...s/Countryman-Associates-Inc/B3W4FF05BNC.xhtml You have color and sensitivity options.

For feeding the audio from the recorder to the camera, you should have a 3.5 Line to Mic DSLR audio adapter as well. For instance:
http://www.markertek.com/Cables/Audio-Cables/DSLR-Audio-Cables/Sescom/LN2MIC-35DB-3.xhtml
 
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i would be using countryman b3 lav terminating in xlr connections connected to tascam dr-40. will this setup work? i don't have any experience with this setup, this is the first time i would be going this route.
 
Yes that will work. The DR40's Phantom Power will need to be engaged via the left side panel "EXT IN" switch, set to "MIC + PHANTOM". Either the 24 or 48 Volt ('system menu') Phantom power setting will work. (24 V would use a little less battery power and should not audibly affect performance).
 
Rick R said:
Yes that will work. The DR40's Phantom Power will need to be engaged via the left side panel "EXT IN" switch, set to "MIC + PHANTOM". Either the 24 or 48 Volt ('system menu') Phantom power setting will work. (24 V would use a little less battery power and should not audibly affect performance).
Click to expand...

Does phantom power affect the quality of the audio? does it affect the performance of the mic?
 
On some mics you need to use 48V or you will have problems but most will work fine with lower voltages.
"Quality"... Phantom will almost always up the out put and lower the noise of a mic that has the option of using an internal battery, like the NTG-2.
The mic uses a pretty low voltage, and standard internal batteries are a bit below that so that hurts performance a bit. Some higher end mics use pricey higher voltage batteries or have some voltage boosters built in and the specs on internal battery VS phantom are the same or very close.

For phantom only mics it really depends on how the knock the phantom voltage down to what the mic needs. Some use a blunt force method that assumes 48V and those have some issues with lower voltages. Others use a more flexible voltage converter and any phantom voltage over 12V should work the same. Most mics are closer to the later than the former so unless you have it marked down someplace you should try both and see if there is a difference.
Oktava is one mic that really likes to see 48V. It will work lower most of the time, but it can get weird depending on the power supply of the micpre. Under 48V doesn't work well on SD devices for instance. The MixPre's options are only 48V and 15V so maybe 24V would be enough to keep it stable?

In your case I would bet that you can go low with no issues, but I would always test first.
 
According to Countryman specs, the B3 will operate on 9V to 48V Phantom Prw. (uses 4mA @ 48V) That's four-thousands of one amp BTW.. very low draw.
I would test it out as well, but there will likely be no audible difference.
 
You might want to consider the B6 as well. I find the B6 is easier to hide and has more cap options. Both the
B3 and the B6 do well with moisture .. so direct skin is not an issue.
 
I concur with the two posts above.. the B6 sounds good, it's easy to hide (sometimes in plain sight). The downside is its more expensive ($300+ street), very sensitive to air turbulence and the thread size cable can be a bit fiddly in normal tie-clip configurations.
The OST mics are a good value. The downside to the end-fire TL40, it will distort at 'lower than normal' SPL levels. (115 dB)
 
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