Mic for the Panasonic AF100
- Thread starter sabbott
- Start date
You don't choose a microphone based on what camera you're using; you choose the microphone based on what you plan to use the microphone for. That mic could be a great choice depending on what you're planning to do with it; it could be lousy choice, too.
What are you planning to do?
What are you planning to do?
TubEfingers
Well-known member
I use the compact Audio Technica (cant remember the model) on my AF101 to record ambient sounds on B-Roll, its a good mic
I agree with David Jimerson, a mic that will work well with a Canon C300 will also work well with a Panasonic AF100. Get the mic for that is best for your shoot.
That being said, I have a few AT875 mics at work & they're all much nicer than the built in mic of a Sony EX1 or Canon C100. I would never trust the audio from a camera mic for interview audio, but it picks up good nat sound.
That being said, I have a few AT875 mics at work & they're all much nicer than the built in mic of a Sony EX1 or Canon C100. I would never trust the audio from a camera mic for interview audio, but it picks up good nat sound.
The AT875 is a very nice mic (I have two of them), but be aware that it requires phantom power, so you have to count on supplying that, which can drain the battery faster. If you don't want that issue, get a mic with its own power supply for example the Sennheiser MKE 600 is an excellent affordable shotgun mic (I have one) - it's not quite as short or inexpensive as the AT875, but it's not very long (Sennheiser markets this as an on-camera mic) and about $280 at B&H. But like David says, it all depends on what you want to do - there's an optimal mic for every situation.
I know it draws more power, but do you know how much more? I've never really noticed a difference, but now I'm kind of thinking of trying to test it out & see if there is a significant difference.
The amount of extra power a phantom shotgun draws is miniscule. Keep in mind you can power these mics for days with a single AA. Some time ago I worked a job with my non-R AT875 (on the AF100) and through poor planning only had enough AA's for the wireless, so ran the shotgun off phantom... no detectable decrease in the AF100's battery life. Since then, I just ran it off phantom.
Last year, I switched to an Azden SGM-PDII because of its small size (and I got the mic free in a package deal), but the AT875R looks like a similarly compact solution.
Last year, I switched to an Azden SGM-PDII because of its small size (and I got the mic free in a package deal), but the AT875R looks like a similarly compact solution.
All true, but you're jumping to conclusions. I agree, the power a phantom shotgun draws is small, but you can't reach that conclusion from the fact that some mics run off AA batteries. It's not the same thing. When a mic runs off a battery, it employs different circuits with different efficiencies - it may draw rather little power, but draw more power from a battery that supplies phantom power because different circuits are employed in delivering and receiving that power. It's analogous to battery operated lights - people sometimes notice that the performance of a battery operated light is different (typically lower) than one plugged into the AC. FWIW, audio folks sometimes remark about the difference in performance of the same mic when it's powered by an internal battery vs phantom. Bottom line, phantom power can be a bigger drain than power from an AA. Regardless, I don't think it's a huge difference, just something to be aware of, especially if you are already powering other things off the AF100 (like an external monitor etc.).