Next step in improving audio if only using the Zoom H1.

[eco_bach]

Ok, I'm convinced enough after reading enough posts that the next step in improving my audio for location recording of talent is to invest in an external mic. But which mic? My intial thought is to go with the Rode NTG-2, and mount it on camera with a Rode shock mount, which I already own, and go into my H1.
And then, eventually replacing my H1 with the H4N.
But I've never done any tests with the H1 and an external mic.
Can anyone offer any feedback on my thoughts? Is this a good direction to go in?
Are there any tests online that compare using the internal mic of the H1(or H4N for that matter) with an external mic such as the Rode NTG-2?
Any feedback welcome!
I'm still an audio newbie.

 

[Alex H.]

The H1 has only a 1/8" mic input, and does not supply phantom power to an external mic. With the NTG-2, which can be powered off an internal AA battery, you'd need an adapter cable. BUT, that takes the mic down to an unbalanced signal flow, which can introduce noise over longer cable runs. The other option is to get something like a JuicedLink or Beachtek mic pre-amp, with phantom power, and use that to interface the NTG-2 to the H1. This is still not an ideal situation, due mostly to the limitations of the H1.

As for the H4n, the NTG-2 is widely-known not to work well with it due to the Zoom's pre-amps not being strong enough to get a suitable signal level out of the mic. This results in a noise floor in recording.

Is there a reason that you're sticking with the Zoom recorders? They have their uses, but if you are looking to move up in audio there are certainly better options.

What camera are you using, by the way?

As for comparing the internal mics of these recorders to something like an NTG-2, well... that's apples to oranges, really. The Zoom recorders have stereo mic arrays, which are not the right choices for most things in audio for video. The NTG-2 is a shotgun, it does not give a stereo image (which is a good thing), and has a much tighter response pattern. There are a lot of basics here that you might want to read up on before you invest in more gear. The "Sound for Film and Television" DVD available through DVXUser is a great place to start.