Oktava MK012A vs Rode NTG-2?

[TwistedLincoln]

I've always used the Oktava MK012A (I have two of them, with all three caps), but acquired a Rode NTG-2 a while ago in an equipment trade-out.

My intention was to simply sell off the Rode, but figured I should ask here first: what situations (if any) would the Rode be a better choice to use than the Oktava? Would it make sense to sell, or keep it on hand?

 

[Spartacus]

You´ll want to use the Rode mainly for outside booming and the Oktava mainly indoors...

 

[Steve House]

I've always used the Oktava MK012A (I have two of them, with all three caps), but acquired a Rode NTG-2 a while ago in an equipment trade-out.

My intention was to simply sell off the Rode, but figured I should ask here first: what situations (if any) would the Rode be a better choice to use than the Oktava? Would it make sense to sell, or keep it on hand?

Use the Rode in situations where you want a bit more "reach", ie. wider shots where the mic has to be a bit farther from the talent to clear the frame. Its tighter pattern means it's a bit less sensitive to off-axis noises so you can run it a little hotter but its downside is the interference-tube design means that indirect sound arriving from off-axis will interact with the direct sound potentially resulting in strange changes to timbre. Hypers such as the Oktava use a different acoustc principle so they respond differently to indirect sound. They exhibit less tonal distortion in the presence of sound reflections but their downside is their pattern is wider so you need to run them a bit closer to the talent to get the same degree of isolation from the ambience. A well-regulated soundie has both types of mic is his arsenal.