Quick newbie question for very basic shooting.

F

fuzzybabybunny

Active member
Howdy! I'm getting into videography of houses - for real estate - and I need a microphone setup. I'm totally new to shooting video.

The extent of the audio will be me shooting the realtor outside and inside the house giving a tour of the place.

Shooting with a Nikon D300s, want a cheaper solution.

1. I was thinking a lav mic would be great for this. Recommendations?

2. I'm definitely fuzzy on how the audio gets recorded and synced with the video - does the audio get transmitted wirelessly to a device on the camera which plugs into the microphone jack and records the audio to the memory card along with the video? Or does it get saved to a device on the realtor's person, and afterwards I have a video and audio stream that I need to mux together in post?

Thanks for any gear recommendations you can give. I read the newbie guide sticky but it didn't quite answer my questions.
 
Welcome to DVXUser!

You might want to spend a little time using the "Search" function, or perhaps browsing the yellow Stickies at the top of the Audio forum. Your questions have been asked and answered a hundred times over.

If you read the stickies, and search through some of the threads, and are still a bit confused, let us know!

Here's a starting point:
http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?51526-New-To-Audio-Read-This-First-Please
http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?207486-External-vs.-Camera&highlight=DSLR+audio
http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?226957-DSLR-Camera-with-a-preamp-vs-an-external-recorder
http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?221272-quot-H4N-Setup-for-DSLR-audio-quot-tutorial
http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?212277-Audio-for-DSLR
 
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Thanks!

Would something like this work ok?

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/3656-REG/Azden_WLX_PRO_WLX_Pro_Wireless_Lavalier.html

Mobility and speed are an issue. I will not be carrying around a mic on a pole and I need to be as light and maneuverable as possible. I need a good lav mic, a transmitter, and a receiver. I'm going to record directly to the camera because the audio quality isn't super important - my post processing needs to be very quick and I won't have time muxing dialogue with video.
 
Azden gear has a horrible rep, and from what I've seen, it's well deserved. As a general rule, if it says 'pro' on the gear, it's anything but.

The MINIMUM cost you're looking at for acceptable wireless is about $600/channel, and that's not including the mic. Sennheiser's G3 line is a low-budget go-to kit.

Do you really need to be wireless? A decent wired lav could give you a good result, though you're still looking at more cash that that azden kit you linked.
 
One important thing that needs answered, is this video for a sunday morning type program? or literally so a realtor can show property to clients?
 
JordanBlock said:
Azden gear has a horrible rep, and from what I've seen, it's well deserved. As a general rule, if it says 'pro' on the gear, it's anything but.

The MINIMUM cost you're looking at for acceptable wireless is about $600/channel, and that's not including the mic. Sennheiser's G3 line is a low-budget go-to kit.

Do you really need to be wireless? A decent wired lav could give you a good result, though you're still looking at more cash that that azden kit you linked.
Click to expand...

I'm confused. Why is it getting so many good reviews on B&H?
 
fuzzybabybunny said:
I'm confused. Why is it getting so many good reviews on B&H?
Click to expand...
In a professional setting, where you have to rely on getting it right 100% of the time all the time and sometimes only have 1 shot to do it..yes the $600 dollar a channel mic is the minimum unit you'd want to use for that.

That being said, after taking a look at the video link you put up which consists of a camera mic, anything is going to be an improvement.
I could be wrong but it looks like a pretty laid back situation if you had to redo something.

So for 130 bux that (kinda terrible) unit from BHphoto just might be enough for you. Buy it, try it immediately and if it doesnt work out return it.
Just don't expect 100% reliability from it or "high end, broadcast level" sound quality.
 
fuzzybabybunny said:
I'm confused. Why is it getting so many good reviews on B&H?
Click to expand...

Have you actually read the reviews? The star rating has a different meaning once you've scrolled through. As Rippie pointed out, there are different levels of situation where these may or may not be "acceptable." Also, Azden wireless units are pretty much regarded as rubbish in the professional world, but when you have 40 amateur wedding photographers and soccer dads reviewing a product you're bound to get some praise.

From reading the reviews, these mics work within about 20 feet... not the best range at all. They are VHF, so the signal is not going to be as stable as UHF units like the Sennheiser G3. There are also some complaints, even in 4-star reviews, of the sound being thin.

So read the reviews carefully... take it all with a grain of salt. You get what you pay for; that rule has not changed. But if this is just enough for what you'll be doing and you feel that it will more than fit your needs, go for it.
 
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Hmmm... gotcha. So is the Sennheiser G3 the absolutely cheapest and lowest of the low that I can get decent quality and reliability with? I just find it odd that there's an apparent gap between $150 (Azden) and $600 (Sennheiser) where there doesn't seem to be any other options for wireless systems.
 
I believe Sony makes a system in the $400 range, look around for it.

The rarity is with having a portable battery powered receiver, not alot of companies make wireless units for cameras as they do for fixed or not so portable situations (as in no power needed for receiver), that is why there isnt many choices in the lower end of the price range, and YES under $500 IS the lower range for wireless.

good luck.
 
fuzzybabybunny said:
Hmmm... gotcha. So is the Sennheiser G3 the absolutely cheapest and lowest of the low that I can get decent quality and reliability with? I just find it odd that there's an apparent gap between $150 (Azden) and $600 (Sennheiser) where there doesn't seem to be any other options for wireless systems.
Click to expand...

There are plenty of other options between $150 and $600:

- Audio Technica Pro88 is around $180, not recommended as it's in the same class of garbage as the Azden.
- Samson UM1 for about $200. Samson, like Azden, is not known for quality wireless systems.
- Azden has systems in the $240 - $300 that's still cheap VHF, then has a $400 UHF unit that I wouldn't waste money on.
- Sony UWP-V1 was $500, and they've dropped to $430. There's also a $40 mail-in rebate on them right now. They're considered a decent competitor by some, but my tests with that system gave results that I did not like, and I returned it for a G2 (this was before the G3).
- Audio Technica 1800 series for about $550. Some people like them. I think they're noisy, and nowhere close to the U101 systems they replaced.
- That brings us back to the Sennheiser.

It's not that there aren't options across the price spectrum, it's just that there are minimal improvements in quality from $150 - $450.

You could try the Sony. As I said, some people like them. The signal is strong and stable, and has a very good range. My personal experience was that there was hiss that breathed with the compander and was too distracting. And if you don't like it, do what I did... trade it in for a Sennheiser.
 
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