recommend a mic for Nikon D600

R

rocketman122

Active member
dont have a big budget. spent tons on pro lenses and cant afford anything over $40-60 bucks. around august I should have more bucks. I need something now though. a recommendation in that budget. not going to save, not buy later. I need now and thats my budget. nothing more than $60 please.

any of these worth anything?
http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_trk..._nkw=nikon+d600+microphone&_sacat=0&_from=R40


yesterday I shot a wedding with a cheap maxell pc mic that looks like a little antenna that sticks out the side and the sound seems great to me. but I guess its like stills photography were a newcomer will think a POS kit lens will look as good as a pro zoom.

problem is, the sync is completely off and I have no idea why. any software I can use to fix audio sync in the video files?
 
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You get what you pay for. If all you're doing is playing around those mics probably would work in that you'll get sound recorded. They'll probably sound a little better than the camera's built-in mic but then almost anything would. But if you're aiming for professional quality results - and if you aim to charge people money for your work you should - you're simply going to have to get more realistic. Sound is just as demanding as image. Of course, if you're recording direct to the camera you can only go so far because the camera's audio chain is pretty marginal itself - for serious work using almost any DSLR double system sound with an separate recorder is almost mandatory.

As for your sync problems, the cause is anyone's guess. I did a quick google but couldn't locate any online discussions to suggest there's a sync problem endemic to the D600 camera itself. One factor which can rear its head with camera-position mics of any sort could be distance from the sound source to the mic - each 30 feet of distance from subject to mic corresponds to a 1 frame delay in the sound reaching the mic versus the light for the image reaching the lens. As for software to fix it, any decent video editing package - Premiere, Vegas, Final Cut, etc - allows you to 'uncouple' the sound from the video and slip the track forward or back. (A reason for slating every take with a clapper where practical so you have a sync reference point.)
 
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I mostly agree that you get what you pay for. I can list at least 10 lenses that are way overpriced and dont offer anything more than cheaper lenses could do. one lens the nikon 58mm 1.4 is ripoff like no other. the 50 1.4g can do 98% of what it does for $400.

on the "whole" you are right, but its not set in stone with me. there are many products that give much more bang for the buck than more expensive items and this goes for everything. how many products did you see and you said, wow, what a ripoff! theres a wide range with that.

yes we plan on getting paid. not now. but there are many couples who dont want to spend for a full time videographer and we plan on charging a small amount and profit from that as well. why not, wedding photography is a business.

we are very strong with stills and want to offer this service to couples who are on the fence with a videographer. I know in the US, wedding videography is not strong. they can get video coverage for a small additional fee. we dont edit it. we simply burn the clips to a dvd and thats it. this is new for us and we havent figured out the details. its a work in progress. we need to get some gear obviously.

as I am a freelance photog. ive stopped doing private weddings and only work for other photogs. I do plan on getting another video camera and slowly learning the ropes with video. theres a big demand for DSLR videographers. stills is very saturated already. later on I plan to learn to edit as well. one thing at a time.

I do plan on getting an external recorder. saw videographers using them and connecting to the Dj's. those will cost $150+ for a decent one. I know good gear costs money. all my primes and zooms are top notch. I feel my pocket hurting now.
 
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I understand what you're saying but you do need to have realistic expectations and there's a lower limit below which you're just throwing money down a hole. I've been shooting Nikon since 1968 and definitely agree with what you're saying - sound gear is just like lenses in that regard. You don't always get what you pay for but you WON'T get what you're NOT willing to pay for. Continuing the lens analogy, along with other lenses my kit includes a Nikkor 50mm/1.4 Ai MF that I acquired in 1980 with my F2As and an AF-S Nilkkor 50mm/1.4 G that I got a few years ago along with my D700. Just added a Zeiss T* Planar 50mm/1.4 to the list. Was it worth the investment? IMHO, absolutely. If I was shooting action like a soccer match the AF-S would probably be better but I don't do that sort of work. To my eye and for my style of working, manual focus is no detriment (if fact it's more comfortable for me) while the overall rendering on the Zeiss is more pleasing and it has a 'crispness' that I've never gotten with the Nikkor G. So it was worth the money while a cheap kit lens would have been a total waste. OTOH, last year I also bought a Voigtlander SLII 40mm/2.0 that was half the price of the Zeiss. Worthwhile? Again, absolutely. A wonderfully sharp and compact 'carry-around' lens that is a terrific buy, a real bargain IMHO. So I'm not saying that price is a criterion of excellence but it is often an accurate predictor.
 
Sell some of the lenses and get a better mic. There is nothing in that price range that I would recommend or ever use. The closest thing I can think of that might pick up audio is that new $99 Rode videomic.

If you are running a business that is essentially AV (audio and video), then you need to budget appropriately. Spending all your money on lenses and leaving nothing left for a halfway descent mic is a mistake that you will hopefully learn from. On that budget you can probably at least rent something, but if you need it NOW...well..good luck finding a rental house open in your area with something descent. There might be someone in your area that might have something you can rent from them.
 
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