Shotgun Mic For 7D

J

Jean Dantes

Well-known member
Hey guys, I've finally decided to definitely go with the 7D. I'm gonna get a 7D with a Canon EF 28mm f1.8 from a local dealer here in Sydney.

I will then most likely order the indiRAILSpro DSLRsm too from the USA.

Now, I'm not gonna have any money left to buy a decent audio setup, so I'm thinking (just for now, till I save up a bit more), to buy one of these Rode shotgun mics:

http://www.videoguys.com.au/Shop/p/1456/rode-videomic.html

I know I won't be able to monitor the audio with headphones, or have control over levels and what not, but it should be ok and better then the onboard mic so long as my actors don't scream at the top of their lungs...right? What do you guys think?

Thanks in advance to any replies!! :)
 
Yea i am interested in what everyone has to say as well. I am also getting all my "gear" in advance so that when the 7D does show up I will already have all the goodies.

So for me, I am trying to decide between these three:

The one Rode posted above and also here:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/363083-REG/Rode_VIDEOMIC_VideoMic_Camera_Mounted.html

Or the Rode Stereo Video mic here:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/450170-REG/Rode_STEREO_VIDEO_MIC_Stereo_VideoMic_Camera.html

Also looking at this Sennheiser mic:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/534023-REG/Sennheiser_MKE_400_MKE_400_Compact_Video.html

Any opinions or comments on which one seems best?

Regards,

G.
 
NTG-2 complements this price bracket nicely

EDIT: ... and remember to keep part of your budget for avoiding AGC. Either preamp+H4 or Beachtek X5a
 
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The rode kicks arse...it's Australian made. I'm using an NTG-1 with a H4n and a soon to arrive juicedlink. I also have an NT-3 for indoor work.
 
Thanks for all of the information! I too, am filling my "goody bag" in time for the arrival of my 7d in October.

What other alternatives would someone recommend for an entry-level $300 microphone budget? What external devices (if any) are needed in addition to the mic?

Thanks!
 
For what its worth (if for nothing other than to simply show the popularity...) I'm getting a Rode NTG-2 and a Zoom H4n. No money for a preamp yet :(
 
Jean Dantes said:
Thanks for the replies!

What's "AGC"?

I think right now I can only afford a mic. No pre-amp or mixer.
Click to expand...

Auto gain control... nasty stuff, you have to use the magic lantern firmware hack to defeat it, magic lantern also gives you a record level display. It could be a while before magic lantern is ported to the 7D until then an external recorder like a zoom is the best option.

You really need a preamp if you want to record decent sound with the NTG-2- http://www.juicedlink.com/index_files/CX_camcorder_XLR_microphone_adapter_audio_mixers_CX211.htm
 
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I'm very much a newbie here, and to vDSLR audio technology.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/450170-REG/Rode_STEREO_VIDEO_MIC_Stereo_VideoMic_Camera.html

While this mic seems like a pretty nice low-end solution, I've read some reviews which state that it doesn't produce enough gain for the 5Dmk2.

Is there any way to compare the audio amplication characteristics between the 5Dmk2 and the 7D?

I've pre-ordered the 7D, and this mic looks interesting, but I'd be concerned if I have to increase the gain in the camera and produce "hiss and noise" because of it? Thanks!
 
Jean Dantes said:
I think right now I can only afford a mic. No pre-amp or mixer.
Click to expand...

Remember, a mic is only as good as the preamp you plug it into. For any kind of narrative work, you really want a phantom-powered mic which is driven by a 48 volt power supply. Some mics are designed to take batteries internally, but the quality from those is pretty mediocre. A powered mic has more reach and much less self-noise.

you would actually be better off with something like the Zoom and a used shotgun from eBay (AKG are a fairly affordable but reasonably good brand). On-camera mics (eg mounted in the shoe) are all right, but bear in mind that the best place for a mic is not necessarily pointing along the barrel of the lens.

cameron12x said:
Thanks for all of the information! I too, am filling my "goody bag" in time for the arrival of my 7d in October.

What other alternatives would someone recommend for an entry-level $300 microphone budget? What external devices (if any) are needed in addition to the mic?
Click to expand...

See above, but $300 is really stretching it - you can get a decent mic for that or less, but you won't have anything good to plug into. If you are just going to do run & gun documentary stuff, go with one of the shoe-mounted mics described above to get started. But if you want any kind of serious quality, wait and save. Or consider reaching out to your local film community and making friends with a sound person.
 
Eddy, if you have a moment...

Would an NTG-2 (using phantom power but also with battery) running to a Zoom H4n without any sort of external preamp produce acceptable sound? Or is this a situation in which one shouldn't even bother until they have a good mixer/preamp?
 
Oh that'll be fine. the Zoom isn't stellar quality, but its preamps very good for the price. I would not say such positive things about it if I thought the inputs were trashy. It's certainly a good solution to start with, later you can get or rent a nicer mixer and put that between the mic and inputs (switching the inputs on the zoom to line level).
 
Eddy Robinson said:
See above, but $300 is really stretching it - you can get a decent mic for that or less, but you won't have anything good to plug into.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the great feedback. This is probably a naive question, but if I buy a $300 mic, I can always allocate funds later to plug-in to something? What is the "something?" Thanks.
 
Eddy Robinson said:
Oh that'll be fine. the Zoom isn't stellar quality, but its preamps very good for the price. I would not say such positive things about it if I thought the inputs were trashy. It's certainly a good solution to start with, later you can get or rent a nicer mixer and put that between the mic and inputs (switching the inputs on the zoom to line level).
Click to expand...

Thanks, Eddy. Puts my doubts to rest. :beer:
 
Jean Dantes said:
What's "AGC"?
Click to expand...

I answered this same question in another 7D thread so I'm going to quote it instead of re-typing.

J Davis said:
Until a hack arrives to disable the in built AGC (auto gain control) in the Canon 7D the aim of the game is to avoid it.

For those that don't know, the in built AGC will raise the volume on quiet sounds including background ambience which results in unbearably loud hiss.
Here is an example of AGC hiss from a GH1 link , listen to how the hiss fades when he talks and then comes back in between. The 7D AGC will be similar.

One method to avoid AGC is to use the Beachtek x5a which emits a high pitch tone to fool the AGC. The method I prefer is to record the audio separately to
the Zoom H4 (or similar) and then use the on-camera audio for sync purposes during editing. This is known as two system audio.
I'm not going to go into the sync process as you can read plenty of threads about it plus you already saw mr blooms plural eyes vid.

A typical audio shopping list would be ...

boom
shock mount (I use Rode)
shotgun mic (I use Rode NTG2)
xlr cable
mic pre amp (I use Sound Devices MM1)
audio recorder (I use Zoom H4)

here is an example of two system audio after it goes thru sync in post (using the equipment above) link

if you were going with the beachtek x5a then it would replace the mic pre amp and audio recorder in the above list.

I'm sure others will chime in with similar setups but this should get you up and running.
:)
Click to expand...
 
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