simple question, I hope...

B

basserdrew

New member
Guys, I am new to film making so forgive me up front if this is a stupid question. Anyway, a buddy and I are doing a fishing show and thanks to advice from many on this board we finally got our camera and all equipment - batteries, underwater housing etc.

However, when using the underwater housing (not underwater) the microphone on the camera doesn't pick up sound very well. So, we need some sort of external mic system. We have a Panasonic AGDVC30 but how in the world do you know which external mics will work with this camera?

Also, can you have two external mics running at the same time? Anyone ever heard of any waterproof mics?

I wish this stuff was as simple as just going into a store and having a salesman know all you need to know and assisting you and then you just check out 30 minutes later, but it all seems so much more complicated than that. If anyone out there does know a store I can just call and get all my answers from and then buy what we need from them then let me know please! Thanks for any advice here, guys.
 
I don't know of any waterproof mics. Certain lav models are designed to survive the occasional splash, but mics tend to repond poorly to immersion. The old foley trick of waterproofing a mic using a non-lubricated condom is not a good idea outside of the studio (and even then its a pretty dodgy tactic). If you actually intend on recording underwater sound, Aquarian Audio and Dolphin Ears both make very good reasonably priced hydrophones.

A wirless stereo camera link should cut through the housing easily enough. Double-system recording is probably your best bet, though.

And yes, you can have two external mics running at the same time. You'll just need two mic preamps (often built into the camera). You could have dozens of external mics running at the same time, you just need a mixer with enough mic channels.

As for the "just going into a store" matter, perhaps you're just not going into the right store. Call up the folks over at Trew Audio; when I walked in looking for a DPA 8011 hydrophone, they hooked me right up.
 
Thanks for the help so far guys. I dont really need underwater sounds because we dont shoot underwater that much. But, when we are shooting out of the water we are in very small and unstable boats going down rapids etc and therefore we keep the camera in the housing. Doing this means we have to have external mics. I guess we just need to figure out which ones will work with our camera and go buy them. I will look into the store that was mentioned on this thread, maybe they can help.

Does anyone have any experience with good external mics that are affordable?
 
the countryman b6 comes with or has as an accessory a sweat resistent shield as they are used a lot in stage productions because they are so damn small you can hide them in someone's hair or just have it stick out through their wardrobe.

also if wirelless is in your budget you can get lectrosonic transmitters that are semi-water friendly and they even have a sleeve for the end of the lavalier that goes into the transmitter to keep water out.

matthew
 
At trade shows Countryman used to dip B6's in a glass of coke and show that it still worked after being dipped.

I'm not saying it is totally waterproof - but it may work for your application.

Phil
 
i keep meaning to add a b6 to my kit specifically for the tiny size so it can be hidden in plain sight as people keep saying for those occasions when someone has very difficult wardrobe.

only thing worse than spending $2,500+ for each single user/mic setup of lectro wireless is having to stress about the mic placement and fabric noise etc. after your just about to roll or already rolling and all of a sudden hear the gremlin noises!

matthew
 
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