The Great On-Camera Mic Shootout 2010

Sam Mallery

Sam Mallery

Well-known member
Hi everybody!

I just finished a somewhat comprehensive shootout of on-camera microphones for DSLR video. I tested out seven microphones, five of them consumer mics (like the Rode VideoMic) and two of which were professional location microphones going through a juicedLink DT454. Here's a link to the video & an analysis of each mic:

http://www.sam-mallery.com/archives/566

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Let me know what you think. Which mic sounds the best to you?
 
Look forward to going through it. Before looking at it, I'll say I use the Sennheiser MKE400 for a year now and find it to be a great choice, small, 300 hours battery life from one AAA, sounds great, 2 levels, lo-cut. Perfect as a decent pickup and scratch track on-camera mic for the price. For higher quality audio, nothing beats the right mic for the right job recorded separately and synced later.
 
My audio gear

My audio gear

My audio gear is composed of:

Shure 515SDX (not balanced but sounds great outdoor)

Audio-Technica MB4k (great sound, but picks up too much = cardioid)

Audio-Technica AT650 (balanced and sounds great indoor and outdoor)

Audio-Technica ATR55 (with modified XLR output) (Cheap but for sync purpose)

Azden SGM-1x (average sound outdoor, avoid at all cost indoor)

ZoomH2 (excellent recorder to me, and has great on-board mic. preamp is great, but i prefer to run mics through the JuicedLink)

JuicedLink CX211 (Great preamp, a must have, this entry model just doesn't have phantom power)

Beachtek DXA-4 (if you can get it for cheap, for XLR-to-3.5mm conversion, otherwise get a JuicedLink)
 

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Hi Sam.

I think this sort of shootout would help people just getting into upgrading their audio for their DSLRs. I think the tests most of all show how much more sensitive some mics are compared to others. If you care to hear how I think this could be a better tool for someone to make a decision on the true character of each mic, I think the side by side comparison portion of the test would benefit from having the levels matched, as the sensitivities are too varying to judge one mic against the other. People hear louder and think "better" sometimes. Also the Rode VideoMic was so sensitive it was distorting the input a little. That may lead someone to think thew mic doesn't sound so great, even though it does with proper levels.

I think with some tweaks this shootout could really be helpful for consumers looking for step-up mics that are better than their built-in camera mics. Thanks for doing this. Hey I didn't see a part with your opinion at the end of the AT4053a, which is probably the best mic in the bunch.

PS I loved your work in "The Anatomy of a Camera Bag"! Your voice is unmistakable.
 
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photonashville said:
Curious, what do any of your gear items have to do with the OP's shootout?
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Actually, nothing except it's about audio and microphones. But i just wanted to add to his review by suggesting my own microphones as well.
I probably should have started a new thread instead of kind of "hijack" this one.
 
Chadfish said:
Hi Sam.

I think this sort of shootout would help people just getting into upgrading their audio for their DSLRs. I think the tests most of all show how much more sensitive some mics are compared to others. If you care to hear how I think this could be a better tool for someone to make a decision on the true character of each mic, I think the side by side comparison portion of the test would benefit from having the levels matched, as the sensitivities are too varying to judge one mic against the other. People hear louder and think "better" sometimes. Also the Rode VideoMic was so sensitive it was distorting the input a little. That may lead someone to think thew mic doesn't sound so great, even though it does with proper levels.

I think with some tweaks this shootout could really be helpful for consumers looking for step-up mics that are better than their built-in camera mics. Thanks for doing this. Hey I didn't see a part with your opinion at the end of the AT4053a, which is probably the best mic in the bunch.

PS I loved your work in "The Anatomy of a Camera Bag"! Your voice is unmistakable.
Click to expand...

Thanks Chadfish!

The test was pretty unscientific. I borrowed the camera and the mics and only had them for a very short window of time, and the only time to shoot was at night after a full day at the office. It was pretty much a "plug 'em in, push record, and say check check" type of situation. There's no headphone output on the camera, so there was no time to record a test for each mic and dump it into the computer so I could play the file back and monitor it properly to make adjustments.

I would bet that the majority of people who buy consumer mics like these don't do a great deal of adjusting of the levels. Then there are the cameras out there like the 7D that don't have any audio level control.

The D300s is kind of a beast too. There's a lot going on under the hood of that thing. I had used a D90 before, so I mistakenly thought I could just scoop up the D300s and be off and running.

I love my 4053a. I have two of them. I think they sound great. There are better hyper cardioids out there, but they cost four times as much $$$.
 
You may want to toss in a disclaimer about on-camera mics always being inferior to a mic on a boom within 1-3' of talents head.

Most people here already know that, but just as an fyi for new guys that may pop in looking for how to best improve their audio.
 
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