this Azden ECZ-990 OR Rode VideoMic OR NTG-2

adelio

adelio

Active member
Can you guys help to decide
there is money diference
azden $60
VideoMic $160
NTG-2 $260

i will use it to interview outdoors mounted on camera, but
may be later i gone to shoot a short movie.

Thanks
 
NTG-2. The VideoMic is decent, but isn't really well suited for anything but on-camera use, and Azden is generally crap.
 
Outdoor interviews with the mic on the camera, ANY mic, are not likely to produce acceptable results. Even the best shotgun mics need to be about 24 inches from the person speaking for best results. That's far closer than the camera will be.
 
so, i really need some one else to do the sound, with this in mind, it is the videoMic good enough
 
adelio said:
so, i really need some one else to do the sound, with this in mind, it is the videoMic good enough
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Only you can say if it's good enough as only you know what your standards of quality are. The Videomic is a decent consumer product essentialy intended for the hobbyist. The NTG-2 is a bargain mic intended for more serious users and is capable of professional results. The camera mount for the Videomic is built-in. With the NTG-2 you'll have to provide it separately. The Videomic outputs to a 3.5mm mic input through a stereo plug that plugs right in to consumer cameras. The NTG-2 has an XLR mono output. If your camera doesn't have XLR inputs, you'll also need to obtain an adapter.
 
Thanks Steve, i recently got my 100A, but the built in mic get a lot a noise, so im trying to get a better mic,
 
adelio said:
Thanks Steve, i recently got my 100A, but the built in mic get a lot a noise, so im trying to get a better mic,
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Do you mean that it is picking up a lot of ambient noises, like handling and camera noises, or do you mean it has a lot of electrical noise like hiss?
 
its ambient noise, maybe because it es omnidirectional, thats why im triying to get a shotgun mic
 
Well, a shotgun will help if the interfering noise is some distance off to the side or rear of the mic, not so much if it's camera (and camera operator) noise because the noise you want to reject will be so much stronger than the sound you want to hear. 'Guns do not completely reject all sound away from where they're pointed, rather they're just somewhat less sensitive off-axis than they are on. But a loud noise close-by beside them will still be picked up just fine. Also, shotgun's directional behaviour is very much dependent on frequency, being directional at middle frequencies but becoming more omni-like at lower frequencies. So simply getting a new mic may not help solve your noise issues at all, if you keep it mounted at the camera. Getting a directional mic and some way to get it within about 24 inches or less away from the subject's mouth is the real answer. The "some way" that works best is to mount the mic on a fishpole boom with a shockmount and windscreen and work with a boom operator who will hold it over the subject just out of frame.
 
thanks steve, but by now im a one man band, i can make the interview outdoors in one positión then i can put the shotgun in a boompole stand, what you think.
 
adelio said:
thanks steve, but by now im a one man band, i can make the interview outdoors in one positión then i can put the shotgun in a boompole stand, what you think.
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Anything that gets the mic closer will help. The only problem with a 'gun on a boom stand is that if the subject moves their head very much at all they will be noticably going on- and off- mic. A boom operator, OTOH, would continually shift the mic to follow the subject's movements.
 
If you're using a DVX100 or any camera with XLR inputs, definitely choose a shotgun microphone with an XLR connection. In this case, the NTG2 is your best bet.

If you're tight on money, you can get the Rode NTG1, which should be a few bucks cheaper. The NTG1 requires phantom power to operate (which the DVX100 provides), and it cannot run on battery. Since the NTG1 doesn't have a battery compartment, it's a little shorter than the NTG2, and it has a slightly lower noise floor (which is good).

Since your interview is outdoors, you MUST MUST MUST have additional wind protection. The foam windscreen that comes with the mic isn't enough. You need to purchase either the Rode Dead Cat ($40), a Pearstone Fuzzy Windjammer ($30), or something more substantial like the Rode WS6 ($60).
 
The NTG-1 and NTG-2 are fundamentally the same mic. The only differences are the NTG-2 has a battery power option while the NTG-1 does not and the -2 is subsequently a little longer to make room for the battery compartment. If the camera provides phantom power, which your's does, the only thing you get with the -2 is a little more flexibility for uses other than plugging directly into that camera. If you get the -1 now, there's really no reason to "upgrade" to the -2 later. In terms of performance there's no signfigant difference between them. If you get the -1 now, the logical future next step up would be to the NTG-3.
 
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