TinyMike & Q Mini Shotgun Pro

J

jamagara

New member
I have found many reviews for the Rode Videomic Pro or the Sennheiser MKE-400, but has anybody used the Ambient TinyMike or the new Que Audio Mini Shotgun Mic Pro? They both share a very nice form factor compared to the Videomic Pro, but what about their sound quality?
 
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Sorry for the bump. But I'm having a really hard time finding reviews for the new Que Audio Q Mini Shotgun Pro microphone. It's a beefed-up version of the Q Mini Shotgun and was presented at the NAB2012.

Compared to it predecessor (which is now sold as a lite version) the interference tube has grown a bit (its still slim compared to the Videomic Pro) and there is a new switch to enable a 20dB gain. The microphone is sold as part of the „Q DSLR-Video PRO Microphone Kit“ and the „Q Sniper PRO Microphone Kit“.

I'm especially interested in the latter kit, since the idea of a super compact booming kit intrigues me. Another advantage of this kit is that it includes an XLR adapter which enables a true balanced connection. This gives me the option to upgrade my VDSLR setup with a powered XLR adapter like the JuicedLink RM333 later on. But I want to make sure the microphone has a good quality justifying the hefty price tag of 450$ for the Sniper Pro Kit. Videomaker published a very positive review of the kit, and there is also this video review, but both of them didn't seem very substantiated. Hasn't anybody made experiences with this microphone?

 
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"Hefty price tag" is relative and $450 is a very reasonable price if it's a decent mic (haven't heard it so don't have any comments as to the quality of that mic). Many professional mics run a lot more (price a Schoeps CMIT shotgun but make sure you're sitting down first). The kit as illustrated in your post implies the mic will be used on the camera ... understand that no mic, no matter what the cost, will sound any good when used in that manner except in extremely rare situations.
 
Steve House said:
"Hefty price tag" is relative and $450 is a very reasonable price if it's a decent mic.
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Agreed.

Steve House said:
The kit as illustrated in your post implies the mic will be used on the camera ... understand that no mic, no matter what the cost, will sound any good when used in that manner except in extremely rare situations.
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I understand. But I often do run-and-gun shooting for a local news outlet, and unfortunately I have to fly solo for that most of the time. So I need the possibility to use a light, portable shotgun attached to the camera. But I also want to have the option to boom my audio in situations where I can use a tripod or I have an assistant.
 
Without the reviews by impartial (non advertising driven) reviewers, I'd be inclined to go with the known- Rode or Sennheiser. They know mics inside and out. Some magazines tend to give good reviews to good advertisers. That's why I buy cars and other consumer stuff based on Consumer Reports, which accepts no ads.
 
mainstreetprod said:
Without the reviews by impartial (non advertising driven) reviewers, I'd be inclined to go with the known- Rode or Sennheiser. They know mics inside and out.
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Well, Sennheiser certainly know mics inside out.

But I wouldn't discount the Ambient TinyMike because of this.

Ambient mics are OEM manufactured for them by MBHO in Germany, who also make capsules for Brauner and other highly respected makes.

The Ambient was designed as a professional on-camera mic. rather than as a pro-sumer mic. and, personally, it would be my first choice for an on-camera microphone.

Also - there is an Active Cable option for the TinyMike with an XLR, to enable it to be powered by 48V phantom power. This is delivered as standard with the ATM 216 PD option.

The ATM 216 H option comes with the mini-jack option.

So, get one and get the other cable as an option, so you can do both.
 
jamagara said:
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I understand. But I often do run-and-gun shooting for a local news outlet, and unfortunately I have to fly solo for that most of the time. So I need the possibility to use a light, portable shotgun attached to the camera. But I also want to have the option to boom my audio in situations where I can use a tripod or I have an assistant.
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I understand that that is a reality you may often have to live with. But you need to realize going in that there is no mic made at any price that will give you optimum sound under those circumstances. The best you can hope for is "least sucky."
 
i got the Q mic and almost never used it (prefers wireless ) . It sounds ok (i have not paid the big price), but i have cheaper mic that sounds better or are more directional.
For the size, look and weight it is unbeatable, but you really need these 3 features to make it your preffered tool.
only drawback for me , the tiny batteries, that could be hard to find when you need and that are pretty expensive vs a simple AAA cell.
Always in my camera bag , just in case.
 
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I was unaware the Ambient was mfd by MBHO. Guess what I'm saying is the mic needs to be made by a known mic mfr- not some Asian maker trying to pass the product off as legit. I'm sure someday the Chinese will make top notch microphones, just as Japan makes great cars, but I don't think they are there yet.

I used an MKE 300 plastic on camera shotgun 10 years ago and it was better than the on camera mic - but not much - best way to put it is the Senn was 2X better than built in, but a mic on a boom pole would be say 5X better.
 
John Willett said:
Well, Sennheiser certainly know mics inside out.

But I wouldn't discount the Ambient TinyMike because of this.


The Ambient was designed as a professional on-camera mic. rather than as a pro-sumer mic. and, personally, it would be my first choice for an on-camera microphone.

Also - there is an Active Cable option for the TinyMike with an XLR, to enable it to be powered by 48V phantom power. This is delivered as standard with the ATM 216 PD option.

The ATM 216 H option comes with the mini-jack option.

So, get one and get the other cable as an option, so you can do both.
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I've used most of the mics mentioned here, including the Ambient TinyMic, and if it were me, I'd go for the Ambient TinyMic if I were forced into a situation where I had to use a really small camera mounted mic.
 
I have the new Que Mini Shotgun Pro, and I think it's pretty sweet. I'm a Rode fanboy, but so far I hear nothing wrong with the Que. I'll be doing a demo video of it probably before Christmas, but I probably won't remember this thread by then. I did use it on a 60D for this video, but there's music playing too. It has a good full frequency and the 20db boost is killer. Perfect for the 60D with it's record level set to one click above zero. Not to pimp my channel, but if you subscribe you'll get the Que video when it comes out. On this video at 10:29 there's no music. Not the best demo, but I like what I hear so far.
 
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