Wireless Mic lavalier or Wired Microphone for documentary?

[Tony_Ferguson]

Hi, can anyone tell me should I go wireless or wire for shooting documentary?

I have heard that people's cell phone can cause unwanted sounds affecting your audio.

I am filming dancers for a documentary.

I have a canon xh a1.

Tony

fergyart on YouTube

Thank you

 

[Duke M.]

Hi, can anyone tell me should I go wireless or wire for shooting documentary?

I have heard that people's cell phone can cause unwanted sounds affecting your audio.

It's all going to depend on the situation that you're in. Wireless mics can have radio interference from many sources. That's one of the reasons there are so many channels used, to try to avoid that interference.

On the other hand wired mics can pick up noise if used incorrectly, like dropping a coil of a power cord on top of a mic cable. Also, the cable itself can be cumbersome.

As a general rule, you can buy more mic for the money with a wired mic and that will give you better quality. In addition, the wired mic has less chance of interference. On the other hand if there is a lot of movement the cable can get in the way or cause noise itself. In a studio I'd go with a wired mic, both lavs and on a boom, all the way.

You'll need to weigh the trade offs for each shoot as there is no one answer.

 

[Chenopup]

Rule of thumb is go wired until you need to go wireless. For doc work, lots of times there may be a boom operator however in the days of run and gun and one-man bands, wireless is sure handy. A good shotgun mic you can put on your cam and then on a fishpole when needed will be more versatile if you're only in the market for a mic with the most bang for the buck.

cheno

 

[Tony_Ferguson]

Thanks guys, I'm going to go with a shotgun or wired mic.

 

[Zephyrnoid]

What they all said but, don't be afraid to pack a nice wireless like the Sennheiser. If your subject is moving around, working etc, you'll hate life when they trip over the wired lav cable. Shotguns must be placed as close as possible (out of camera) to the subject to be effective. Camera mounted shotguns are fine for subjects up to 8' from the camera ( and run n gun eng)