Which is more valuable:
A) The Sennheiser MKE 400 mini-shotgun mic
or
B) $200 in your pocket?
This is the question that every gear-obsessed dork must ask
themselves. There are a few things that the MKE 400 does really well,
but it isn’t the silver bullet to all of your audio-for-video needs.
Silver bullets do not exist. Don’t let the marketing behind
watered-down domestic beer fool you. Continue reading
The Great On-Camera Mic Shootout 2010 is finally here!
I tested out seven different microphones on a Nikon D300s shooting 720p 24p HD video. I pitted consumer microphones with mini-plug connectors against professional location microphones going through a juicedLink DT454 adapter. These are the microphones involved in the test:
I intended on including the Rode Stereo VideoMic, but unfortunately the brand new unit I acquired for the test did not operate. It was dead on arrival out of the box. This is unusual for Rode, but still really disappointing.
I’m curious what you think of these mics. I was really surprised at the results. One of the mics that I thought was going to be among the worst turned out to be my favorite, and one of the mics that I liked turned out to preform really poorly.
Here are my complete thoughts on these microphones:
Without a doubt, this turned out to be one sweet little mic. It has a very alive sound, and despite its ultra-compact size, it has an impressive amount of reach. The build quality is pretty nice, and it’s easy to use. The downside of this microphone is how it preformed outdoors. The included foam windshield did very little in terms of protecting the audio from wind noise. I took it outside on a calm evening, and a gentle breeze wreaked havoc on the audio. If you choose to use this mic, you definitely need the additional softie that Sennheiser makes for it.
Another downside to the MKE 400 for me is that it has such a distinct sound, that I don’t think the footage that you shoot with it would cut very well with footage shot with the other microphones that I own. Plus it needs a AAA battery to operate.
The Rode VideoMic is a really popular model, and I’m guessing that it would win the prize as the most favored mic in this test. When I first started using it, I was really pleased with its performance. However after a few days of hearing it, my opinion started to change. After a while it started sounding boxy to me. It’s got a similar over-hyped presence that the MKE 400 has. I just feel like the VideoMic is overdoing it. It’s got a loudness that immediately appeals to the ear, but it’s not a very natural sound.
The microphone and its built-in shock mount have a very plasticy feel. It doesn’t seem like the kind of gear that would survive for very long in a tightly packed case. The built-in shock mount is a bit wobbly. It needs a 9-volt battery in order to work. All in all, after this test I don’t think I’ll be purchasing this microphone for my video-enabled DSLR.
You don’t hear about this mic very often, but you should. I’ll go ahead and say it now… This was my favorite mini-plug microphone used in the test. I felt like it had a pretty natural sounding response, especially for a plastic mic. I feel like if I shot some footage with this mic, and then cut it with footage shot with better quality mics, that it would blend together decently.
The ECM-CG1 requires “Plug In Power” to operate. Not all cameras supply Plug In Power. The Nikon D300s obviously did, and so did my Panasonic PV-GS200 miniDV camcorder (which I used to shoot the “final thoughts” segment at the end of the video). Most Sony cameras supply Plug In Power. The Canon 5D mkII supplies Plug In Power as well. Hopefully all of the Canon DSLR’s with mic inputs supply it.
The downside of the ECM-CG1 is that it doesn’t come with a shock mount. If you get one, buy a Pearstone DUSM-1 to go with it. It will also need additional wind protection for outdoor use. At this time I don’t have a specific model of softie that I can confidently recommend, but I imagine I will be buying one of these in the near future, and I’ll have to figure it out then.
I love the fact that you don’t need to pump batteries into this thing!
Let’s face it, this one didn’t sound very good in this test. It’s a bit unfair because both the ECM-MS907 and the Audio Technica PRO-24CM are not intended for capturing on-camera dialog. They’re stereo microphones that are better suited for recording ambient sound.
If you own or have access to an ECM-MS907, now you know that it can at least be adapted to a camera. With a little force, I made it fit inside of my Pearstone DUSM-1 shock mount. I coiled up and wrapped the 1 meter cable and made it work. I was also able to fit a WindTech MM-1 softie around the MS907′s included foam windscreen.
This microphone was by far the biggest disappointment of the shootout (not counting the dead Rode Stereo VideoMic). It just didn’t sound very good, even for an ambient mic. The Sony ECM-MS907 kicked its butt – even though the 907 is still a bad choice for an on-camera mic.
When I shot the “final thoughts” segment, I plugged every mic into a Rode VC1 mini-plug extension cable. None of the mics seemed to mind this, with the exception of the PRO-24CM. You can hear a pretty loud noise floor when the PRO-24CM comes on during its portion of the “final thoughts” segment. That’s not good. Sorry Audio Technica! I love you guys, but you need to make a better mic than this.
This is the first mic you hear in the shootout, and also the one I used for the intro and outro segments of the video. It’s a Hyper Cardioid Condenser, and it’s the mic I use on location sound jobs for interior boompole work. It’s a great choice for those of us who can’t afford a $2000 Scheops microphone.
I attached the 4053a (and the 4073a) to the Nikon D300s through a juicedLink DT454 XLR adapter box. After a rather involved but of tweaking, I was able to record the scenes I used in the video. The DT454 was incredibly complex. It’s a subject I’m going to cover in detail in future blog post.
The Audio Technica 4073a is the last mic you hear in the shootout portion of the video. It’s a shotgun style microphone with a long interference tube. Even though it was the longest microphone used in the shootout, it still did not appear in the frame of the shot on the Nikon D300s.
I personally thought this mic sounded great. I connected it to the camera through the juicedLink DT454.
Final Final Thoughts:
If you can deal with it, get an XLR adapter like the juicedLink or a Beachtek DXA-SLR and get a professional mic like the 4053a or 4073a. That’s the sound you want. I think it’s also wise to have a small mic in your bag for when you need to travel light. In this case, my choice would be the ECM-CG1.
Thanks for checking out this blog post! It turned out to be an incredible amount of work. If you got something out of this, I would love to hear from you in the Comments section. Thanks and happy shooting!
The following video is the first in a series of videos leading up to The Great On-Camera Mic Shootout 2010. What the heck is that, you ask? Well, I wanted to test out all of the most popular on-camera microphones that are used with HD video-enabled DSLR cameras, so I could hear them and decide which one I liked best. I wanted to hear how good they sounded compared to a DSLR with a juicedLink adapter and a professional mic. Welp, that’s exactly what I did! I documented the whole thing so I could share my findings with you.
In this first video I open up a new Rode Stereo VideoMic. I explain all of the switches on the mic itself, and explain when you should use the Rode Stereo VideoMic- and when it would be better to use the shotgun-style Rode VideoMic. Check it out:
If you have any questions about this mic, I encourage you to post it in the comments section!
Stay tuned for more posts like this, and then the big momma of them all…. THE GREAT ON-CAMERA MIC SHOOTOUT 2010! It. Will. Blow. Your. Mind.
I finally did it! I upgraded to a real tripod and head! Last week I accidentally broke my crappy old $14 tripod. In the following video I bust open my new Manfrotto 501HDV head and my new Slik Pro 700DX tripod legs. I go over some tips on how to set this stuff up and use it:
This system was recommended to me by David Flores, a New York based photographer and film maker. This isn’t a blog post by someone who has tried every tripod and head under the sun, and slowly come to the realization that this is the best combo in the world for under $300. I was simply lucky enough to pick the brains of some experienced people who pointed me in the right direction.
Thanks David! I totally love this set up! This gear is really solid. I’ve already done two shoots with it and my quality of life has vastly improved. That’s the thing about buying good equipment. It really does make your life better. Shooting instantly becomes easier and more enjoyable. This is the kind of purchase that gets you these perks.
One of the reasons I needed a quality tripod is that I’ve been putting together a video about using on-camera external microphones with video-enabled DSLR cameras. It’s called The Great On-Camera Mic Shootout 2010. In the video I use a Nikon DLSR with a big ole’ honking lens on it. The camera was a loner, so there was no way I was going to stick it on a cheap $14 tripod. That’s just asking for trouble. The Manfrotto 501HDV head with the Slik Pro 700DX tripod legs handled the weight of the camera, mic, and big lens wonderfully. I highly recommend this combo. Plus it just looks legit. That’s important too for some reason. :)
