genocolo Loc: Vail and Gasparilla Island

Thanks everyone for your good and helpful advice. So I ordered two from Adorama: a Rode Microphones VideoMic Pro+ Compact Directional On-Camera Microphone and a Rode micro. I read a bunch of reviews and the micro got a high rating in a comparison to others so I thought for $59 it was worth a try. When I have tried both, I will let you know what I find.

bsprague Loc: Lacey, WA, USA

"So I ordered two from Adorama"

Those are the two I put up links for but to B&H. I have and like the $59 Rode VideoMicro. I do not have or have ever used the $299 Rode Microphones VideoMic Pro+.

Please post here what you think of them, especially the differences. Do I need the more expensive one?

genocolo Loc: Vail and Gasparilla Island

I am going to try them both on my 80D and new Sony 4K camcorder. See also my recent topic: camcorder or dslr for wedding video. Very helpful and interesting discussion there. I was reminded about the added dimension of video when I asked my son to shoot our recent outdoor wedding on the spur of the moment. He used my 80D with a 24-105L lens and it was terrific even with the wind on a point on the Atlantic in Key Largo. Should have had an external mic, but didn’t. While the stills were great, the video is our favorite and we will enjoy it for years to come.

I am preparing to video my niece’s wedding in June in PA and want to give her the best I can.

bsprague Loc: Lacey, WA, USA

You got the Sony AX-53! Good choice!

I remain interested in your comparison of mics.

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

https://youtu.be/veD8BVXV3Ls

Friends don’t let friends use camera-mounted shotgun mics at distances exceeding three feet!

Rode NTG2 is a reasonable choice, because it sounds great, it’s light, it can be powered by battery OR phantom source, and it’s under $400.

Be sure you have a boom pole, dead cat windscreen, cable, and adapter (XLR to 1/8” stereo mini if that’s what’s on your camera or mixer).

The NTG2 does require a battery or phantom power, as it’s a condenser mic.

If that’s over budget, a Shure Beta 57A dynamic mic in a rubber shock mount costs about half that.

blackest Loc: Ireland

Even something as simple as a zoom h1 with an external mic near the action will be orders of magnitude better than a camera mounted mic. The camera audio is just useful to sync the audio from the recorder to the video.

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

Yes, that’s really the ONLY valid reason to use onboard mics built into most dSLRs.

genocolo Loc: Vail and Gasparilla Island

Now, despite the best intentions of you true experts, I am still confused. Some of you are saying I should never use a camera mounted mic like a shure or Rode. I understand that for filming from 10-20 feet away, it is not going to be perfect, but I have to make the best of it. For my niece's wedding, not only can't I afford them but I simply cannot show up with boom microphones, lav mics, recorders etc.

My only choices are to use the built-in mic on my 80D or the built-in mic on the Sony 4k camcorder I am expecting from Adorama today, OR use an external mic attached to the camera. I thought my original question specified that I was considering various Rode mics for on-camera use; if not, it should have. So, any last thoughts?

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

Yeah, good luck with that! If there is an audio rental company near you, you may be able to call and reserve a wireless setup for the day. AV companies that serve the hotel meeting market or the local theatre market are likely to have what you need.

The inverse/square law (1/d^2) can be your friend or your enemy. The boundary of that relationship is around three feet away from a source. You can't escape the laws of physics, no matter what you do. At ten feet, you will have 1% of the sound pressure level you had at one foot. At 14.14 feet, half a percent. At 20 feet, one quarter of one percent. But the signal-to-noise ratio goes in the OPPOSITE direction. That's because you're turning up the gain (or the AGC circuit in your camera does that) to compensate for the reduced sound intensity.

That said, If you "just gotta," get the most expensive Rode you can afford, and get as close as you possibly can. Outdoors, use a dead cat windscreen if possible, or a foam windscreen.

I can't stand the sound of any on camera mic... It's truly meant for synchronizing the waveform visually, to a track from an external recorder, during post-production (or, more cynically, as a gimmick to entice amateurs to use a dSLR for video).

Do a test run under similar conditions as you will encounter. Be mindful of what's behind the mic. The tighter the supercardioid (shotgun) pattern, the more the mic picks up FROM THE REAR. That's why, outdoors, you hope to be far away from airports, so you can put the mic on a boom and aim it down. Indoors, if you're using a boom, stay away from HVAC vents.

Outdoor weddings are a pain in the posterior to record. Wind, birds, vehicles, planes, boats (I've done a couple of wedding videos lakeside), and other noises (construction!) will obscure timid brides and fainting grooms every time! Couples are nervous enough as it is. They almost NEVER project loudly enough for people on the front row to hear, let alone people on the back row. It's bad enough in a church or similar hall, where you have tattering toddlers and crying babies and coughing family members to contend with.

genocolo Loc: Vail and Gasparilla Island

Excellent advice. Thanks.

blackest Loc: Ireland

The Zoom h1 recorder is cheap as chips (less than $100) it runs off 1 AA battery, the built in stereo mics are very sensitive if you handle the mic at all you will hear the plastic creak it really needs rubber mounting to stop noise travelling through the body. However you can simply attach an external mic and have them both discreetly near the action and just set the levels and record. Shoot your video and retrieve them afterwards. in post you just sync the audio to the video and discard the camera audio.

It honestly will make a huge difference to the quality of the video. If you prefer just use the zoom h1 on its own, as insurance, just mount it on a stand with a dead cat over it's mics. Use your rhode as intended and then you will hear the difference in quality, you will be glad of the H1 when you go to put it together later.

genocolo Loc: Vail and Gasparilla Island

Very interesting. How close to source do you need to be? Does it need to be used with another mic? What would you suggest for a mic?

Thanks

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

Blackest's strategy is a good one. However, the Zoom H1 does not change the laws of physics! No matter WHAT mic you use, the inverse/square law applies. Get within three feet if at all possible, to minimize noise and maximize intelligibility.

You can plug any mic with an 1/8" stereo unbalanced connector into the H1. (Condenser mics would need their own onboard power.)

Unfortunately, the H1 is discontinued, but the H1n is still available. Sweetwater has them for about $120.

blackest Loc: Ireland

Looks good, i'm happy with my h1 but the h1n has a few improvements

http://www.4kshooters.net/2018/02/23/zoom-h1-vs-zoom-h1n-is-it-worth-upgrading-to-the-new-model/

speters Loc: Grangeville/Idaho

Yes, you can certainly take quality sound from afar, a quality shotgun/super shotgun, just takes out a tiny slice of that sound, just like a long tele shows a very compressed field of view, so that's the same!