A good external microphone for the Canon ZR800?

[dandeco]

My main camcorder is a Canon ZR800 MiniDV video camera:

The picture quality is pretty good most of the time, but sometimes the built-in mic picks up the sound of the tape mechanism rolling. I don't want to always have to use the noise-reduction features in iMovie '11 or something, and I think Canon was aware of that possibility, because uniquely this camcorder comes with an external microphone jack!

I am looking for a good microphone I could purchase for it well under $70. The ZR800 doesn't have an accessory shoe, but I plan to use the microphone either by hand-holding it while the camcorder is on a tripod, or using it on a boom stick. Any mic shaped like these would work:

Well, except maybe the one on the far right.

Any recommendations?

 

[puckhead193]

which are you going to be doing more, hand held like a reports mic or on a boom pole? Where will you be using these mics mostly? This mic is gaining popularity in the sports broadcasting world because it rejects a lot of the crowd noises and focuses on the talent.

Both are very different and serve different purposes. The handheld mic needs to be fairly close to the person mouth while the boom mic can in theory pick up from further away, but will be out of your price range.

Depending on the which model of the handheld mic you go with, most are omni and will pick up in a circular pattern where as the boom mic is very directional and will reject noises from the side.

In terms of brands, I'm a huge fan of Sennheiser mics. (I have the MD46, posted above) Also Shure makes good mics.