Best Inexpensive Shotgun/Boom Mic?

[jayeskreezy]

Ok so I'm looking for a shotgun mic for like $100 or less. I'm not a pro at all when it comes to recording, but I know you can do a lot of DIY stuff and improvise to make fairly decent videos.

Most of the shooting is for fun and for my job like doing skits and things like that though. I work with the youth-mostly college age students.

Currently I have a few things, but i'm in the process of buying some accessories and I wanted to add a shotgun/boom mic to it. My camera is a canon optura 20 and probably a sony hc30 or hc40 as a backup. (I say backup b/c I just like canon cams better.) We used both in college and I've liked consumer canons better.

Anyway, $100 is my max, but ideal would be $0-$50.

What's the best brand to get, and who usually has good prices?...well, other than ebay. Thanks!

 

[MacDann]

Ok so I'm looking for a shotgun mic for like $100 or less. I'm not a pro at all when it comes to recording, but I know you can do a lot of DIY stuff and improvise to make fairly decent videos.

Anyway, $100 is my max, but ideal would be $0-$50.

What's the best brand to get, and who usually has good prices?...well, other than ebay. Thanks!

I really doubt you will find something suitable for under $100. Since audio is something that can make the difference between a professional shoot and an amateur one, I would not scrimp in this area.

That's not to say you have to spend a small fortune to get good audio, either.

I have been doing commercial video work for several years using a Panasonic GS-500 with a RODE Videomic and have been very pleased with the results. You can get a new one at Jack's for around $130 plus shipping.

Add to that a deadcat for wind noise and you'll have around $175 invested.

The RODE Videomic is very versatile in that it can also be boom mounted and has attenuation filters built in as well. RODE is one of the best microphone makers in the world, and this is not some cheap plastic consumer device.

When I need to mic a speaker, I use a balanced system with Shure mics, but when I need general coverage with a shotgun I use my RODE.

MD

 

[jayeskreezy]

I really doubt you will find something suitable for under $100. Since audio is something that can make the difference between a professional shoot and an amateur one, I would not scrimp in this area.

That's not to say you have to spend a small fortune to get good audio, either.

I have been doing commercial video work for several years using a Panasonic GS-500 with a RODE Videomic and have been very pleased with the results. You can get a new one at Jack's for around $130 plus shipping.

Add to that a deadcat for wind noise and you'll have around $175 invested.

The RODE Videomic is very versatile in that it can also be boom mounted and has attenuation filters built in as well. RODE is one of the best microphone makers in the world, and this is not some cheap plastic consumer device.

When I need to mic a speaker, I use a balanced system with Shure mics, but when I need general coverage with a shotgun I use my RODE.

MD

is it detachable and able to connect to a boom pole?

 

[mintlivedotcom]

is it detachable and able to connect to a boom pole?

Yes! From Videomaker.com:

The mic has 2 threaded holes to attach it to a tripod or boom pole, but you may need to remove the shoe fastener using a Philips screwdriver to access them. The holes are a 3/8" by 16 and a 1/4" x 20 threaded inserts. Having this added functionality could come in handy. If you are a videographer who needs both a boom mountable mic and an upgrade from your pre-existing on-camera mic, then having this mic could kill two birds with one stone (so long as you don't need to use them both at the same time). Of course, if you might consider attaching this mic to a boom pole, bear in mind what adapters or audio cords you might need to get the signal down the pole.

 

[MacDann]

is it detachable and able to connect to a boom pole?

As mentioned in the previous post, yes. I use mine on occasion with a boom pole. It's nice because the RODE is a lot lighter than the Shures I use for speakers, which can be put in a spider and mounted on a boom as well.

The only negative thing I can think of is that the RODE VM is unbalanced, meaning you're limited as to the length of cable you can use, but for the majority of shoots that shouldn't be an issue for you.

You start getting into balanced mic setups and your costs are going to go up considerably.

MD

 

[eightd]

look at getting a mic preamp too.

 

[MacDann]

look at getting a mic preamp too.

I think we're getting away from the original question - if he was looking for a good mic setup and the budget was larger, I wouldn't point him at the RODE.

If money is no object you could easily get carried away. My audio setup for most shoots is about $500 worth of equipment when it's all said and done, but there have been plenty of times the RODE was more than adequate for what I needed.

It's a good starting point without making a major investment in equipment, I think.

MD

 

[eightd]

what can you buy for 100 bucks? not much. maybe a windsock.

want good audio, get neumann tlm49 mic, avalon preamp and sound device 744t portable recorder.