How do you choose an external microphone for your ? It can be quite confusing even if you're a professional videographer. After having put up with your onboard video camera mic for a few weeks you decide that you need an external condenser microphone.
shotgun microphones
An onboard microphone simply cannot give you the kind of sound that would suit your top quality video recording. If you decide to check out camcorder microphone reviews you wind up with lots of Camcorder microphone reviews which leave you more baffled than before.
Canon or Rode or Audio Teknika
It is not that easy to make an definitive decision based on the varying recommendations. The choice of brands & models is quite a lot. You have Sennheiser, Canon, Audio-Technica, Rode, Sony & even more companies trying to get your attention. Best sellers range from Rode's Stereo Videomic Directional Shotguns, Sennheiser's MKE400, Canon's DM100 and much more.
The number one criteria is, where do you work? The crucial point that should influence your choice is the situation where you would be shooting your video.
Is it the outdoors? Like if you're filming wildlife in their typical surroundings, the addition of real-life sounds will take your footage to another strata altogether making it seem really top-class, even if you are just an novice shooting for pleasure.
If you mostly shoot indoors, where you film a stage performance in an auditorium or even an interview, the right type of external microphone would exclude out all the surrounding sound and give you clear audio to accompany the superb footage that most Video Cameras dish out these days.
External Video Camera Microphones are broadly classified into 2 Categories:
* Shotgun Microphones
* Cardioid Microphones
There are further sub-classifications of Shotgun and Cardioid Microphones. Hyper-Cardioid, Super Cardioid etc. Mostly, a Camcorder microphone is either a Shotgun or a Cardioid. But there are some camcorder microphones which are a bit of both - you can choose the depth of Shotgun or Cardioid that you want.
Broadly, it can be said that Shotgun microphones are for catching long-range sound, like when you are filming wildlife and Cardioid microphones are more suitable for near range applications.
The power source is also a criteria in making a choice. Does your microphone have its own power source or does it get its power supply from the Video Camera? You may end up spending much more than you had bargained for if you have to keep buying new batteries for your camcorder microphone.
The weight of the microphone is another criteria mostly ignored by first-time buyers. But a bulky and heavy microphone could be a great nuisance especially if you are going to be filming a long time in the outdoors.
Do not forget to check the length of the microphone you intend to buy. You may like that long, no-nonsense type of external microphone. But do check to make sure that it does not extend beyond the front of your Camcorder and become a spoiling feature in your frame of view.
At the end of the day, it's most likely the price that is going to be the deciding factor. Go for the best external microphone in your price range. You should be able to get a very good microphone for less than $400.
Generally, the more costly models are quite better and come with many more bells and whistles. Like for instance when you shoot outdoors you require a sound screen to block out the wind noise. These are also called Deadkitten windscreens and you need to ensure your chosen microphone comes with one. Otherwise, you may need to buy a Winscreen separately adding to the price.
camcorder microphone
