April 3, 2024

Microphones

They say the first (the very first) thing to do if you are going to shoot video is to get an external microphone to plug into your camera. Shotgun microphones are the usual recommendation.

You can go as far with this as you want to go. A studio would use a mic on a boom with an XLR cable to some kind of preamp box and would probably record the sound separately and then sync it later with the video during editing. Or something of the sort. I am aiming at something significantly better than using the mic built into camera without going crazy.

Watch the following video! This guy covers (and demos) a wide array of on camera external microphones in the $200 and under range. I wish I had discovered this video when I was first researching these sorts of microphones.

Several things came up in the video. The Rode VideoMic GO II (for $100) can be connected to USB and used for voice overs and while doing that has a headphone jack. It is more or less a reduced cost version of the VideoMic NTG (for $250).

Also this video talks about the Deity line of microphones, and I would look at those (along with Rode and Sennheiser) if I was doing this again.

Sennheiser MKE 400

I put this up front because I is what I bought. This page began when I was deciding what to buy, so you will find plenty of information below, as well as links to reviews. Do I think the 400 is the best of all microphones. No. I don't even like to think that way. It is a very good microphone and will serve me well. I could have made other choices and also gotten a great microphone. Some microphones are generalists and other are special and ideal for certain situations.

It has been said too that sound is all about personal preference. This is true of speakers also (and perhaps every sort of electrical to/from audio transducer). So what one person might consider "best" might be different from another persons choice. What we want to avoid is products that are actually bad. And we want to consider price. And we may want to think about size, weight, and convenience.

The Sennheiser MKE 400 is a condenser mic, amazingly enough, so it requires a pair of AAA batteries that they say will give 100 hours of service. Be sure to carry or have available an extra pair or two. The microphone comes with two cables, which puzzled me. For a mirrorless camera (like my Canon or Sony) you want the TRS cable. The TRRS cable is for use with a phone or other mobile device, and I will probably never use it. It is nice that Sennheiser provides both.

The microphone has a headphone jack with volume control on one side. I am not sure that I will ever use this -- I presume that if I do, my batteries won't last as long. The other side of the microphone has a power switch. A short push turns it on. If you press and hold until the green light goes out, your turn the mic off. Then you have a 200 Hz low cut switch that may be handy to deal with certain ambient noise, and you have a 3 position "level" switch. I am using the center "0" position, the others are marked + and - for +20 db and -20 db.

We will see how the switch settings work out. It is generally a good idea to boost the signal at the microphone and reduce the boost in the camera, but it depends on which circuits have the least noise. We sort of expect Canon to be focusing on the video aspects of things, and Sennheiser to be doing a first rate job on the audio, but assumptions can be entirely wrong.

Fifine K669

I put this one first because I have one, and because if I put it at the end, it will get lost. Just ignore this microphone and move to the next section.

This is a $24 microphone with a USB cable. It is a condensor mic powered by USB. The idea is that if you are doing budget podcasts with a cheap webcame (or Zoom calls) this takes your audio quality up a notch for very little money. I have one, or I would pay this no attention.

There are the K669B and K669D also. It looks like the K669B is the same microphone in some updated form. The K669D is something else entirely with an XLR connector.
I give them two black marks for this kind of confusion.

Amazingly you get a bracket and a little tripod for the price.`

Rode or Sennheiser?

I went with Sennheiser, but you can hardly go wrong either way. My decision was largely based on a great deal I found on the Sennheiser MKE 400. I like Sennheiser for other reasons. They include cables and a "wind sock" for one thing. Also I like the rugged build of their microphones with the "shock mount" inside of a perforated metal can rather than out in the open like the Rodes.

This video spends 31 minutes and covers the field. The title says that it is a review of the Rode VideoMic GO II, but it is actually more comprehensive. He looks at many other microphones in the general price range).

Here is a quick table of the Rode and Sennheiser offerings: 

Sennheiser MKE 200 $80
Sennheiser MKE 400 $200 -- I bought this one!
Sennheiser MKE 440 $380 -- stereo (2 mics in one)
Sennheiser MKE 600 $360 -- long shotgun

Rode VideoMicro II $80
Rode VideoMic GO II $100
Rode VideoMic      $150
Rode VideoMic NTG  $250
Rode VideoMic PRO+ $350

Rode

Rode makes a vast array of microphones. They are in Sydney, Australia and make their microphones there.

For starters there is the "VideoMicro" at prices from $48 to $80 depending where you buy it. At the low price you will also be needing a 1/8 trs cable and perhaps also the furry wind cover.

More interesting from Rode are these:

Sennheiser

Hannover, Germany now. Sennheiser is well known for headphones and has an excellent reputation.

The Sennheiser MKE 200 is about the same price as the VideMicro, you get a cable, and some people like it just as well or better.

I ended up buying a Sennheiser MKE 400. I found a refurb on Ebay for $90. Full price is $200. I like the design better than the Rode. The Rode puts the flexible isolation frame out in the open whereas Sennheiser puts it inside a metal cylinder. This makes the whole thing less fragile. I see lots of positive reviews of the MKE 400 and when I could get it at the same price as the MKE 200 or the Rode VideoMicro I jumped on it.

Cheap mics

Here we have inexpensive microphones made by off the wall no-name companies. Why mess with this when you can get one of the above.
Feedback? Questions? Drop me a line!

Tom's Digital Photography Info / tom@mmto.org