What should I use for an external microphone?

I just want to do quirky sit-down interviews, street interviews, and solo artists playing guitar, etc.

Should I use a plug-in dynamic mic with a long cable?

Wireless mic and receiver?

Field mic and try to snyc later?

Mini shotgun mic?


My budget is about two Benjamin's.

And shouldn't there be a sticky about mics here?


Forgot to add: T2i and assorted lenses.

Well that's kind of an open ended question with lots of answers depending on what it is you want to record and how much work you want to do to get decent sound.

First off, what camera are you going to be using to record stuff with? If it's a 7D then I would say get a small, hand held recorder like the Zoom H1. They commonly sell for $99 and come with a pair of decent, built in mics that will probably do a lot of your recording. But if you were to add an external mic to the H1 then you could do a few more things with the recorder.

If you are using a 5D2 or a 60D then you have a few more options with sound recording straight to the camera. These cameras allow you to override the AGC and actually record some fairly decent audio straight to the camera and then you don't have a lot of post syncing to do. But if you like then you can still do sync sound with a H1 if that's what you want to do.

The small, affordable, short shotgun mics that were made for these cameras usually cost in the range of around $150 or so and are (again) fairly decent. Not the end all, be all of sound gathering, but you said you only have $200 to spend on sound gear. Unfortunately 200 bones doesn't get you a whole lot with sound gear. Personally I like much more expensive mics. I have an affinity for German and Austrian mics that cost in the $1500 and above range, but then again, that's what I do for a living...

It just kind of depends on your camera, how much work you want to do in post and what it is you want to do most. You really can't go wrong with the H1 though.

Personally I have never heard anything that I sounded good when the audio was fed through any means directly into the camera. I just dont like how any of the cameras process or handle the audio. That being said, if it were me, Id get a small portable digital recorder like the Zoom H1 or something around $100 as ChasWG suggested and then spend the remaining $100 on as nice a lav mic as thatll buy you.

What about the other zooms, like the h2 and such?

Note: Canon T2i

I just got a TASCAM DR-07MKII Digital Recorder, and I love this little beauty. There's a holiday rebate ($20) going on for this unit until end of this month. That puts the unit just below $100. Add $40 for the windscreen and $16.95 for ball head hot shoe adapter, and you're still under the budget.

Question in addition to OP:

Since the 5D2 can override the AGC now, will I need to buy a separate box to use something like the Zoom H1? Like a preamp? Or can I just plug and play something the like the Zoom H1 or Tascam DR-07?

MikeFairbanks wrote in post #13547001
What about the other zooms, like the h2 and such?

Note: Canon T2i

My boy's violin teacher has the H2. She likes the audio quality, but she has three problems with it: 1) parts break easily; 2) LCD screen is small and hard to read; and 3) there's no auto shut off, so batteries drain unless you're very attentive. If you go to Amazon.com and read the user reviews, these three are most mentioned issues with the H2. That's why I went with the TASCAM which has no such issues.

For 200 of your American pounds it has to be a Zoom H1, the accessory kit, a dead cat and a lav off eBay. If you can stretch to it there is also a nice hot shoe suspension mount available.

The Zoom is a bit plasticky and not as nicely made as the Tascam DR05 (which I bought) but has a better polar pattern on the mics. It also has a great many more accessory options.

I'm not sure if the Zoom has mic power though, which the Tascam has, and is certainly needed for some lav mics.

What the heck is a dead cat?

MikeFairbanks wrote in post #13548533
What the heck is a dead cat?

Windscreen.

A soft, fuzzy ball of sonicly transperent fur that knocks down the low end rumble that wind can cause on open mics. It also protects the mics a bit if you were to accidentally drop the unit.
I name mine "Fluffy" and pet often...

Maybe I've said too much...

I call mine, Dr. Zhivago...

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Ah. I see. You have no idea how close I was to "befriending" the neighbor's cat.

MikeFairbanks wrote in post #13549529
Ah. I see. You have no idea how close I was to "befriending" the neighbor's cat.

lol clever!