Which Microphone.

[Chris Waring]

Hi.
Which external microphone are you all using for railway video? Which Microphone would you consider the best?
Thanks.
Chris.

 

[ac6000cw]

Are you looking for a stereo or mono microphone, and what sort of budget have you got?
Would you prefer something powered by the camera ('plug-in power') or are you OK with mics powered by internal batteries?

 

[Chris Waring]

Hi.
I have a budget of £200 to £250. I am not sure if mono or stereo would be better. I would prefer rechargeable and usb2 but definitely self powered as I will sometimes use it with my phone or action camera.

 

[TheSmiths82]

We use the Rode wireless mics at work, they are brilliant and the battery will easily last a 6-7 hour day in the studio. We use both the GO and the GO IIs. Both work really well, you can plug them straight into the camera by using a 3.5mm cable. The GO II also as the ability to record sound too which is useful as a backup. We use them for both TV cameras and Canon DSLRs when students are filming on location. They are made in Australia too although I am not sure if that is a benefit it is just something different.

 

[ac6000cw]

I don't own one (but thought about buying one a few times!), but it sounds like the (mono shotgun) Rode VideoMic NTG would suit you quite well - https://rode.com/en/microphones/on-camera/videomic-ntg . It's got both analogue 3.5mm jack - with auto-sensing of the plug-in power from the camera to turn itself on/off - and digital USB-C connections, plus an internal rechargeable battery. Current street price is around £200. Rode have a very good reputation for sound quality. It comes with a foam windshield, but for outdoor use I'd invest in a decent furry windshield (a 'dead cat') for it as well e.g. https://rode.com/en/accessories/windshields/ws11 - you'll need one at some point...

A review of it - https://www.newsshooter.com/2019/11/20/rode-videomic-ntg-the-swiss-army-knife-of-microphones/

Next level down from that (and also a bit smaller and lighter) is the VideoMic GO II - https://rode.com/en/microphones/on-camera/videomic-go-ii . Has analogue 3.5mm jack and USB-C, but it can only use plug-in power from the camera or be powered by USB-C (no internal battery), so it's a bit less flexible.

(I mostly use older stereo mics for my own use, like the Tascam TM-2x and Boya PVM50, but they are mostly obsolete models and not available to buy new. If you don't mind the size, the Rode Stereo VideoMic Pro has a very good reputation, is internally battery powered, but is analogue 3.5mm jack only).

 

[TheSmiths82]

I don't own one (but thought about buying one a few times!), but it sounds like the (mono shotgun) Rode VideoMic NTG would suit you quite well - https://rode.com/en/microphones/on-camera/videomic-ntg . It's got both analogue 3.5mm jack - with auto-sensing of the plug-in power from the camera to turn itself on/off - and digital USB-C connections, plus an internal rechargeable battery. Current street price is around £200. Rode have a very good reputation for sound quality. It comes with a foam windshield, but for outdoor use I'd invest in a decent furry windshield (a 'dead cat') for it as well e.g. https://rode.com/en/accessories/windshields/ws11 - you'll need one at some point...

A review of it - https://www.newsshooter.com/2019/11/20/rode-videomic-ntg-the-swiss-army-knife-of-microphones/

We have lots of Rode videomics too and boom poles, they work very well but it depends a lot on how much background noise you want, the clip on wireless mics are great because they cut out most of the background noise, where as the Videomics are a much better all round mic. In reality both would be great, if I am recording indoors by myself though I tend to use the Videomic.

 

[ac6000cw]

We have lots of Rode videomics too and boom poles, they work very well but it depends a lot on how much background noise you want, the clip on wireless mics are great because they cut out most of the background noise, where as the Videomics are a much better all round mic. In reality both would be great, if I am recording indoors by myself though I tend to use the Videomic.

I own a set of Synco-brand digital wireless clip-on mics (basically the same idea as the Rode Wireless GO sets) for miking up people in meetings, which work very well in that situation, but I'd probably not use them as on-camera mics outdoors for recording train sounds.

 

[Chris Waring]

Looks like I'll be going with the Rode Videomic NTG. Thanks for your comments.

 

[eoff]

For video I have a separate microphone with a Rycote mount and windshield. I can also mount the microphone on pole but I'm using a standard microphone powered from its XLR connection. I would look into a windshield of some sort if you choose a microphone that does not include or have one as an option.

 

[Chris Waring]

Thanks eoff. Wind shield (dead cat) will be a must i think.