Mic options for wildlife video?

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NWGuy

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Just starting to dip my toes into the waters of video. Using a Z8. In the videos I've done so far in the back yard, the sound that I get seems to be mostly my own breathing. I really didn't recognize my breathing was so loud, ugh! I presume a shotgun mic would target sound to what I am aiming at. I've seen some big elaborate mic setups on this forum, but looking for something easy to use, light, and doesn't get in the way when doing stills (which is mostly what I currently do). Any suggestions as to options or places to research?
 
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Hi, NWGuy!
I am by no means highly knowledgeable on video sound. I had the same problem as you. I wanted something better than the camera(Canon R5), but did not want to invest a lot. I settled on a very inexpensive(around $50) mic called Deity V-Mic D4 Mini. It is one of the few that works off the camera power, so no batteries to mess with. It comes with a dead cat to "help" with wind noise. You just plug it into the camera body. I noticed an improvement as soon as I started using it, but I can still pick up my breathing if I have walked a ways and set up in a hurry because something is happening. Hopefully some others will chime in with progressively higher priced options for you to look at and see what works for you. I have a lot of civilization sound where I shoot, so I have to try to minimize that. I don't leave it on my camera for stills unless I'm doing both, but that is often.
Good Luck,
Dave
 
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Dave63401 said:
Hi, NWGuy!
I am by no means highly knowledgeable on video sound. I had the same problem as you. I wanted something better than the camera(Canon R5), but did not want to invest a lot. I settled on a very inexpensive(around $50) mic called Deity V-Mic D4 Mini. It is one of the few that works off the camera power, so no batteries to mess with. It comes with a dead cat to "help" with wind noise. You just plug it into the camera body. I noticed an improvement as soon as I started using it, but I can still pick up my breathing if I have walked a ways and set up in a hurry because something is happening. Hopefully some others will chime in with progressively higher priced options for you to look at and see what works for you. I have a lot of civilization sound where I shoot, so I have to try to minimize that. I don't leave it on my camera for stills unless I'm doing both, but that is often.
Good Luck,
Dave
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The Z8 (as opposed to the R5) has a cold shoe, I don't think it'll power a mic without a cable into the body.
 
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A shotgun mic usually has a cardiod pick up pattern and so it will pick up noise from the sides and the rear of the mic, less than from the front but not none. If one is going to mount the camera on a tripod to shoot video then there are ways to clamp a mic on the tripod to minimize its picking up camera or shooter noise. There are also cut-off filters on most mics which reduce the bottom end of what is recorded and can minimize noise from traffic.
 
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NWGuy said:
...looking for something easy to use, light, and doesn't get in the way when doing stills (which is mostly what I currently do). Any suggestions as to options or places to research?
Click to expand...

To attenuate sound pickup from the rear a microphone needs a directional cardioid/supercardioid pattern. I have a Movo VXR10 Pro. Shoe mount and gets power from the camera mic jack. Comes with a dead-cat muff for recording in the wind, etc. Works well for my needs.

www.movophoto.com

VXR10-PRO | Supercardioid Professional Shotgun Video Microphone | Movo

Level up your audio & video recording with Movo’s VXR10-Pro, a supercardioid shotgun microphone compatible with both cameras & smartphones to get a crisp sound.
www.movophoto.com www.movophoto.com

I first tried a RODE VideoMicro but it developed an internal connection issue with it's input so I ditched it for the Movo.
 
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Nimi said:
The Z8 (as opposed to the R5) has a cold shoe, I don't think it'll power a mic without a cable into the body.
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Correct -- the Z8/Z9's hot shoe cannot provide power to a mic...you can only do that through a TRS cord connected to the mic jack, and even then the camera only provides a few (5-6?) volts of phantom power, not enough for an XLR mic.
 
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Garfield said:
Correct -- the Z8/Z9's hot shoe cannot provide power to a mic...you can only do that through a TRS cord connected to the mic jack, and even then the camera only provides a few (5-6?) volts of phantom power, not enough for an XLR mic.
Click to expand...

@Garfield entered the room. 🤠

Probably the most experienced here at capturing wildlife sounds on our Nikons.
 
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Nimi said:
@Garfield entered the room. 🤠

Probably the most experienced here at capturing wildlife sounds on our Nikons.
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Thanks Nimi, appreciate the thought but not in this reality! LOL

@NWGuy There are plenty of compact shotgun mics to choose from. I use a Rhode NTG videomic that works well in a pinch, but there are newer and less/more expensive options available these days. My advice is to buy a mic with its own on-board power so you're not dependent on the limited mic power the Z8 provides. And remember, shotgun mics don't "focus" or magnify sound, cardoids simply de-emphasize off-axis sounds to a small degree...with emphasis on "small", especially with an inexpensive compact model.

The pre-amps on the Z8 & Z9 are poor quality and awfully noisy so it's best to rely on the external mic preamp by turning its gain up to near max and turning the recording volume on the Z8 way down to less than 5 -- you'll get less noise that way. And don't put too much reliance on a dead-cat for cutting the wind...they're better than nothing, but not by much.

Any external mic is better than relying on the on-board mic on most cameras, but the reality is that getting good outdoor recordings requires good conditions to begin with.

Good luck!
 
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I use Rhode NTG and Sennheiser MKE600 and am happy with both but they have both been around for a few years now. The Rhode has a built in Lithium rechargeable battery while the Sennheiser uses a single AA battery. The Rhode connects with a 3.5mm cable to your Z8 whilst the Sennheiser is a XLR mic but comes with an XLR to 3.5mm adapter. The Sennheiser is a little more directional and depending where you live may cost a little more. Both come with foam mufflers but neither come with a dead cat which you will need to buy, although as @Garfield points out, dead cats are not a panacea. Both come with vibration mounts but the Rhode's is better and it has better cable management to keep things neat and secure when shooting fast paced and moving between stills and video. Being an XLR mic, the Sennheiser is easier to use with an external recorder if you want to go down that route in the future (I use a Tascam DR70 and have just added a Zoom F3). Both these mics are a worthwhile improvement over the inbuilt mics. The Rhode is a little more compact and with it's better cable management is a little less obtrusive and easier to handle hand held in fast moving situations in the field. Recording quality sound contemporaneous with shooting video adds mess and complexity and a compact convenient hardware solution doesn't exist right now as far as I know. But for most creative videos, IMO the sound is more important than the footage so the journey begins! All the best.
 
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In order to keep it simple, for the last 2 years I've used the Rode VideoMicro mounted on the left side of a T-bar bracket which is mounted on the hot shoe. The T- bar bracket gets the mic away from over-top the lens and reduces the lens noise recording. Also, the mic doesn't need a battery as it's powered by the camera so there's one less thing to worry about in the field. If you're using Davinci Resolve learn how to use the great audio tools, especially "Noise Reduction" and "Vocal Channel" but also others, they can greatly improve the sound quality coming from even the cheapest mic.
Good luck,
Rudy
 
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FWI I just picked up a Seinnheiser MKE 400 as a compact walk-around mic. It's smaller than my Rode Videomic NTG and since the mic is encapsulated inside the casing (sort of a mini-blimp) it should be a little better isolated from the wind. It's powered by two AAA batteries that purportedly last 100 hours, so running out of battery power is no longer a concern. It doesn't have all the settings and features of the Rode and I'm not sure it's as sensitive, but I really like the smaller form factor and that it doesn't catch on things as easily and doesn't bounce around in the isolation cradle when stomping through the woods.

FWIW.
 
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forget Rode microphone they don't have detachable audio cables, damage that and you microphone is useless. the battery used is not a good idea either. No go for anAzden SMX-30V instead a far better opion. it uses AA batteries or camera power and a detachable audio cable. Also via a dial can be stereo or directional so no need for two microphones
BxrP6jSm.jpg


excellent sound reproduction no unwanted noise from camera or camcorder (uk price about £250)
 
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Alistair

does yours have a dedicated dial to go from stereo to directional like this that can b e used as a directioal or stereo and turn 30 degrees left or right without removing from the cold shoe
Only I can't fine the rode equivalent version
I would love to see your then and which model you have. All I can find by Rode is omnidirectional microphone which are not the same not switchable like the one below

P1060507.jpg
You can only see EXIF info for this image if you are logged in.
 
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realspeed said:
Alistair

does yours have a dedicated dial to go from stereo to directional like this that can b e used as a directioal or stereo and turn 30 degrees left or right without removing from the cold shoe
Only I can't fine the rode equivalent version
I would love to see your then and which model you have. All I can find by Rode is omnidirectional microphone which are not the same not switchable like the one below

View attachment 93405
Click to expand...
We were talking about detachable audio cables.
 
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realspeed said:
can you then please point me to a Rode microphone that does directional and stereo sound via a dial with a detachable audio cable. Even the Rode VideoMic Pro R Microphone has a fixed audio cable and not even does directional and stereo sound
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I have no idea and I have no interest in such a device. I am only interested in correcting your incorrect advice that Rhode mics do not have detachable audio cables. And I am beyond delighted that you are happy with your device.
 
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Having made hundreds of videos for myself for over 14 years. also I guess a large number on YouTube for others to like or hate l think I by now know a decent microphone. Not many if any are able to offer what this Azden has. Oh I have others as well to use as comparisons.
 
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Has anyone tried Rode NTG3 or Sennheiser MKH416 for recording bird songs with any camera. I am thinking of getting one of these and use it with XVive U3C wireless audio connector.
 
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realspeed said:
Alistair

does yours have a dedicated dial to go from stereo to directional like this that can b e used as a directioal or stereo and turn 30 degrees left or right without removing from the cold shoe
Only I can't fine the rode equivalent version
I would love to see your then and which model you have. All I can find by Rode is omnidirectional microphone which are not the same not switchable like the one below

View attachment 93405
Click to expand...
These forums are about helping each other, not bashing other users' gear as way to elevate our own
 
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