Chad Huff
Well-known member
I'd like to start shooting some video this fall during elk rut. I have no idea what to look for in a mic and would love to learn. What is a good setup to start with? I'll use it on a Z7ii.
Whats a good on camera mic to start with for wildlife videography?
- Thread starter Chad Huff
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Replytoken
Well-known member
You will most likely be looking at a shotgun mic. Rode, Joby, Deity, Sennheiser and Saramonic are common brands that are purchased. A lot will depend on budget and setup. A visit to YouTube University might help narrow down the choices a bit as there are a lot of mic comparison vidoes.
Good luck,
--Ken
Good luck,
--Ken
I've been very pleased with my Movo VXR10 PRO. It's a camera shoe mount shotgun mic with super cardioid sound pickup pattern to reduce sound pickup from rear of microphone. Uses power from camera's mic jack so no battery needed. Comes with shock-mount, removable wind muff, and cable.
Chad Huff
Well-known member
I appreciate the helpful advice. Looks like a great cost effective option. I was looking at the Rode VideoMIcro, but its more money.
JustinGriggs
Well-known member
I have the Rode VideoMicro that I've used for elk rut, and even in not very windy situations with the dead cat on I was not getting decent results. The unfortunate reality of wildlife video/audio is that on camera solutions don't seem to work that well. I'm currently rigging up my bird call set up (Zoom H4 recorder and Sennheiser MKE 600 shotgun mic) to mount to an accessory mount on my fluid head for better sound, but that's definitely a more complicated and pricy solution
I also have the Rode VideoMicro. The advantage of adding an external shotgun microphone is that it will help eliminate the sounds behind the camera. I would really like to do a better job of recording more nature sounds but so far I have not been that successful. I am going to try to up my microphone setup before summer.
Calson
Well-known member
The cheap mics are meant for vloggers and news interviews in quiet environments. Suggest stepping up to at least something like the Sennheisser MKE 400 or the Audio-Technica AT8024 microphone and adding a "dead cat" to avoid wind noise in your recordings.
The better the mic the more sensitive and the easier to minimize unwanted noise, like aircraft and motor vehicles and loud people. More versatile for recording smaller critters like squirrels and song birds and hawks and waterfowl.
The better the mic the more sensitive and the easier to minimize unwanted noise, like aircraft and motor vehicles and loud people. More versatile for recording smaller critters like squirrels and song birds and hawks and waterfowl.
Rode video mic pro
Calson
Well-known member
I have been using an Audio Technica AT8024 but recommend at this time getting the Azden SMX-30 stereo/mono kit that sells for $290 with the windscreen and furry wind muff. Great to have the option of mono or stereo with this mic. The Azden is powered by two internal AA batteries.
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Chad Huff
Well-known member
I'll probably eventually go that direction too. Sou nd is a whole new ballgame to me, though I have to use fixed systems for work all the time so its not totally foreign. Finding the right, reasonably portable, setup is going to take some experimentation I'm sure. I really appreciate all the specific feedback I can get, it helps "filter out the noise" lol... So thanks for sharing your experience!
Chad Huff
Well-known member
I looked at that one... seems like a decent portable setup. How does it do with distant subjects (eg, bugling bulls)? Most of the reviews online are for vloggers using that mic for interviews (which seems like its sweet spot, but I'm sure it works for other applications as well.
Works very nice and picks up good at a distance. I’ve had one a couple years and haven’t had any issues.
Calson
Well-known member
If you are going to have the camera on a tripod when shooting video then there is no reason to limit yourself to the hot shoe mounted mics. Something like the Sennheisser MKE 600 shotgun mic selling for $330 will provide much better sound and audio issolation for recording wildlife. The MKE 600 mic can be powered by an internal AA battery or with phantom power over XLR cables with a sound recorder or with a XLR to 3.5mm TRS to feed to a camera's mic port. Lots of ways to mount a mic to a tripod leg for use while filming.