Video Newbie and external mic / sound etc.

Sootchucker

Sootchucker

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Hi all. Off on holiday in a few weeks and have decided to try and capture more video from the cameras than I usually do (I'm mainly stills). Last year (when we went to Italy), whilst I didn't shoot that much video, what I did I really liked, and a year on it's really good to look back on it and sort of adds more to the enjoyment looking at video that just stills, and evokes some different memories. The only problem with the video's from last year was horrendous wind noise using the cameras in built mics (Olympus OMD EM1 MK II). Inside it wasn't too bad, but outside, even when it didn't seem that windy, the mics picked up quite bad buffeting. Obviously I appreciate this is a limitation of the built in mics, but was wondering for a bit of a video newbie and just for holiday video (not blogging or anything serious), what are my alternatives this year on a budget. Don't want to spend a fortune or have a massive mic stuck in the hot shoe but could do with something just a little better (maybe a smaller discreet mic) ?

Is there such a thing as a dead-cat or similar that can attach to the inbuilt mics or do I have to go separate mic, as the sound is loud enough, just buffeted by the wind ? My cameras to choose form this year will be either the EM1 MK II (again) or my Panasonic G9 (not sure which to take yet) and complimented by my little Panasonic LX100, for the evening etc (shoot great 4k video). I've seen shotgun mics on Amazon from Rode for about £50, but I believe they are mono, and am not sure if for general holiday video if I should be looking at a mono or stereo mic ? I'm new to all this.

Any advice appreciated.
 
Assuming it doesn't have a mic input (annoyingly common) you can get mini-muffs which stick over the little mic holes.
These work reasonably well but are a bit of a pain putting in a case etc, and tend to not stay on for long.

An external mic with more serious dead cat muff does work surprisingly well. If the camera can't take that, a zoom H1 or similar is good but really best not to go this way if you are not that keen.
It's an extra layer of faff about both recording and editing which will inhibit your spontaneity..

My RX100 is the same and as good a trick as anything is to cut a roughly inch deep length of washing up sponge or similar, and when wind is an issue hold it over the mic holes (which are on the top with mine).
It squashes in the bottom of the case for extra padding so you actually have it there ready to use.
I would try this before buying anything.
Obviously you need to keep it still as possible while recording
 
Interesting thanks guys.

4wd - certainly both my OMD EM1 MK II and Panasonic G9 have mic inputs but the LX100 sadly not.
 
this is what i use
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This is a sennheiser MKE400 with a Guttman deadcat. i got this deadcat as it has the longest hairs to cut out wind noise. Had to get spacers as well to clear it from lens. it doesn't and none do cut out all wind noise completely but cuts it down considerable.

test before and with deadcat from 0.35 in video

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mvEkZ_S3V7o

sound reproduction check

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j9opbtzAaJA
 
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Wind noise completely scraps video clips. I bought a RodeMicro to do similar work, and it is pretty effective as regards wind noise, infinitely better than the built-in mics. The model is well written-up, but the reproduction is inclined to be slightly lean, something that I'm told can be corrected in pp, though I haven't found a piece of (necessarily free software) that does so easily. The microphone comes with a dead cat muff, and costs £40-£45. It is small enough to leave on the camera if you are doing both still and video. I would think that it is an essential minimum.
 
wind noise is the bugbear of any video outside work.


To get reasonable sound quality you need a fairly decent microphone just as much as having good speakers. This comes at a price. The Seinnheiser I use has come down a lot in price from what I paid and is now around the £150 mark and the Guttman deadcat about £25. I did do a bit of research on size primarily and sound reproduction for a directional microphone against a surround sound type. Rode Microphones are better well known but are they on par with other makes as regards size and price? that is what one has to consider.


I usually give this video as an example ,even though a bit of Mike hair just shows, hence the extn pieces. Also that was to get the mike further away from the clicks of auto focus on a DSLR. I also purchase a microphone extn lead or about 14 ft which comes in handy for getting distance away from camera.

Taken with my camcorder as we are discussing sound not vision and how far a microphone picks up sound

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQI23VmWeCc
 
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Slyelessar said:
Currently love my EM1 Mkii for video. I use lav mic setup.
Click to expand...

They are great if you want to record yourself well away from a camera, albeit expensive( around £500 for something half decent) and range has to be taken into consideration. However if you want to record from the camera to something in the near/far distance (as in the example above) then you need a directional microphone.
 
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realspeed said:
They are great if you want to record yourself well away from a camera, albeit expensive( around £500 for something half decent) and range has to be taken into consideration. However if you want to record from the camera to something in the near/far distance (as in the example above) then you need a directional microphone.
Click to expand...

Indeed. I use my professional microphones when recording at home (audio engineering background), decided to get rid of my rode camera mics and switched to Lav mic setup when out and about when recording video for better audio. Easy enough.

The rode camera mics are fine for what they were created for.
 
My experience with sound is trying not to hear "er indoors" moaning all the time;). Joking of course.

Little story about when I worked for BT and sound. I went to a house and previous engineers had installed to outside bells indoors, as used in a yard, and the lady could not hear them. Trim phone had just come out and I set one up for her and she could hear it perfectly. Then I really started to notice/realise the difference between volume and pitch
 
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