Outdoor microphone
 

Hi All, I've just joined the forum.
I would like to start by thanking everyone for their help in assisting in my decision on my new camcorder. I have been dithering for ages on what to buy and thanks to the info I've read here I have gone for the DVC30.
I am VERY amateur, previously owning 1 chip TRV80 but wanted something that I had more flexibility with, so I can improve (the only way is up!).
My interest is in landscapes, wildlife and pets and will need a good, but modestly priced mike for recording ambient sound - sea rivers etc. Having spent my pocket money on the camcorder, and committed to washing up for the rest of my life, I don't have much to spend.
Having gleaned so much already, its probably cheeky to ask more, but can anyone recommend something suitable and available in the UK?
Thanks
Regards
Trevor

Re: Outdoor microphone
 

<<<-- Originally posted by Trevor Hughes : Hi All, I've just joined the forum.
I would like to start by thanking everyone for their help in assisting in my decision on my new camcorder. I have been dithering for ages on what to buy and thanks to the info I've read here I have gone for the DVC30.
I am VERY amateur, previously owning 1 chip TRV80 but wanted something that I had more flexibility with, so I can improve (the only way is up!).
My interest is in landscapes, wildlife and pets and will need a good, but modestly priced mike for recording ambient sound - sea rivers etc. Having spent my pocket money on the camcorder, and committed to washing up for the rest of my life, I don't have much to spend.
Having gleaned so much already, its probably cheeky to ask more, but can anyone recommend something suitable and available in the UK?
Thanks

Regards
Trevor -->>>

Hi Trevor,

Apparently, the DVC30 only has a small TRS mini jack for an audio input. I'm assuming you want stereo.

The first mic I can think of would be the AT 822. It's not very expensive. It runs on batteries and is unbalanced so, with not much fuss, you can plug it directly into the camera.

Regards,

Ty Ford

Thanks Ty
I'll see if I can find it available over here

The AT822 is a good choice for low-cost stereo ambience and mini inputs, but for outdoor use you'll need better wind protection than the supplied foam screen. Because of the shape of the head, you'll have to look for something specifically made for the 822 and its brother the 825. There are small furry covers available for these mics, but this added cost is something to keep in mind.
AT also has a new stereo mic, the Pro24. Unfortunately its specs for signal to noise ratio and sensitivity look pretty bad. It probably wouldn't be a dramatic improvement over the camera's built-in mics, but then again I'm just judging it on specs alone.
It would be much less expensive than an 822 and easier to wind protect due to its traditional shape, but I'd only buy one of these from a vendor that takes hassle free returns or if you could test it out before buying.
If you don't absolutely need to do stereo, but want to be more focused on what the camera is shooting, then a low-cost but good sounding mono shotgun is the AT897. You can get an adapter cable to connect the XLR mono output to both channels of the stereo mini-mic input of the camera. It would also be helpful to have better wind protection with this mic too, but that is easily available too due to the traditional shotgun shape.

Thanks Jay.

Anyone else have any decent mic suggestions for outdoor stereo use. At $240 the 822 is a little out of my price range.

The Panasonic AG-MC15P appears to be very similar to the AT Pro24, but the limited specs published are only slightly better. Probably not enough to justify the extra money ($75 versus $120) but I don't know for sure.
The Sony ECM-MS957 looks to be better, it's $195.

thanks Jay