I'm considering picking up a GL2, it seems to be the perfect camera for my intentions. However, I'm a little worried about audio. It's hard to find out the quality of the on-board mic for it, and although I see from many reviews it is omni-directional I would like to still know how well it captures sound.

Anyone have any problems with theirs? For instance, is the sound tinny or anything, or fairly realistic? I know I could always pick up a shotgun mic and do the sound externally like that, but I'd like to use the on-board mic if possible.

Thanks for any answers!

Just about every resource for professional videography and sound says don't rely on only the on-board mic, regardless of the camera...

It is what it is, an inexpensive on-camera mic. It won't sound nearly as detailed as a properly aimed shotgun mic or a nice lavalier mic, but the mic on the GL2 is nice and loud with plenty of highs.

Kyle,

If you are just having fun then the on board is not all that bad.

If you want clean audio of a higher caliber then you need to get another mic.
Grazie recomended a rode mic to me almost two years ago and for 179.00 dollars it is surprisingly good and has a mount that wont pick up motor noise and such.

I used it on my gl2 as second camera at a wedding shoot and it was better than the on board mic of my xl2, of course I had a wireless at the same time, but it was revealing to say the least!

Kyle,

The onboard mic is good at capturing ambient sound. It is stereo and does produce a good stereo field.

But it is not good for dialog. It is not truly directional. It will pick up your hands on the camera and the motor noise of the lens as well as the sound of your son's first words.

As always, it depends on what audio you are trying to record as to how well you can consider it does.

I do not use mine for anything other than non-critical ambient sound. For everything else, I use a shotgun on a boom, or a wireless hand-held, or tied into a house mixer... it depends on what kind of audio I'm trying to capture.

Alright, thanks for all the info!

What I've gathered is that the on-board mic isn't what I should be using for recording conversations. It does have an adapter for an external mic though, right? I suppose a good shotgun mic would be an investment then.

The XM2/ GL2 mic is certainly a lot better than most other on-board mics, but you should be thinking about a separate mic perhaps.
I can recommend the Audio-Technica AT 897 that certainly won't break the bank, but sounds like a mic that costs a whole lot more...

Well, hullo' Robo!

Good to see you about Robin.

Grazie

The on board mic is OK but far from great. I get better audio from my old panny PVDV-600. I bought the Canon shotgun mic for my GL2 and I'm not happy with it. If you get an external mic don't get the canon DM50.

The GL series built-in mic is a stereo mic, essentially a cardoid pattern, so pick-up of sound from the rear is substantially reduced, but there still is pickup, especially sounds close originating close to the mic. As built-in mics go, it is a good mic and works well for ambient sound. As noted by others, for best sound you need to have a quality mic close to the source, especially if it is dialog.

I bought the Canon shotgun mic for my GL2 and I'm not happy with it. If you get an external mic don't get the canon DM50.

Ok, will do :)


As noted by others, for best sound you need to have a quality mic close to the source, especially if it is dialog..


If you get a second mic, the wire to it plugs directly into the Canon GL2, right? I know it has a slot or two for external devices, I suppose a mic could be one of them?

It is a 1/8" "mini-plug" input so keep that in mind when you look for a mic. A good audio solution for the GL2 is to get a Beachtek adapter that allows you to use balanced XLR inputs.

surprisingly good for a on-board mic. Has two controls for left and right sound volume. Then again, its an on-board mic...

I just shot a show last weekend in an auditorium.....I was way back in a balcony. It was a large bellydance review and fortunately they had a very good sound system. I forgot my Audiotechnica 822 so had to get by with the onboard mic....(I could have patched into the soundboard but I wanted to capture a lot of the audience sounds like clapping and cheering etc. and also wanted to preserve the stereo image)
The results are surprisingly good!, at least good enough for the majority of tv viewers who usually aren't concerned enough about sound.....I'm also a musician and consider myself somewhat of an audiophile so I'm always making a big deal of the sound in my videos.....
I think video, generally lends itself to much more forgiveness from the viewer because they're so absorbed in the visual aspect of things....OTOH, it never hurts to have great sound....
Len