Mic for 5D MKii suggestions
 

Hey Guys

What kind of ext. mics are people using with the 5D just don't know what to get so confusing.

Any suggestions would be grateful.

Rob.

The external microphones that I'm currently using are:
- Ambient: Ambient Tiny Mike ATM216
- Sennheiser 3G lavs: http://www.uniquesquared.com/eBayImg...2pg3_thumb.jpg
- Sony D50 (both direct & dual-sys): http://www.clipspringer.com/wp-conte.../recorder1.jpg

-- peer

The Rode Videomic is very popular with the 5D and we've had very good results from it. Mono but very good quality sound otherwise. Not a very robust unit though, the mount is pretty fragile.

Senheisser MKE400
 

I use this one:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/534023-REG/Sennheiser_MKE_400_MKE_400_Compact_Video.html
Its maybe equivalent to your Tiny Mike. Great zoom 'shotgun' capability. Good sound, not stereo. Small unobtrusive, and fits on the camera well. I have a dead cat on it permanently and use the wind deadening setting outside - although do pick up a little wind noise and wish I could get a proper Zepplin for it.

I heard a test on Vimeo between the Rode Stereo and this one. I felt the Rode Stereo sound was better, although not that much better to make me want to put a larger mic on such a small form factor camera. Keeping it unobstrusive and easy to carry about is essential to me as I film my kids a lot and they complain about Dad having the biggest camera of all the parents. I also hill climb and of course kit weight is an issue.

I would like a wireless lapel set up too and will look at your suggestion.

With regards

Jeff

thanks guys for your input

Jeff that is exactly what i am looking for

cheers

Rob

A couple of questions for the 5D & TIny Mic users: Does the 5D’s plug in power supply enough juice to power the mic or would I need Tiny Mix too? I know you can get a cable for mini jack or XLR but what kind of connection does the mic itself use? Thanks!

Yes, the 5D has enough phantom juice to power this mic. But I still got their passive Tiny Mixer so I can run a stereo/lav setup. By the way, the products from Ambient isn't just tiny, but also top notch quality.

-- peer

The 5Dii has phantom power? That doesn't sound right. The MKE400 is battery powered. I think mics for the 5D need to be battery powered or non-powered but not phantom powered.

Yes it does. Before getting my phantom powered shotgun mic, I asked Sebastian Fell at Ambient if their TinyMike will work with the 5DMKII, and this was his reply: "I talked to Canon a few weeks ago and they said that this Camera does provide 3 Volts power on the Mic jack."

Here's the microphone in question: http://www.cameraman.es/fotos/17/tiny.jpg

-- peer

The 3 volts power is not to be confused with real phantom power which is 48v. Some consumer camcorders do put out a small current that is enough for some mics. However, it does not mean that you can power a professional mic that needs real phantom power.

Well, it's "real" enough to power a professional shotgun like the one I use on my 5DMKII (a camera not to be confused with a real video camera, you may add ;^)

-- peer

One question for you guys... when you connect an external mic, do you leave the audio gain to auto or you put it on manual? Will the signal be too hot coming from the mic if AGC is on?

Thanks,
Eric

Manual
 

I use manual and adjust according to the new meters in the 2.04 firmware.

With regards

Jeff

Zoom H4n

I feed the line out on the H4n to the mic input on the 5D. On the H4n set the Internal mic rec level at 85 and volume set at 60. Then set the manual rec level on the 5D to one click above 0. Matched the levels by eye but the above settings seemed to be the sweet spot.

I've been shooting in a school all last week and ran the H4n mounted on the hotshot, and a boom mounted Rode NTG-2 also through the H4n.

Dual recording as back up. It worked very well and never needed to use the sound recorded on the H4n cards.

I use either the Rode VideoMic or the Rode Stereo Video Mic depending on what I'm doing. The SVM is good for ambient collection and the VM for interviews and so on.

I usually use the H4n though for the 'proper' finished audio with Sennheiser lavs or shotguns. But for quick and dirty, either of the Rodes work fine.