Canon shotgun mic on GL-2
 

I just got my GL-2 yesterday, and have been playing with it.

I have the canon brand shotgun Mic.

There is a switch on it, looks like shotgun and 2 other modes.

What do the other switch positions do?

When should I use them?

The mic is Canon's DM-50. One switch position is mono shotgun and the other two are directional stereo patterns--one narrow and one wide.

I don't have the book for the mic.

Can you tell me which position does what?

They are not marked on the mic.

Maybe I spoke too soon. Are you sure that's a Canon mic? The only one they make is the DM-50, but mine is clearly labeled with "Shotgun" and "Stereo" 1 and 2.

Shotgun is the position the furthest toward the front of the mic. Middle is narrow stereo and back is wide stereo.

That is what I have.

What position would you recommend for normal indoor family type movies?

I would assume the wide setting?

The built-in mic on the GL2 can be pretty good for family situations. It will pick up everything in the room fairly evenly. The DM-50 is for concentrating more on sounds in front of the camera. I'd suggest you try both the on-board mic and the DM-50 in some of those situations and see what you like.

But yes, if I were going to use the DM-50 indoors I'd probably set it to wide stereo.

I was told that when you have a mic linked on the Hot Shoe that the internal mic no longer works. SO, How can yo uuse both the DM-50 and the built in mic??

One more thing. The DM-50 set to stereo 2 will pick up more sound then the built in mic, and without the hum from the camera. It has pickups on the back of the mic and works much better then the built in mic for all around sound, I think.

LeEarl

"I was told that when you have a mic linked on the Hot Shoe that the internal mic no longer works. SO, How can yo uuse both the DM-50 and the built in mic??"

When trying the internal mic, remove the DM50.

When somebody talking just in front of the camcorder, switch to mono. Also: the scene should be static. Moving the camcorder arround while the mic is in mono will sound bad.
When at a party, with music - go wide with the sound.

When you have the DM-50 shotgun mic on the hotshoe, the built-in mic is disabled. To activate it again, simply remove the DM-50. Same thing goes for the MA-300 XLR adapter. When it's on the hotshoe, the built-in mic on the GL2 is disabled. To activate it, just remove the MA-300. Hope this helps,

Is this add-on mic really worthwhile? How much quality does it add to the base package?