XLR vs Mini Jack?
 

Is there a diffence in sound quality between a mini jack and a xlr plug on a shotgun mic? I am looking for a shotgun for my HV30 and I am not sure which would be a better choice. I am also going to use a lav mic so I am planning on getting a Beachtek DXA-2S.

Thanks,
Gabe

Hi Gabe.

Yes, there is a difference, especially if you use a preamp/mixer like the JuicedLink. The Canon amplifier is noisy - there'll be hiss on the line you just won't be able to get rid of, and depending on how much you count on your audio, you'll likely come to the conclusion it sounds like hell.

With a preamp, you can turn the Canon amp way down, minimizing the hiss.

The benefit to XLR over miniplug is huge, and will be most powerful when you decide to take the shotgun off the top of the camera and mount it near your subject. You'll want a balanced XLR cable, which will produce less noise, instead of a miniplug cable.

Dana has it right. A balanced line via XLR is a necessity if you're doing any long cable runs or are in an electronically "noisy" environment.

I've never used my HV30 to capture audio. That's always done on the XH A1 so I cannot speak to the Canon amplifier issues.