boom mike
 

Hey all. I SERIOUSLY need a boom mike! I'm shooting with an
XL-1. It doesn't need to be wireless, but that would a HUGE plus! Nothing incredibly fancy or expensive, just a decent mike on a 6 to 8 foot pole that can be hand held by a grip. Thanks for your input.

Eric:
Are u shooting docs or drama? I do a bit of both - well, actually, more docs, and less fiction - and the best all round boom mic IMHO is the Sennheiser MKH 416 P48. Mid length intereference tube, great pick up, excellent sound quality recording on any format [XL1 Mini DV or Beta SP or DigiBeta, take your pick :-) ] - and it's not too expensive.
Get urself a Rycote windjammer and a woolly, and you're set!
...AND it doesn't create weight hassles even if you're using a fishrod...
Hope this helps...
Ram

Hi Ram.
Wow the mkh416 looks like a great mike, but ohoooo that $1000.00 price.
Yes I know that you get what you pay for (most times) but have pitty on us poorer folk. How about the Me66 for doc work (I hope) Jim

Jim:
Yup, know what u mean :-) I kind of came out of film school working on 16 mm with 416s and 816s connecting to old fashioned Nagra 4.2 reel-to-reel recorders...and I never found a better shotgun mic. So 416s still stay top of my choice list.
Yes, it IS frighteningly expensive - and I'm one of the poorer folk, trust me! :-)
The ME66 is a good option: I've used that one as well, but I've often felt it has a few issues at the lower frequencies. You've especially got to be careful about the position of the Music/Speech selector switch if you're not used to such a switch. The switch cuts LF at the speech ('S') setting.
One thing I did forget to mention: Both the MKH 416 P.48 and the ME66 need phantom power, and the XL1 (even with the MA-100 and the 200) does not supply that. You'll need the adaptor - I think it's the K-6 - between the mic and the XL-1 to take care of that. If you've got one of the field mixers that can supply phantom - Shure has a few models - then that's taken care of.
More power to the masses! (but, boy, do you get what you pay for when u get the 416!!!)
Ram

[Hump? What Hump?]

LOL

Thanks for your replies, but could you give me some suggestions on PLACES I can look to buy one of these from? I've looked at all of my regular on-line shop spots (Markertek, G&G, etc..) Thanks!

You have to get a power module with the ME66. It's a modular mic system. Get the K6 and you'll have the choice of battery or phantom power. The K6/ME66 is the common version anyway. I actually find the ME66 acceptable for documentary work. Granted, it's not as nice as the 416, but for the price of the 416 you can get the me66 and the accessories that you really need to have a functional boom (like an internally cabled pole, shockmount, windscreen, etc.)

Anyway, either the 416 or the me66 should be easy to find.
Try www.locationsound.com
or www.bhphotovideo.com

I'm surprised that Markertek doesn't carry these mics.

Sennheiser mics are carried by several of the sponsors of this site. ZGC http://www.zgc.com/ Zotz Digital http://www.zotzdigital.com/ and Pro-Tape http://www.pro-tape.com/audio.html They have competative prices and great service.

Jeff

Ralph:
Touche! You're absolutely correct, of course - preferences aside (I still drool over the Sony DSR-300 DVCAM camcorder!) the value-for-money part is hugely important, and the ME66 is exactly that - value for money. Jim, Eric, the ME66 is defnitely a good mic, I'm not taking away from that at all. And a complete accessory set within the same cost as a 416 is definitely a great deal. :-)
Ram