The right mic for the job.
 

I'll be shooting outdoors and I want a mic similar in quality to what a stock PD-170 sony mic would give me. I have the beachtek adapter for my FX1, what do you recommend? I want good pick-up in all directions, so that it will grab the people talking who are 5-10 feet away from me, negating some of the background sounds 30-50 feet away. Any info would be greatly appreciated, as I do need to either pick one up tomorow or order from B&H.

Edit: And I am looking in the 200-300 dollar price range...

Some of the ones I was overlooking were the AT-897, SGM-1000, Rode NTG2, SGM-2X, and Sony ECM-674.

Hi Ben

Not used any but the AT897, but have the same set up as you do, and did a lot of looking around the forums before buying... Seems to be accepted that the AT is the best mic in its league.

I very happy with mine...

cheers
Gareth

I also use an AT897 with my Z1 and I’m very happy with it. It’s a great mic for the price.

~jr

What site can I look at the AT897. I just got an HVR-Z1U today. I would like to find a reliable mic for it. I'm sure the recommended Sony mic is great, but a lower priced one that works good, is what I can afford at the moment. Thanks, Ray

Has anyone used an Audix UEM-81s? The specs on it sure make it look good, especially for the price.

Here's one place:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/cont...hs=t&shs=at897

And more technical specs:
http://www.audio-technica.com/cms/wi...4dc/index.html

This will probably be your best choice of mic. Sometimes it pays to spend the extra few $ to start off right - a mistake I made when I started. Needless to say, I had a few items for sale once I had gotten my right kit.

Cheers

Had one for test a while back from an importer trying to bring in lower priced items. I compared it to the AT897 and the ME66.

Roll-off levels were up on the Audix followed by the ME66 and then the best performer being the AT897. The AT897 has the best frequency response and the lowest signal to noise ratio. That seals it for me.

Cheers