NX5 without Shotgun Mic

[Andrew Turk]

Hello all,

I rented the NX5 and in order to minimize the size of the camera, i would like to use it with the on board mics instead of the shotgun.

My question is : If I do remove th shotgun, In your opinion, would the sound quality drop substantially?
I shoot outdoors and documentary style mostly... trips, vacations, on the road, boat etc... i travel alot for fun.


It would greatly help me to choose this camera, as its bigger than anything i have bought before and I would enjoy the compactness without the mic....

thanks guys,

[Cristian Adrian Olariu]

AX2000 has only the built in microphone so I guess it's safe to assume that NX5 could be used the same way without problems.

[Karl Edwards]

My experience has been that the nx5 will pick up noise from the auto-focus, zoom and even the image stabilizer if you use the internal mics. the supplied shot gun mic wasn't much better... if you "have" to do it you could get away with it but it's gonna sound pretty hack... IMHO> :)

[Krystian Jones]

Our tests showed that you get better directional recording and nicer vocal response with the bundled XLR mic compared to the on-board.
The only advantage in using the onboard mics is the stereo element and size savings.

[Andrew Turk]

ok thanks for the advice. If I buy the NX5, I will try it both ways.

[Jay West]

The question about on-board versus shotgun is really a question of better for whom for what?

As Krystian points out, the shotgun gives you a narrower, more focused pick-up which makes it better to pick-up a person talking to the camera. With the on-board mike, you get more of the ambient sounds around you. If you want more focused sound for talkers, you have to get closer than your would with the shotgun. How focused do you need your sound to be? The ambient might be better for what you want to shoot.

Picking up motor noise and etc. is noticeable in very quiet areas. Doesn't sound like you'll be doing much of that, but you can always pack the shotgun for those instances where it might be an issue. A bigger deal is the noise you generate when you are hand-holding and moving your hands around or bumping the camera. The on-board mike picks up a lot more than the shotgun. Keep your hands still and its not a problem.

Bear in mind that the on-board microphones on the NX5/AX2000 are a lot better than the ones on smaller and older handycams. With some of those, I would not have shot anything without using an external shotgun mike.

Really, the only way for you to tell if the on-board mike will be acceptable is to try it and see if it works for you. As Cristian points out, the AX2000 comes without the shotgun, and some people have been happily using it that way. That does not necessarily mean you will or will not be happy with the sound, though. Our opinions are based on what we need for what we do. You need to see what works for you which means doing your own comparisons.

[Andrew Turk]

is the AX2000 the same camera in every way EXCEPT for the Shotgun mic option ?

[Victor Wilcox]

You can get lots of details by searching the forum for NX5U vs AX2000.

The most obvious for me are the FMU128 option, PCM audio, macro focus, SD/HDI, an included shotgun mic and many more options for customizing image settings.

[David Wayne Groves]

I have the AX2000 and I purchased the Rode NTG-1 Shotgun Mic, The difference compared to the onboard Mic is quite noticable...I basically leave it on all the time.....