Mic vs Mic
 

I am planning on purchasing a Canon HV 30 but I am debating on what type of mic to get.

Should I go for the Rode?

Amazon.com: Rode VideoMic directional Video Condenser w/microphone: Musical Instruments

Or

The Canon?


Amazon.com: Canon Directional Stereo Mic (DM 50) for Camcorders with the Advanced Access Shoe: Electronics

Rode. They might not be a pro-line brand, their audio-equipment is still beter than Canon's as Canon is a brand for images (foto, video). Also Rode is known, even in the professional world, to produce pretty nice microphones for the buck.

Before you pull the trigger on the purchase, check to see how well an on-camera mic works. I've read that the HV20 and HV30 both have enough camera motor noise to make camera mounted mics a bad idea.

Perhaps someone can disabuse me of the idea.

Regards,

Ty Ford

Canon and mikes
 

We have 4 hv20's in in our equipment pool, equipped with Sennheiser MKE300 (recently discontinued) and MKE400 mikes. We have not noticed any discernable problem with motor noise (given that we are doing spot news with these, maybe it's just inaudible in our application) and have not had an issue with this. We can recommend the MKE400 highly, it seems very sensitive and directional but is a very compact mike which fits the HV20/30 nicely. It's about $200. The Rode Videomike, which has an integral shockmount and uses a 9v battery, as I recall it, is rather large for these small cameras. We bought the Canon hotshoe mikes as a backup (people will leave the Sennheisers on and let the batteries run down) and actually they are pretty nice, giving a choice of sort-of shotgun, or cardioid or omni pickup selectable by switch. The MKE400's, however, are rather impressive for such a compact mike. My two cents. / Battle Vaughan / miamiherald.com video team

My HV30 has the Sennheiser MKE400 and while its quite better than the built in, you will still pick up motor noise in very quiet rooms. Using a cheap bracket and moving the mic 1-2 inches away will improve that. The unit is light/small and relatively good in low wind situations. Not a replacement for a wireless or a boom mic by any stretch of the imagination. Just think of it as a way to improve your on-board audio capture for run-and-gun situations.

The proprietary Canon mic is nice because there are not batteries or cables. Everything works through the hot shoe.

In comparisons I've heard, the Canon and the Rode sound very much alike, and both sound very good (keeping in mind the placement of the mic on the camera).

I'd be surprised if the Canon sounds as good as the Rode, but for me what you really want in a camera mic is convenience, so I'd go with the Canon and just leave it on all the time. I'm assuming that this isn't for any kind of critical recording, anyway (at least I hope so).

I use the HV30 with the Rode as well, no discernable motor noise.

I think the MKE400 is a better choice as far as run-n-gun, although I'd probably opt for the RODE Videomic with the 10' VC1 extension cable. Both mics have a 1/4-20 thread so you can mount the mic. I like those cool little tripods that have bendable legs so you can attach them to almost anything.

Here is a video where you can hear the motor noise of the HV20 - it's slight, but it's there. Sennheiser MKE400 and Litepanels Micro on a Canon HV20 on Vimeo

As far as the sound quality, I've found that the MKE400 is tuned better for dialogue - lacking in low end and the RODE Videomic is better all around - fuller sounding - more musical.

I vetoed this purchase figuring that my MKE400 will outlast the Canon. If my next handycam isn't a Cannon, I've got a useless piece of expensive junk that won't work on any other camera due to proprietary connections. Also, if you want to take the Canon mic off-camera, you're SOL, since there is no way to extend the connection.

Go to the HV20/HV30 forum and do a search (or you'll get spanked for asking a question that has been hammered to death). You will find a wealth of information.

Thanks for the video Guy. I can hear the noise even on my computer speakers. I'm guessing the shy low end also helps the 400 not hear the camera noise.

I have heard some quiet little cameras. Don't remember the makes and models.

Regards,

Ty Ford