Actually, Nady makes what appears to be a clone of the AT822, that can be purchased for about $100 (virtually identical specs and they look so much alike, you almost wonder if it might not be the same mic just sold with different branding on it). I will have one here in a few days to compare with my AT822 and find out how similar the sound really is.

Thanks Robert. I look forward to hearing your observations on the comparison.

Jon

I bought an audio Technica AT897 short shotgun for my DVC 30. It works and sounds great. Can run it without the battery with the Panasonic XLR adapter.

Robert I was looking at that nady mic, it does seem from other sources that it is the at822 to some extent. Let us know how those tests turn out.

I would consider the xlr adapter. I held off for a long time but finally caved in and haven't regreted it. It's a much cleaner mic pre and it's so much easier to adjust. It also allows many more options to your audio.

Hang on hang on..

are u using teh Panasonic Balun with XLRs or are u usin the 3.5mm plug??

dude stay away from the Rode Video mic.. youll get more noise from the mic than u would from your enironment. A while agi we were discussing this mic in the events and weddings forum..
If u want to go Rode, i would recommend the NTG1. Will work perfect with ur Balun.

Thanks Frank. What type of environment are you shooting in? (i.e. more comparable to ambient nature sounds or interviews?) Oh. I just did a quick search and found that it has "excellent sound rejection from the sides and rear of mic". This probably wouldn't be good for my application.

Still interested in Robert's comparison.

Jon

dvc30 mic level...
 

The mic level on my dvc30 is very low compared to my GL2. Is there a good way to raise the sensitivity? I messed with the settings but it didn't seem to do much.

Hi

The levels ARE low on the DVC30, it's a known problem. I received my DVC30 three weeks ago and I was not impressed of the internal mic.
You can raise the levels by press and HOLD the menu button for a few seconds. Then the volume level menu will appear.

I have an external mic (Rode NTG-1) and the XLR adaptor to the DVC30. It's not a cheap setup but with this configuration I have very good sound.


Regards,

/Bo

The mic levels on the DVC30 are known to be weak, they did this to reduce handling noise. It will work fine for ambient sounds and it picks up highs very well but for vocals it's not directional so it's usless. If the xlr box and ntg-1/ ntg-2 or at 897 mics are a bit too much and you want to record voices or sound from a single source look at the videomic, you'll notice the difference. To get better audio than the video mic you'll need to spend the bucks for what Sundvall has or more.

DVC 30 mini jack problems
 

My 'phones' mini jack on my DVC30 is no longer working, and the mini jack for the mic input has always been touchy and finicky (have XLR adapter, so no big deal). But has anyone else had problems with there mini jacks on this cam?

A couple a days ago i replaced my 3.5mm plug to my Beachtek XLR adapter with a rigid one from Neutrik. All of a sudden my camera changed audio input from my Beachtek XLR adapter to the original adapter, AG-MYA30, back and forth when i used the new 3.5 mm plug.

The dimensions on the Neutrik plug was a hair smaller than the original 3.5 mm plug on the Beachtek XLR adapter and thus caused my camera to change the input back and forth. So yes, the camera seems to be sensitive about the dimensions on the plugs. Even very very small differences seems to make the camera to be touchy and fincky.

Now, the original 3.5 mm plug from my Beachtek is back on the adapter and everything works o.k! :)

/Roger

DVC30 XLR settings
 

Quick question (just need to be sure), im shooting with a dvc30 with xlr and external mic. I put the +v48v phantom on, do I need to use the attenuation switch? The shooting will primarily be interviews.

Thanks

..don't use the +48V phantom power, unless the mic calls(needs) for it.. All condenser mics require a power supply, whether it's a battery, or phantom power from a camera or sound board..
if your mic has it's own battery, you shouldn't need the phantom power from the camera...

..attenuation is designed to knock a strong audio signal down, to where it's usable for your purposes... example, if you're taking an audio source(line level) from a sound board, you'll need to reduce that to a mic level, so your DVC30 can use it, without being heavily distorted..

..from your description, using an external mic, it sounds like you don't need the attenuation on... :)

Panasonic DVC30 - XLR Mic Adaptor
 

I have a Panasonic DVC30 with an XLR Mic adaptor. This adaptor has a setting for phantom power. I was wondering if the on-camera lights that have the XLR connector can be powered by this adaptor.