VideoMic Archives - DIY Photography

Five $59-299 on-camera microphones compete in this Rode shotgun mic shootout

November 28, 2017 by John Aldred 1 Comment

The need for on-camera microphones has grown exponentially the last few years. The explosion of video shooters since the feature was first added to DSLRs has made them a very popular product. Which one is “best”, though is often confusing. A lot of it will boil down to your needs and how you plan to use it.

In this extensive comparison from filmmaker and YouTuber Max Yuryev, we see five of Rode’s most popular on-camera shotgun mics go head to head. Watching the test, some of the results might surprise you. The $59 Rode VideoMicro for example, actually sounded the best in some of the tests.

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RØDE’s new VideoMic Soundfield lets you record full 360° 3D audio on-camera

January 23, 2017 by John Aldred Leave a Comment

Nikon aren’t the only one celebrating a milestone birthday this year. Rode microphones is also entering its 50th year in business in 2017. In their time, they’ve built an unparalleled reputation amongst many audio professionals. Whether it’s musicians, filmmakers or vloggers, their products have worked their way into our lives. They’re usually the first name you see mentioned when people are looking for microphones, too. I own three of Rode’s microphones myself.

For most photographers, the introduction to RØDE often comes with the transition to video. On-camera mics are the best way to quickly get better sound than in-camera microphones. They help to eliminate things like vibration from handling or autofocus motors. One of the most popular such microphones is the RØDE VideoMic Pro. Now, RØDE have announced a new RØDE VideoMic Pro+, as well as the RØDE VideoMic Soundfield. The first ever microphone designed to capture 3D audio from right on top of your camera.

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Tascam are changing the way we record lavalier microphones with their new DR-10L belt recorder

October 4, 2016 by John Aldred 10 Comments

Wireless lavalier microphones have been a standard in the film & tv industries for years. They’re great for picking up sound while staying hidden from the shot. They’re also very useful for moving subjects where following them with a boomed microphone may be impossible. As more and more wireless devices enter our daily lives, however, issues can start to appear.

Interference, signal drop outs, and other problems can happen in densely populated areas. There’s also the problem of knowing whether the radio frequencies of the microphones you’re about to use are even legal in the location at which you’re using them. Tascam has presented us with a very elegant solution to these problems with the new Tascam DR-10L belt mounted lavalier recorder.

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