Hacking Photography - one Picture at a time
It seems like the new videography gear t get the “everybody makes one” is the wireless lav. RODE were the first with their RODE GO and RODE GO II (reviewed here), and now you have them from Godox, Joby, DJI, and many more.
SmallRig, who by now is making a lot more than cages and rigs, are the last to enter this product nitch with their Forevala W60. We took the unit for a spin, and this is what we found out.
Comica has announced its new Comica BoomX-D Pro wireless microphone system. There are two packages available including one receiver and either one or two transmitters that have a built-in microphone as well as the ability to plug in an external lav – one of which is included in the kit for each of your transmitters.
The BoomX-D Pro microphone system includes a couple of features that so far have only been found in the Rode Wireless GO II. The transmitters have internal storage recording so you don’t need to mess around with easily lost microSD cards and the receiver also has USB connectivity so you can plug it into your computer or smartphone as a digital audio device.
Neck mics have been around for as long as I can remember. You see them being used on movie sets, TV studios, and with on-location crews. And why not? They offer great sound quality and are not too conspicuous. A few years back Rode introduced the GO system, a mini wireless neck mic, that is a full solution – a microphone and transmitter in one small box, and a receiver in another small box. While it is not as hidden as your usual lav, it is super quick to use, and there is less hustle putting it up.
Since then, Rode came up with a second iteration for their popular Rode Go, the Rode Go II, and now Godox are entering the arena with their own solution, the Godox Movelink M2. Both systems share basic functionality and form-factor, but which is the right one for you?
Gudsen, manufacturer of the popular Moza line of gimbals has been branching out into audio recently under the brand Mirfak. Their latest release, the Mirfak WE10 Pro is a wireless lav mic system operating at 2.4Ghz. The WE10 Pro comes with a pair of transmitters and a single receiver allowing you to go solo and record just yourself or a two-way conversation or interview with somebody else.
Both the transmitter and receiver feature a built-in battery, providing up to 5 hours of use for the transmitter and up to 8 hours for the receiver. The transmitters have both built-in mics as well as a 3.5mm lav mic socket. They also feature built-in microSD card slots (supporting up to 64GB), so that if you experience dropout or interference, you haven’t lost your recording.
Hollyland’s Lark 150 dual wireless microphone kit has been quite popular since its release a few months ago. The original kit contains two transmitters and a single receiver that runs on 2.4Ghz wireless frequencies. A lot of users didn’t want to have to pay for a kit containing a pair of microphones, though when they only needed one.
In response to those needs, Hollyland has now announced the Hollyland Lark 150 Solo Kit aimed towards lower budget users and vloggers. It contains just a single transmitter along with the receiver. But the transmitter is also available to buy now as a separate purchase for those who purchase the Solo Kit, but wish to upgrade to the dual kit in the future.
Hollyland has become rather popular for its video transmission systems. We’ve reviewed some of them here on DIYP before and they’ve performed rather well, especially given their price. But now they’re branching out into audio with the launch of their new dual wireless 2.4Ghz microphone, the Lark 150.
It makes sense for a company like Hollyland to add audio into their lineup. With as much kit beaming signals into the air as there are these days, it can be difficult to find equipment that plays well with others. So, one company making both audio and video transmission systems can ensure they work seamlessly together without interfering with each other.
I remember the first time I bought a wireless lav system. It was a lot of money, but I finally bit the bullet and bought my first wireless Sennheiser G2 system. There I was, $600 down, but as happy as a clam. At the time, you couldn’t get a (decent) wireless body-packs for less than $450. My eyes were always set on Sennheiser though. Fast-forward half a decade later, and we have a bunch of wireless options. The prices have been going down and good quality has become more affordable. At $200.00, the Rode Wireless GO is one of the cheapest, most discreet, featured pack wireless systems on the market.
Getting good quality audio is often the biggest challenge faced by DSLR & mirrorless video shooters. The microphones built into most cameras are notoriously bad. They hear all kinds of background noise and echo, they hiss, and pick up a lot of unwanted sound from the camera itself, like autofocus (or even manual focus adjustments).
The easiest solution, of course, is to use an external microphone. You can then plug this either straight into your camera or a separate portable field recorder. While there are many different types of microphone out there, sometimes a lavalier is your best choice. This is where there Saramonic UwMic9 dual wireless lav mic kit comes in.
Rode made a name for themselves as quality microphones suppliers and many sound guy swear by their mics (as do I). While they do make great microphones, one thing was always missing from their offering, a wireless system. The kind of transmitter that goes in the pocket (along with a lav mic) for the speaker and has a receiver unit where you actually record the audio. This can be the camera or an external recorder.
Rode changes this today as they announce their RØDELink and RØDELink Filmmaker Kit. A kit aimed at filmmakers. Rode says that more kits will join this new ecosystem.
Here is an overview of the features which seems pretty impressive for around $400 (preorder at B&H). This is about $230 below the comparable Sennheiser kit.
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