# Best External Microphone for a Canon 5D Mark II



## CrashRyan (Jul 4, 2012)

Any idea? Just been asked out to help out with the video duties at my cousin's wedding. Looking for a good quality microphone to mount on my Canon 5D. Thanks!


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## paul13walnut5 (Jul 5, 2012)

Yep, a radio lavalier mic on the groom. On the lapel closest to the bride.

I use Sennheiser EW112's. You should be able to hire these if you don't want to go to the expense of buying for one job.

If you get two sets you can also record the minister.

Something like a zoom or Tascam with XLRs will give you an independent channel for each of the two mics, or a beachtek will give you two XLR inputs into your camera.

A wireless mic has several advantages:

It is very close to the sound source, so nice an clear.

No picking up noise that occurs between the camera and the subject.

No handling noise from the camera.

No trailing cables.

No trying to get close with the camera and blocking folks view or having to record from silly angles.

Personally I would investigate hiring a second camera and have somebody you trust man it as a locked of wide shot, re-setting the record every 12 mins. Stagger this with your own rec start stops.

Not sure I'd be all that keen to shoot purely on a canon DSLR for a wedding, unless it was something that breaks the 4GB barrier or at least allows continuous recording beyond 12 mins...

But you didn't ask for that advice, you wanted microphone advice... radio mics. The only way.

On camera micing sucks almost absolutely completely. Especially in environments with lots of other noise (coughing, kids, chairs moving) and where you don't want to be too close with the camera.


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## syder (Jul 5, 2012)

paul13walnut5 said:


> Not sure I'd be all that keen to shoot purely on a canon DSLR for a wedding, unless it was something that breaks the 4GB barrier or at least allows continuous recording beyond 12 mins...



Depends on what kind of material you're being commissioned to create... For a 10-15 minute highlight package of the day a DSLR is great. If they want several hours worth of material with full ceremony, speeches etc then its probably the wrong tool and you'd be far better off with something like a Sony ex1.


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## risc32 (Jul 10, 2012)

I'm sure you guys mean well and your advise is probably good. So we have one vote for camera mounted mics suck and one vote for not using your existing camera to help a friend, buy another. I know very little about this topic but from what i do know and have seen done by people who are in the know, wireless mics are the best way to go. But they also have to use some sort of camera mounted mic or also a hand held jobbie. The camera mounted mic comes in handy when you are on the move and need to get all manner of stuff from all over the place. Sometimes they use the hand held numbers when they are getting little video segments of well wishers.... wishing people well. they must work well in noisy enviros. Anyway, as for the camera in question, my brother has been doing video for many years and is very pleased to have laid down his huge shoulder mounted camera for a 60d. he loves it. although it does confuse people during the formal group photo session after the ceremony


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## Caps18 (Jul 13, 2012)

What if you can't/won't ask the bride/groom to wear wireless mics? Is it possible to get a remote recording device that you could pre-stage at the alter ahead of time and would record what was being said within 25 feet?

To kind of threadjack, I have the same question, but I would like to know what is the best and simplest shotgun stereo mic that is easy to hike, travel, camp with? Or would it be best to get a general omni-mic that will record sound in most directions? Think birds, waterfalls, streams, crikets.


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## paul13walnut5 (Jul 15, 2012)

Caps18


> What if you can't/won't ask the bride/groom to wear wireless mics?



Then grow a set or knock back the job. If you want to do the best job you can, and give the couple the least cause for complaint or non-payment then discreet lavalier mics are the way to go. With a corn plaster and careful placement they can be invisible under colars etc but still get the best sound.

If they won't play then your choice is to seriously compromise the quality of your audio (the vows are more important than little nephew timmy bored playing with his toy tractor, or granny farting) 



> Is it possible to get a remote recording device that you could pre-stage at the alter ahead of time and would record what was being said within 25 feet?



Zooms. Tascams. Still not ideal. Where do you hide them?



> To kind of threadjack, I have the same question, but I would like to know what is the best and simplest shotgun stereo mic that is easy to hike, travel, camp with?
> 
> Rode videomic or sennheiser mke400 are decent in expensive mics. For audio the rule is get as close as you can without the mic being in the shot, or ruining the shot. If it's camera mounted this means being very very close with the camera, or preferable, as I continually advocate... micing off camera. On camera is absolutely fine at a long push for run and gun. But if you are minded to sepend decent money on a mic, it implies you are (rightly) taking audio more seriously. To them cameramount with a lousy perspective and camera/handling/operator noises kind of puts you back to square one!
> 
> ...


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## syder (Jul 16, 2012)

Caps18 said:


> What if you can't/won't ask the bride/groom to wear wireless mics? Is it possible to get a remote recording device that you could pre-stage at the alter ahead of time and would record what was being said within 25 feet?
> 
> To kind of threadjack, I have the same question, but I would like to know what is the best and simplest shotgun stereo mic that is easy to hike, travel, camp with? Or would it be best to get a general omni-mic that will record sound in most directions? Think birds, waterfalls, streams, crikets.



Basically the pre-amp on the 5Dm2 is quite noisy when running a shotgun mic straight through - something like the rode videomic pro that has a +20db gain switch actually helps a lot as it means you can turn the camera's audio levels down and reduce the amount of hiss you'll pick up (although there will still be some, and it's probably worth cleaning it up in post if you can). Cheap and decent shotgun mic... depending on your budget the Rode NTG2 or 3 (3 is a lot more expensive and phantom power only, but sounds considerably better) The other option is to run the mic into a portable sound recorder (zoom h4n or tascam dr40) or something like a juicedlink preamp which will give you far cleaner sound.



> What if you can't/won't ask the bride/groom to wear wireless mics?
> 
> 
> 
> Then grow a set or knock back the job



Dude he said this was his cousin's wedding. Throwing back the job would be pretty harsh. And we still haven't heard what kind of video they want - a 10 min highlights package or ceremony/speeches/etc in full with crystal clear audio...


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## paul13walnut5 (Jul 17, 2012)

Hi Syder,

My comment was directed at Caps18 not the original poster. The context is clear from the entire thread.

In the round of the discussion it's all 'what ifs' and 'buts'.

I don't think it's harsh to insist on doing the job right or not doing it at all.

Managing expectations. I deal with this all the time. Video is reasonably easy. Audio will screw up more productions than any video. At a wedding audio is important. If thats not the advice folk want, then fine.
Don't ask for advice.

I don't really want to get into a verbal with anybody. It's a broad church. Different ways to the same goals.

My posts detail the way I would do it and the reasons why.

The OP and anybody since is at liberty to follow or ignore my advice.

The NTG-2 runs plenty hot to keep in camera levels in trim, but works best through a balanced cable, which the EOS DSLRs do not accept out the box..

I use a Sennheiser K6/ME66 and Rode NTG2 with a beachtek DXA-5Da. Plenty hot from internal AA. My ECM-77s are not hot enough.


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