This week I’ve had a couple of emails asking what sort of microphone to use with a DSLR camera. So I thought this post would look at some of the answers.
Camera Mic
All DSLR cameras have an in-built microphone, but it’s not something you should ever use for any serious sound recording. Its best use is as a guide track for when you synchronise the sound recorded by another device with the image, generally from a high quality digital recorder.
However you can mount an external mic on your DSLR using the hot shoe and plug it into the camera mic input socket. A number of microphone manufacturers make a shotgun style mic that produces reasonable sound quality for this purpose and they are well worth getting.
Getting good sound?
Getting good location sound requires two things:
- A good quality microphone
- The microphone needs to be within 30cm of the source of the sound
Whilst this is OK for radio, video has a visual element and so you need to find ways of keeping the mic out of shot, but still close enough to get good sound.
A hot-shoe mounted good quality shotgun microphone will work pretty well if the person you’re recording is no more than two metres away from the camera and they’re in a quiet setting. Add background noise and this can make it harder to record good sound.
The other alternative is a mic mounted on the lapel, or shirt and then cabled or radio-linked to the camera. These lavalier mics are used extensively for TV news, current affairs etc as they are small and being on a lapel are nice and close to the sound source.
These type of mics are also fastened to the skin or underwear so they’re hidden, which is my preferred option. (Surgical sticking plaster is great for this)
The shotgun style microphone can also be mounted overhead, just out of shot or held by your sound recordist on the end of a boom pole. You will often see these being used on TV news footage – especially when the media pack is following a politician or celebrity. However it does take an additional person.
What do I use?
I have a lapel radio mic system, a hand-held mic that is cabled to the camera for the standup interview situation and a shotgun mic with windsock and mount). This is usually mounted on the camera or a boom pole.
These three items mean I can cover most situations. Filming three or more people who all have to be miked is the one situation where I would probably hire a sound recordist.
Note: Most DSLR cameras have quite simple audio systems so you need to check your manual and make sure you adjust the recording level each time you shoot. I’d suggest you use the manual setting, not automatic. Most DSLR cameras don’t have phantom power, which higher quality microphones need to operate.
