This is a good option if you want to use shotgun techniques with a consumer video camera. It gives sound that, after compression for youtube-level playback, would be difficult to distinguish from a professional mic. The sound is comparatively thin, it generates a small amount of internal noise, and its cabling is subject to indoor electrical noise, so it would knock a project out of contention for broadcast quality. But it pairs well with inexpensive camcorders and is an improvement over on-camera mics, especially if you don't mount it on the camera. It balances in a shock mount better than others in this price range.
Its cable is 3 feet long and coiled, and it's hardwired to the mic, so it picks up more electrical interference than a straight cable of the same effective reach. Simply having a jack would allow the option boosting the signal closer to the mic before a long cable run from a boom, for example.
But its biggest flaw is that it's unreliable. Mine had a bad internal wire connection and failed in its first hour of use. I've seen this happen with other sub-$100 shotguns. Audio-Technica has a generous lifetime warranty, and it's great to be able to trust the manufacturer to make it right; but one needs to be able to trust the gear itself. I wouldn't take this mic on a shoot without a backup, and then it's not such inexpensive option. Audio-Technica ATR-6550 Video Camera Condenser Shotgun Microphone
I've used this mic on three different types of shoots so far and it's performance is pretty impressive for the price. Of course if you are an audiophile and you are comparing this to a top of the line $1600 sennheiser I'm sure you will find plenty of things to gripe about, but if you are looking for an affordable, immediate step up from your on camera mic, this works great.
I shot a scene in front of a courthouse a few days ago, and there were so many buses going by that I ended up screaming out most of the dialogue - it was a little bit deafening. The performance of the mic on its regular mode was OK, but on telephoto mode it completely blocked out the sound of the buses (which were behind the camera).
Later that same day I followed a guy around on a busy street at night while he was performing some magic, and the sound (also on telephoto) was really good. I was far enough back with the camera that I couldn't hear a lot of what he was saying, but the mic picked it up - clean, good volume, and intelligible.
Two warnings, make sure the mic wire is not touching anything or bumps into anything because it will get picked up on your audio. And if you are in a slightly loud environment use the telephoto. In fact, I'm sticking with the telephoto permanently for now on. I'm leaving 4 stars because I have only used the mic a few times and I don't know how it will hold up, but so far I am very happy with my purchase.
I recently purchased this mic with a Canon Rebel T2i and a host of other equipment with the intention of making films. I was skeptical about this mic's ability to perform anywhere near as well as it's big brother, the AT-875R, but I figured, for the money, it couldn't hurt to try. First, let me say, this microphone performs VERY well for a 50 dollar "shotgun." I decided to pair this with a separate preamp to avoid having to use the camera's internal preamps, or spend $300 on a Zoom H4n. The preamp I bought--the ART USB Dual Pre--has preamps that are just as quiet as the Zoom's (I actually compared it side-by-side with the Zoom), so I'm not losing out by going with this cheaper setup (besides 24 bit audio, but I can simply record to the MUCH cheaper Zoom H1 if I ever need that). I run a mini-jack to XLR shielded adapter cable to the preamp, and then run a dual 1/4 inch mono to stereo mini-jack cable to my camera. Using Magic Lantern, I've also disabled auto gain control on the T2i and set analog and digital gain to zero.
My Setup:
Canon T2i with Magic Lantern Firmware
ART USB Dual Pre microphone preamp
Audio Technica ATR-6550
Build quality
The mic is built solidly out of metal, with a fairly nice built-in mini-jack cord. The cord is quite short, with a spiral-wound "spring" section in the middle, so you'll definitely need an extension if you're planning on using a boom. Overall this feels just as solid as the AT-875R.
Off-axis noise rejection:
This is a concern for the 6550. When set to normal mode, it's gives a very weak signal and behaves like a simple cardioid mic, picking up anything in a small sphere around the mic. I highly recommend keeping it in Tele mode at all times; It improves the signal to noise ratio, as well as the off-axis rejection, and even the bass response. That being said, you have to be careful to control off-axis noise, as this is a VERY sensitive microphone in Tele mode, and the off-axis rejection isn't as good as the 875R.
Sound quality:
When stacked up against the AT-875R straight off of the camera, you can definitely tell which is the more expensive microphone. The lows and mids are much weaker on the 6550, and it's a bit less sensitive all around. This isn't all bad, though, as it sounds less sibilant than the 875R, which can be nice for dialogue. The main concern, however, is the noise floor. The 875R is very quiet, with almost no noise up to 40db of gain on my preamp. The 6550 fares worse, with slight noise starting at around 18db. The result is that you have to be much more careful about how you mic your subject in order to get a good signal. I was amazed though, that when you correct for the low bass in mixing, it becomes very difficult to tell the difference between this and the 875R--The main distinction being noise levels with identical gain settings. I would say you could definitely cut this together with audio taken from the 875R if you were careful about mic placement and mixing. In short, all the audio information is there, you just need to bring it out.
Overall:
For 50 dollars, I'd say this mic can't be beat. At the moment, I can't afford the AT-875R or a comparable mic (i.e. the Rhode NTG-2), but I don't feel that's limiting at all. If you know how to properly work with audio, this makes and excellent poor-man's shotgun. I'm even considering buying another for stereo sound. My main complaint is the noise level, which can make it a bit difficult to work with in quiet scenes. Off axis noise can also be a problem, especially if you plan on doing event-video, or run and gun style documentary filmmaking. All the negatives weighed out, though, I'd still buy this mic--twice over.'
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