This mic doesn't perform as well as a Shure or Sennheiser shotgun microphone, but it doesn't cost $999 either. I'm using it with a JVC DV camera, and a Behringer 10 channel mixer. It's well worth the money. For the best location sound, use this mic on a boom pole, and lavalier mics for each actor. I was blown away with how much better the sound from this mic is than from the Shure dynamic (handheld) microphone I was using before.If you're working on a low budget movie, and want to have professional, reliable, and easy to use sound equipment, this mic is worth the money (it even includes a shock mount). Azden Barrell Shotgun Mic With XLR Outputs
The Shotgun Mike is ideally suited for anyone picking up a prosumer camera and who needs a shotgun mike that offers excellent pickup at a reasonable rate. Be sure to pick up the 18" XLR-XLR cable and the 6" XLR-3.5 cables. The shock mount I received came with extra bands.
This is a good entry level mike for you. Couple this with a UHF lav mike (or two) if you intend shooting fiction or documentary.
A Gitzo boom pole & shockmount (sold separately) along with a Fostex data recorder can give you a killer sound recording kit.
Bought this for use with a panasonic ag-dvx100 and I haven't been disappointed--the audio quality I've captured is much better than that with the factory mic. I wish I had seen the two-barrel version of this earlier...oh well. It takes an XLR cable (well that should be obvious from the description) so a buyer should be clear that they have 3pin XLR jack on whatever equipment it is they are recording into. This is a decent mic for $150, it won't blow you away but neither will the cost. Comes in a little pleather pouch, with a foam windscreen, shock isolating mount which screws into the hot shoe adapter and is better in design than the one standard with my camera, as well as some replacement rubber rings for the mount. The mic takes two AA batteries if I can recall. It has an off /on switch, and it has a cardioid/super-cardioid switch. Pretty basic.
...I'd like to mount this on a boom eventually...
This is a wonderful shotgun mic, for anyone on a budget. It's very powerful and it is a great step up from the built-in mic rigs on most consumer camera's as well as some prosumer cams. For instance, huge step up from the built-in on the Panasonic AG-VX100B (which I own). It has a huge range, and has two modes I always use the higher cut mode that removes slighter sounds. This makes the sound a little heavier, but keeps them very clear and not muffled.
Also, if you expect to record high pitch things, this isn't too great at consistently staying high. It is more whole from the low-mid range sounds, but does not fail at high sounds.
Another plus, is the fact that it won't drain your cam batteries because it holds a single AA battery to run. I prefer it that way.
The only problem with this mic, is that with a little more research--I found out that the X2 is only 50 more dollars (approx) and that the X2 can double as either an omni mic, or a cardoid--which is a great nifty feature for the extra 50 bucks.
If you don't think you even need an omni feature, this is a great mic to start with. (and keep for a very long time)
I believe this is the BEST shotgun mic on the market priced at the 150 range.
I took this to Europe with me to film a documentary. It worked well. I've used a bunch of shotgun mics. I like this. Not more or less than others I have used, but it is def. a lot cheaper.
If you are on a tight budget then get it.
I bought this mic in Nov, 2010 for $152.00. I couldn't be happier with it. I'm a film student and the quality of this mic is great. It is a very strongly directional (cardioid) mic and gives me better results than mics twice its price (or more). Also, the included shock mount with extra bands was a nice touch. Mine came with a nice zip-up leather case for everything with it too. I used this and an adjustable painters pole for a short film project and it did excellant.
For any of you all who are interested, I used this with a Blue Microphones Icicle XLR to USB Mic Converter/Mic Preamp and a netbook/audacity to and had great results in combination with a Canon T2i. The only problem I had was that at times my recording was a little bit quiet. However, I'm not sure what part of my setup was to blame.
I selected this mic due to the reviews I read on here and have not been disappointed. I have used this as a companion to my professional camcorder and the sound is great. If you're shooting a Hollywood feature without a Hollywood budget this mic is a great choice.
The only thing I am not happy with is that it did not include a short xlr cable. I had to purchase one separately.
I'm very please with this mic. It sounds good and does a much better than expected job at blocking sound that is not directly in front on you. I use the mic outside for action video in often windy conditions. The low pass filter works very well. I added a deadcat but still need the low pass filter in windy conditions. The included mount works great on the HMC150, the mic is never visible in the shot even with deadcat at full wide angle. Get an 18 inch XLR cable if you have an HMC150, it is the perfect size for my camera. Glad I didn't go smaller. - Shotgun - Budget - Azden - Film Making'
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