On Mon, 25 Jan 1999 17:27:19 +1100, Syd Low wrote:

>Can anyone recommend a good directional mic for mounting on the camera
>for recording talking heads and general speech? Or is the built in mic
>"good enough?"
>
>What's the view on the Senheiser MKE300 which seems to be a "classic"

Both the Stenheiser MKE300 and Sony ECM-Z157 work well as
more directional mics than the excellent TRV-900 built-in
mic - though the sound will be mono, and somewhat more
"colored"... The tonal balance of the little Sony mic
changes a lot with zoom position, so I select that more
for balance than directivity - the Stenheiser is physically
long, so it needs to be mounted back to avoid having it show
in the picture with a wide-angle image. The Stenheiser is
quite resistant to wind noise outdoors, but the Sony
(with more extended low end...) is much more sensitive
to wind (I make screens out of air-conditioner filter
material...). Surprisingly, the short Sony appears to
attenuate rear sound more than the Stenheiser. I have
rigged stereo pairs of the Stenheisers, but I have not
used them that way on a job yet. (In quick tests, the
sound needs EQing when they are used in pairs - and
I suspect the same would be true of paired Z157's.)
Another option is the inexpensive Azden wireless mic
set (transmitter, receiver, lavalier mic, hand-held
mic - for around $150). I have had good luck with these,
though if the lav is against a surface, it needs EQ...
(it works well placed on a mic stand close to the speaker,
as does the cheapo-looking hand-held mic, which sounds
virtually the same as the lav). Sound is 1/2 of video,
so doing it well pays off...! ;-)