Reading mode: Light Dark

7D External Microphone Advice

Go to last post
D

DKCJB

Forum Enthusiast
Messages
291
Reaction score
146
Location
US
Can anyone recommend a good external microphone in the $100 approximate price range for use on the 7D? I see a few different brands at B&H for that price right now and wonder if any of those are better than another. My intended use is for my sons piano recitals of which he only has been having about 2 a year. So I don't think I will be using it frequently and will probably leave the sound levels on auto until I know more about that. I'm no audiophile.

Thank you in advance.
 
DKCJB said:
Can anyone recommend a good external microphone in the $100 approximate price range for use on the 7D? I see a few different brands at B&H for that price right now and wonder if any of those are better than another. My intended use is for my sons piano recitals of which he only has been having about 2 a year. So I don't think I will be using it frequently and will probably leave the sound levels on auto until I know more about that. I'm no audiophile.

Thank you in advance.
Click to expand...
Maybe a used Roland R-05 (new $149 http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/687099-REG/Roland_R_05_R_05_Portable_24_bit_Digital.html )

Has a thread for hotshoe mount with little adapter also can be used stand alone as just a recorder (SD card storage).

When in standby the signal can be fead into the camera without internal recording (no sync in post needed).

It was designed to record music.
 
Thank you, i will take a look at it.
 
You might want to consider recording the piano audio externally/independently from the camera. In other words, put a simple microphone and simple audio recorder on the piano and sync it to the camera file later.
 
Thanks, but I want to keep it real simple and use videos straight out of the camera and go up a notch or two on sound quality by using an external microphone. I don't know how to post process video files or sync a sound file etc. I bought the 7D in March, my first DSLR with video, so I have only taken a few videos with it so far. Otherwise, I'm used to shooting stills in raw that I process with DPP.
 
OK. It really is not too difficult to learn. It can't be. I learned.

My point is that a microphone very near the subject may produce better audio than one next to the camera.
 
See, I don't even know that, but it makes sense. I thought I was looking for one of those 'shotgun' mics for the flash hot shoe, would that not be appropriate for what I want to do?
 
A shotgun microphone would be good if you had to keep the microphone on the camera and you could not get close to the subject. If you want to get good ideas, look to see how the professionals would do it, and then figure out what parts of that you can do. They would put a boom microphone overhead or else put a small microphone underneath the piano.

With a piano, it might depend on what type of piano it is, upright, grand, etc.

On the other hand, you probably do not want to put the microphone directly on the pianist. You might pick up a lot of extraneous sounds from breath and clothing rustling.
 
Rode Videomic Pro for an on-camera solution. You can also mount on a tripod and cable-connect to camera when opportunity allows. I presume your son's recitals are public performances and you have limited control over what you can do to record them, in which case the Rode would be a good compromise mounted on the camera. Set it on high gain and adjust the volume in the camera menu - it gives much better audio than the internal mic.
 
Yes the recitals are on grand piano and are in churches, a retirement community and a piano store. I usually set up the tripod behind the last row of seats, maybe 20 rows, using my 50 or 85 mm. Rigging a boom or separate mic on a tripod would be overkill as compared to most other parents using their iPhones and iPads from their seats.

As it is, I'm the only one with a DSLR on a tripod out of about 20-25 kids. The piano teacher videos from up close but I stay back so I don't ruin anyone's view. One other guy had his Nikon on a monopod last time, so he's getting close to what I do. My son would not wear a mic, or take a mic up with him unless every other kid was doing that and the teacher told him to.

So I think an on camera mic is what I'm looking for. Thanks, I will look at the Rode as suggested.
 
Be sure you can adjust the gain so you don't need the pre amps of the camera as much. Higher gain on the mike and low gain on the pre amps leads to better audio quality.
 
I would be happy to rely on automatic settings and its technology to capture a 'good enough' video with sound. I would need very basic, basic instructions on sound. For example, I don't know what gain is, what pre-amps are etc. I see how to manually change the sound settings on the 7D from the manual, but I don't know why when or what to set it to one way or the other. From what I understand if there was a headphone jack to listen to the camera then this would make the adjustments easier, but there's not so it makes it all that much harder. It's just not something I want to tackle right now. But I would buy a nice-ish microphone if that would make the sound recording better so that's what I'm after.
 
Thanks all. I ordered the Rode Videomic Go Lightweight for $99. The Pro version was a little too much.
 
I faced the same problem a month ago (7D, child playing piano) and ended up with the VMP after a lot of research. Just note that it's quite a way over your stated price point. I lucked out and found it for $180 on Black Friday, but I think $225 is what you'll find now.

Lens Authority has a retired rental unit for $136 - sounds like a good deal.
 
Yes that one does sound better, but I also liked the no battery required feature as well as the price.
 
With that choice of mic it has one default setting by the looks of things so you don't need to worry about pre-amps and gain. You do need to ensure that your sound levels are set appropriately in the camera's menu. The latest firmware upgrade allows for manual volume control and is a much better proposition than the old auto default feature. So basically not too high a setting and definitely not into the yellow.
 
Thanks, I have the latest firmware and have been to the sound menu. I am anxious to try the new microphone now and hope to get comfortable with the manual settings before the next recital. I would hate to flub it up because you only have one shot at it.
 
My advice is to keep it in auto until you really test/understand the manual settings. I ended up with tremendously distorted sound from the first two piano performances by listening to the "Manual is east - +20db and 4 clicks from the left" advice on various forums. I finally had my daughter play the same sequence over and over as I went through a matrix of mic settings and camera settings from different distances away using my SPL meter. I now can meter the sounds before a performance (assuming there are others playing before her) and set it correctly.

Otherwise, I'll leave it in auto. The reduction in hiss from proper mic gain settings isn't worth losing a majority of the performances due to overload.

Sometimes it's just easier to get the 90% solution that the trial and error for the 100% solution. "I need a simple camera microphone" turning into boom mikes, pre-amps, off-camera recording and post-sync, etc., reminds me of folks who ask how to adjust the indexing setting on Windows and are told that OpenOffice on Ubuntu Linux is the only viable solution.
 
That's really what I wanted to do - auto settings. I just need a reasonably good recording for You Tube for out of state grandparents and relatives that can't be there in person. As he gets better, I want to keep up with sound quality on the recordings.
 
The RODE brand microphones are excellent. Essentially, any external mic is better than the internal mic in the 7D, so whatever you purchase will be an improvement. A mic at $100 or less is not the best in the world, but will certainly suffice for use twice a year.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Keyboard shortcuts

f
Forum
m
My threads
Mobile site
About
Editorial content
Cameras & Lenses
Community
All content, design, and layout are Copyright © 1998–2025 Digital Photography Review All Rights Reserved.
Reproduction in whole or part in any form or medium without specific written permission is prohibited.
When you use DPReview links to buy products, the site may earn a commission.
©GPS Media - Guides, Products, Services.
Back
Top