What is a good external mic for the Canon HV30?

Which external mic can I use for Canon VIXIA HV30?

• So I'm planning on getting VIXIA HV30, and I know I would need an external microphone that is compatible with this camera. So is there any recommendations? Btw I'm planning ...show more

• Answer:

  Lots. Depends what you need and your budget. Most commonly for short subjects: Shotgun mic. Called this because of the audio pick-up pattern. A condenser mic that needs power. Commonly mounted in a shock-mount at the end of a boompole so the audio operator can more easily direct the mic at the subject (source of the dialog). The shockmount is to isolate the mic form the boompole to reduce/eliminate handling noise form the boom operator. If shooting outside, put the mic in a "fuzzy" (also called a "dead cat"). This helps to isolate the mic element from wind and reduce wind noise pickup. Audio Technica ATR6550 is a decent affordable one. You will probably want to get an extension cable, too - be sure it is at least 20-25 feet long. Must be shielded or electromagnetic or radio frequency interference (EMI - RFI) can be picked up because without shielding the long cable can act as a big antenna. The ATR6550 has a battery cavity for a AA battery so it does not need phantom power. If you want a real shotgun mic, then one using an XLR connector is preferred. XLR cable is always shielded. Since the HV30 has only a 3.5mm stereo audio input, then you also need an XLR adapter. One that can provide phantom power will give more flexibility. See juicedLink or BeachTek. (Yes, you can use the XLR adapters that were designed for dSLRs). I use an Audio Technica AT875R - it has no battery cavity so it needs external - phantom - power. The Audio Technica AT897 is a good shotgun mic with a battery cavity and uses an XLR connection. Without the battery installed, it can still use phantom power... Sennheiser makes good shotgun mics, too. Wireless lavalier. Sometimes the shot is challenging with a shotgun mic (it is a wide shot so the shotgun mic can't get within about 5 feet of the audio source). Use of a clip-on mic is needed. The small mic element can be clipped to (or under) clothing. Don't tape to skin - the common mistake is to tape to the chest and you can pick up the heartbeat which you don't want to do - and if you tape, use moleskin or something similar that won't tear layers of skin (or hair) off when removing the tape. Decent wireless gear is not inexpensive. Because is it on a radio frequency, you need to be sure potential interference is at a minimum. I use Sennheiser G3 wireless systems with portable base station. The base station mounts to the camcorder. and is battery powered rather than being a desk or rack mount using a wall wart. The small mic element connects with a thin cable to the body pack. The body pack transmits the wireless audio signal to the base station/receiver. The receiver plugs into the camcorder. The HV30 is a great miniDV tape based HDV format (1080i) digital camcorder. In case you were not aware when importing video from miniDV tape to the computer: Camcorder OFF. Connect the camcorder's DV port (not USB) to the computer's firewire port (not USB) with a firewire cable (not USB). If the computer is not already on, turn it on. When the computer is at a stable desktop, power up the HV30 and put it into "Play" mode. Rewind the tape using the camcorder controls. Launch the video editor in the computer. From the video editor, Import or Capture the video. A regular "60 minute" miniDV tape can record up to 63 minutes of HDV format video. "Special" HD digital tapes are not required. Do not reuse tape. www.tapestockonline.com is a good source; so are Fry's and Fry's.com... and bhphotovideo.com 60 minutes of captured video will take at least 60 minutes to import. More if your computer is slow/old. 63 minutes of HDV format video on the tape, when imported to a computer using the above method will consume about 44 gig of computer hard drive space. USB will not work. USB-to-firewire cable/converter/adapters will not work. If your computer has no firewire port then you need to install one. If your computer has a Thunderbolt port, the Thunderbolt-to-firewire adapters work great. Strongly suggest using an external drive connected to the computer to store the imported video project files. Since the HV30 has no accessory shoe, if the mic is to be camera-mounted, then use a camera bracket. This one has two clod shoes: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/918053-REG/vello_cb_510_dual_shoe_brackt.html One for the shotgun mic or portable base station, the other for a video light or something else... I am surprised they don't teach you this stuff in "film school" - or at least allow you to ask questions...