Best Microphone To Buy?

What shotgun microphone should I buy for my Canon XA10?

• What shotgun microphone should I buy for my Canon XA10? I am planning on buying and Canon XA10. The canon XA10 has 2 phantom powered XLR inputs, I would like to buy a XLR shotgun microphone. First of all, should I really buy a XLR microphone? Or should I just go for the Rode video mic with the 3.5 mm audio output? Will I be able to hear the difference? And will I be able to see a long XLR shotgun microphone in the video in a wide angle shot? Is there difference in quality by using a battery powered microphone instead of a Phantom powered microphone? Here are just some examples of microphones were I was looking at (but suggestion are more and more than welcome!!) Azden X2: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/204722-REG/Azden_SGM_2X_SGM_2X_Omni_Supercardioid_Mic.html The rode NTG 2 or NTG 1 (do these come with a windscreen and shockmount?) http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/367746-REG/Rode_NTG_1_NTG_1_Condenser_Shotgun_Microphone.html http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/367747-REG/Rode_NTG_2_NTG_2_Battery_or_Phantom.html RODE video mic (35mm): http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/744768-REG/Rode_VIDEOMIC_PRO_VideoMic_Pro_Compact_Shotgun.html I dont want to spent more then 260 dollar on the microphone and that price is included shock mount and windscreen (some microphones come with both of those). Thank you so much for helping me!! :) ps. It is for filming short films

• Answer:

  1. The best answer for you is to go to film school where you should work hard on every project that you're able to work on. Any decent school will provide you with proper equipment that is well beyond what you can personally afford and you won't be left standing their holding the bill when the equipment breaks or goes obsolete. You will also learn much more about film making in a proper school and on shoots than you can ever expect from Yahoo! Answers. 2. XLR is the professional audio recording standard. 3.5mm or mini-plug is consumer grade garbage. If you have ears you will be able to hear hiss and hum with mini-plug no matter how fancy a mic or recording device you use. Any system is only as good as its weakest component. 3. It sounds like you are planning on plugging mics directly into the camera. Do this if you want your project to sound like a cheap wedding video, run-and-gun news reporting or that hip new horror movie that was shot totally on $3000 video cameras for that "reality" look. 4. It sounds like you are planning on mounting the mic directly on the camera. See point 3. 5. Do you know what focal lengths are? Do you know what they are in relationship to the format of your camera? These are the numbers you should be talking in to describe the size of your shot if you expect anyone to have any idea if the mic, hood or any other equipment will appear in your shot. If you can see a mic in your shot, get a more experienced boom operator or communicate more clearly to the one you have. 6. All things being equal, the only difference between a mic that is phantom powered and one that takes an in-line battery is the flexibility of what you can connect the mic to. 7. I have never heard of RODE but Azden is well regarded. Sennheiser is the industry standard though. http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/73088-REG/Sennheiser_ME66_ME66_Short_Shotgun.html Compare specs, compare reviews. See what mic is right for you though. If you need to know what accessories come with one, call b&h and ask. 8. You can't "film films" with a Canon XAwhatever. You can only make videos. While it is widespread for videographers to misuse the word "film." anyone who actually understands and appreciates the difference wouldn't be caught dead doing that (or coiling cable wrong.) You can choose to sound like the uneducated masses or like an intelligent, articulate professional. The choice is up to you. It sounds like you are on the right path because you're actually thinking about audio. Many student videographers take audio for granted and then all their beautiful shots are rendered useless by inaudible dialog and distracting noises. So good for you on that. But you need to do a lot more reading and working. Affordable, reasonable quality video equipment is widely available now and everyone wants to be a movie star. The difference between those who make it and those who don't is how well educated they are and how seriously they take what they are doing. Do yourself and the rest of us a favor, take yourself seriously. Don't be yet another YouTube tragedy! Go to school, work your butt off on professional sets and educate yourself before blowing all your beer money on a toy camera and no understanding of how a real camera or audio system work. It may not seem as fun right now but school pays off in the end. Good luck!