Canon 5DII external mic

[marcmccalmont]

Several have asked what a good setup is for an external mic to improve the 5DII's audio
I just ordered the following and will report later on how good it is but from input from a good "audio" friend it should be much improved
Beyerdynamic MCE 72 Stereo Condenser Mic  
http://www.guitarcenter.com/Beyerdynamic-M...587-i1126950.gc
and a
Beyerdynamic BEEA86 EA86 - Camera Shoe Shock Mount
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/search?Ntt=B...itialSearch=yes
Marc

[geesbert]

it says it requires phantom power. how do you do that with the 5d?

[gerk]

One of the biggest problems with the audio is auto gain control (AGC), so a mic might not get you what you're looking for.

Lots of folks are using the Zoom H4n to record externally.  Haven't had one in hand yet (maybe soon), but from the specs and reports it's really solid.  The built-in mics are rumored to be ok and it has 2 additional XLR+1/4" (combo) inputs and it does provide phantom power for condensers according to the specs.  Have seen a couple of hot shoe mounts for them that look ok too.  If you want good audio that's the direction I'd go.  You can also record 4 channels of audio with it too which is fantastic.  The built in stereo mic setup + 2 XLR based mics of your choice w/ real headphone monitoring ability, etc.

[Morgan_Moore]

it says it requires phantom power. how do you do that with the 5d?

phantom power riequeres a powered pre amp like mentioned above

mics like the rode video mic are self powered, but probably not as good

also the magic lantern firmware disables the auto gain in the sound and provides onscreen (sound) levels

S

[marcmccalmont]

it says it requires phantom power. how do you do that with the 5d?

Yes you are correct I noticed that and instead ordered a Audio Technica AT822 Stereo Microphone Mic AT-822 for $199 so I would not need a mic preamp! and I can use it with my Tascam DR07
Marc

[gerk]

Just for the record a lot of condenser mics aimed at video usage (mainly shotguns or short shotguns) will also work with onboard or external battery power.  They will either have the ability to have a battery as part of the unit, or you can get a battery powered external phantom power unit.  You don't strictly need a preamp to run them, but you do need to make sure you can power them one way or the other.

Yes Magic Lantern disables the auto-gain control (which is a must if you want good audio).  Hoping they get ML ported to the 7D at some point in the future as well .. their site says that they have started preliminary work on it

The rode video mic is ok.  Not as good as a good short shotgun, but also not as expensive either.  Depending on what you're trying to capture audio wise it can work out fine.

[Hywel]

I'm using a Sennheiser K6 module with an ME66 short shotgun module on the front. The K6 has a battery in it which powers the microphone if phantom power is not available. I'm actually using it via a Sennheiser radio transmitter system which has a jack output, but I think with the correct XLR to jack cable you could plug it straight into the camera.

All seems to work pretty well. Not being able to control the auto gain is a pain, but I have a fixed output level control on the radio system which I'm using to try to keep the initial input low enough to avoid distortion and the auto gain system doing too much messing around.

  Cheers, Hywel Phillips

[witz]

I think you would be surprised at how good the rode videomic is.... I've shoot literally hundreds of hours of video interviews with 5d2's and the rode.

[NoahJackson]

I'm using the Zoom H4; not the new model, the zoom H4n with my 5d2. The quality is excellent. I've had syncing issues and it's slowed down my production and got in the way of my creativity -- especially since I don't yet have a budget for post production and sound assistants. Many people online are successfully using the h4n to input directly into the 5d2s.  You gan get around the external gain control by using software called Magic Lantern.

I'm trying this approach; I hope to get the correct patch cables this week. If this approach works, I will use a offshoe flash bracket to mount the zoom h4 when using with the camera so I can simultaneously take stills. Do let me know if you'd like me to report on my success.

Best,
Noah

One of the biggest problems with the audio is auto gain control (AGC), so a mic might not get you what you're looking for.

Lots of folks are using the Zoom H4n to record externally.  Haven't had one in hand yet (maybe soon), but from the specs and reports it's really solid.  The built-in mics are rumored to be ok and it has 2 additional XLR+1/4" (combo) inputs and it does provide phantom power for condensers according to the specs.  Have seen a couple of hot shoe mounts for them that look ok too.  If you want good audio that's the direction I'd go.  You can also record 4 channels of audio with it too which is fantastic.  The built in stereo mic setup + 2 XLR based mics of your choice w/ real headphone monitoring ability, etc.