Anyone use an external mic on the DSLR for video?

[MIL8]

I have a Canon 7D DSLR, I've recently started using the video feature quite a bit more since the birth of our son. One thing I've noticed is you can hear the lens focusing in the video. I've been told I can get a different lens with a silent motor, but I have 3 very nice L series lenses that I really like, and don't really want to spend money on another lens. I was curious if one of the external mics you can get would help with this problem and capture better quality audio at the same time. I'd like to use the video to capture some of our band performances as well and figure it might help with this. Curious if anyone else has used one.

Thanks!

 

[Given To Fly]

I have a Canon 7D DSLR, I've recently started using the video feature quite a bit more since the birth of our son. One thing I've noticed is you can hear the lens focusing in the video. I've been told I can get a different lens with a silent motor, but I have 3 very nice L series lenses that I really like, and don't really want to spend money on another lens. I was curious if one of the external mics you can get would help with this problem and capture better quality audio at the same time. I'd like to use the video to capture some of our band performances as well and figure it might help with this. Curious if anyone else has used one.

Thanks!

I do not know much about cameras but I know a fair bit about microphones. Good stereo microphones are relatively expensive. Surround sound 5.1 microphones are ridiculously expensive. So be wary of microphones like this: Canon SM-V1 5.1 Channel Surround Microphone 4464B001 B&H Photo .

I would recommend a stereo microphone from Rode sense they have a good handle on DLSR microphones. A stereo microphone will really help with your band! Whether not it will fix the lens noise problem all depends on if you can hear the lens in the real life or just when you are watching what you recorded.

I was looking into buying one of these ( Rode Stereo VideoMic Pro STEREO VIDEOMIC PRO B&H Photo Video ) for my brother when his daughter/my niece was born. My brother is a photographer but he wasn't interested. I won't lie, I wish he had been interested. You see, children scream, and DSLR internal microphones do not handle screaming very well.

I'm looking forward to what an expert has to say!

 

[A-Branger]

yeah, any of those RODE mics for DSLRs are a far HUGE improvement over the built-in mic of the cameras.

I work doing wedding videos, we use canon 5DmkIII for everything.

as ambient sound those RODEs do a pretty good job. Get either a mono one or the stereo. Forget about 5.1 crap. You wont have the software for it, nor the place to mix it and hear it.

Also be aware of the input levels. Search on the menu of the camera, you can settup the input level to Auto or Manual, The mics have a -20db 0db +20db settings too.

now if you want to capture a band, then the best is for you to get a copy of the front of house mix. Any small portable recorder would do a better job and if you can get an audio signal from the mixer into the recorder is even better. Then mix this signal with the camera microphone in order to get a more realistic sound and get peoples clapping.


You can also get the mixer signal into your camera, but you need a 1/8inch input jack, and set the input audio levels to manual and set the gain almost to 0, the less gain on the camera the better quality. And check the signal from the mixer is not too hot and it wont clip the input of the camera.


Also be aware of the recording times of the camera. A Canon 7D has a 7-11 minutes continuos time recording. After that the camera would stop recording and you would need to press record again. This is a "photography" camera not a video one this is the most annoying of these. Hence why we work with 3-4 cameras, so we can use the footage from the other cameras while we stop/start a camera. 5Ds have a bit longer recording times. Also batteries wont last you much. Between 1-2 hours of continuos recording.

Also 7Ds suck at low light, too much noise. I would say ISO1600 is as far they can go. (this is for the mkI version)

so if you are doing a gig on a venue this camera might wont be the best for the job