Videography of wildlife - audio question

[FlyingSquirrel]

I'm interested in getting into some basic videography of wildlife. I'll be using my Canon 7D Mark II and my 500mm lens.

My question pertains to audio. I have been looking at hotshoe microphones such as the Shure VP83 LensHopper (link for reference: http://blog.shure.com/dslr-filmmakin...3f-lenshopper/) and Rode VideoMic (link for reference: http://www.rode.com/microphones/videomic).

My concern is that I'm using a telephoto lens and so the distance to the subject could be relatively long (it may be around 15 feet for smaller subjects - which seems ok - but for some subjects may get twice or even three times that distance - which perhaps may be excessive for a microphone to handle)

Looking for info / advice regarding DSLR audio capture for videography at distances noted above. How long of a distance do you think the hotshoe style mics will be effective to? What other equipment options or techniques might I look into for this kind of shooting?

Thanks

Matthew

[Shadowman]

Hi Matthew,

Is the audio at a distance really relevant? Do you expect to capture the grunts/chirps of the subject?

[Dave Humphries]

Hi Matthew,

My simplistic advice is that you obviously need a microphone of the 'shotgun' style; i.e. one with a pick up pattern that is very directional, as you know.

However, of the two pictures show of mics in your links, I think the Rode is a more practical shape and that's because it will take a fluffy windsock which you will absolutely need when shooting outdoors to combat wind noise. (e.g. the "Deadcat" by Rode)

The Lenshopper looks really cool, but I would (perhaps rather bluntly) say that for outdoor use, it is a case of style won out over functionality. You'll note the web site's sample is shot in a sheltered location where wind was not going to be present.

Wind noise is the worst enemy of audio for good wildlife video shooting.

There's a very good reason why professional broadcasters shooting outdoors exclusively use those fluffy sock mic shields - they work, although they have even better isolation of microphone from wind typically using a Sennheiser 416 or 816 in a Rycote shield with fluffy sock - but that's overkill for you, for now at least.

HTH, Dave

[Manfred M]

+1 to Dave's comments. You want a highly directional shotgun mic.

I personally find the foam covers are not that effective in reducing wind noise and strongly recommend going for something like the fur-like "Dead Cat" shown at the bottom of the page that you linked to.

Another "trick" is to record the sound and video separately (you might be able to get into a better position for sound than for video if you do this) and merge the sound and video clips in PP. Don't forget that the mic will pick up any noise you make handling the camera.

[Mike Buckley]

This short video explains how BBC and other pros do it.

[Manfred M]

This short video explains how BBC and other pros do it.

Thanks for posting, Mike.

As one of my video profs once said; "in photography it's all about the composition, in film and video it's all about the edit". The edit includes not only the video footage, but also the sound; whether that is background music, narrative or live sound.

[FlyingSquirrel]

Wow, thanks guys, this was SUPER helpful!

Manfred, I LOVE the tip to record audio separately, as conditions permit. Thinking out of the box...brilliant!

And Mike, the link to that short video was a good confirmation of Manfred's tip, and gave me some great ideas and insight into how to approach things.

Based on all of your guys' comments, I think I will go with the Rode videomic for now. Although obviously not a professional piece of equipment, it should be good enough for me as I start out, plus it is affordable (unlike those $1000 + pro ones!). The Rode comes with the deadcat so I should be good to go right off the bat.

It's always a privilege to have you all as a resource - thanks again!

[William W]

A couple of additional points:

> Understood that you probably will not buy, but - (many, mostly all) Professional Audio Highly Directional Microphones, (like the Sennheisers mentioned) are phantom powered and have a balanced Audio Output. The 3.5mmTRS socket on all Stills Cameras are probably (I expect) an unbalanced Audio Input, so considering also the phantom powering to the Microphone, a "balanced-hot" to "unbalanced Audio In" transformer/coupling would be required between the Mic and the Camera.

> Understood that you mentioned a 500mm lens - but in the event that some shots will be made with a wider lens, or a wide or panning view using the 500mm lens, remember that the Microphone is intended to be "directional", but sometimes the audio will need to be focused not where the camera is pointing: in these cases a Cold Shoe Camera mounted Directional Microphone is not a good idea, but a separate Sound Recordist, following the Audio Action with the Directional Microphone is a better choice.

WW

[FlyingSquirrel]

A couple of additional points:

> Understood that you probably will not buy, but - (many, mostly all) Professional Audio Highly Directional Microphones, (like the Sennheisers mentioned) are phantom powered and have a balanced Audio Output. The 3.5mmTRS socket on all Stills Cameras are probably (I expect) an unbalanced Audio Input, so considering also the phantom powering to the Microphone, a "balanced-hot" to "unbalanced Audio In" transformer/coupling would be required between the Mic and the Camera.

> Understood that you mentioned a 500mm lens - but in the event that some shots will be made with a wider lens, or a wide or panning view using the 500mm lens, remember that the Microphone is intended to be "directional", but sometimes the audio will need to be focused not where the camera is pointing: in these cases a Cold Shoe Camera mounted Directional Microphone is not a good idea, but a separate Sound Recordist, following the Audio Action with the Directional Microphone is a better choice.

WW

Thanks for the technical insights, Bill. Obviously way above and beyond my knowledge or equipment level for now, but someday in the future I will probably venture there.