On another web-board, I read some enthusiastic comments about the Audio Technica AT4073a, a short shot-gun mic comparible in size and price to the ubiquitous K6+ME66. So I did a search here to get some other opinions. Guess what? Not only did "AT4073a" show no threads. "Audio Technica" also drew a blank.
It seems to be widely accepted that the K6+ME66 is the standard choice for many videographers, but it's not the only option. I have three related questions:
1) To those of you who use just the Sennheiser - What other mics did you consider, and why did you chose the ME66?
2) To those of you who don't use the Sennheiser, what do you use instead, and why?
3) To those of you who use a Sennheiser and something else, when do you use each one, and why?
Cheers
Mark @ Steamage
PS: now I'm going to try that search again...
I like the Beyer Dynamic MCE 86S, which I use mounted on camera. It is a highly directional pro hypercardiod condenser shotgun mic. It's great for mounting on cameras or using on a boom too (which I have done as well). I have even used it to record commentary in my home studio, so it's pretty adaptable and it's rugged as it's all metal too. Phantom power or battery (if you buy the 'S' model). I like it because it is so sensitive and the reproduction is ecxellent.
I cannot comment on the K6_ME66 combination, but I might be buying one of those in the next couple of months, I like the idea of the interchangeability.
Although it's not on a smaller camera, I use an Audio technica AT815b.
It's also usable as a boom mic
I considered the ME66, but bought the ME67 due to its higher sensitivity and greater directional characteristic. This was a replacement for an MKE300, which I still have, and use when the shear size and vulnerability of the ME67 would pose problems.
I use this exclusively for wildlife photography and its pick up of a bird call from a distance is superb, far better than the MKE300. Unfortunately it does not have as good a rejection of off-axis sounds as I had expected, so I get a background of the usual RAF planes, high speed trains, etc. that are endemic in this country.
Try the following forum - this topic is regularly discussed there!
Thanks for the comments, chaps.
Alan - yes I already know about DVinfo. That's where I read about the At4073a to start with. Good site, isn't it? There's a useful discussion of hypercardiods and short shotgun mics going on there at the moment.
Cheers
Mark @ Steamage
The Audio Technica AT897A
= same size as that combination.
Absolutely brilliant. Half the price