Audio Matters: Choosing the Right Mic for Your Stills Camera

Recently I reviewed a wireless microphone system. Although it was primarily designed for smartphones, it triggered a realization in me. Here at Light Stalking we talk lots about photography, we also have talked a fair bit about shooting video with our stills cameras. What we have not talked about much is the ways that our cameras can capture audio.

Even if you never shoot video, there is a good chance that you might need to record audio. Perhaps for a slideshow, perhaps an online tutorial or screencast. There are a great many options when it comes to getting microphones for your computer, from a few dollars to thousands of dollars. However, none of those will plug into a camera.

Getting a microphone for your camera makes sense. You can shoot audio anywhere without the need of a laptop. You can easily sync audio with the visuals. The audio is recorded to ubiquitous memory cards in easy to use file formats. All sounds great but what are your options when it comes to recording devices for your stills camera?

A full video rig on a mirroless camera
We increasingly shoot video and audio on our stills cameras. By Ben Collins on Unsplash

Inbuilt Microphones.

All cameras these days from small action cams to full size professional mirrorless have some type of built-in microphone. They are not bad, you will get usable audio out of them but it will not be of high quality. The range of internal mics is often quite limited both in distance and in audio range. This means the voice can sound quite muffled or clipped.

There is also, often quite a lot of audio processing going on when using an internal mic, think of it as JPEGs for audio, where some effects are baked in. Many cameras will allow you to turn some of these off, but you need to remember to do so.

If you are in a noisy environment such as near a road or in windy conditions, internal mics will struggle a lot. They are best suited to capturing audio indoors, in a quiet room, and close to the camera.

Sony mirrorless camera on a gimbal
Built in mics are usable but very basic and limited. By Prasesh Shiwakoti (Lomash) on Unsplash

Shotgun Mics

Most of you will have seen this style of camera microphone at some time or another. As the name suggests they look like the barrel of a shotgun when the foam windshield is removed.

They are predominantly directional microphones. That means that they capture audio from a specific direction, ie where the front end of the microphone is pointed. This makes them very useful in noisier environments such as outside, so long as the mic is pointing away from the rogue noise source.

You still have to be fairly close to the camera but when you are, you will get a very high-quality recording even from relatively budget mics.

They plug into your camera via a 3.5mm TRS mic jack. Most cameras have a 3.5mm microphone socket, however some do not. They may record external audio via USB-C but often you can buy a 3.5mm to USB-C adapter. Check your camera’s manual for specific details.

You can pick up a decent shotgun mic starting at $75 and going up to several hundred. They are often the mics of choice for vloggers as they are simple to use, plug directly into the camera and require little setting up.

A shotgun microphone mounted on a mirrorless camera
Shotgun mics are a good choice for vlogging. By ixmedia hu on Unsplash

Lavalier Mics

Another type of mic you may have seen is the Lavalier. This is a tiny clip-on mic that attaches to your lapel or other parts of clothing close to your mouth. They are often seen in TV studios and other live broadcasts.

Most cavaliers are omnidirectional, in other words, they pick up the audio from multiple directions. However, due to their close proximity to the talent, they are still very good options for outdoor recording, if external noise is not extremely prominent. Wired lavaliers can be pretty cheap ranging from a few dollars up to several hundred dollars for high-end broadcast-quality ones.

They come in two forms, wired and wireless. As the name suggests, the wired version plugs directly into the camera. This requires care when shooting as the cables can be quite short and any movement may pull it from the camera’s socket or worse still tip the camera over if it’s on a tripod.

A better option of a wireless lavalier. These are generally sold as part of a wider wireless recording system. Let’s look at those in a little more detail.

A wireless lavalier mic system for smartphones
A budget smartphone wireless lavalier system that I reviewed.

Wireless Microphone Systems

These are probably at the higher end of most consumer camera mic systems, however they are the most versatile. They work by having a wireless receiver attached to the camera, usually via the 3.5mm mic socket but also sometimes via USB-C. The receiver connects via Bluetooth or wifi to a transmitter module. This will also contain a 3.5mm mic socket, into which you can plug either a shotgun or Lavalier microphone. The audio is then transmitted from the mic, to the receiver and into the camera.

The advantages are that you can move freely away from the camera and use any suitable microphone. However both the transmitter and receiver require power and the range will be limited, especially indoors with walls.

Cheaper systems can be had for around $100 and will have one transmitter and one receiver, usually combined with a cheap wired lavalier mic. These are often quite chunky and powered by AA batteries with fairly limited battery life.

Higher-end systems such as the Rode Wireless Go II are much more versatile. The Go II comes with one receiver, two transmitters and a mid-range lavalier. However, the two transmitters are actually microphones in their own right and can be attached directly to the talent. They also feature a built-in backup system that records high-quality audio directly to the transmitter unit in case the wireless transmission drops of fails. Lastly, both the transmitter and receiver have built-in lithium batteries that have 7-8 hours on time and can be recharged via USB-C.

These sorts of systems start at around $250 but bring great versatility to your audio set ups.

A Rode Wireless Go II transmitter and microphone
Advanced wireless mic systems offer the best bang for buck and versatility. By Amjith S on Unsplash

Summary

With many photographers working increasingly in a hybrid environment, the need for high quality audio is growing. The above is a brief run down of the more popular types of microphone systems for our stills cameras.

As mentioned at the top, buying a mic for your camera rather than your computer gives you great versatility and is often easier to set up. There are other options such as external audio recorders, but these add in the complexity of having to sync audio with visuals.

If you have the budget, a good quality wireless mic system is the way to go.

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About Author

Jason has more than 35 years of experience as a professional photographer, videographer and stock shooter. You can get to know him better here.

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