Zoom or Shotguns mics?

[pgowder]

Does anyone here use them?

I have a Sony Digital Handycam (HC30??) and I'm looking to purchase one.

Any recommendations on a good one?

Thanks

[MJS]

How narrow a sound field do you want to pick up? The mic doesn't actually zoom into the sound, it just zeroes in on a smaller angle of pick up so that the electronics can work on just that skinny pick up area. Consider the overall size of the mic, both length and width, Will it be in your wide shot if mounted on the camera. The overall best suggestion is to go and see what the different mics sound like, and try them on your or a same model demo camera. That way you'll know what you can and can't get away with.

[pgowder]

I'll be shooting a Pow Wow, here are examples of last years:

http://www.powwows.com/galleries/sho...ry.php?cat=554

[Skyman]

I have to dissagree mjs there is a device that is a zoom microphone. Basically these are controlled by the camera so you need to get the one for your camera. they are actually a cardoid mic and a bipolar mic combined to give a stereo pic up pattern, but basically now they can use phase variance filtering of the delay from each side of the bipolar in conjunction with the cardoid to determine where in a 270 degree space (not directly behind the camera) the sound came from. the camera then applies software filtering to alter the microphones pic up pattern in conjunction with the zoom of the lens.

Having Said all of that i would still recomend a boom or gunshot mic. senheiser is by far and away the best. as mjs said these mics do not zoom but rather pic up a narrower range or angle of sound due to their design. the best one for video is the modullar K6 that can be adapted to a variety of heads to give different polar responses depending on what you want to achieve, I have never had any problems with the me66 head. although your camera must have manual gain control as these microphones are very sensitive.

[MJS]

In addition to the Senheiser, Audio-Technica AT835B and AT815. And skyman is correct, the angle of pickup on the zoom mic does change, in that sense it does vary. What doesn't change noticably is the signal strength on a subject that is further away.