VideoMic Camera-Mount Shotgun Microphone with Rycote Lyre Shock Mounting, Black

Great product! I have used this mic since spring/summer of 2010 and each time I wonder if it will handle a situation and it continues to amaze me. The Rode VideoMic was able to deliver and pickup the sounds of a Qui Gong Master performing an exercise/lesson/demo while outside and having me stand about 25-30ft away while clicking his fingers behind and on his head with crisp, distinctive sound when played back. I couldn't believe it captured the sound which now makes me wonder, what would the audio have been like using the DeadCat for the wind reduction. That is next on my wish list for sure. This little unit was also put through a test when video recording a friends wedding and the minister turned off the sound system on me and I was left to record only the sound that was being presented without a direct connect. That was in a balcony, around 100ft away. It did a fair job, well more than I could have asked for and I'm not sure another mic would have even performed that good. A simple run through SoundBooth after for cleanup and the audio would go from fair to very acceptable. An event to remember to say the least. The battery life lasts more than I could ask for. I used only "two" 9 volt batteries and changed one out after 115 hours because I didn't want to be caught needing to change them during an event even though the light turns yellow. I'm still on the second battery and after a minimum total between the two batteries of 230 hours of video/audio recording since I received my Rode Mic this really adds ease of mind during any event. Fit and finish are nice. I don't mind if things are made from plastic as long as the material is really sturdy. This unit is. I have it in my backpack all the time and aside from the action of travels, it gets removed from the mic bracket constantly without issue or seemingly any wear and tear. I will touch on this more below. I really like the fact that Rode gives you about 4-6 extra "bands" for the shock mount. My only slight issue is that the mic can bounce around somewhat easy because of the bands but it does take away any noise issue one would get without them so it's acceptable. Now a few findings... I know this will very by skill and what equipment is used by an individual(s) so a quick list of what this is used with. I'm using the Rode with a Canon HF-S21 and a "L" bracket attached to the bottom of the camera and mounted with a Manfrotto 701 video head and 055CXPRO3 tripod legs. Very good setup however I found out that any bump to the camera (of course) and the legs gets picked up by the mic as well. I mean as simple as my headphone wire hitting a tripod leg while panning (live and learn). I think I will also be adding some tripod leg wraps of foam to play it safe in the future but the tripod really isn't made directly for video. It's for a camera and I know that the legs for a video tripod are different but you do with what you have on hand and learn from that. If the mic had any faults, it is that it can pick everything up so keep that in mind. To get back to the above wear and tear, I question how well the cold shoe mount threads will hold up under a ton of tightening and loosening (and I don't mean over twisting/tightening them) but it also has a 10 year warranty so for now, I won't really loose sleep over it. Of wear and tear, an included soft or optional hard case would be something nice offered by Rode to keep the mic in great shape. Other than that I can only question one last thing and that is the on/off switch. While it is sturdy, will it triumph on the longevity? Only time will tell. I highly recommend this mic for video and even for a Pod/Video Cast if need be.

Besides having to buy your own battery to use for the mic it does a great job capturing audio and very simple to use a great mic overall

After spending many days combing the internet and reading review after review I decided to give the RODE VideoMic Directional Camcorder Microphone a try. I wanted something that was good, light, somewhat short and inexpensive. I have a small mini dv camcorder that is only about 5 inches long and didn't want a mic that would get in my viewfinder's shots. The mic sticks out about 5 inches in front of my lens, but manages to stay out of my shots. First let me comment on the sound. This little bugger picks up sounds very well. In a quiet room I can be 40 yards away and still pick up the conversation. The quality is outstanding. The audio compared to the built-in mic in my camcorder is night and day. The Rode is so clear. The price is great. I'm guessing the quality would compare to other mics in the $300 range. My Rode came with a Dead Cat wind screen which resembles a cat's tail. It really saved me some money! At first I didn't use the Dead Cat, but then I ran into a little wind which interfered with gathering good audio. After using the Dead Cat, I always keep the wind screen on the mic. It does not interfere with the clarity of the audio and works incredibly well in breezy conditions. I will mention that I had to trim the hair on my wind screen because I could see the hair in my videos. After trimming the hair a bit, the wind screen is still effective and no more hair dangling in the top of my video screen. The shock vibration design is cool and they even gave me extra rubber band thingies. This mic sits high off the camera and stays out of my shots. Since the mic is somewhat far away from the camcorder, I don't pick up any camera humming noise that can happen with other mics that are too close to the camera. Even on my hotshoe, I don't get any humming. I wish I could say that I have used $300 mics and above, but I haven't. I will say that you won't be disappointed with this microphone. I'm a photojournalist by trade and I have begun to shoot video for our newspaper's web publication. This mic is perfect for my needs. If you buy it, don't forget to turn off the mic. I accidently left mine on. There is no auto shutoff.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: If you're new to mics, this is a great mic but not appropriate for many recording situations. Don't think of it as a higher quality multi-purpose replacement mic for the one on your camera. This is a special purpose mic only for certain situations. LONG VERSION: I'm a hobbyist who recently became interested in camcorders. I thought I'd pick up a decent consumer model ( Panasonic HDC-TM700K Hi-Def Camcorder with Pro Control System & 32GB Flash (Black) ) to try some video manipulation and compositing (I've done a lot of 3D rendering and 2D drawings). My first cheap consumer camera I bought a few months ago had a really bad mic so I figured I'd buy a "high quality" external mic for my new camera thinking it would simply be a better version of the on-board mic and I was familiar with Rode from doing some music recording so I figured they'd make a good product. Well it turns out I was quite wrong about the Rode VideoMic simply being a "quality upgrade" for the on-board mic, and this is something I want to point out to any other camcorder newbies like myself. The Rode VideoMic serves a very different purpose from the mic on my TM700 -- the VideoMic is a highly directional mic designed to pick up sound from what you're focusing your camera on and to suppress sound outside the scene. You hear your subject clearly, but not the surrounding environment. For this application the VideoMic is fantastic. The fountain I can see from my balcony sounds clear, loud, highly articulated, and (if I amplify the audio signal and increase the bass a bit in my video editor) it sounds like Niagara Falls with no muddiness or loss of clarity in the sound. This mic can take a sound I hear as a hiss while I'm holding the camera and turn it into a rich powerful sound that really elevates the dimension and impact of the final footage (but if you're looking for accuracy or subtlety you can filter it back into a hiss). I'm really impressed with what this product does. BUT... This mic isn't appropriate for a lot of situations. Want to narrate while standing behind your camera and filming? You're voice is going to sound like you have a sock stuffed in your mouth because of the highly directional response. Want to record a family get together and catch all the conversations going on all around you, or record the sounds of a city you're walking through in 5.1 surround? The VideoMic is probably the last thing you want to use for that (at least it hasn't worked for me in these situations). I'm hoping there's some good external omni-directional mics with the quality of the VideoMic available so I can get the same sort of quality for non-directional recording. Even better if it's possible to do 5.1 with an external mic using my camera. In the meantime I'll still have to use the camera's built-in mic for much of the recording I do.

Sound quality is good once you nail down the camera settings. Can't have your camera volume hight than 5 or so before you get this hissing noise. Other than that it's been good to go. Changed my sony volume level down to a two and that chagesd the game.

UPDATE as of 7.2.2015 - I sent the mic in to RØDE under warranty to be repaired, honestly without high expectations. They shipped back a brand new mic. Very impressed with their customer service and their standing behind their warranty. Very excited to use this mic again, as it always yielded great results. This is my second RØDE Videomic I've owned, and both had precisely the same problem. The mic worked great for about 6 months--audio was clear, loud, consistent. The build is still a little cheesy, but the red plastic shock mount is a HUGE improvement from the old black elastic bands you see everyone criticizing in other reviews. All in all, I was very happy with the performance for the price. Then one day, I went to edit some video I'd shot, and the audio was completely absent. Just a constant loud hiss. Hunting back through all the clips from the day, I found that the audio had slowly faded quieter and quieter until it was simply gone, and only the hiss remained. Every subsequent clip had the same problem--no audio, just hiss. As I said, my previous Videomic did exactly the same thing (albeit after 12 months instead of 6). I haven't seen this problem mentioned in any of the reviews I've looked through. I'm not sure if that's because the reviewers haven't owned the mic long enough, or if I'm just doing something to damage my microphones. I can't imagine what; they are either mounted on the camera or packed securely away in the camera bag at all times. Very disappointed, as I've seen all the rave reviews on this mic, and it works great for me--when it works. Wouldn't recommend.

Okay so if you are familiar with good and even descent audio this thing will not cut it. And for $150 it is not worth the money. I ended up selling mine and using my SM57 dynamic mic instead. I should have just done this in the first place considering a dynamic mic has way better sound and is ten times more durable. The SURE SM57 is the most used and most famous dynamic recording mic. For voice to distorted guitar to volcano eruptions. This thing is a beast and it only costs $99. What I ended up doing is buying a Sennheiser female XLR to male 3.5mm mini jack 15" cord for $20.00 to fit the SM57 onto my DSLR then buying an Auray DUSM-1 Universal Shock Mount for $50. It can fit mics that have a diameter of 19-25mm. The SM57 fits in it great. You end up spending only $20.00 more for a way, way, way better setup. One that can easily handle a rock concert recording at your local hangout to an interview with a politician. Trust me, this RODE is a cheap piece of s***! Cheap plastic, man what a complete rip-off. Ya'll camera junkies are too used to overly priced junk. The SM57 seems balanced enough for me and my DSLR preamps can handle its signal. Most should, it is a cardioid mic that doesn't need phantom power. It is the most rugged and ingenious design of all microphones. You can also hold the mic, if you prefer, while doing street interviews for example. I just use the 10' XLR cord that I already own and connect the Sennheiser converter and it works great.

Let me start off by saying that the sound quality of this mic is not bad at all and is sure as hell beats the use of the on board mic. If you plan to just sit and leave the camera motionless on a tripod, then this mic will do the job just fine. However, if you plan to make any motion at all while using this mic, I can not recommend it at all. After buying the mic and using it on a shoot of an indie action movie that I was making I found that the plastic construction on the mic makes a squeaking sound whenever I move even the slightest amount. The worst part is, I couldn't hear any of this during the filming so once I wrapped and reviewed the footage I found that this noise was heard throughout the shoot. Maybe this was a rookie move on my part not stopping to review footage during the shoot. Or maybe I am doing something wrong (in which case please tell me). But the fact of the mater is when I spend $130 on a mic, I expect to get sound better than using the one that is already built into my camera and that is not the case at all. I would not recommend this mic.