Choosing the Best Microphone for Your Nikon

All new Nikon cameras can shoot video and come with a built in microphone.  While the quality of the microphone is quite good, its location in the camera picks up the focus clicking sound.  There is no way to avoid that unless you could somehow detach the microphone from the camera.

The Nikon solution to the detachable microphone is the ME-1.  This is an excellent device that can be used on all Nikon models that shoot video.  At about $120 retail, it is an outstanding value for photographers who don’t shoot video very often.

Since Nikon introduced the D7000 several years ago, a lot has been written about the preference for shooting video with the Nikon camera over shooting video with a dedicated video recorder. The sharpness, auto focus, and ease of use of a Nikon camera make it a superior choice, even a choice preferred by professionals for shooting video.

Third party manufacturers like Rhode offer some excellent options for sound recording.  Rhode is an Australian company established in 1967 as “the Freedman Group of Companies.”  The development and sale of quality microphones is their primary business in the same way quality lenses and cameras is the primary business of Nikon.  The marriage of Rhode and Nikon is a match made in heaven.

The VideoMic Pro from Rode is an excellent alternative to Nikon’s ME-1 and in many ways it is better than the ME-1.  VideoMic Pro features a 2-step high pass filter to eliminate hum and other background noises and the quality sensor enables the device to pick up audio directly from the front, while reducing additional pick-up from the sides or the rear of the microphone. This results in a clear and crisp sound quality that strips away any outside sounds.

Rhode also makes a stereo VideoMik Pro for capturing the full stereo effect in a video when filming concerts, street scenes and parties.  This microphone provides controls for equalization and a high pass filter at 75Hz to cut superfluous noise that might come from air conditioners or street traffic.  It is an excellent microphone when you are not shooting speeches or people talking and Nikon does not make a stereo microphone so this one has no competition.

If you are seeking a more comprehensive and professional-grade microphone for your needs, the Sony UWP-V6 Dual Wireless ENG Basic Kit (42/44 – 638 to 662MHz) is a good choice.  It is sold as a kit containing two units—source and destination. The subject wears the microphone so the sound quality is equivalent to the sound quality of a television talk show.

The kit is able to accommodate two audio sources and camera operators simultaneously. The kit package includes the UWP-V6 wireless plug-in ENG microphone system, UWP-V1 wireless lavalier microphone system, two camera-mountable receivers, two bodypack transmitters, two lavalier microphones, a handheld microphone, and a V-Bracket shoe mount.

Consider your video needs and the amount of shooting you are likely to do with your camera and the choice of microphone that is right for you will be obvious.