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The RØDE NTG-3 External Microphone

By David Hague

(c) Auscam Online Auscam is our partner in Australasia and has a website at www.auscamonline.com plus their magazine can be subscribed to from that address or by emailing david@auscamonline.com

I am in the process of evaluating three different mid-level pro cameras for a special feature on what constitutes a good "run'n'gun" unit for ENG and other interested types. In the process, I have across an interesting problem.

To keep the comparison fair, we are using a RØDE NTG-3 external mic as two of the cameras came with their own mic but one didn't. And herein lays the problem.

It appears there is no set standard for microphone diameters so in the case of the Panasonic AG-HMC41E (the others are a Canon XA10 and Sony NFX5) for example, when the NTG-3 is placed in the external mic holder it rattles around - not enough to simply slide through, but enough to be a worry.

The initial fix was to wrap some paper around the NTG-3 and then clamp it shut inside the mic holder; not elegant to be sure, not particularly aesthetic I suppose but it worked in a gerilla sort of way. But there is a more graceful solution.

A quick call to Scott Emerton from RØDE and an email reply informed me of the existence of the RØDE SM5 shock mount. As you can see, instead of clamping the mic, the SM5 itself is clamped and the mic slides between and is suspended by rubber pads ensuring there is no unwanted rumble or vibration.

If you want to add the SM5 to a boom pole, there are also 1/4" and 3/8" threads at the base of the mount.

RRP: $49.95 approx

See at www.rodemic.com

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David Hague comes from a photographic family with both his father and older brother having been professional photographers. David's experiences include writing and directing the suite of training videotapes for Microsoft for Office and Windows, training tapes for Filemaker Pro and Autocad Lite and numerous TV commercials, documentaries and corporate videos. He was for 3 years the Managing Editor of Australian Video Camera Publications and is now publishing and editing AusCam magazine and PC Update. He has a bent for fishing and motor sport and is an unashamed Aussie who makes a killer Home Brew. David lives in the south west of Western Australia among the dolphins and pelicans of Mandurah, 45 minutes south of the capital, Perth.

Related Keywords:Microphone, professional audio, professional video, Panasonic, Canon, RØDE