MINI TESTS
DJI WIRELESS MIC SYSTEM £289/$329 dji.com Drone and gimbal specialist DJI may be late to the audio party, but it seems the company studied what every other manufacturer has done and launched a system that merges lots of the features and specs of its main rivals. It’s small, packed with tech and performs very well on everything from cameras to smartphones, as it comes with clip-on iOS and Android connectors. There are two separate transmitters with a built-in omnidirectional mic on each. You can clip the small TX box to your subject’s collar, or use the magnetic attachment to fasten it inside clothing. There is an input for a lav mic, but none are included in the kit. It uses the Sennheiser-standard lav mic connection instead of Sony’s standard. When recording, a small LED on the TX unit lights up green to let you know it’s rolling. The unit also vibrates when recording starts, so the wearer SPECIFICATIONS Modes: Mono, -6dB safety track Range: 250m/820ft Frequency: 2.4GHz Interfaces: 3.5mm TRS audio output, headphone jack, USB-C/ Apple Lightning Built-in mic: Omnidirectional, 50Hz-20kHz High-pass filter: 150Hz Sample rate: 48kHz, 24-bit Battery life: TX 5.5hrs; RX 5hrs Case charging time: 160 minutes Charging case capacity: Fully
knows all is well. In addition to audio being beamed to the receiver, each mic has a built-in recorder, good for 14 hours of capture. This saves files to internal memory, in case of a breakdown in wireless connectivity. It also illuminates a red LED on the front to let you know that internal recording is active. Having red and green LEDs illuminated in the front of the unit might be a tad distracting for some filmmakers – so the LEDs can be turned down, but not off. For windy days, there are two small wind muffs included that bayonet onto the mics. They work well, but aren’t the most secure fitment. Like the Hollyland Lark 150 we tested last year, the DJI receiver and transmitters fit in a custom-made case which you charge via USB-C – just like Apple AirPods. All three units charge at the same time and pair when put into the case. They switch on upon removal, so you can be up and running in seconds. Take everything out of the case, clip the TX to your subject, plug the RX into the camera and you’re set. If you don’t want to use everything straight away, you can turn it all off with the buttons on the side. The charging station has a USB-C socket for power and firmware upgrades. The TX and RX units all have USB-C connections, so can be charged independently if needed. The USB-C sockets on the TX units are where you download the audio files from, too. In use, the mic transmitters work for around five hours. But regularly pop them back inside a charged-up case for a refresh and you can get up to an additional 15 hours. To adjust the gain on the mics, you have to use the receiver unit, which
has a small but effective touchscreen where you adjust all parameters. You can record in mono with a -6dB safety track or in standard mono, setting levels separately for each transmitter. Also adjustable are headphone level, low-cut filter, vibration, LED brightness and noise-activated auto recording settings. This is a simple unit to use, which is a very good thing – rather than baffling a filmmaker with too much science. The screen shows levels during recording, too. The claimed range is 250m/820ft with line of sight, and at more normal distances we had no problems with drop-outs or any interference. The audio is designed for speech and it’s fantastic at capturing voices. It’s clear and well-defined, and also works well with a conventional lav mic – which is easier to hide. We found the units easy to use, but the hotshoe clip on the RX was prone to having its connection come loose when removing it from a camera. Other than that, it’s a great kit that’s small and does everything well. PRO MOVIEMAKER RATING: 9/10 A tiny two-channel wireless audio system packed with features Pros: Easy way to record two people Cons: No lav mic included
CASE STUDY The DJI mic fits inside a charging case (top). The RX sits in your camera hotshoe (above)
charge all units 1.8 times RX/TX charging time: 70 minutes
Receiver dimensions (wxhxd): 47.4x32.2x17.4mm/1.9x1.3x0.7in Receiver weight: 24.9g/0.9oz Transmitter dimensions (wxhxd): 47.3x30.4x20mm/1.9x1.2x0.8in Transmitter weight: 30g/1.1oz Case dimensions (wxhxd): 103.1x61.9x41.5mm/ 4.1x2.4x1.6in Case weight: 162.2g/5.7oz
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