MINI TESTS
GODOX WMICS1 KIT £160/$159 godox.com
Taking styling and functionality cues from traditional big-name audio brands, Godox has moved into the wireless audio market with the affordable WMicS1 kit, which comes with a single transmitter and receiver. It’s larger than the latest crop of small wireless kits, but has the professional form factor many are used to. That means it’s quite big if you want to use it on a mirrorless camera that has a monitor/recorder screen on top. With something tiny like a Rode Wireless Go II kit, the receiver is a tiny little box, but the Godox is far bigger and heavier. While the world has gone crazy for dual wireless systems – allowing two talking heads to be wired up with separate transmitters into a single on-camera receiver – the Godox kit comes with just one. But the receiver has dual inputs, so you can buy another transmitter – or a kit that includes two – and be ready to go. There’s auto pairing, auto channel lock and more, in order to help you get going in seconds. What’s more, it all comes in a nice, sturdy case. The basic kit has a receiver with two wireless aerials, which can be plugged into your camera via the included 3.5mm jack or XLR cable if you’re using cinema cameras or recording devices. The transmitter has a single aerial, and like the RX unit uses two AA batteries or USB-C power – there’s no internal battery. But with
two AA batteries, it lasts a very long time – we got about ten hours. Build quality is only decent, although the plastic bodies should be good if you look after them. For a more rugged, metal build, you’d need a more expensive brand. There’s also a small screen which is somewhat hard to read at distance. The kit comes with its own cardioid lav mic which has a large clip, making it a bit hard to hide. You may want to invest in some smaller clips. What really matters is the sound quality – in that, the kit delivers. It’s clear and natural with no peaking, even when the going gets loud. Another key area wireless systems must perform in is range. The Godox’s larger aerials pay real dividends here. We found no interference despite the presence of many houses and even a huge cellular phone mast – and distance was no problem. The menus are accessed by pressing and holding a menu button to access many of the features such as volume or channels and groups; changing settings was not especially quick. This could be a bit of a pain as “What really matters is sound quality – in that, the kit delivers”
IN THE BAG This Godox comes with
SPECIFICATIONS Wireless technology: Analogue UHF Number of RF channels: 96 RF frequency band: 514MHz-596MHz Range: 100m/328ft with line of sight Audio I/O: 3.5mm TRS, 3.5mm headphone (receiver) Display: OLED RF output power: 10-40mW Latency: 12ms Power: 2x AA batteries or USB-C Receiver dimensions (wxhxd): 63x190x25mm/2.5x7.5x1in Receiver weight: 80g/0.18lb Transmitter dimensions (wxhxd): 63x190x22mm/2.5x7.5x0.9in Transmitter weight: 70g/0.15lb
everything you need, including a decent case
it’s a bit fiddly, or a clever feature that stops the talent accidentally changing settings when handling the kit. It’s not as slick as the newer-generation kits like those from Rode or Hollyland, for example. And the Godox doesn’t have internal recording, an internal mic or app control. However, as a solid performer with great audio quality and a reliable wireless signal, it’s a dependable buy – especially at the price. PRO MOVIEMAKER RATING: 8/10 A great-performing wireless kit without the bells and whistles Pros: Buy a second TX unit for cheap dual-channel audio Cons: Fiddly menus; no app control
PRO STYLE The RX unit can be mounted on a hotshoe, while the TX unit has a belt clip
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