Buyers’ guide
TascamDR-44WL › tascam.eu › £276
DPA4080Miniature CardioidMicrophone › dpamicrophones.com › £409
This four-channel, Wi-Fi-equipped recorder uses two high-quality condenser mics, recording a huge breadth of sound without distortion. The mics are cradled in individual shock mounts to cut vibration noise when handholding the unit, but it also has a rear screw thread for mounting on a tripod or stand. There are also XLR inputs to use accessory mics. Syncing neatly with a free iOS or Android app, you can control and record directly to your devices, or there’s an SD card port. It runs on four AA batteries and weighs just 346g.
clothing, allowing it to be freely directed, and has an integrated shock mount to offset any noise from vibration. It also comes with both black and white pop filters. As a stand-alone, high-quality mic, the 4080 can be plugged directly into the camera, a wireless transmitter or field recorder with equal ease.
This pro-level lavalier mic has a cardioid pickup pattern that’s optimised for wearing on the chest placement. The heart-shaped pattern means it’s most sensitive at the front – and far less at the back or sides. It’s therefore perfect for interviews. Discrete and compact in design, the mic’s clip attaches easily to
For peace of mind and ultimate flexibility, the F1-LP set includes a Zoom F1 field recorder and LMF-1 lavalier mic. This off-camera solution means you can record directly, without worrying about range or disruption of the signal. The F1 is small and light, attaching via a strong clip to belts, waistbands or pockets. The LMF-1 mic plugs straight in using a regular 3.5mm jack, and MP3 or super high-quality 24-bit WAV files are recorded to a microSD card. The interface is incredibly easy to use, and there’s also a lock button to prevent accidental changes when recording. ZoomF1-LP field recorder and lavalier mic › zoomcorp.com › £155
Azden Pro-XRe › holdan.co.uk › £259
this portable wireless set deliver crystal-clear sound with a 50m range. Rechargeable batteries give 21-hour runtime on the receiver and 15 on the transmitter, plus headphone and mics add flexibility. If you need a reliable wireless set-up, look no further than the Pro-XRe as your next buy.
Packed with new technology, the Pro-XRe is a next-generation wireless mic that avoids issues like line-of-sight dependency and congestion, which affect 2.8GHz mics. Auto interference avoidance, frequency spectrum auto-scan and signal redundancy tech are the headline features, helping
Sony ZV-1 › swains.co.uk › £699
Atomos NinjaV › atomos.com › £570
If you’re looking to start your journey in video – or improve results – it’s a good idea to also look at video-specific models. Cameras like the Sony ZV-1 are an all-in-one solution for all sorts of videomakers and vloggers. You can even livestream from it via the USB connection. With a one-inch stacked CMOS sensor, the ZV-1 delivers top-end video features like 100Mbps 4K 3840x2160 at 30p, and 100Mbps Full HD at 120p for super slow-motion effects. The ZV-1 is no slouch when it comes to audio. While it has a standard 3.5mm mic jack, it also includes a superb, directional three-capsule mic and windshield, to help record high-quality sound. Light at only 294g, it’s easy to mount on video accessories like gimbals and sliders, and the large LCD flips to the front for vlogging.
Many filmmakers use accessory screens when shooting video, but they can be a great benefit when trying to improve sound recording, too. Aside from being able to see sound levels more clearly on a display mirrored from the camera’s screen, the Ninja V has a separate audio control panel which – when sound is input – can assign the channels being recorded. This lets you record and visually monitor the separate channels or inputs from different mics. On the Ninja V, quality tops out at 24-bit 48kHz, with up to eight channels recordable over an HDMI connection, 12 channels on SDI and two channels on a standard 3.5mm.
26 Photography News | Issue 98
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