Adding a shotgun mike to the FX1

Joseph Jamieson · September 1st, 2006, 06:46 PM

The FX-1 has a shoe-adapter in the box that appears to me to be fairly standard. It's a cold-shoe, of course.

As far as the audio quality of the compressed MPG stream, I've found it to be very good. Most situations would work just fine with this level of compression - it's 384Kbps 48Khz. While I wouldn't master a music production with it, or attempt to use it for studio sound recording, it seems perfectly acceptable for 95% of what you'd ever need it for.

Lots of folks use a combination of Minidisc (256Kbit ATRAC) and on-board audio recording stations for their productions. It all sounds good.

I mean, let's face it. We're not shooting the next Spider Man movie with this gear. There's no need to be overly picky about something that's a non-issue.

Bob Grant · September 4th, 2006, 07:52 AM

The Rode Videomic is an excellent add on for the FX1, own power and plugs straight in. As said anything more upmarket is probably overkill. Doesn't make much sense to me anyway to save a few bucks compared to the Z1 and then want to put an expensive shotgun on a camera not designed to take it.

The problem with the built in mics is they pickup a lot of camera noise, and operator noise.

You've also got to be careful using the shoe to mount mics, easy to foul the LCD.

Tom Tanquary · September 4th, 2006, 02:05 PM

I would argue that's it's probably a good policy to buy the best piece of equipment you can whether it's a mike or a C47. Besides the old rule of "you get what you pay for" a good quality item you can make use of for years and across multipule platforms. My Senn 416 is nearly 15 years old but still does a great job. It was well worth the money. IOW, I would never let the limitations of your current set-up determin what you buy. The only factor should be your budget. And you should be thinking in the long term if at all possible. Like my 416, it's lasted a lot longer than many of my cameras, so it's cost spread across that time span made it pretty cheap.

And the other thing about getting good gear - if you have to sell it, it holds it's value a whole lot better. And if you snagged it off eBay, you can often times sell it a year later for what you paid for it (it's FREE!!).

t

"Any job worth doing is worth over-doing."

Fred Foronda · September 12th, 2006, 08:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bob Grant

The Rode Videomic is an excellent add on for the FX1, own power and plugs straight in.

I need this mic...anyone has a picture of this mic on their fx1, I am curious how far it will stick out over the len's hood.

Douglas Spotted Eagle · September 12th, 2006, 08:48 PM

No pix of it, I guess I could take the time to shoot one on my Z1, but if you're worried about it showing up in the wide angle frame...don't. Even with a .6 wide adapter on the Z1, it doesn't come into the frame at all. Even with my longer-haired furry.

Ty Ford · September 12th, 2006, 09:07 PM

Interesting idea. The data rate for the HDV format is 384 kbps for stereo, 192 kbps for one channel.

CD audio (44.1 khz,16-bit) uncompressed is about 1500 kbps. So mono would be about 750 kbps.

So that's, what, 3-4 times more data.

Regards,

Ty Ford

Douglas Spotted Eagle · September 12th, 2006, 09:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ty Ford

Interesting idea. The data rate for the HDV format is 384 kbps for stereo, 192 kbps for one channel.

CD audio (44.1 khz,16-bit) uncompressed is about 1500 kbps. So mono would be about 750 kbps.

So that's, what, 3-4 times more data.

Regards,

Ty Ford

Been brought up several times in various situations. Unfortunately, the spec doesn't account for it, but it's a grand idea. Now...if the spec could be modified (and it can be, because it recently was) then...we'd have something.

Noah Hayes · September 16th, 2006, 08:07 PM

It was my perception of the origin of this thread, the possibility/availability of the shotgun holder that is provided built-in to the z1u. Looking at my FX1 right now, it seems like if one could find the mount used in the Z1U, one could install it...

I have enough stuff to put on my coldshoe, I don't want to waste the space if I don't need to...

Anyone have any ideas?

UPDATE: I just answered my own question...browsed through the "exploded views" on sony's part search page and found the shotgun mount...ordered it, I already removed the rubber stopper where the pieces will fit on my FX1! I'll let you know how it looks when I'm done!

Now all I gotta do is order the XLR ports and switches for the back, order the chip that contains the firmware, and then I'll have a Z1u clone (but in dark grey, instead of black) why do all this? Because I'm joking...but I never sent in my warranty card anyway, and the z1u mount i'm installing can VERY easily be undone...

Fred Foronda · September 22nd, 2006, 02:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Douglas Spotted Eagle

No pix of it, I guess I could take the time to shoot one on my Z1, but if you're worried about it showing up in the wide angle frame...don't. Even with a .6 wide adapter on the Z1, it doesn't come into the frame at all. Even with my longer-haired furry.

Thanks for the info...what about the LCD will it still flip open?

Noah Hayes · September 23rd, 2006, 06:49 PM

Well I received all my parts in last Thursday and finally got the chance to put it all together and heres the pics...ENJOY!!!

Paulo Figueiredo · September 27th, 2006, 10:47 AM

double-post

Paulo Figueiredo · September 27th, 2006, 10:50 AM

Hi Noah!

I had exactly this same idea the minute I got my FX1!

It's great that there's always someone to do the hard-test before you plunge into something. :)

How much did the part cost? And where did you get it from?

Thanks so much for a great post!

Paulo

P.S.: i showed your post to a friend of mine who's an electronics technician and now he's tempting me to go a step ahead and put the XLR inputs also.

Noah Hayes · September 27th, 2006, 04:12 PM

I ordered the part directly from Sony's business website, it cost around $65 which is a little high in my opinion for what it was. The XLR inputs would be nice, but theres no way I'm gonna crack open my FX1 to do that (a much more expensive modification also) and since I have my Beachtek DXA-6, I don't really need the built-in XLRs, however the Beachtek is HEAVY. Let me know how your mod goes if you wind up installing the XLRs...

Christopher Cruz · November 4th, 2006, 06:11 PM

Here's a pic of my current setup with one of my FX1's. FX1 + Beachtek DXA-FX + Z1 Shotgun Mount Modification + Rode Video Mic + Sennheiser Wireless.
It's a little heavy compared to a bare FX1 because of the Beachtek but the sound and control is excellent! The shotgun does not get into the shot when using a Century Options Fish Eye.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fred Foronda

I need this mic...anyone has a picture of this mic on their fx1, I am curious how far it will stick out over the len's hood.

Fred Foronda · November 5th, 2006, 01:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Christopher Cruz

Here's a pic of my current setup with one of my FX1's. FX1 + Beachtek DXA-FX + Z1 Shotgun Mount Modification + Rode Video Mic + Sennheiser Wireless.
It's a little heavy compared to a bare FX1 because of the Beachtek but the sound and control is excellent! The shotgun does not get into the shot when using a Century Options Fish Eye.

Nice work!! Can you get shot of how you mounted the Rode mic on the side, I'm interested in mounting it there rather than using the hot shoe mount.

September 12th, 2006, 08:48 PM	#20
Douglas Spotted Eagle VASST Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Stockton, UT Posts: 5,648	No pix of it, I guess I could take the time to shoot one on my Z1, but if you're worried about it showing up in the wide angle frame...don't. Even with a .6 wide adapter on the Z1, it doesn't come into the frame at all. Even with my longer-haired furry. __________________ Douglas Spotted Eagle/Spot Author, producer, composer Certified Sony Vegas Trainer http://www.vasst.com

September 12th, 2006, 09:07 PM	#21
Ty Ford Inner Circle Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Baltimore, MD USA Posts: 2,337	Interesting idea. The data rate for the HDV format is 384 kbps for stereo, 192 kbps for one channel. CD audio (44.1 khz,16-bit) uncompressed is about 1500 kbps. So mono would be about 750 kbps. So that's, what, 3-4 times more data. Regards, Ty Ford __________________ Ty Ford's Audio Bootcamp Field Guide Ty Ford's Audio Video Blog

September 16th, 2006, 08:07 PM	#23
Noah Hayes Major Player Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Sterling, Virginia Posts: 226	It was my perception of the origin of this thread, the possibility/availability of the shotgun holder that is provided built-in to the z1u. Looking at my FX1 right now, it seems like if one could find the mount used in the Z1U, one could install it... I have enough stuff to put on my coldshoe, I don't want to waste the space if I don't need to... Anyone have any ideas? UPDATE: I just answered my own question...browsed through the "exploded views" on sony's part search page and found the shotgun mount...ordered it, I already removed the rubber stopper where the pieces will fit on my FX1! I'll let you know how it looks when I'm done! Now all I gotta do is order the XLR ports and switches for the back, order the chip that contains the firmware, and then I'll have a Z1u clone (but in dark grey, instead of black) why do all this? Because I'm joking...but I never sent in my warranty card anyway, and the z1u mount i'm installing can VERY easily be undone... Last edited by Noah Hayes; September 16th, 2006 at 09:02 PM.

September 23rd, 2006, 06:49 PM	#25
Noah Hayes Major Player Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Sterling, Virginia Posts: 226	FX1 or is it? Well I received all my parts in last Thursday and finally got the chance to put it all together and heres the pics...ENJOY!!! Attached Thumbnails

September 1st, 2006, 06:46 PM	#16
Joseph Jamieson Tourist Join Date: May 2006 Location: Pawtucket, RI Posts: 4	The FX-1 has a shoe-adapter in the box that appears to me to be fairly standard. It's a cold-shoe, of course. As far as the audio quality of the compressed MPG stream, I've found it to be very good. Most situations would work just fine with this level of compression - it's 384Kbps 48Khz. While I wouldn't master a music production with it, or attempt to use it for studio sound recording, it seems perfectly acceptable for 95% of what you'd ever need it for. Lots of folks use a combination of Minidisc (256Kbit ATRAC) and on-board audio recording stations for their productions. It all sounds good. I mean, let's face it. We're not shooting the next Spider Man movie with this gear. There's no need to be overly picky about something that's a non-issue.

September 4th, 2006, 07:52 AM	#17
Bob Grant Trustee Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Sydney Australia Posts: 1,570	The Rode Videomic is an excellent add on for the FX1, own power and plugs straight in. As said anything more upmarket is probably overkill. Doesn't make much sense to me anyway to save a few bucks compared to the Z1 and then want to put an expensive shotgun on a camera not designed to take it. The problem with the built in mics is they pickup a lot of camera noise, and operator noise. You've also got to be careful using the shoe to mount mics, easy to foul the LCD.

September 4th, 2006, 02:05 PM	#18
Tom Tanquary New Boot Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Costa Mesa, CA Posts: 18	I would argue that's it's probably a good policy to buy the best piece of equipment you can whether it's a mike or a C47. Besides the old rule of "you get what you pay for" a good quality item you can make use of for years and across multipule platforms. My Senn 416 is nearly 15 years old but still does a great job. It was well worth the money. IOW, I would never let the limitations of your current set-up determin what you buy. The only factor should be your budget. And you should be thinking in the long term if at all possible. Like my 416, it's lasted a lot longer than many of my cameras, so it's cost spread across that time span made it pretty cheap. And the other thing about getting good gear - if you have to sell it, it holds it's value a whole lot better. And if you snagged it off eBay, you can often times sell it a year later for what you paid for it (it's FREE!!). t "Any job worth doing is worth over-doing."

September 27th, 2006, 10:47 AM	#26
Paulo Figueiredo Regular Crew Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: mafra portugal Posts: 33	double-post

September 27th, 2006, 10:50 AM	#27
Paulo Figueiredo Regular Crew Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: mafra portugal Posts: 33	Hi Noah! I had exactly this same idea the minute I got my FX1! It's great that there's always someone to do the hard-test before you plunge into something. :) How much did the part cost? And where did you get it from? Thanks so much for a great post! Paulo P.S.: i showed your post to a friend of mine who's an electronics technician and now he's tempting me to go a step ahead and put the XLR inputs also.

September 27th, 2006, 04:12 PM	#28
Noah Hayes Major Player Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Sterling, Virginia Posts: 226	I ordered the part directly from Sony's business website, it cost around $65 which is a little high in my opinion for what it was. The XLR inputs would be nice, but theres no way I'm gonna crack open my FX1 to do that (a much more expensive modification also) and since I have my Beachtek DXA-6, I don't really need the built-in XLRs, however the Beachtek is HEAVY. Let me know how your mod goes if you wind up installing the XLRs...