Tired of bad audio, but I'm cheap.
 

Ok, I'm taking my video production up a notch. I have two business video projects coming up and I want to improve upon my previous audio system (lapel mics plugged into MD recorders.)

So I'm looking at boom mic kits. At the high side of my budget is the Sennheiser ME66/K6 - Shotgun Condenser Microphone Basic Kit at $750.

Next on the list is the Audio-Technica AT-897 - Shotgun Condenser Microphone Basic Kit for $600.

or the Rode NTG-2 - Shotgun Condenser Microphone Basic Kit for $580.

At the bottom of the list is some Audio-Technica ATR55 kit for $160 on eBay. I'm not seriously considering that.

I'm shooting with a Canon GL2 (so I'll also have to throw in a Beachtek adapter or something.) Am I heading down the right road, or is this still too cheap? Are there other kits (mic, windscreen, boom, shockmount) that are a good deal that I haven't seen?

If anyone has a used kit, I may be interested in that as well.

If you're cheap, don't discount the ATR55. I've been pretty happy with mine for the past few years.

Are you mainly shooting indoors or out? While the Senn ME66 is popular, there are other choices in the same general price ballpark that you might want to consider. Indoors a hypercardioid is generally preferred over a shotgun and either the Audio-Technica AT 4053a or AKG SE300B/CK93 combo are good choices that are generally regarded as better sounding than the ME66. The Rode NT3 is good on a stand but a bit bulky and heavy for a boom pole. For outdoors an AT 4073a shotgun is a good choice as is the Rode NTG1 or NTG2 (same mic but different powering arrangments). While mics that have built-in battery power are convenient, as long as you're getting a Beachtek, get one of the models that provides phantom power and having a battery in the mic ceases to be a signifigant factor.

Thanks for the advice. I need this stuff for a shoot next week, so after a bit more research, I went ahead and ordered the Rode NTG-2 kit.