I'm trying to decide between the short-hair and long-hair Softie.

I've heard that the long-hair can obstruct the image when in wide-angle mode. Does anyone have experience with this?

I've also heard of people working around this problem by using a Rode SM5 mount, although some have suggested that this can increase the risk of breaking the camera's microphone bracket. Any opinions?

Lastly, can anyone comment on the actual audio performance of a short-hair versus a long-hair Softie?

've heard that the long-hair can obstruct the image when in wide-angle mode. Does anyone have experience with this?

A couple of things, which may sound silly, but it really does make a difference.

You need to groom your dead cat for best performance in actual wind. Fluff it up. Comb it. Tousling it like a mongrel dog is not going to bestow it with the full operating specification. Carry a brush to do this.

Yes, it gets in the way. That's why I went with a Sanken CS-1 sort shotgun and prefer underscan (I'm not exactly sanguine about the EX1 viewfinder being totally edge to edge).

There's a Rycote adaptor I've used since the Z1 days which sets the already short CS-1 back a bit. Even with a dead cat, I've never had it impinge in shot - unlike horror stories with the 416 and the like.

Another CS-1 owner. I'm mounting it in the K-Tek K-CAM-SSM mount after ditching the Sony clamp and replacing that with a plate and cold shoe. Rycote make a softie with long hair that looks like it'll be a perfect fit.

Yes, it gets in the way
Are you using the short or long hair version? Did you try the other as well?

Moved from XDCAM EX to ATA, since this is an audio question and not a camera question.