just shot my first 35 minute short film using the at897. i was pretty impressed with it for its overall performance. the rode ntg2 is in the same price range and the ntg3 is alittle more. since im still in the 30 day return window, im curious from those that have used these mics, should i stick with what i have or go with one of the other 2? i will mainly be using it for films and docs.

Never used the AT so can't speak on that but the NTG3 is a beast of a mic. Keep in mind it requires external phantom power. The ntg2 can run on an internal AA for power. If you have a preamp or camera with power the 3 is worth the extra money. I use it with a Sound Devices MM-1 which gives me a heck of a signal path rivaling my studio mics/mic pre's. The NTG2 is still a great mic but sounds a bit thinner to my ears.

Big thing is if you're happy with the AT why spend the money? Playing the return merchandise game is a way to check out the performance though. I'm always on the side of improving gear when the budget allows!

In *rough* terms, the 897 and NTG2 would be considered roughly equivalent. Both would have their adherents, I've used both, I happen to own an NTG2, it is a great mic on a budget.

The NTG3 is a step up in performance, certainly a better mic on a higher budget.

I've got an NTG3 and was convinced to buy this over the NTG2 as I was told the NTG3 was heavier duty and would deal better with outdoor use.

The price difference between the NTG-2 and the NTG-3 will give a clue and the G-3 is designed to cope with humidity better
and comes with a protective aluminium tube.

Rode have sold thousands of both.

Cheers.

Slightly offtopic. Allan. Did Rodes finish developing their long NTG style mike which was about the size of the Sony C74 or Sennheiser 816?

I suggested they make a joiner ring for two of their blimps to accommodate longer mikes, I don't know if they took it seriously or not. I never did arrive at an ideal enclosure for my C74s and was expecting they might make a longer blimp for their new mike which I thought I could use for my own long mike. Sony's own had no shockmount inside. My own invention worked well enough but gave me the shakes from the weight after a few minutes of holding on a pole.

Hi Bob, yep here she is, clever add on from the Rode crew at Silverwater here ..

RDE Microphones - Blimp Extension (http://www.rodemic.com/accessories/blimp-extension)

Available now .. http://www.videoguys.com.au/Shop/c/386/blimp-systems.html

The NTG-8 is here now ..

RDE Microphones - NTG8 (http://www.rodemic.com/mics/ntg8)

Cheers.

Thanks Allan.


Looks like they did even better than I thought they could on both items. I guess the next cab off the rank will be a parabolic.

The NTG-8 looks to be a long (shotgun) version of the NTG-3. I had a Sennheiser 815 and still have an AT-4071, I found both to have very limited usage. But it's nice to have when you need it.