Can you guys recommend a shotgun mic that I can use to record audio as a backup? I do mostly interviews and I already have a lav mic for that. This mic would be used to record audio as a backup and also when let's say I'm recording b-roll I want to record cleaner audio with that. Also if I just wanted to record let's say outdoor sounds like birds singing etc. just overall outdoor ambient sounds, could I use the same shotgun mic?

Thanks
Kathy

What are you recording on to?
Does it have phantom power available?
What's your budget?
How are you going to mount it?

Sorry for all the questions but with those answered it should be easy to decide...

For most folks, the lav would be a back-up in interview scenarios... of course the boom mic must be placed correctly. If your thinking of mounting the mic on the cam, it would only be good for 'nat' sound, unless you're very close to the person speaking... typically 18 inches or closer.
As Brian stated, .fill in the blanks. (budget, ect).

As the others have mentioned, consider flipping your primary/backup setup with adding a shotgun. I use a Rode NTG-3 which actually prompted me to upgrade the mics on my Sennheiser wireless. It sounded soooo much better. I now use Voice Technologies VT-500 lavs and a Sanken COS-11 which sound infinitely better than the original lavs but still not as nice as the NTG-3 shotgun. If I have the luxury of an assistant, I have someone run boom. Otherwise I set the boom on a C-Stand. I have actually used all the Rode shotguns and they are all fine. Likewise the Sennheisers but they are more money.

These are also mono mics which is preferred for dialog. If you want to record ambient, a stereo mic would be preferred and that's a whole different animal. I generally just use the on-board mic on my C-100 for ambient. A few guys I know use the Rode or Sennheiser DSLR stereo mics which seem to do well for ambient.

Can you guys recommend a shotgun mic that I can use to record audio as a backup?

If you are thinking of mounting a mic on the camera, save your money. While a shotgun mic on the camera may sound a little better than the internal mics, it won't be enough better to justify the money spent. With a mic, any mic, placement is key, and the camera is typically way too far away from the subject for decent sound capture. If you aren't closer than 60cm, you're just wasting your money. If you insist on going this way, buy a low end shotgun mic, something along the lines of a Sennheiser MKE 400. Or perhaps the Audio-Technica AT875R which gets good reviews.

If you are talking about using the mic on a boom, either operated by a human boom op or static in a boom stand, then it makes more sense. But if you're doing interviews inside, a shotgun is perhaps not a good choice. Interference tube (shotgun) mics don't handle rapid reflections well, like the reflections you'll get from nearby walls and ceilings. The resulting "comb filtering" sounds bad is is quite difficult to repair in post. For interiors you'll be perhaps better served by a hypercardiod, something like the Audio-Technica AT4053B. But if you do this, you'll almost immediately reverse your preferences -- the audio from an AT5053B on a boom stand will be considerably better than just about any lav mic. At least that's been my experience.

All of these mics can be found on the used markets.

Spending $100 on a good pair of headphones and USING THEM EVERY TIME YOU ARE RECORDING is worth more than spending $10,000 on backup equipment of any kind.

Recording audio without monitoring and metering is like trying to frame and focus without using the viewfinder.

A good general purpose mic is the short shotgun AT875R and I mount the five I have in rode PG2 grips with a WS/6 softie. It needs phantom power but can be used for interviews and as a hand held for sound capture and ambiences etc. I find the AT875r to be a good compromise gen purpose mic between a full shotgun and a hyper cardioid.

As Richard said a good set of headphones is a must and the sony 7506 are very popular but even the lower cost sony MDR- V300 would give a decent idea of what is being recorded.

I would record interviews with a boom (shotgun) and a lav if you can and then pick the one that sounds best in the edit but never combine the two as it will sound strange.

A boom may not need to be a traditional hand held one if the interviews are static and a good quality mic stand with boom arm should enable you to set up the mic in the ideal position above and slight to the front of the subject!

Thanks everyone.
To answer your questions. I will not be using this mic as my main mic to record person's voice. I will continue using my lav for that (Sanken COS-11d) even though I do know a boom mic would be better.
I just need a mic to record sound mostly while I am shooting b-roll, but maybe the built in mic is good enough for that. I am not intending to mix two different mics when recording interviews for example. I thought I could use that mic to be my backup in case my lav fails, at least I have something but that would not be its primary purpose.
I am recording directly to Canon C100 and I already have monitoring headphones (Sennheiser HD 280 Pro)
So really my question is which mic to get that would be better than my built in mic. I understand the value in monitoring audio, mic placement etc.
Yes, I have phantom power and I do have an ability to mount it on my camera. Budget is $250 max.
I don't want to talk about how I should get a better recording device and that lav should be my backup and boom should be my primary mic etc. I do know that would be all better but I am satisfied with my current set up, I am just thinking of adding another mic.

Thanks

I would think about a cardioid or hyper-cardioid instead of a full blown shotgun. Shotguns reject a lot of sound from the side which unless you are only interested in what is directly in front of the mic is not the best all around application.

A hyper-cardioid is more of a balance between general purpose and shotgun. It has a little of both. Cardioid is a great all around use type of mic.

I do not have a lot of brand suggestions but I have two Peluso CEMC-6 mics which have interchangeable capsules with different patterns. Peluso CEMC-6 Solid State Pencil Microphone (http://www.pelusomicrophonelab.com/microphones/CEMC6.html) These mics sound great and have been wonderful performers for me. They are a little above your budget ($400) but they are really nice.

Kathy, if you are going to mount the mic on the camera and your budget is only $250 don't waste your money. Stick with the on board mic. A shotgun may not be the best mic for your intended use anyway.

I would think about a cardioid or hyper-cardioid instead of a full blown shotgun. Shotguns reject a lot of sound from the side which unless you are only interested in what is directly in front of the mic is not the best all around application.

A hyper-cardioid is more of a balance between general purpose and shotgun. It has a little of both. Cardioid is a great all around use type of mic.

I do not have a lot of brand suggestions but I have two Peluso CEMC-6 mics which have interchangeable capsules with different patterns. Peluso CEMC-6 Solid State Pencil Microphone (http://www.pelusomicrophonelab.com/microphones/CEMC6.html) These mics sound great and have been wonderful performers for me. They are a little above your budget ($400) but they are really nice.

Thanks Tim. I look into those

Kathy, if you are going to mount the mic on the camera and your budget is only $250 don't waste your money. Stick with the on board mic. A shotgun may not be the best mic for your intended use anyway.

Thanks Garrett. Perhaps I'll wait and see and maybe I'll have more money to spend in the future. Thanks

I concur with Mr. Low. It seems very unlikely that you would get a fraction of the benefit of spending $250 on ANY kind of microphone attached to the camera. If you just want "casual ambience" then use the built-in mics. For anything else, get serious and forget mounting on the camera. ANY kind of mic mounted ON the camera will NEVER provide acceptable "backup" to proper lav or boom placement.

The camera LOCATION is almost NEVER an appropriate placement for any microphone.

I completely understand what Garrett and Richard are saying and don't disagree in principle, however I am going to vote with Gary and echo my own personal experience with the AT875r. It works well on a boom and mounted on-camera is a definite improvement versus the on-board mics.

The AT875r is available for $156 by itself, and good wind protection should be added but can still stay in your budget of $250.

You'll have to judge what your total priorities are, but if you're asking me just about adding an on-camera mic (and accepting all the important understanding about this placement and its handicaps), I still say it's worth it versus the on-board mics. And it gives you a lot of versatility for other placements too, including running on phantom voltages from 11 to 52V so that plug-on transmitters that supply lower-than-48V phantom can power it.

I have an 875r. I use it in the way you describe all the time. The difference between this and the inboard mikes is vast. I do use adobe audition to clean up background noise when necessary. Happy.

If you have to mount a mic on the camera then the 875R is ideal as it is very short, I have a cut down WS/6 for when I have one on my ENG cameras but tend to have the stock panasonic mic on board as it is just there for a generic sound fx gather.

I would think that an AT875r with a PG2 and WS/6 would be a good addition to your current set-up and should be around $250.

I've posted these before but here is the AT875r on a gitzo carbon fibre boom straight into the back of a panasonic P2 camera for an indie drama I did a few years ago!

0004OS - iPhone.m4v - YouTube
00104R - iPhone.m4v - YouTube

You can try a shotgun Sennheiser MKE 600, ofcourse it is slightly more than your budget Sennheiser MKE 600 - Shotgun Microphone MKE600 B&H Photo Video

This one can be operated by phantom as well as via battery.

If you are using an omni or a stereo microphone for ambient sounds, then it will record the sound of your lens image stabilisation.

Microphones hold their value well ie they don't depreciate fast. So better to buy the best quality microphones so that you can use that in future. Incase you believe in this logic, then of course you will start looking at MKH 416 and many others at even a higher price. :)

I'm old school.

Meaning...I don't like to spend a lot of money if I don't have to...but I want the best quality.

Over the last few years, I've bought two different Sennheisser ME80 mics off of eBay and could not be happier. Of course I look at a seller's rating as well as the perceived condition of the mic. I most often run it off of phantom power from my camera or my mixer. The battery it uses is an odd size but those are very easy to come by cheaply off of eBay as well.

I have never paid over US$200 for one of these mics and they show up regularly so...with patience and caution, I'd suggest you look there.

I have one ME80 permanently mounted on my camera and a second which I boom for certain sit-down interviews.

The sound is great and the price of the mic...even better.

They were standard during my early years in television. After thirty plus years...they are still around and living up to their well earned reputation.

Just a suggestion on my part which might help you meet your price point and need for quality sound.

<edited to add>

Here's a link on eBay to the battery which will work with the mic if you don't have phantom power.
Don't freak out if it's not a "pure" 5.6 volt battery. I use this 6 volt battery in mine and they work great.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Exell-S23PX-6V-Silver-Oxide-Battery-4NR42-EPX23-V23PX-4LR42-PX23-/231146958620?pt=US_Single_Use_Batteries&hash=item35d16eaf1c

In case someone reads this in the future and the product at this link is gone. Search eBay for "V23PX photo battery". They are a short "barrel" size and not long, like a traditional AA battery. I've never had a problem finding them when I needed them.

Maybe this is a good time to make an awareness post. Nearly everything I have, which is a lot, has been bought used, but having said that ....

It's always a good idea to be aware that there is counterfeit gear out there so it pays to be careful.

Counterfeit Sennheiser ME-66
http://www.sennheiserusa.com/serviceandsupport_counterfeitalert

AKG How to tell a counterfeit:
Home | AKG (http://www.akg.com/site/powerslave,id,54,nodeid,54,_language,EN,country,EN.html)

News article about Shure shutting down a Chinese counterfeit operation:
Shure seizes counterfeits in Shanghai - 22 May 2009 - Daily Online News - LSi Online (http://www.lsionline.co.uk/news/story/Shure-seizes-counterfeits-in-Shanghai/KK1JHN)

Shure sm58 counterfeit:
Fake Shure Beta series Microphones - How to spot them | eBay (http://reviews.ebay.com.au/Fake-Shure-Beta58-Microphones-How-to-spot-them_W0QQugidZ10000000006603964)
The problem with buying stuff on eBay is it the description often isn't detailed enough to determine the authenticity of the item.

Canon:
Canon U.S.A. : About Counterfeits: Welcome (http://usa.canon.com/cusa/about_canon/standard_display/aboutcounterfeits)

Excerpt from a DVinfo post:
AGMA - Alliance for Gray Market & Counterfeit Abatement
James Emory, Regular Crew, June 18, 2005 #1
This informative site explains and defines different types of fraud and how it affects the marketplace. Visit the FAQ for more details.
American Guild of Musical Artists (http://www.musicalartists.org/)

DVDs:
and take care as worldwide plague of counterfeit dvd/bd storage media has become quite convincing in appearance...
TAIYO YUDEN CO., LTD. (http://www.t-yuden.com) (TAIYO YUDEN CO., LTD. (http://www.t-yuden.com))

try to determine date of mfr of bd-r disk pack BEFORE buying... established brands always have mfr date on package label...

Buying from an established retailer isn't necessarily a guarantee, either. Awhile back a major guitar retailer was found selling some counterfeit stuff. When we had our business there was a distributor from the San Francisco Bay Area selling counterfeit Shure cartridges. Looked just like the real thing but in this case the packaging didn't match the OEM product. The store down the street bought from them, though. (Fortunately, they're no longer in business.)

Not everyone out there is as honest as you/we are so buyer beware. These counterfeit items don't disappear, they just get re-sold!.

Then there is always grey market. Good luck with any warranty. Sometimes the product is built slightly different, too.

[Edit]: Speaking of ambient sounds, when I first got the ME66 shotgun I tried it out in the back yard. It's amazing how on a nice quiet day it can pick up all sorts of ambient sounds. Including the occasional car, and then .... a plane, probably around 8,000 feet or so and headed for SeaTac, went over. We humans tend to "tune these sounds out" but the mic seems to tune them in!

Oh, by the way, the mic (bought used) worked great.