Has any one ever tried the Sennheiser MKE 600 or the ME66 shotgun mic's on their XF300's? If so, what were your impressions? Bob

Has any one ever tried the Sennheiser MKE 600 or the ME66 shotgun mic's on their XF300's? If so, what were your impressions? Bob I have used the ME66 in conjunction with my XF300. I also used it on my XM2 miniDV many years ago.

But . . . .

I do have to ask just exactly in what scenario would you be using it? Knowing that what give me an opportunity to give more, focused responses. This is crucially important.

Grazie

Graham, I want it primarily for capturing the sounds of nature in the field, and possibly for short interviews outdoors without a lot of chatter from people to the side of me. Bob

I want it primarily for capturing the sounds of nature in the field, Do you want targeted sounds? Bird song? Rustling in the undergrowth? Or, a general stereo recording of the "sounds of nature"? The ME66 is a bit "hot" and reduces side-noise. You might consider a less directional mic or even a stereo mic. Others here will have other suggestions for ambient.

. . . . and possibly for short interviews outdoors without a lot of chatter from people to the side of me. Bob As you are asking about using the ME66, which I have, I use it in conjunction with the XF300 (or any camera that allows mounting a mic), but remember, that what you are capturing through the Lens wont have the mic pointing at the person's mouth or chest, it is offset. Also don't have a "hard" reflective wall or whatever behind them! If I can, I rather use the ME66 mounted in a Rycote Holder, either hard-wired or with a Sennhieser Transmitter. This allows me to have the ME66 targeting the mouth or chest.

In all of this, you WILL need some wind reducer/removal fur.

Cheers

Grazie

Graham, thanks for the response. You may be right and that I may not want a long shotgun. I will start researching the shorter ME64 as well as other options. I really am more interested in picking up good clean ambient nature sounds. Bob

Bob, I've been very happy with the Audio Technica AT897 mic on my XF300.

Here are the 2 Polar Pattern Diags for each Mic:

Senni ME66:
http://en-uk.sennheiser.com/global-downloads/file/2678/ME_66_Frequency_Polar_diagram.pdf

AT897:
http://www.audio-technica.com/cms/resource_library/literature/f0e732ed5e1120ac/at897_ss_e.pdf

You'd need to "hear" each, record each and see (hear!) just what suits your needs and output.

Grazie

You'd need to "hear" each, record each and see (hear!) just what suits your needs and output.

Grazie

How are you supposed to do that. Buy both?

BTW i love my ME66

Co-incidentaly, I have used both, both nice mikes but I prefer the ME66/K6.

The ME66 served me well covering spot news for several years, due to it's unusually high sensitivity and output level (significantly higher than the AT897, which is in all other respects a competent microphone). I have not used the new ME600 but it might be worth a look. If you get the ME66, get the K6 power supply for it, which permits use on battery without needing phantom power. And get a deadcat cover, by all means, to avoid wind noise. The "offset" from the lens is inconsequential, this is not an "audio telephoto" but, like all shotguns, a microphone that rejects noise from the sides and to a lesser extent, from the rear (look at the Sennheiser pickup pattern diagram, you'll see) and emphasizes pickup from the front --- but it is, like all shotguns, not as directional as all that.

...If you get the ME66, get the K6 power supply for it, which permits use on battery without needing phantom power.
IIRC, if you want the ME66 then you MUST have the K6 as well. The advantage of this system is that you can add other capsules for cardioid, omni and other pick-up patterns

And get a deadcat cover, by all means, to avoid wind noise.
Absolutely essential for outdoor use. Look at Rycote and Reinhardt offerings. You can (just) mount the Rycote S-Series on-camera when necessary, though it's probably happier on it's own stand/pole/tripod. The alternative is the Softie, which is good enough in normal conditions.

A good gear shop will let you make comparisons, provided they have both items in stock. Having rung in advance to explain what I wanted to do, I spent an hour or so at CVP's place in Reddich some years ago comparing the ME66/K6 with the Rode NTG1. I mounted them side-by-side on my XH-A1, one into each XLR socket, manual rec-level adjusted to give the same signal level (the Senn is significantly "hotter" than the Rode).

Listening very carefully on good headphones (provided by CVP), I could just make out the difference between the two and although I slightly prefered the Senn, the Rode was less than half the price and (as I checked when I got home) I couldn't hear the difference on my Panasonic HDTV. So I bought the Rode and a softie and a shock-mount and still spent less than the price of the ME66/K6 without any of the essential accessories. The Rode is still giving stirling service 7 years later. My only regret is that I bought the NTG1 (phantom only) rather than the NTG2 (switchable phantom or AA battery).

I believe Battle meant get the K6 versus the K6P. The K6 allows battery operation, the K6P requires phantom power.

I have the K6 with both ME66 shotgun and ME64 cardioid capsules.

I also have the AT897.

I also have and recommend the AT875r. It does require phantom power, but it has excellent sound, is very short and available in very inexpensive kits.

I have not tried the MKE600.

Thanks for all the input. Fortunately there is an audio store not far from me. I went there and they were able to let me try and listen to several different shotgun microphones while wearing very expensive headphones. I ended up going with the Sennheiser MKE 600. Last week I took it into the field, on a rather windy day, and was able to do interviews. It worked really well. I was impressed. I then took it into the woods north of Atlanta and was quit pleased with the quality of sound that I was getting. One thing, I did up grade to a much better shock mount than the one that came with the kit, I also bought a Rycote dead cat. Again, thanks for all your comments. Bob