Hey guys, I have a lot of general questions concerning audio and mics. I am an experienced still photographer and have only recently bought an XL1s to start with video. The camera is all stock and I want to upgrade my audio equipment.

When I purchased the camera it came with a Samson "AL1" "AM1" "AX1", and an R11 mic. Now I don't know anything about these, other than the fact that they are wireless mics, but are they any good?

I also have the Canon MA-100.

I was looking for an upgraded on camera mic, I saw the Canon DM-50, and was wondering if that was a good choice, or if I should look for another brand style.

Thanks, and let me know. :)

Is the DM50 even compatible with the XL1s? (I've usually read of it in context of the GL2 and Canon's lower models.)

As a generalization Samson products are OK (not top of the market, but not the bottom either). Since you already have them, let your ears be the judge as to whether or not they will meet your audio quality and performance needs.

Before you buy additional mics, define your audio needs so you can focus on the right mic to meet those needs. You may already have it.

Well first like I said I wan't a new on camera mic for some better audio performance. The only two things I shoot are motor racing and people talking (Wow really specific there I know).

Next thing is I would probably like to buy a nice shotgun style mic that could be used on a boom pole.

If you need to know anything else, it would be nice if you could ask specific questions because like I said, I am new to the Audio world.

Another factor is your mic budget. There is a correlation between price and quality.

Lots of shotguns from which to choose. For a field use shotgun for video, the Sennheiser ME66/K6 combo is very popular and high quality. The AT family is also well represented and at a bit lower price point, e.g., the AT-897, AT-835.

For the MA-100 be sure the mic is battery powered. Racing can have high sound pressure levels, so look for a mic that can deal with loud sound. Read it in the detailed specs.

Note that the stock mic with the XL1 series is an OK stereo mic for ambient sound capture. It is not especially suited for dialog if the speaker is more than a few feet from the camcorder, but then, no mic is really good for dialog is more than a few feet from the speaker.

I would like to shoot dialogue between people.

Something in the 3-400$ range would be OK.

Interview format, where one could hold a mic in the scene, or where the mic has to be out of the scene?

For the latter with a wired mic, consider the shotguns I mentioned.