I just bought a vx2000, and have the often asked external mike question. This forum is so thorough, but I have got many mixed messages. My budget is really in the used-MKE300 range, but I am warned that the MKE 300D is the one, and I can't find one of them used, and others warn that the whole MKE300 with or without D is a waste of money. There is scattered praise for the Azden SGM-X (which is less money). Finally, the Sennheiser ME66 seems to be the answer, but it seems out of my budget, unless the other options really are not viable.
Viable to do what, you ask in frustration? I want to shoot short documentaries in which I will need both wide shots with plenty of ambient noise as well as interviews with people where their voice is very important. I am concerned that the interview audio might end up being a struggle for the watcher to separate from the ambient noise, and many of my interviews will be difficult to move to ideal, quiet settings.
Anyone who takes this question on for the 100th time, I thank you in advance.

Marcello

I'm moving this to the appropriate forum so you will possibly get a broader range of answers.

You need to define your budget in dollars so we can give you a more intelligent answer.

Personally, I'd hop down to B&H Photo Video and look at what they have.

If you can't afford the ME66/K6, I'd recommend making do with the onboard until you can. If you settle for something less, you may just wind up buying two mics.

I had originally tried to save money and thankfully came to my senses before my return privileges ran out. The difference is far more than the extra you may have to spend. better to wait and do it once.

This is just one man's opinion.

Azden SGM-2X is a good choice for budget, less than $200.00. You also have the option to use omni for ambient sound and the shotgun for interview. I own one and really satisfied me well. The omni configuration is good at the wedding reception. I used it in conjunction with my AKG PR81 and Beachtek XLR adapter.

Just for starters, you'll want a decent shotgun, there's a lot of different things that you can do with them. I got the sgm-x for my VX2K's, and it works just fine. You are going to want to add a wireless of some sort eventually, for interviews. However, if you get the technique down properly, you will be very happy with a shotgun. There are a lot of magazine articles out there on audio technique.