My Setup - Part Deux
 

With the recent addition of a Beachtek DXA-2s, I'm able to use my AT897 on camera as well as on a boom. (The tripod is a Velbon Videomate 738.)

http://photos.imageevent.com/24peter...e/IMG_3978.JPG

More pics here:

http://photos.imageevent.com/24peter...e/IMG_3980.JPG
http://photos.imageevent.com/24peter...e/IMG_3990.JPG

Man that is sweet. So the mic stays out of the picture?

Well the Kid Stays in the Picture, but the mic doesn't ;-) I was so sure it would encroach on the frame I almost didn't even try. But turns out you could get a mic almost twice as long on there, even with the wide-angle adapter.

I've posted elsewhere you could use the AT897 without the Beachtek. You just need a rather inexpensive XLR-to-mini cable. However, you'll only get sound on one channel that way. The Beachtek has a switch to record the mono signal on both channels, so while it's not stereo, at least one channel isn't missing when you play it back on a TV.

Nice shock-mount, I've got a problem in that the Sennheiser MKE-300 attaches directly to the shoe, but I like to insulate it from the body to reduce camera operation noise. With the plastic body and shoe mount of the MKE300 it's not really suitable for rubber mount, but I gues it could fit in.

I found this and it has the mini cable. I wonder if later you would buy the Beachtek can you just change the cable so you have a XLR jack on both ends?

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...icrophone.html

It looks like the photo shows about a 1 foot XLR plug on both ends. I'm sure it's a Male to Female.

peter,

what shoe mount mic holder is that and how much does it cost? thanks!

Rode SM3 - $49.95 - http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...hockmount.html

Note: the SM3 has two little metal "feet" on the shoe mount that need to be cut/ground off in order to drop down into the HV20 hot shoe.

Here's a kit if you don't want to get the Beacktek -
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...icrophone.html

But note: the kit only records mono - one channel only. Need to duplicate it in post to have audio on both channels.