One thing to remember when wanting to use built-in mic simultaniously with external is the sad fact that the camera mic is stereo (ENG cam mics are usually mono). There would have to be even one more switch to sum the mic to mono for this purpose, that would mean at least 2 more switces on the camera to make all possible combinations available.

I would still like to have it, also a MS mic on-cam not XY, it would be easy to default to M mic only when using internal/external combo. I would be so easy to make a "perfect" audio camera, Pana DVX100 comes quite close, should we send one to Canon design department?

I'm getting a Rode SM3 hotshoe mount. That should damp it and let me mount the NTG-2 in a number of positions further away from the source of the motor noise using different brackets like the PAG 1021.

And thanks for the link, Bill. I haven't quite got the hang of searching dvinfo before posting.

The SM3, that's the one- today I compared it with the on-camera mic holder and it was much, much quieter- almost no zoom noise, and much less camera-handling-rumble transmitted to the mic. Plus I don't have to pad the mic to make it fit inside the Canon's oversized mic-holder.

There is definitely zoom motor noise picked up by an ext. mic
if it is not shock mounted.
I had this problem and it immediately went away
when I got a shock mount.

It is an easy fix and well worth it.

David

These may not be the total solution, but they do influence the the recorded sound

One factor that may make things worse is over-tightening the mic clamp. If it is too tight it no longer provides vibration damping. It should be just tight enough to hold the mic from sliding.

Using audio AGC will make any camcorder noise more noticeable during quiet periods in program. Also, using an on-camera mic to capture sound sources from a distance (e.g., dialog from a distant speaker) can make nearby noise sources more apparent because the gain is high. For the same recorder voice level, the gain (and thus background noise) will be about 20 dB higher for a person 20 feet from the mic compared to the person 2 feet from the same mic.

The mic, even a good shotgun, should be within a few feet of the speaker for decent sound. On the camcorder is not a good location for obtaining great sound, but often it is the only practical option available. About the only worse place is in the camcorder body.

Specifics on zoom noise - damping tripod
 

OK, got my SME shockmount and the zoom noise has almost completely gone. The hum I heard originally was almost exactly on a cello C (2 octaves below middle C). That would make it about 65.5 Hz. Now that pitch is inaudible at any speed of zoom thanks to the SM3. But...

There's a new pitch appeared - the F at the bottom of the Bass staff (about 87 Hz). This appears ONLY at zoom speed 8, not at all below it, and very briefly when passing through zoom speed 8 in a variable zoom and very briefly at the start of zooms faster then 8. This appears the be the resonant frequency of my Matthews MN25 tripod with the A1 on top, because that's the pitch I get when I tap the end of the pan handle. Why this is triggered by the zoom motor at speed 8 I have no idea.

I'll need to see if this can be damped because it will be bad news if I'm filming a trombone or similar loud instrument and it suddenly goes kapow on that exact pitch.

Anyone else had probs with resonating tripods?

I'm just getting up to speep with xha1. When I plug my Rode nt1 in, and audio setup to xlr, then tap both mics gently, I see a level registering for both. so even if I see a level for the built in mic, should I assume it's not going to record form the built in mic?

You see those levels on both channels because you have the inputs switched to use both channels. When XLR is selected the builtin mic is disabled, so that's not what you're seeing.

ok thanks. I've set my rode to chan 1 and chan 1&2, and I swear I'm getting level from both mics, but it sounds like you know better than me. I didn't have my head phones handy, so I was just going off a visual.

Having it switched to CH. 1 & 2 is the culprit.

Disconnect the Rode & if you still get a level... well then I don't know what I'm talking about :D