Microphone mount & wind zepplin for the PD-150

[Mike Rehmus]

The microphone mount included with the PD-150 is OK but is so close to the camera that you pick up camera noise and if you put a hair-ball wind screen on the supplied microphone, it shows in the picture.

Sony makes a microphone adapter for their larger cameras that will screw right into place on the PD-150

Just remove the existing mount and screw a Sony CAC-12 which you can purchase from B&H and others. It has an openable clamp at the top into which you can drop just about any microphone up to around 22mm in diameter. Maybe a bit more. For smaller microphones, you will have to find something thin that will fit between the microphone and the mount.

The existing microphone will fit in the CAC-12 if you use the rubber bushing that is already around the microphone.

Bad news? The CAC-12 costs $169.95 from B&H.

http://www02.bhphotovideo.com/default.sph/FrameWork.class

Wind zepplin

Light Wave makes an all-in-one nose zepplin (just fits over the holes in the tube, not over the entire microphone) for the standard microphone. It costs $150 and works very well.

However, the tip will show in the picture unless you do something like use the mount discussed above. Or just make your own riser block. A couple of long replacement screws for the original mount and a block of plastic or even wood will get the microphone up off the camera enough that this will work.

You can go even further as I did for another camera and make a block that mounts to the camera but has a standard female microphone thread on the topside. Then you can screw in a real shockmount for any microphone you chose to use.

CAUTION.

The two screws that fasten the mount to the camera are not all that strong. The plate they screw into appears to be steel so it is probably strong enough. But placing a longer mount on the camera increases the leverage that any stress on the mount might cause. I dont know what would fail first, the screws or the body casting of the camcorder. Just be careful and don't blame me if you knock the top of your camera off for some reason or another.

[Richard Zlamany]

Mike, do you know where I could purchase such a Zepplin. I am having a hard time finding it at BH. The wind at beach weddings is killing my audio.

[Mike Rehmus]

Been away for a while. Sorry for the late reply.

I bought mine from Lightwave Systems. I don't know if they are still in business or not. Heard that the owner may have died.

[J. Stephen McDonald]

The more wood and rubber you can put between the camera and the mike, the better. I cut pieces from black rubber tie-down straps, which can be attached to most things permanently with SuperGlue and add them in between metal and plastic parts. For the crossbar on my stereo dual-mike rack, I use spruce, which dampens most vibrations. To fit small mikes into larger holders, I cut strips of bike innertubes and wrap them around to make the diameter larger and tack them with a spot of contact cement.