Sony PD150 Audio

Can anyone tell me of a good stereo mic that I can change out my original with? I've already heard the sennheiser me66 is good but it is a little pricey.

Thanks!

[Chris Hurd]

Well, the Senn ME66 is mono, not stereo, and just about any XLR mic for this camera is also going to be mono. Remember it's a pro camcorder. Stereo mics are seldom found on these... usually one channel is the on-board mic and another channel is a wireless lav, or another on-board mic.

I've always thought that if you can afford a PD150, you should be able to afford the ME66. But there are other short shotguns out there... look at Audio Technica for example.

[Wayde Gardner]

... or the Azden SGM-2X - 219.00 at B&H

Let me put it this way. I'll be shooting mostly in vacant houses about 10-20ft from the talent. There will probably be some other noises echoing around so I want an onboard mic that will really pick out the voice and not the other sounds. Yes Chris you are right, the other xlr input would be for a wireless mic. Can anyone give any input on their audio experiences in a shoot like this?

Thanks!

Thanks for input on the brands. After searching awhile I found a pretty good comparison of those 3 mic's at www.2-pop.com

doug

[gvancott]

Anyone know about when the PD150 audio problems were fixed? Anyone have any idea of the starting serial number of the "good" cameras?

Thanks,

Gary

[Chris Hurd]

No idea what the SN ranges are... I've asked but no one seems to know. You're pretty safe these days; I wouldn't worry about it really. Buy new to be sure; avoid buying used.

Evidently the hiss was fixed at #1001579 as per
www.urbanfox.tv by the way this is a great site for instruction too

Doug

[gvancott]

Thanks. The actual link is http://www.urbanfox.tv/workbooks/sonypd150/hiss.htm

Still no precise info about the dates. I have been looking at the possibilitity of buying a used PD150 and this is a consideration.

[Jeff J. Smith]

There is a thread at http://www.dv.com/db_area/community/Forum2/HTML/003821.html with a post that says the pre-amps are bad even after the "fix" with no way to fix or bypass the pre amps short of an external audio source. "Some people don't seem to mind it; but the pros do"...."Even the BBC guy said the fixed PD-150's weren't terrible; but he's not using them himself. Given the choice, he choose to continue buying VX2000s and modifying them."

I read the audio test article at http://dvinfo.net/vx2000.htm, the article leaves the conclusion up to the reader.

I would like to hear anyone elses experiences. In a few weeks I will be able to add mine...since I ordered one yesterday (before I read that thread)

Jeff

[Chris Hurd]

I wish I had some input. Jeff, I'll be very interested in seeing what you have to say about your new camera.

[Jeff J. Smith]

I spent a bit of time inquiring on various forums about the PD150 audio. Without getting into the technical details, it is true that the PD150 has relatively poor audio even after the "fix", with a -40dB s/n ratio, this is comparable to a cassette recorder, my DV500 was -60dB. There is no practical way around this, except for using an external source to record from and sync up in post. However, for some applications, using an off camera mic will yield adequate-salvagable audio. Very frustrating, knowing that this was done on purpose to distiguish Sony's product line.

I did a man-on-the-street shoot this weekend and mic'd my talent with an AT813a to a minidisc and used an AT4073a on-camera shotgun. I did not have a boom operator. Any camera mounted mic is bad because it picks up cam motor noise.

I chose the PD150 over the XL1s for a few reason$, the first being size and inconspicuousness. (I didn't get interogated shooting at the Oakland Airport) I really like the quality of image that I got, I like the color better than the DV500 I just sold. User presets, timecode, zebras, ND filters, nice viewfinder..... So for the features I wanted I have no regrets, because the perfect camera does not exist. Also, I tried out century optics .65x wide angle. I really liked it a lot, I used it in a small crowded bar. It is right on the cusp of being too wide, ie distortion, and for that reason you might look at the much less expensive .7 canon that Chris mentioned.

The next generation cams are on their way, so it seems a bit silly that I just picked up a dinosaur, but after a few days of shooting I am very pleased and I will just have to come up with external audio for critical shots.

Jeff

modifying the vx2000???
how??? and what?
i was lookin at my cam (vx2000) and i was thinking about if it´s possible to put out the buil-in mic and put in a system like the pd150 (it will be great for me, and for the work). i mean, i think it´s possible but, i don´t know. everythinf it ´s possible ¡¡¡ or not.
a lot´s of doubts
cesar

[Adi Head]

i'm buying a pd150p primarily for documentery shoots.

for now, it seems as though i'll be recording sound straight into the 150 and not use external devices (dat, etc.).

using the on-board mic that comes with the pd150 is unacceptable, so looks as though i'll be buying a condenser mic along with the camera.

any ideas / suggestions / recommendations for a good audio solution to go with my soon to be new pd150?

budget for audio equipment and accessories: $350-450 (more or less)

thanks.

[Mike Rehmus]

I'm guessing that when you say condenser microphone you mean a shotgun.

AT835B or Sennheiser ME66 are good matches, I think. You wil have to somehow arrange to move the longer microphones further away than the standard mount or they will show in the wide shots.

I like the AT 4043SE for studio work and the Shure SM81-C for general use.

I removed the standard microphone mount and mount and added the Sony CAC-12 mount ($180 at B&H) which is longer and has a ball joint. With that mount long microphones dont edge into the frame even with a wind cover and a wide-angle adapter on the lens.