Canon HF S100 + Microphone Hell

[JMack]

So I had the Canon DM-100 mic for my camera, and I was pretty happy with it... then came the day some absolute moron tried to snatch my camera pack and long story short, the mic was still attached to my camera and they kind of busted the hot shoe on the the DM-100.

Fast forward a month and I have an event I need to go to, I've tried everything I can to fix the hot shoe on the DM-100 but I gave in and ended up buying a used one for $100 on Ebay.

I get the new DM-100 and guess what... it doesnt work. So now Im thinking either I got a bum mic (the company i got it from get rave reviews, thousands upon thousands of positive feedback and comments). Anyway the event is a week away, I have VERY little money to spend (since i dont have time to get my refund for this mic)...

I dont knwo if the hot shoe is screwed up (i opened it looked in and all the pins seem immaculate but who knows... maybe somethin is cracked internally) so im considering getting an external mic... just to get me by...Life sucks right now because i want my damn dm-100 lol it was so convenient on the hot shoe. So now im going to chance getting a third party mic that plugs into the 1/8" mic input on the front...

Can anyone suggest a great third party external mic? Im looking for the the $100 range (i know some of you will sigh with frustration especially with mics but i simply cant afford a super high end at this point)

Im currently looking at the Opteka VM-100 or the Azden SMX-10. What others are there? And which have you found to be the best?

[kenkyusha]

Another option in that price range is the Zoom H1, and while dual sound can be a pain, getting the mic off camera can yield some very pleasing results.

[Bif]

The ZoomH1 is an excellent option...Except if there is the slightest breeze (and I mean the SLIGHTEST!) the mics are extremely sensitive to noise from airflow across them. A foam windscreen is useless for anything more than air conditioning airflow. I did field testing for thewindcutter.com on windmuff devices so I know what I'm talking about here.

With the H1 (or H2) he will need something like the WindJacket from that company.

The Azden SMX-10 is not a bad mic. Comes with a foam windscreen (but for outdoor work the OP should order a "StormChaser" model furry windmuff from thewindcutter.com), and with an under $5 shielded 16' stereo extension cable will allow him to explore proper mic placement using an inexpensive mic or light stand.

My son has one and I was favorably impressed (and I use a Rode SVM a lot).

Bruce Foreman

[JMack]

man unreal... it gets worse... so i went ahead and ordered a mic... that would plug into the external jack. today i bring home an old pc mic just to make sure the external mic jack works and its just the hot shoe. i plug it in... silence. just liek when i plug in the dm-100.

you....have....got....to...be....kiddding.....me.. ... im so beyond screwed right now.....

so basically all i have is the on board mic for the canon camcorder, which we all know with a wide angle raynox lens, that mic may as well not even be there....

i have no idea whats up with this thing...

when i plugin in the dm-100 im seeing the hot shoe icon pop up... i just get no sound... thinking i may have done something in the mic settings... i did a factory reset on the camcorder... no dice.

my sweet lord. why. im so stressed out and frustrated right now.

so now i have a dm-100 i cant use, i have an opteka mic being shipped (too late to cancel) that i now cant use....and this event is next friday...

i even called best buy thinking about buying a hf s20 and returning it when i get back..... nobody has it...

F.........M.........L..................

[HueyNRolf]

Given the circumstances, I'd say the H1 is your best option. Luckily the onboard mics are working, so you can use them to sync with in post. What sort of event are shooting?

[Randy Malone]

I know this isn't what you want to hear but I might consider getting the camera and hotshoe etc fully repaired just so you have peace of mind. If you go dual system audio, I prefer tascam personally.

[Mark G]

So, how did your event turn out? What did you end up doing for your audio?

For closer up dialogue, might I suggest the Sennheiser MKE400 mic? It's a LOT better than the Azden SGM10 which I also own (but don't use anymore). I've used the MKE400 for several years on my cams and it's a great small mini mic for the $$. B&H has them. A step up might be a Sennheiser ME64 with a K6 module. It's gonna set you back a good $400 but you'll be please with the mic. You can use a battery in it and 1/8" mini (to an XLR at the mic). It's a nice setup. For interview situations, a Lavalier is a good choice. You'll find that mics aren't cheap (ones that sound good), but on the plus side, they seem to last a long time.

Gruni14