Tag Archives: rode videomic pro

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Rode is possibly the most popular on-camera microphone especially when it comes to DSLR Video shooters. Rode makes a number of different types of microphones, but as far as compact shotgun style shoe mounted microphones go, they offered three main types. On the low end, there is the "Rode VideoMic Go" (requires plug-in power and no Selectable 10 or 20dB Pad). The middle product is the Rode VideoMic" (can be battery powered with Selectable 10 or 20dB Pad). On the high end there's the more compact "Rode VideoMic Pro" (Battery powered with Selectable -10 or 20dB Pad).

rode_videomic_go_videomic_go_on_camera_shotgun_1012003 rode_videomic_r_videomic_with_rycote_lyre_917425 Rode_VIDEOMIC_PRO_VideoMic_Pro_Compact_Shotgun_744768

Even though the VideoMic GO was a lower end microphone, it had the best suspension system using the Rycote Lyre. The original Rode VideoMic also received a Rycote Lyre suspension upgrade from a previous rubber band style shock mount. Unfortunately over several years, Rode did not get around to upgrading the shock mount of the more professional and compact Rode VideoMic Pro.

Well the good news has finally arrived. Officially today Rode has announced that much needed upgrade and the latest Rode VideoMic Pro now comes with the Rycote Lyre suspension.

For those who have the original Rode VideoMic Pro, unfortunately you cannot simply buy the Rycote suspension to upgrade your old one. You also can't use your old Furry Windscreen (deadcat), on the new VideoMic Pro. You'll need to use the new Furry Windscreen that will be designed specifically for the VMPR (R for Rycote).

Rode videomic pro rycote lyre

RØDE VIDEOMIC PRO GETS UPGRADE WITH RYCOTE ONBOARD

Tuesday May 19th, 2015, Sydney Australia – Pro-audio brand RØDE Microphones is announcing an upgrade to its number one selling microphone worldwide, the VideoMic Pro.

Originally released in 2010, the VideoMic Pro quickly became an industry standard on-camera shotgun microphone for professionals and enthusiasts alike. With its small form factor, superior audio quality and industry first +20db level boost, it was the perfect companion for DSLR cameras as they became the go-to device for high definition video capture.

Determined to raise the bar again in 2015, RØDE’s all new VideoMic Pro will feature the acclaimed Rycote Lyre suspension system, along with an upgraded microphone capsule, improving both the physical characteristics and audio performance of the microphone.

Already implemented on the VideoMic and VideoMic GO, the Rycote Lyre suspension system is widely regarded as the best microphone shock mounting solution available. Featuring a suspension structure composed of a hard-wearing thermoplastic, it is far more effective at minimising unwanted vibrations, handling and cable-borne noise than traditional elastic suspensions. Virtually indestructible, the Rycote Lyre will never sag, snap, wear out or require rethreading to maintain its effectiveness.

Completing the upgrade is an all-new microphone capsule, giving the 2015 VideoMic Pro even higher sensitivity and lower self-noise, ensuring crystal clear audio capture over a wider dynamic range.

“The VideoMic Pro was a revelation for DSLR users the world over, making broadcast quality audio accessible to everyone at an affordable price” comments Damien Wilson, RØDE’s Global Sales and Marketing Director. “Now we’re taking it to another level. With the Rycote Lyre upgrade, and an upgraded capsule, it’s now even better value for such an amazing broadcast quality product.”

The VideoMic Pro featuring Rycote Lyre suspension is shipping to authorised RØDE dealers now. For more information please visit www.rode.com/microphones/videomicpro.

rycote suspension microphone shotgun rode videomicpro rode videomic pro microphone suspension rycote
Learn-More-sm Rode VideoMic Pro with Rycote Lyre Suspension

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Adorama is currently offering savings for both the RODE NTG-2 Dual Powered Shotgun Microphone and the RODE VideoMic Pro Compact Shotgun mic. I checked a few other sites, and indeed there is additional savings to be had up to $60 OFF.

The RODE NTG-2 is a handy shotgun microphone as it is a 'Dual Powered' microphone. This means if you have an audio recorder that does not offer Phantom Power, you can simply throw a single AA battery into the mic.

Rode NTG-2 Shotgun Microphone
find-price-button Rode NTG-2 Dual Powered Shotgun Mic

The RODE VideoMic Pro Compact Shotgun mic is just one of those microphones that offers great sound for the price, and currently it's even cheaper. It's been around for a few years and practically a main piece of gear in any video shooter's kit.

Rode VideoMic Pro rdvmp
find-price-button RODE VideoMic Pro Compact Shotgun mic

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Let me start off by apologizing for sooo many BMPCC posts in the last week, but for the record i'm just as tired blogging about the BlackMagic Pocket Cinema Camera as I am hearing about it. The reason I had to get all of this information out quickly is because yesterday I had to send the little guy back to the www.dvestore.com, and not many other people will have this camera in the coming months.

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BlackMagic Pocket Cinema Camera w/ Canon 70-200mm F/2.8 IS - photo credit Dion Wong

So this should be the last 'video review' you'll get from me for a while. In this video I thought about doing a wrap up and summary of things you already knew and some things you probably didn't know about the BlackMagic Pocket Cinema Camera.

There will of course be many occasions (at least for me) where ProRes and RAW are just overkill for storage and post work, so other small cameras like the Panasonic GH3 (sale ends in two weeks BTW) or Canon 5D Mark III are more beneficial offering high quality with smaller file sizes and longer battery life. The BMPC camera also does not double duty as a fast stills camera, so many will still end up carrying a second body around just for that reason.

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Keiko Alingas w/ @GearAddix BlackMagic Pocket Cinema Camera Shoot - photo credit Dion Wong

I'm not saying this isn't a a great camera, in fact i'm still excited for my Pocket Cinema Cameras to arrive. I think the size, quality, features, and price of this camera make it a tool that many professionals would love to have available to them. If you can afford the BPMC and the few items it requires to work smoothly, then by all means go for it. If they unlock the RAW features, this camera will be (dare I say) 'a game changer'. I think i'll end this article here since most of my thoughts are already added in the video (above).

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find-price-button BlackMagic Design Pocket Cinema Camera - DVEStore Preorder

Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Cameras Currently Available on eBay



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I know this very particular Pocket Cinema Camera I have in my hands may have some weird internal noise, but when using an external mic it actually sounds pretty darn good. Yesterday I had a few hours to play with the BlackMagic Pocket Cinema Camera, but I decided to try something different.

I had a Rode VideoMic Pro connected to the Pocket Cinema Camera and BOTH Audio & VIDEO were captured from the HDMI output directly to the Atomos Ninja 2. I did not use an SDXC card in the camera. I also only wanted to use Micro Four Thirds lenses instead of adapting larger Canon/Nikon lenses.

BlackMagic Pocket Cinema Camera
(somewhere in this mess is a Pocket Cinema Camera)

First problem, I have no spare batteries for this camera. Any current Pocket Cinema Camera owner will tell you how poor a single battery is. You'll be lucky to get 20 minutes of run time out of it. So I DIY'd my own battery cable to connect to my Tekkeon Battery Pack as an external power source. I was able to run all day and my Tekkeon didn't even take a hit. So that's why I needed rails to mount my battery.

I didn't have enough SD card storage, so I decided to bring out the Atomos. With a 240GB Solid State Drive, I could capture hours of footage. Plus I was curious how capturing from the HDMI would turn out.

Rode VideoMic Pro Atomos Ninja Atomos Ninja HDMI Recorder 10 bit 422 BlackMagic Pocket cinema
It looks ugly I know. Believe me, I never want to use this camera in this configuration, but I am waiting for extra gear to use this camera.

Now that I had all of this extra weight, I added a Top Handle with an LCD Mount. The rig was heavy enough that I needed to bring out a heavier duty tripod. In the future, I simply plan on just stocking up on a dozen batteries so that I don't have to mount a power source to the camera. If I can get enough SDHC / SDXC media cards, then I can get rid of the Atomos Ninja.

Without all the extra junk, I can get rid of the rails, carry a smaller Tripod, and finally make it a truly pocketable Cinema Camera. Moral of this story - get a lot of batteries and SD cards if you want to stay pocketable.

Pocket Cinema Camera Pocket Cinema Camera BlackMagic Design Atomos Ninja Rode Videomic
Shooting Parrots with Panasonic 45-150mm

So here's some footage I shot yesterday while making plenty of mistakes. Focusing was difficult on the LCD Screen especially in bright daylight. I tried to rely on the built in Focus Peaking feature (green lines) but I can tell many of the shots were out of focus.

The on screen Zebra lines helped let me know what was blown out, but there was no indicator if the shadows were being clipped. At times I would use the false color feature on the Atomos to help judge, but even that screen in daylight was difficult to use. An LCD View Finder or external EVF will definitely help when working with this camera.

Panasonic 7-14mm Rokinon 8mm Fisheye
I couldn't use my ND Filters on these Lenses. Panasonic 7-14mm & Rokinon 7.5mm Fisheye

I carried two very wide lenses a Panasonic 7-14mm & Rokinon 7.5mm fisheye. These lenses are sharper at a wider aperture, but because these don't come with a threaded mount, I could not use an ND Filter. I tried stopping down the aperture to F/22 but in the end the footage was very soft. I guess to use these lenses, you'll need to carry around a Matte Box.

Micro Four Third Lenses for Pocket Cinema Camera

7-14mm Pocket Cinema Camera
7-14mm F/4 		12-35 BlackMagic Pocket Lens
12-35mm F/2.8 		35-100mm Panasonic Pocket Cinema Camera BlackMagic Lens
35-100mm F/2.8 		Rokinon 8mm Pocket Cinema Camera
7.5mm Fisheye 		514tmtNtqvL._AA160_
45-150mm

The Audio in this video was from a Rode VideoMic Pro (no preamp) directly into the BlackMagic Pocket Cinema Camera (set to 0). The audio was sent over the HDMI and recorded into the Atomos Ninja 2. I thought it sounded pretty darn good for no preamp. If you see closeup footage in the video that's typically from the Panasonic 35-100mm F/2.8, or Panasonic 45-150mm. The wider shots are on the Panasonic 7-14mm and Rokinon 8mm Fisheye. I definitely need more practice working with this camera.

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Just FYI about the shortage with the Rode VideoMic Pro Compact Shotgun Microphone. Ever since it's release, it's held up to the hype in both form and function. Definitely a winner even though the price is a bit on the high side for most. If you're waiting around for websites to say 'in stock', you might again be missing the boat (Hate to say I told ya so). I believe they should become available in the next few weeks, but most likely in limited quantities. You might just be able to get it in time for NAB.

If you think this is going to fit into your work flow, you might want to fall in line by placing a pre-order. If you're too far down on the pre-order line you can always cancel, and as one of the hottest microphones available for run-n-gun shooters, I don't think you'll have a problem selling it off if you end up with two. Heck, if they run out of stock (again), you might even be able to make a few bucks on auction (like those pesky iPad 2's). Call me crazy, but i'm already working with one and have signed up for another. I'll have my non-Pro Rode VideoMic one on auction as soon as this new one arrives.

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find-price-button Pre-Order Rode VideoMic Pro Compact Shotgun

On that note, check out the recent Press Release about Rode's new iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad application. I just downloaded it on my iPad and am watching a video that talks about microphones with DSLRs too! Awesome stuff, and it's all FREE to add to your Apple Portables.

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Apple iTunes Download Rode University App

Tuesday 22nd March 2011, Sydney Australia – RØDE Microphones is extremely excited to announce the release of its RØDE University audio education course for the Apple iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad. This free app includes all the video content from both the musical and broadcast syllabus from RØDE’s award winning website, rodeuniversity.com.

Rode University
visit-button Rode University - RodeUniversity.com

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2011-03-02 15.09.57

One of the new features in the Canon T3i lets you select full Manual Audio, dial down the in-camera pre-amps, and go all JuicedLink DS214 with headphone monitoring. Damn this is so much easier than all the other random ways to control, monitor, and route incoming audio into DSLR's. If you still liked running a Dual Audio system, you can run a Zoom H1 or H4n on the output between the camera and DS214.

You can see the relative size of JL's DS214 next to the Canon T3i and Rode VideoMic Pro, all mounted on a (gratuitous product shot) of the Juicedlink Accessory bracket. It's such a simple looking setup, but you've got control over the Rode VideoMic with -10db, 0db, and +20db, and then you have a Low / High Gain features in the JuicedLink DS214, along with incoming Right and Left Levels adjustment, and finally piping that into the T3i Manual Audio controls...

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DS214-JuiceLink

Ok, so you got your DSLR and fancy new Rode VideoMic Pro with +20db feature. If you've got AGC on the T2i (without ML) or Canon 7D, then you need a way to disable AGC. Or maybe you don't? Maybe you've got a Canon 5D Mark II or 60D with Manual audio levels - no AGC to worry about. You're still short of a way to monitor the audio levels via headphones.

There's been different ways of trying to get clean audio into your camera, but it normally came at a hefty price. Here's where this new JuicedLink DS214 comes in. Just recently announced as available for purchase for under $145 bucks, this little black box provides all the missing features of running a stereo jacked microphone into your camera. The DS214 provides you with Audio meters, a Low-Noise Preamp, Headphone monitoring, and even AGC Disable if needed (everything that sucks for a DSLR). Ok, yes you can use an MP3 player with constant tone to 'tame' the AGC, but still no way to adjust levels from the Mic, or give a little low-noise preamp boost to the signal. Any way you cut it, this thing was thought out to include all the different 'workarounds'. For the price and convenience, it can't be beat.

This version doesn't have inputs to support XLR Microphones, but there's a swamping new audience using the Rode VideoMic Pro that sure could use something like this. For XLR phantom power you'll want to check out the DT454. Only 1 stereo input? The DS214 also has seperate L/R potentiometers which makes it possible to run a splitter to two different mics and capture mono on each channel.

As of now the new JuicedLink DS214 is only available on the JL site with a bunch of information which I suggest you checkout to see if this will work for you. There's also some different Audio Samples from a variety of possible Audio setups with the Rode Mic + Zoom H4n you can listen to.

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visit-button JuicedLink DS214 Low Noise PreAmp with Headphone Monitoring Audio Meters

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[Video and Audio are terrible. Shot with a cheap Point and Shoot]

Not sure if the post shows up, but it's about 1:00 a.m. (in the morning). I received a super last minute call to help out with some Glidecam work on an event. So I decided to hack something up which I think would be helpful. When flying on this Glidecam i'm closing down the aperture to keep things in focus. This means less light. So I decided to mod a few RC batteries together to power up the 352 LED Ring Light. It's bright, it's well diffused, and it's dimmable. It's the perfect light source for what i'm trying to achieve during this event. [BTW the light at the end of this video is turned all the way down - it gets brighter!]

In order to mount the large 352 LED Ring light, I needed to raise up the 60D with a battery grip and then place it on top of a Calumet quick release adapter. A few flexible power arms kept the LED Ring light mounted and also the Rode VideoMic Pro in place. With the 60D Manual Audio + Rode VideoMic Pro +20db, it sounds really good. Anyways, this rig might be overkill so I also balanced out my 7D on the Glidecam HD1000 for times I don't need lighting or audio. Ok, time to nap. Could be a long day...

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find-price-button 352 LED Ring Light with 12V AC Adapter

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find-price-button Rode VideoMic Pro Compact Shotgun Microphone

Not long ago Rode announced a new VideoMic Pro and now it's available. Didn't I just grab a new Microphone Windscreen over my VideoMic? This does not appear to be a replacement for the already popular VideoMic, but a new microphone altogether. Smaller form factor, better shock mounting, external switches, and a new +20db setting. Price obviously is more than the non-Pro VideoMic, but the new shock mount and smaller form factor already has me sold. Unlike the large VideoMic, this new VideoMic 'Pro' won't look as awkward when mounting on the smaller GH2 camera.

More Rode VideoMic Specs can be found here: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/744768-REG/Rode_VIDEOMIC_PRO_VideoMic_Pro_Compact_Shotgun.html

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find-price-button Varizoom CrossFire Video Camera Stabilizers

If you've been hiding under a rock, you might have missed all the ads for Varizoom's Crossfire stabilizer. Seems like they are really pushing this product towards DSLR shooters. It's a hand held video stabilizer that combines a tripod as the lower weight. When you're not running around, you've got a tripod ready to go. This is another product similar to their stabilizer/monopod a.k.a 'FlowPod'. How well does it work? I don't know, but it's set at a price where i'm not willing to find out. So unless you really need a set of sticks under your stabilizer, you can find it here: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/750674-REG/VariZoom_VZ_CROSSFIRE_CrossFire_FP_Stabilizer.html

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find-price-button Vello Battery grips for Canon and Nikon

If you're in the market for a Battery grip but don't want to pay the OEM prices, you might be shopping for aftermarket. If you're a bit hesitant on choosing after market battery grips coming from overseas then maybe the new Vello line of grips might be up your alley. Available for both Canon and Nikon in select models, shipped from the big retailer B&H Photo Video should you run into any issues. Found here: Vello Battery Grips

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