Panasonic camcorder external mic for interviews

Backinflow

Hello I just purchased a panasonic camcorder Full Hd Hc V - 770 and I need to get an external microphone. The purpose would be mainly interviews. Can anyone suggest a rather affordable yet good one?

stearman65

I've just bought a lavalier mike, (clips on your collar) from Ebay for my FZ330 DSLR. Works fine, bit fiddely to get the battery in but the audio is good.
BOYA BY-M1 3.5mm Lavalier Microphone for Camera DSLR Camcorder Smartphone PC  | eBay

Backinflow

Thank you but I would be interested in a microphone that can be attached to the camera itself

stearman65

I have an Olympus LS10 which I've had for about 10 years, it's a recording mike so I get the LS10 recording & the camera's recording so I can cherry pick which is best. It can record in various modes including shotgun & various qualities. I've just found one on Amazon, didn't check if it was new as there are newer models. The Panasonic mikes are very expensive & have mixed reviews. I mostly rely on the cameras mike now with a good dead cat wind muff, just made one for my FZ330.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Olympus-LS-10-PCM-Recorder/dp/B001AZHTK8/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=olympus ls10&qid=1555362267&s=gateway&sr=8-1
                                                                       

JH4

Rode shotgun mics. Brilliant ! ( With a wind gag, obviously. )

Joe Fernand

'The purpose would be mainly interviews' - are you planning to capture the Interviewer and the Interviewee with a single camera mounted mic?

Joe

Terfyn

For camera mounting I suggest a BOYA BY-VM190P short shotgun mic.  (see www.boya-mic.com)
But a camera mounted mic will capture all the noise between the interviewer and the camera. Better to use a mic, mounted on a stand or on a table between the speakers. i.e  "rule of thumb" film from a distance but record audio close up.

It will depend very much on your situation. A controlled interview in a quiet room would benefit from a close up mic but you could get away with using the camera mics (in zoom mode). Connecting cables are not a problem in this situation.

Recording passers by in a street is a very different matter. You could use a Lavalier (tie-clip) mic but a handheld would be better as you could aim it at the interviewee. The downside would be the connecting cable between the mic and the camera.
I use a BOYA BY-WM5 radio mic. The receiver is mounted on the camera and the transmitter with the interviewer. I bought a second spare Lavalier mic and converted the original mic to a handheld with a bit of tube. Again a downside, town centres are cluttered with radio signals, Wi-Fi etc. so a sound test is required before recording.
Finally (phew ) a separate audio recorder such as a Tascam or Olympus is a popular option. You would need to sync up the video and audio in a video editor afterwards but that is relatively easy. People often use a handclap and align the video of the clap with the spike on the audio recording.

You will see we share the same sorts of cameras. I now use the 800 mainly but keep the 750 for multi camera shoots. Again the video editor allows me to sync up the cameras in multi-camera mode.