VideoMicro II Ultra-Compact On-Camera Shotgun Microphone for Recording Audio with a Camera or Mobile Device

There is a minefield of information to digest when it comes to microphones. There are so many different types to consider, and so many different versions of those types it can be hard to know even where to begin. If you're doing recordings in a static environment, perhaps from a desk at home, you're more than likely going to be wanting a condensing microphone and many people will point you towards a product by Blue Yeti. I certainly would as they're superb. If you want your recordings to be mobile, or your subject is going to be far from the camera, a microphone mounted to the talker in the form of a lavalier mike will be the way to go. However, if you want a microphone that you can mount directly to your DSLR camera and have the versatility of both studio and mobile work, an On-camera microphone such as this VideoMicro by Rode is ideal. Rode, if you're not familiar with them, are one of the best manufacturers of microphones in the business. They're based in Australia and manufacture a number of highly regarded On-camera and lavalier products. You just need to decide which one is right for you. There are four or five On-camera mikes that they manufacture which you might consider, from this baby of the range VideoMicro up to the VideoMic Pro+. Each step will bring added features, at added cost, but the VideoMicro is the best selling On-camera mike on Amazon for a reason. It offers excellent sound quality for a relatively modest outlay. You get a compact microphone along with a furry "dead cat" wind supresser, and a detachable TRS cable to connect from the microphone to your DSLR. The microphone attached to the hot shoe of your DSLR camera, and tightend using a dial to get make it stable. When connected the TRS cable can be snapped into slots in the dial which braces the microphone to the camera and prevents wobbling. The sound quality of the microphone is really good, certainly a vast improvement over the in-built microphone in my Nikon D5300 camera. The sound of me doing my pieces to camera is really quite impressive. Being at the bottom end of the Rode range you might expect comprimises, and while the audio gain isn't as impressive as the top end of the range, you're only paying a fraction of the price and you're still getting a very good mike. A word on that, when you connect it to your camera you'll need to go into your menu settings and adjust the gains of the microphone to properly calibrate it. There's instruction in the box for how to do this, and plenty of tutorials online. The TRS cable provided is designed to plug the microphone into your DSLR's mic/aux-in port. Note that this is a different type of connection to the port you'd find on a smart phone. Phones usually use a TRRS port which despite the similar name isn't the same thing. If you look at a connector you'll see a ring on it. That's the "R" of TRS (Tip/Ring/Sleeve). A TRRS connector has two rings (Tip/Ring/Ring/Sleeve). You can buy converters to change a TRS cable to a TRRS, or Rode will sell you a different cable, a TRS to TRRS cable, which will allow you to connect this microphone to your smart phone. Anyway, I've been using mine now for about two months and I've been very impressed with the performance. While I could have spent more money on better ones in the Rode range I've been perfectly happy with the product and highly recommend it.

Honestly such a fantastic microphone for multiple use cases. I primarily use it with my Sony A7 for professional video shoots, but it also works as a brilliant voice over or streaming microphone. Give the flexibility you have with this microphone and all of the fantastic features like duel channel audio (life saver) I’d say it’s worth every penny. The battery is also very good, and setup only takes a few seconds.

This is a fantastic little mic, fantastic sound quality and very crisp sound. Comes with "dead cat" so even works well in poor weather conditions. Has aux cable connectors, no Bluetooth. I see that as a positive as it means no batteries but cable can get a little in the way. Lovely small compact mic, easy to store away in your camera bag. Not bulky if you wanted it in your pocket. Would make a nice small desk mic for meetings etc without feeling in the way. For the price this is a definite buy and a great little starter mic/every day mic. The one thing that does let it all down though is the mic seems a little heavy for the mounting so, it can sometimes seem a little "floppy" in the mounting or just tends to droop down.

The RØDE VideoMicro Compact On-camera Directional Microphone has been a game-changer for my content creation (YouTube_. Whether I’m shooting vlogs, interviews, or outdoor footage, this mic consistently delivers crisp and clear audio. For the price, the RØDE VideoMicro is one of the best investments I’ve made in my gear. It's perfect for filmmakers, vloggers, and content creators who need a reliable, high-quality microphone without breaking the bank. If you're looking for an affordable, compact microphone that delivers professional audio, this is it!

How you rate a product depends to a large extent on your expectations. I read a lot of reviews on here about certain problems relating to hissing and interference from other equipment and even the cameras. However, this did seem to relate somewhat to the cameras rather that camcorders - or at least that was my impression. Likewise, there was a potential wind noise problem around the cable connection point on the mike which I have a 'dead cat' for. For me the major buying point was the 'not having a battery' because I have shot a lot of footage worrying about the battery in my mike, whether I have a spare and whether they will all last the day. It's also another thing to remember.. Anyway, after my initial quick trial - I have a Panasonic HDC-SD900 Camcorder with which I shoot everything from concerts to Murder Mystery films - I am delighted to report that all has gone well. I don't get any extraneous hiss or noise and although I haven't had a chance to boom test it out doors I have tried the 'blow' test which has been good. The sound quality seems fine. The internal mike on my Panasonic is pretty good but when filming scenes especially outside when using a boom then a decent mike is essential. This was not exceptional but was certainly adequate. It means that I think that some of the extraneous noises people have been experiencing on cameras may be due to audio settings or just the way their camera operates? For me and my camcorder this is just what I need. Like I say it's all about expectations and needs..

Es un micrófono sencillo pero eficaz. Lo utilizo para grabar en exteriores, y la calidad es buena. Su conexión de 3.5mm es de gran utilidad; solo le falta un deathcat (lo venden por separado), pero es una compra a buen precio y calidad, además de que es ligero. Yo lo utilizo con caña para un audio de grabación de vídeos.

Ótimo investimento, produto original bem embalado chegou bem antes do previsto, super indico a compra na loja

I never review it for a meantime because I want it to know how good it the microphone and I am glad to do it. Because I can review it in front to my viewer in my vlog what is the product I have and worth to buy and it’s worth it I love the sounds and it’s very handy

I bought this mic reading lot of positive reviews on YT. But this is terrible product. It has lot of wind noise and does not come with dead cat.

I watched so many youtube videos before ordering this mic and let me tell you the most common issue described in them was the hissing/clicking noise, let me tell you that has got nothing to do with the mic but with the pre-amp on your camera, when i tried recording through this mic to an external recorder there was no hiss/click noise whatsoever, also the noise cancellation on this one is pretty awesome especially when you are in moderately noisy environment, this is so good that it gives you near studio quality recording quality for the price. next is the manufacturer, Rode, they are awesome! i faced an issue regarding the tightening ring which was jammed when i received the product, but on me contacting Rode via e-mail & Twitter, they responded promptly suggesting a fix and it worked! they also sent me the number and address for their service centre near my location, which i did not have to visit as my issue was fixed. i highly recommend this microphone and i currently use it for recording directly into my DSLR and my phones where it works like a charm. One last piece of advise, since this item is non returnable on amazon, try buying it from an offline store near you as in case of any problem you will just be oscillating between amazon customer service and seller, who in my case was pathetic, other than that, Just go For it!!!