Audio Technica AT835 and the GH3 - Pro mic vs Consumer Mic Shootout

Here is a test of my "new to me" Audio Technica AT835 plugged directly into the GH3.  I bought this AT835 used on eBay for $75 shipped.  This is not unusual.  If you are patient, it is possible to find deals on many old XLR shotgun mics.

To get the 600 Ohm balanced XLR output from the AT835 into my 2500 Ohm camera, I bought a Hosa MIT-156 XLR to 3.5mm line matching transformer for around $20.  You can pay more for a Shure A96F, but the Hosa does a great job.  Here is a picture of the setup, with a $23 Rainbowimaging pistol grip:

Please watch the video below to see how the $75 used AT835 stacked up against the $80 Azden SMX10 consumer mic, also plugged directly into the GH3.  Not to prejudice you before you listen to the test, but this experience tells me that picking up a used pro mic on eBay can be a pretty good investment - especially when compared to the price of camera mounted prosumer mics such as the $229 Rode VideoMic "Pro".

After trying the two mics out side-by-side, I am very glad to have adapted a pro mic to the GH3.  The only challenge is the length of the AT835. As you can see from the video, it is literally a "shotgun" - and sticks pretty far out in front of the camera. I will probably end up getting something a little shorter (maybe a used Sennheiser K6/ME64 for about the same price as a VideoMic Pro), but, in the meantime, the AT835 is a great solution. If you find these posts helpful in deciding to buy something through eBay, Amazon or Adorama, please use the links on this blog (at no extra cost to you). And if you found the video helpful, please link to it directly on Vimeo and donate a little something to the "tip jar". To see the latest comparisons, reviews and other goings-on, please follow us on Vimeo and YouTube. Your help is greatly appreciated and will keep the reviews and blog posts coming.

Poor man's XLR jack for GH2/GH3

I was tired of noisy amateur "shotgun" mics with poor off-axis noise rejection, poor frequency response and flimsy little 3.5mm jacks and consumer cable.  I wanted to upgrade my mic quality - but I didn't want to spend a lot of money for a JuicedLink or Beachtek preamp/XLR to DSLR adapter.

 I heard that some people were running battery powered XLR mics directly into 3.5mm jack equipped camcorders and cameras with line matching transformers - so I set out on a quest to see if  could make it work - and I did.

I'm now running a $75 used Audio Technica AT835 mic (sourced from eBay) directly into my GH2 with a $15 Hosa Low Z to High Z transformer and a $5 Hosa GPM-467 3.5mm to 2.5mm adapter.  The windscreen is a $55 Olsen Mic Muff MM-21. It works really well for my application (standups right in front of the camera for my vlog).

The preamps on the GH2 are not great, but they are good enough for this - and the GH3's are even better.

No phantom power - but that's what battery powered mics are for.

When this setup is connected to the GH3, I won't need the GPM-467 any more.  A lot less expensive than Panasonic's $349 OEM solution :)