Sennheiser - MKE 400 (Original)

The Sennheiser MKE 400 might be what you're looking for. It's a light and compact "shotgun" mic that mounts to a cold shoe and plugs straight into the camera's 3.5mm mic jack. I say "shotgun" because this thing is barely directional. Not good for interviews, but I use it for live shows because it pretty much captures all the ambient sound and the small size doesn't get in the way. It won't be as good as more complicated options like recording from the sound board, but you will notice a giant improvement from using the camera's built-in mic.

i had the mke 600.. too big, i now have the 400, it's everything you need, best on camera shotgun by far.. just buy that

So, this is part of what I do for a living. I would skip the audio recorder altogether and just go with a shotgun for when you need good on camera, and then get a dual head wireless mic setup like the DJI Mic 3, and both mics have an onboard recorder. My current rig is a Canon R5C with a Sennheiser MKE400 and a DJI Mic 2. The Sennheiser is great, but the fact that it takes conventional AAA batteries and the power switch has no lockout, and it’s easy to unintentionally turn on in a backpack. I’m happy overall with the setup and it’s versatile enough for what i need. I would say you really only need the audio recorder if you’re going to need enough audio channels to do a shotgun AND a wireless mic setup on location. In a run and gun scenario you want to keep your rig as simple as possible - simplicity brings fewer points of failure when you’re shooting.

I have both. Each have their uses. The sennheiser is good if you have multiple people talking in the vlog (2+) and you want more environment noise. DJI is great for basically the opposite. Have both if you can afford it, then switch. If you just want one then I recommend the Sennheiser as its more versatile because of being able to point it at the sound you want a lot easier

For just random general use, I personally really like the Sennheiser MKE series, such as the MKE 400. They’re short shotgun microphones with built-in windscreens. They include a more aggressive windscreen for when you need it, and they’ll auto power on when it senses your camera turn on. Long battery, life, clear, audio, even a headphone jack for monitoring. I use one of these on my main camera rig for capturing behind the scenes footage. There’s a lot of nuance when it comes to recording audio, but the long and skinny of it is the major two types of microphones people use on-camera are shotgun and stereo. Shotgun mics have a tube extending from the mic capsule that helps reject noise from the sides and back of the microphone, so it picks up what’s in front of it more clearly. They’re generally made for things like dialogue. Stereo mics; two separate capsules placed side-by-side to create an “image” of the stereo field; they are more tricky to use, cost more, and in your case will probably result more life-like sound for ambience, but worse audio for people speaking. As for general stuff to look into, most camera rigs are built around a cage, which is a metal exoskeleton for your camera with mounting holes, brackets, etc. I personally like the smallrig cages, along with their top handles, side handles, external batteries, etc.. Goodluck!

I’ve been having good luck with the sennheiser mke400

Unless you’re the official videographer and a gatekeeper has cleared/instructed that you get a direct feed to a recorder, I don’t think you’re getting a feed. And 3 feeds at that! But if you have that access, do it. Given the strength of a line or XLR feed, inexpensive used DR40/DR40X on each stage would do it. Then your camera audio is scratch only. If you’re made of money, a Zoom F3 and VXLR+ adapters on each stage can get you 32 bit float from either handoff type. // but let’s say it is just you and your camera. External mic, possibly separately mounted on you so that you can keep the same audio orientation when you move the camera. Modified chest or head mount. For music, do stereo. Nobody wants a flat mono performance. A mid-side mic is a neat trick as you can do stereo or mono by adjusting the side field width. If that’s not your thing, don’t use a traditional shotgun and don’t use an omni. Use a short pseudo-shotgun like a Sennheiser MKE400 which allows monitoring if you have headphones that can fight the ambient sound. The MKE440 model is stereo, and that’s the only one or method that I’ve mentioned that I haven’t done myself.

If the goal is to record yourself or things close, the Sennheiser MKE200 is a great small mic, and it has a 'blimp' design that with the included deadbeat makes it a good outside performer. I prefer its bigger sibling, the MKE400 more due to battery powered, auto on/off, switch for sensitivity, and a headphone jack for monitoring, but when I was packing light to record my daughter's marching band at Disney, I took the MKE200.

Possibly, but a better answer is more complicated. If you will be close enough to hear the wildlife, then a sensitive enough microphone might capture relatively strong sound with enough quality to get where you need to be without a lot of trouble (say, bird song). The MKE400 might still be OK. If you are trying to record breaths/snorts of bison while keeping a safe distance, that's another matter. For the former, field recording mics like those at [www.micbooster.com](http://www.micbooster.com) ("clippy" or "pluggy") or [www.immersivesoundscapes.com](http://www.immersivesoundscapes.com) ("ear sight") are often the best fit. I own a mono clippy. For the latter, an expensive shotgun might help, but that is more about canceling out side sound than it is giving reach, or go to a parabolic which is all about reach. I'd do some googling on the field recording mics and see if any of those might work for you. // In a safari situation, where I need to use what I have handheld or in limited space, I'd probably bring my MKE400 as my on camera and have some way that I have a clippy held onto the vehicle with a magnetic holder or clipped to me, like a hat brim.

Sennheiser Dedicated audio brand for years longer than DJI and IMO sounds better

Have a look at the Sennheiser MKE 400... I find it great. Check some YT reviews.

What sort of treatment do you have on your mic? The foam windscreen should make a difference, the dead [insert animal here] covers generally do better. Granted, despite the label, the Rode consumer microphones aren't really true shotgun mics, but you have to add another zero at the end of the price tag to get something like a Sennheiser MKE that really does the job.