Sennheiser - MKE 600

Sennheiser MKE600 is best and can be battery powered so doesnt need an interface with phantom power. I use it on my S9 and it does have reach.

>The camera with mic onboard was placed probably 4ft “ish” away! I mean this is probably your issue. No shotgun mic is going to sound terribly good that far away, especially a cheaper model like the MKE600. For interviews that mic should be hanging about a micron above your frame, ideally less than a foot or two from the subject.

Let me think about it, it's a very delicate matter. I think having a good preamp is essential for your purpose. If you get a poor preamp, your sound will be poor even with a good microphone. I can tell you that there are some good preamps out there, but they're very expensive, and if you add the cost of the preamp and the microphone, we're going beyond your budget. Examples: the Fostex Ar501, created for your purpose, or the mm1 sound device, but we're on another level. The sound device is very expensive and perhaps useless for your application. There are similar, inexpensive solutions, but I can't guarantee the performance. As for the microphone, I obviously recommend a Sennheiser MKH416, but we're out of your budget. I'd go with a Deity S Mic 3s, which is within your budget considering the cost of the preamp. That said, if you're looking for a quick and simple solution without too many hassles, an NTG4+ or MKE600 would be better.

Plus one to this! I typically use my MKE 600 boomed and plugged in via XLR to the Zoom F3. My audio turns out crispy perfect every single time.

Audio Technica AT875R ($179), Rode NTG 4 or 4+, Audio Technica AT 897, and the MKE 600 you already listed.

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

Agreed. If the 416 is out of budget for you, the mke600 will get you most of the way there for a quarter of the price. It has the added bonus of being able to run off AAs and can plug directly into your camera or a dji transmitter.

Do you have a budget or other needs? Something like the 416 is a classic for location sound and other models like the 600 can be a nice budget alternative. I’d get a blimp or other wind protection if using in an area with much wind and a boom pole to allow best placement. Placement is really key for getting the best audio.

I use a  MKH 416 as well (and a MKE 600 for guests). I have it mounted on a regular mic stand, pointing up, about half a meter from the talent looking into the camera (so it's just out of view). A bit different from this kind of setup where you have two people in the same room - ours is talking to the camera, so the talent doesn't move, so the shotgun works great. In a previous role, I'd used a ceiling mount system like the one pictured and that worked great too.

As someone said above, you should try for a shotgun mic. They're made to pick up sound of whats directly in front. They're not perfect of course, and there will always be some bleed because sound never moves in a straight line. HOWEVER, bottom end shotguns that are worth getting are not gonna be the best thing ever. The lowest quality I would go is the Sennheiser MKE 600 or RODE NTG1. They are slightly above $200 but like I said, it wouldn't be worth spending less on a shotgun mic. Really good shotgun mics can easily cost more than $2K. So, just imagine the kind of quality sacrifices you're making for something 10% of the cost. If either one of the above shotgun mics aren't in the budget or you just don't wanna do that, then following the advice above about distance or acoustic paneling is your next best option.