So i finally pulled the trigger on a Sony ZV-E10 for my trip to Kyoto and Osaka next month but the onboard mic is honestly driving me a bit crazy even with that little deadcat thing on top. It catches way too much background noise when im walking through busy streets and i really need something that focuses on my voice more. I've been doing a ton of research and i'm stuck between a few choices because i want to keep the setup as light as possible since i'll be walking miles every day and dont want a huge rig.
My budget is pretty firm at around $200 because i already spent way too much on lenses and plane tickets. I need something that can handle wind but also doesnt make me look like a professional news crew while im just trying to eat street food and talk to the camera. I'm mostly doing walk-and-talk style stuff so rejection of side noise is a big deal for me.
Im currently torn between these three options:
The B10 seems the smartest for a Sony body but is the extra $100 worth it just to lose the wire? I leave in three weeks so i need to make a move soon so i can test it out before the flight. Which one would you guys pick for a solo traveler who hates carrying extra gear?
> The B10 seems the smartest for a Sony body but is the extra $100 worth it just to lose the wire? In my experience, going cable-free with the Sony ECM-B10 Compact Shotgun Microphone is totally worth it for travel. No wires means less hassle and cleaner audio on the move. You wont regret spending the extra cash.
You might want to consider the <a href=" https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/search?Ntt= Sennheiser+MKE+200+On-Camera+Directional+Microphone&BI=8941&KBID=10361&SID=12345&DFF=d50" target="_blank" rel="nofollow sponsored">Sennheiser MKE 200 On-Camera Directional Microphone instead. Be careful with the smaller Sony mics because they often fail in windy conditions. Make sure to check your audio levels before every shoot... Kyoto can get loud. Its a much safer budget choice that still offers solid side noise rejection for your vlogging tho.
Honestly i grabbed the Sony ECM-G1 Ultra-Compact Shotgun Microphone for a trip and was pretty bummed. It wasnt as good as expected and barely felt like an upgrade over the internal mics... unfortunately it felt like a waste of cash. I had issues with the Rode VideoMic GO II Lightweight Shotgun Microphone cable blocking my screen too. Ended up with the <a href=" https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/search?Ntt= Sennheiser+MKE+200+Directional+On-Camera+Microphone&BI=8941&KBID=10361&SID=12345&DFF=d50" target="_blank" rel="nofollow sponsored">Sennheiser MKE 200 Directional On-Camera Microphone. Quick tip: keep your internal gain low to avoid hiss.