I have just returned from Japan, after a great experience Judging the Nikon Photo Contest International in Tokyo. Nikon’s hospitality was second to none, and working alongside my fellow Judges was both an honour, and a valuable lesson in picture editing. These are a highly talented group of people (and great company). Once my Judging duties were over, I hit the streets of Tokyo to try out the impressive Nikon D7000.
Rode VideoMic Pro
‘Nothing has the emotive power of a great still photograph — although these days it had better move when you click on it, and offer something memorable to listen to’
I have just added the RØDE VideoMic Pro to my kit, as my new go to hot-shoe mic. Plugging into a Nikon D3s and D7000, the sweet spot seems to be with mic On (flat) at 0 dB, and the Nikon’s audio settings at either low or medium, depending on where the subject is. This is a great sounding mic, offering good, clean audio, straight from the camera. I also prefer the size and build of this mic to that of its predecessor. You’ve got to give it to Rode — they’ve obviously been listening.
While still on the subject of audio, I’ve also been trialing another Aussie mic manufacturers product, Da-Cappo’s Que-Audio Video/DSLR kit. The kit’s mic is tiny, yet solid — beautifully made. (I’m guessing it was originally designed to satisfy the needs of dedicated sound recordists wanting to travel light). Although it does make a sweet sounding hot-shoe mic, it excels on the end of a boom, using the XLR adapter into an external recorder like the Zoom H4n. A gem of a mic, especially for its size.
A big issue, when trying to get your head around multimedia, is the extra gear you have to lug around. The other day I received an email from Ben Walton at Team Digital, telling me they were now stocking F-Stop camera packs. I’d heard of them, thanks to an excellent review by photographer Dan Carr, so it was great to read they were now in Australia. The pack I went with, the Tilopa, is a rugged 3-day backpack, with a fully adjustable harness, specifically designed for photographers. The heart of the system is what hooked me, a choice of ICU’s (Internal Camera Units), rigid padded boxes of different sizes. I like it.
DAVID DARE PARKER 