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For a height comparison, these are the three relatively small stereo mics I use, mounted on my Pana G9 (which is around the same size as an S5). Tascam TM-2x (cardioid capsule X-Y stereo, plug-in power). Overall the most flexible, with a switchable low-cut filter, two sensitivity settings and a shock mount that works. Boya BY-PVM50 (cardioid capsule X-Y stereo, uses LR44 battery). The 3.5mm jack is at the rear centre of the barrel, and the mic can be moved forward and back in the shock mount. Boya BY-MM3 (omni capsule stereo, plug-in power). This is overall the smallest/lightest/least obtrusive, but as it's non-directional it's only really suitable for 'ambient sound' recording.

I've sent you a PM with a link to a video file of mine (just trimmed, no EQ or other processing and with plenty of bass) using a TM-2x, in case it might help. (I'm afraid it's 50 FPS though, as I'm firmly on that side of the FPS divide....😉 🙂)

I'm only an amateur, but I fully agree. I my case I just don't want to carry lots of (or large) gear around and I mostly shoot handheld, so the mics I mentioned are (for me) a sensible compromise between sound quality and size.

Posts like this are why I love this forum. Between all of us we have such a wide range of gear that there's a good chance someone has/has experience with something! I do think, money (and quality!) wise, it was probably better to just buy a bigger bag haha but the Tascam is decent for something you can get for well under $100 used (often times in barely used condition.) I think I paid maybe $120 total for both of mine? I don't tweak them a ton, because honestly I'm just using them to get a decentish stereo sound of the crowd from multiple directions and they're going into an audio mix that has three other audio sources in addition to the two stereo ones. The built in mics just don't cut it, and shotgun mics don't provide any immersiveness (though are good to hear blows connecting.) I could most definitely set up a better system overall with all the gear I have, but I'm just one man, so I just do the best I can without driving myself too crazy!

No I don't use much lighting when run & gunning. Most low light I do is concerts and events and I'll use the available lighting for realistic ambience. I mostly shoot fast prime lenses so not a big issue. On Canon I'll usually go with the Canon 50mm F1.2 & 35mm F1.4 wide open. On Sony I shoot with the Zeiss 35mm F1.4 & Batis prime series. And for zoom the Sigma 18-35mm F1.8. I also don't mind crushing blacks and using a little NR. Whatever works. If I get the FX30 I'd surely go for those new 7artisans T1.05 cine primes I was talking about the other day.

See below - from the left, BY-MM3 (without muff), TM-2x (side and front views) and BY-PVM50 Echoing what @newfoundmass said upthread, I think it sounds pretty decent (for a relatively low-cost, compact, stereo mic) and the camera viewfinder is still usable because it doesn't extend back much from the hotshoe. I think the capsules are the same as Tascam use on their low/mid-end handheld recorders. The bass end isn't subterranean, but it's fine with a bit of EQ, and I think it's generally smooth sounding but not super-detailed. I can't compare it to a Rode Stereo Video Mic Pro (which I think is what is pictured in your first post?) as I've never owned one (it's too large for me to consider using on relatively small mirrorless cameras).

Also the small/cheap recorders in general (I own several) don't make much attempt at isolating the mic capsules from the recorder body, so are terrible for handling noise (and pick up wind noise via body vibration, so you almost have to completely enclose them in a wind muff).

I can understand the FX3's uncropped 4K120 being a clear advantage but the "I like FF look better" sounds pretty arbitrary. YMMV. Personally I like the FX30 better for video because the 6K oversampled video, 26MP stills, S35 & FF third party lens support (with speed booster), the more usable dual ISO range, the less aggressive NR, and of course 50% more affordable price tag. In fact with the last firmware update, chances are it is going to be my next camera (just waiting on the next few Sony releases of which another FX body is rumoured to be coming by this summer with the new AI chip/features). By the way, was surprised to see French pétanque being played in NYC although I guess it is in fact its Italian bocce cousin!

I haven’t used either so my comments are entirely without substance but when I was considering (and came very close to) flipping my L Mount set up, I decided the closest would be neither the FX3 nor the FX30. Instead, it would be both. FX3 instead of S1H FX30 instead of S5 But I got an S5ii to replace the S5 as the 10k approx to change systems was a bit rich 🤑 I like them both in principle and perfect lens line up for me from Tamron and if it were not for the €‘ s, I would have done it as for my needs, it would be the only current viable way for me to get from a 4 body down to a 3 body set up (A7RV being the 3rd body in the equation). Maybe next year because I really do want to go 3 body as soon as it is viably possible.

Hitchcock rolling in his grave

Battery life only last 1hr with 4k.. so need either PD powerbank or charge battery often. R7 battery life on the other hand last ages, R5 was on 2nd battery and R7 still on 1st battery when shooting the reception, both shooting 4k25p. To me the weight saving alone is totally worth it, atm I m shoot 3 out of 6 days so far, the 277g weight saving make a difference to me as I m not as exhausted vs using R5. So now I m tempted to get RS3 mini to have even more weight saving.

I can only comment on Sony cameras. I have very little experience with modern cameras from other brands. TBH, basically any newer Sony camera(within 2-3 years) is going to be great at lowlight. I would recommend A7M4 because it is also a terrific stills camera, and in terms of image quality or high iso performance, quite similar to the A7S3. You don't need a high base of ISO 12800 to shoot in darker condition. For the most part, the high iso performance of the A7M4 is more than enough. It is FF too. I personally use the FX30. Despite it being Super 35 and "only" ISO 2500, I can still shoot night scenes with it with only street lights and the results are at least acceptable. As long as there is some kind of light source, any capable modern Sony camera can give good result in lowlight. My other even older camera, FS7M2, does decent in lowlight too. And that sensor is anicent, comparing to the A7M4. Also, you can always clean up some of the noise in post. I really like the denoise in Davinci Resolve.

Thanks! I've downloaded it and had a look. It sounds good, but I gave it a big lift in the lower frequencies: How do you find the wind noise with the included dead cat? From a few YT videos it seems to do an OK-but-not-great job. I'm wondering if there are other solutions that cut more wind.

I have shot many videos with both cameras (not borrowed for one week from Sony). I thought I would like the fx30 better, since I am a bit of a stickler on resolution, and the fx30 oversamples 4K from the full sensor. But, what I found is I just like the look of the full-frame 4K from the fx3. And the fx3 4K 120p is uncompromised, while that from the fx30 is clearly noisier and has a big extra crop. With the fx3 one can mix together slow motion (from 4K 120p) with any regular-motion frames (in my case, the dreaded 4K 60p). The "big" fx3 disadvantage for me is that the lenses for the full-frame fx3 are so much bigger. I need to travel light, and also cannot poke big rigs into crowds or in some travel spots. Thus, I tried out the fx3 with the smallest zoom lens there is the "kit" 28-60 collapsible lens. It is slow and has limited range. So, can you get shot variety from it? - Clear Image Zoom though helps it get to 90mm essentially losslessy. Do you sacrifice image quality from this cheap lens, including subject isolation from shallow DOF? I took this combo to Bryant Park to capture the Spring blooms and the activities. The video mixes slow motion and regular motion (some bocce and pingpong clips are in slow motion 2X). I was pleased with the results. The one issue is that I cannot smoothly manually zoom the kit lens, and I am normally very good at manually zooming. Clear Image Zoom gives me smooth variable-speed zooms, though, but only up to 1.5X. Note this video does not use any of the new firmware features - this video could have been shot with the a7siii.

10s is positively glacial! Wow..... Yeah, those are all so much more compact that the Rode VideoMic Pro.... that's what I ended up buying years ago and it works well but its size and shape are definitely behind those ones above. It's nice to see that progress is being made. The other thing to take into account is the shape of the chassis that they put the mic capsule in. The more directional mics are more directional because the body is longer and all the holes along the sides all create an acoustic chamber where the sound from the sides gets cancelled out. If not designed properly the chassis can give the capsule a funny sound, even with the same electronics... acoustics are a very complicated topic!

Oh I know bro, I own an FS7 so I know its a workhorse. But FF and even APS-C mirrorless have more refreshed sensors so not really a surprise they handle lowlight or DR better. I still think the FS7 has a certain mojo to its IQ, just like older Canon does despite being inferior on paper/charts. And of course the Alexa is already a cult classic still in heavy use despite more recent ARRI cams with higher resolution/specs.

FS7 has probably shot more professional content in recent years than anything else. The FS7 was absolutely dominant in the mid/low end market until just a few short years ago. And the C300mk2 was the #2 player behind it. People playing in the no budget mirrorless world are very lucky to now have cameras such as the FX30 that outperforms the image quality from a FS7. (but no NDs, no SDI, etc... still a lot of reasons to prefer a FS7) And the Alexa when it first came out certainly was a big game changer in allowing to shoot in low light, vs what they typically used beforehand.

The Zoom H1 has the mounting point in the middle of it though, which makes it awkward to mount onto a camera hot shoe.

Quick test with OPPO A54 5G raw 10 4000x1680

Free To Use Sounds is such a great channel. Really nice guy too that offers a lot of his sounds for free! Buying a slightly bigger bag was probably the right choice, haha

Working on it! Last year, I shot and produced 32 (all weddings by the way so if that bores you, look away now!) and I was a little sporadic in my use of lighting for all kinds of reasons* Early, but slow start this year and kicking myself I did not start as I meant to go, ie, again, not full use as intended. Next job, next week, I am going to light light light it and keep on doing so for the future. This is the way. *Mainly long lay off over Winter and first couple of jobs always a bit rusty. That’s my excuse anyway… 🤨

I'm not going to use any music for this. Music is all well and good for the corporate vids I do day in and day out but for my family vids I wanna be a bit more Dogme 95! It's a nuisance having to do that each time - sliding in the mic, tightening the dial, inserting the jack. I'd really like to be able to just draw it in and out of my bag when needed, turn it on and shoot. When it's hanging around my neck it's not even so much of a problem with the Rode. It's also possible that it'll fit vertically into a holster bag with the Rode on.

It looks like the Sennheiser MKE440 will give me the stereo sound I'm looking for. Before I pull the trigger on it, any advice for a smaller/cheaper stereo mic? I had a go at EQ-ing the internal mic based on recording the same thing internally and with the Rode stereo mic. It's just not possible. The internal mic will always sound a bit crap even without wind noise. There are phasing issues that I can hear even before EQ-ing it.

Pro or non-pro, reconsider it. For years I went naked priding myself on being a ‘natural light shooter’, but recently I have seen the light. Literally. At all times indoors and low light, I use at least one LED light and quite often a second. I use one super lightweight light stand plus a table top tripod. Neither the Rotolight Neo 3 or Falconeyes are exactly THE last word in lighting, but they do the job I need them to do which is most fill lighting for naturally back lit subjects. They take seconds to put up and I rarely move them once set. On camera, video or stills, I have a pair of tiny 4x AA powered LED’s off Amazon that cost about 30 each. So even if the former is too much for you, I would at least consider the latter and use it on camera or off plonked on a piece of furniture or something. Even simple things like a plate of food are transformed by a tiny light sitting on the table pointing at it on a flat plane angle. Takes seconds, costs peanuts.

I'd of course want to suggest the Sanken CSM1 😉 But more seriously, I would suggest the Deity V Mic D4 https://deitymic.com/products/v-mic-d4/

Just got the R8 today and use it for an Indian Ceremony, shot most of it in 4K50P and the heating indicator only goes up to 1 bar so that is not bad. So much lighter vs the R5 on gimbal, I can felt the weight saving!

Then you're fine : ) Obviously knowing what you're doing, don't ask it from a slow aperture coupled with ;- )

Advancements in technology are great, but people are becoming slaves to it. Lets say for arguments sake the FX30 has very poor low light performance (it doesn't) but it fits your needs perfectly otherwise. What do you do? Decide to keep looking/wait until the "right" camera comes along, or do you buy it because it's the best overall option and work around it's low light performance by carrying a small light or two? I've been doing video for 25 years, since I was 13 years old. One of the first things I learned was how to adapt and get around limitations. To me that's a big part of what we as videographers and filmmakers do. We are problem solvers! So yeah, when seeing people complain about a camera's lowlight performance because it can't see in the dark or gets grainy at ISO 3200 it makes some of us start asking "what are we doing here?!" There are 100s of affordable little lights that can easily fit into any bag. Grab a few of them and just start shooting!

Yeah, it's yet another example of how spoiled we are. I came from the world of camcorders, so people talking about M43 being terrible in low light made me chuckle.

That youtube video above is almost unworthy of being posted by a beloved forum member such as Django. "Biggest flaw", what clickbait nonsense. Lowlight on the FX30, as we have noted before, is about one stop less than the modern FF counterparts. So it is a lowlight achiever in S35 terms, better than C300II, than FS7. No mushyness but "grain". Great lowlight camera. No mushyness is a novelty, not many cameras offer in that price range, nor timecode, nor pro reliability and such. Now, C70 in RAWlight is the overall lowlight cinema champ after the classic Alexa Alev sensor and very close regarding quality of colour rendition, latitude and dynamic range, if I trust the judgement from german testsite slashcam and heresay from dop buddies. Same sensor as C300III. For the money, trust Ironfilm and others, FX30 is not to beat as a pro S35 B or A video cam in the Sony system.