archfotos wrote:
"I honestly would not recommend getting a hot shoe mic for that or as a first purchase. The noise levels are going to cancel out the aesthetics of recording those kinds of sounds. I would just get a recorder such as a zoom h5......"
Thank you very much for your helpful and detailed comment which makes me rethink the options and maybe reconsider the order of the Rode Stereo Videomic pro that I just had placed yesterday before I had seen your posting. Maybe I also could keep the mic as an additional recording source once I decide to go for a recorder later or better change it into the Videomic pro shotgun version then (?) Being a novice in audio recording, I was thinking that the hot shoed Rode Stereo Videomic pro (or classic shotgun videomic pro) would be a good starting point for capturing ambient and direct sound for some videos – at least way better than the built-in micros of the DSLRs. I didn’t know that it’s judged to be a pretty useless "waste of money “ as you say since I’ve seen quite a few photogs using these stand alone tools. But in fact, the Zoom H5 seems to be a fascinating and flexible option and the more information I’ve gathered based on your comment the more I’m tempted to try that route. On the other hand, I’m still hesitant to add more and more gear to all my lenses, DSLRs, tripod etc. on the trips and want to keep it simple since my main photographic work and focus has been to capture stills to date .
As to the Zoom H5, I don’t know if the capsule micros of the H5 are good for recording ambient sound or if you better invest in an additional external micro (or keep the preordered one) which gives you the chance to record both the sound of the source, say a specific bird, and the ambient source. However, if you want to mount the H5 on the hot shoe you evidently better buy a shockmount, too, in order to avoid the handling noise but obviously you generally should be VERY careful with the length of the screw for any hot shoe connector since it can easily crash the internal XLR connector of the H5 due to a design flaw, see
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jrGyb8J3kbo&t=0s
Technically, I don’t know if you better connect an optional external microphone such as the Rode via the line port or the XLR connection of the H5. What ever the best option is, you anyway need more equipment, such as the VXLR-adapter, shockmount, maybe a Sescom Y-cable for the line-in ports, headphones to control the recordings, wind shields, maybe a remote control if you place the H5 off the camera, spare batteries etc. All that increases the costs and even more important, all the technical hassle could prevent you to spontaneously focus on the motifs and i.e. the bird could easily be gone before you have managed all your set ups unless those tasks are your daily routine. So I’m still not sure which route I go. As said above, it’s no question that the Zoom or Tascam recorder is a fascinating and much better option with regard to the audio quality compared to the bare hot shoe microphone. Nevertheless I'm struggling with the decision to give the simple set up with the preordered Rode hot shoe mic a try as a starting point and add a Zoom H5 later if I decide to dive more seriously into audio recording and have increased my knowledges about it - or invest in the recorder right now and cancel my order.
Wolfgang