Mounting an H4n on a DSLR - IndieTalk

CJInzana · 04-16-2012, 01:48 AM

I see it done in a lot of people's set ups, but I'm not sure what parts I need. I know I need some sort of tripod head that fits into a cold shoe, but idk where I can find one. Are there other solutions?

Zensteve · 04-16-2012, 01:51 AM

This?

http://www.amazon.com/HDE-Tripod-Scr...dp/B005005EEM/

jax_rox · 04-16-2012, 02:05 AM

Can I suggest... not doing this? I don't really understand the point of getting an H4n just to put it on the camera anyway...
Get your audio guy to stick it in his pocket while he booms whatever's happening.

CJInzana · 04-16-2012, 08:48 AM

We don't have another mic at this point, but the built in mic on the h4n is far superior to the built in mic on the camera. I need something for when I'm shooting by myself or just with a few people.

Gonzo_Entertainment · 04-16-2012, 10:06 AM

It is an upgrade from totally unusable to just god awful.

IndieBudget · 04-16-2012, 01:59 PM

AVOID what you are thinking. You will get LOUSY sound. Put a Lav mic on the talent and get better results. The H4n's mic are stereo. You can even get 2 wired lav mics and plug into the H4n and do much, much better than putting the thing on the cam

CJInzana · 04-16-2012, 06:06 PM

Okay, you're missing the point. I need it to record better audio when working as a one man crew. It's really got pretty decent audio for the price. I don't have ANY money to be spending on more equipment, maybe like 10 dollars.

EDIT: I found what I need, thank you zensteve.

ItDonnedOnMe · 04-16-2012, 09:18 PM

I'd actually recommend one of these:

http://www.amazon.com/VariZoom-VZ-Sh.../dp/B0002ABNUO

The swivel is nice because it lets you change the angle as necessary. Whatever you end up using though you'll have to watch out for handling noise - you'll pick up a lot if you're just using the built in mics.

When you've got some more money and are looking to upgrade you can combine this with a Rycote universal camera mount:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...amera_Kit.html

and any decent shotgun for a camera mounted audio rig that actually works reasonably well.

jax_rox · 04-17-2012, 12:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CJInzana

Okay, you're missing the point. I need it to record better audio when working as a one man crew. It's really got pretty decent audio for the price. I don't have ANY money to be spending on more equipment, maybe like 10 dollars.

The logic of this is similar to the logic of someone buying a 5dmkii to complement their 7D purchase and get extar angles, but then mounting it on top of their 7D, justifying it by saying that they need better quality as a one-man-band.

Expecting to get great audio just by sticking a zoom on the top of your DSLR is akin to expecting to get great secondary camera angles just by sticking a 5D on top of your 7D.

IndieBudget · 04-17-2012, 11:39 AM

Lav mics start @ $23.00. You would get WAY better sound putting one on the talent that way over using the H4n several feet away. You will come to this conclusion sooner or later. Good Luck

CJInzana · 04-17-2012, 06:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jax_rox

The logic of this is similar to the logic of someone buying a 5dmkii to complement their 7D purchase and get extar angles, but then mounting it on top of their 7D, justifying it by saying that they need better quality as a one-man-band.

Expecting to get great audio just by sticking a zoom on the top of your DSLR is akin to expecting to get great secondary camera angles just by sticking a 5D on top of your 7D.

Okay, well I have a Nikon D5000 and the audio is utter shit. We just used a 7D for my last shoot and the audio was far too windy (the h4's audio was much, much cleaner). It's not the best option, but don't try to make me look stupid for trying to slowly upgrade the quality of my videos.

Thanks guys, I'm getting a two lavs and a rhode shotgun with my funding in a few months, so this is just a temporary thing. I bought this one: http://www.amazon.com/VariZoom-VZ-Sh.../dp/B0002ABNUO

Also, you don't get as much handling noise as one might expect. Mounting it on a tripod (obviously) completely cuts that out.

IndieBudget · 04-17-2012, 07:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CJInzana

don't try to make me look stupid for trying to slowly upgrade the quality of my videos.

NO.. it is because you are wanting to try something that will not work. When you try that method and you have crappy sound, remember, your friends here warned you.

FACT .. in order to get good sound , you must have the mic close to the speaker...8 - 24 inches for starters

CJInzana · 04-17-2012, 07:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by IndieBudget

NO.. it is because you are wanting to try something that will not work. When you try that method and you have crappy sound, remember, your friends here warned you.

FACT .. in order to get good sound , you must have the mic close to the speaker...8 - 24 inches for starters

I wasn't talking about your response, you are very helpful. jax_rox's comment wasn't really helpful and ill-intented.

Also, I'm not necessarily getting good audio for just speaking parts (I usually do that sort of thing separately, or if a situated interview I use a separate tripod for my zoom and place it just outside of the camera.). I had a real problem on my last shoot where the sound ambient sounds didn't look like they fit the image bc of the mic not moving the same way the camera was, I fixed most of it doing folly, but it caused the project to take longer than expected.

IndieBudget · 04-17-2012, 07:43 PM

Cool, cool

I have made the same mistakes we all have. I got me a Zoom H4n and a decent shotgun, mounted it on my cam and somehow got bad sound. Im slowly learning. The pros here have helped me tremendously.

Share your successes and your failures most here will be patient and helpful....and good luck.

jax_rox · 04-18-2012, 03:06 AM

On low budget shoots, I've hidden recorders in props, in peoples shirt pockets, on tables etc. To get good, clean dialogue. I've even plugged dynamic mics into recorders and mounted them on stands just out of shot for when we haven't even had mics on the recorders themselves. If all you want is ambience then I suppose it is an option, but I prefer to have clean synced dialogue and then create the ambience in post. I used to use a Sony Prosumer that had a shotgun mounted to the top of the camera. It worked okay in quiet areas with subjects standing a couple of feet away from the camera. Anything other than that was meh. And that was with a shotgun, let alone a small stereo x-y pair on a recorder.

It's good that you're getting the lavs and shotgun in the near future, though if it were me, I'd be keeping the $20 for the purchase of the mount adapter and paying it to a mate to help me out with my sound. There's only so far you can go as a DSLR one-man-band - depending on the type of things you're shooting.

But, each to their own, let us know how it works out for you.