Which external mic for Canon DSLR?

[prestonpalmer]

The RODE does a pretty good job in my experience.  If you want super clean audio, you will need an off camera source.  Take a look at my video equipment page and let me know if you have questions.  The Zoom h1n's are really good for off camera audio.

http://www.brovadoweddings.com/blog/equipment/

Do you use the Rode into one of those external recorders? Because I'm not being picky about the sound quality, my experience with 6 different cameras and 3 mics is that the internal mic gives a better result for speach, MUCH better.

How diffcult is it and in what software do you sync the sound when using an external recorder like that h4n?

No, the RODE always goes into camera. We always have at LEAST 2 sources of audio. Sometimes 3. Use Plural eyes for Syncing Audio. Putting the RODE on a h4n would probably reduce audio quality.

http://www.canonrumors.com/2012/04/nab-2012-singular-software-pluraleyes/

[jansequens]

I use Rode VideoMic Pro but really wish to switch to Rode NTG-3. It's quality is just great. Take a look at the comparison I posted on YouTube:

DSLR Mic Test: Internal vs. VideoMic Pro vs. NTG-1 vs. NTG-3 vs. MKH 416	Small | Large

[brad goda]

from my understanding the Rhode mic you have mounted on camera is a supercardioid mic
designed for more forward gathering than hypercardiod or cardioid mic... yes its design limits the side L&R of mike sensitivity BUT it still allows some... which is what you might be hearing as background noise...
as others said it also depends on the subjects volume in relation to distance from your mic to the volume of combined area/unwanted noise you dont want... same formula as light using the inverse square law ..
simply put... get your rhode mic closer to the subject you want to pick up... by either get close... or boom in.... 
a wired or wireless lavalier mic ....
or if on camera is only option... transition to a shotgun mike or even a parabolic mic.... Laser mic if shooting with 600mm ++
good luck have fun...

[Viggo]

Thanks all. I went with the Olympus LS-3 recorder, no syncing, no fuss, just EPICLY better sound than any of the other on camera mics, I can control everything, including stereo-spread. HIGHLY recommended for handheld amatur-video.

[titokane]

The RODE does a pretty good job in my experience.  If you want super clean audio, you will need an off camera source.  Take a look at my video equipment page and let me know if you have questions.  The Zoom h1n's are really good for off camera audio.

http://www.brovadoweddings.com/blog/equipment/

Do you use the Rode into one of those external recorders? Because I'm not being picky about the sound quality, my experience with 6 different cameras and 3 mics is that the internal mic gives a better result for speach, MUCH better.

How diffcult is it and in what software do you sync the sound when using an external recorder like that h4n?

No, the RODE always goes into camera. We always have at LEAST 2 sources of audio. Sometimes 3. Use Plural eyes for Syncing Audio. Putting the RODE on a h4n would probably reduce audio quality.

http://www.canonrumors.com/2012/04/nab-2012-singular-software-pluraleyes/

Any microphone plugged into the DSLR instead of an external recorder will degrade sound quality significantly. Sometimes it's more useful in a workflow to have a shotgun mic going into the DSLR directly (at the expense of quality), but plugging into an external recorder will improve audio quality, not reduce it.

(edit) Depending on what type of sound you need, directional vs a stereo spread, the video mic may not sound as good for your purpose as the external recorder's mics. Any mic will sound better in an external recorder and worse in the DSLR, but if you need a stereo spread a videomic won't be as good of a choice as the built in mics on the recorder.