Reddit mentions of Sennheiser MKE 400 Shotgun Microphone - Black, MKE 400 Microphone

I'd personally say that the quality gained by the H1 doesn't merit the inconvenience. A lot depends on your camera, too. I personally would either go all-out (Tascam DR-70D, NTG-3, a sound guy to focus on that as his job, etc etc) or keep it simple with a Videomic.

I also wouldn't rule out the Sennheisner MKE400, either. It's got comparable sound quality to the Videomic Pro and is a bit smaller.

Better yet, do both the H1 and a Videomic! Two sources always better than one.

I run a side business doing audition and concert recordings, and I've had great results with the Sennheiser MKE400. I've heard great things about the Rode VideoMic as well. The other thing you might consider is investing in is a Zoom H4n or similar device that can be used as an external microphone as well as a portable audio recorder for lessons.

For what you're describing, you don't really need as much gear as you listed above. A simple jump cut vlog, like Phil does, can be done very easily. He's shooting on a much better rig now that he's a top YouTuber, but this same effect can be done with a decent HD pocket camcorder with a mic input.

For example, you can pick up a used Kodak Zi8 for around $100.00 and pair it with either a lapel mic or a decent shotgun mic. I shoot on a Sennheiser MKE-400. You can always upgrade your camera later, and continue using the mic with them. If you decide to go with a shotgun mic, you might need to find an adaptor to mount it to such a small camera.

Just make sure you shoot in decent lighting and keep yourself in focus. For a vlog, this is really all you need to get started.

I don't use 3.5mm myself but there are a few options you could look into: Azden, Sennheiser, and Rode.

Again, the 3.5mm jack has the worst preamp so you will be getting extremely weak signals with any of those mics and, even with adjusted gain, you're going to have to deal with a lot of noise. That's just from my experience testing with the BMPCC 4K.

You could go with a Sennheiser Shotgun Mic, it is very cheap, and that shows in the quality. Until you get up to around a grand it will all be mostly cheap shit. The tripod idea is kind of odd haha. I've never heard of that being done. That being said, you can probably get a decent steadicam for around 150$. I use a Canon Rebel T4i, and I used this video to make my own. It works good for what I need it for:D Like I said, not an expert, everything I have learned has been from my awesome film teacher.

> good shotgun mic that's compatible

I guess that would depend on your budget, and whether you want direct to DSLR or are looking to add a digital audio recorder to your inventory and factoring that in to your budget also.

Sennheiser MKE 400 is decent for direct to DSLR @ £161.24 amazon

Sennheiser MKE 600 works for both direct to DSLR or to other devices but is a bit pricier.

I've also used the Rode NTG 2 with a Zoom H4N with good results.