Looking for an wireless microphone system (lavalier style) that connects to a stereo minijack of a video camera.

September 16, 2011 8:12 AM

Looking for an wireless microphone system (lavalier style) that connects to a stereo minijack of a video camera.

So I got burned by Sony and their confusing product specifications again.

So last week I asked about a camera/wireless microphone combination for a cheap Sony camera. I got a recommendation for the Sony xr160 because it was supposed to have a "Sony active interface shoe" which would allow me to put proprietary wireless sony bluetooth microphone on the camera. The problem is that this camera does *not* have this shoe. It's my fault for not digging deeper but Sony has this habit of grouping 4 or 5 camera models under the same product specifications and you have to read the fine print to realize that 1 of the models does not have the feature.

So here is the real question:
I have the XR160 and I could return it, but this camera *does* have an external microphone stereo minijack (3.5mm input). So I'm thinking fuck Sony and their proprietary crap anyway, do I have any other options for a cheap wireless system that I can connect to this external mic input? It needs to be a lavalier so it can be clipped onto a person's shirt.

posted by jeremias to Technology (3 answers total)

Something like the sennheiser g3 series would be a common choice among videographers. The receiver can be attached to a standard hotshoe or clipped onto the hand strap. I believe this set comes with both XLR and mini (3.5mm) output cables.
posted by stephennelson at 9:03 AM on September 16, 2011

Also check out this gadget.
posted by humboldt32 at 9:37 AM on September 16, 2011

If $900 seems a bit much, consider a Samson Wireless Lavalier. I've got an earlier gen version that's been doing fine for about a decade.
posted by dpcoffin at 10:37 AM on September 17, 2011