Reddit reviews Sennheiser EW 112P G3-A omni-directional EW system

So a few months ago, I gave myself a budget of $5000 for everything I’d need to be a One Man Video Army. Besides an empty Lowell hard case and a pair of headphones, I had nothing in the picture above before commencing the buying spree. The grand total ended up coming to around $5500 or so but I’m pretty stoked to have stuck fairly close to my initial budget.

Here's a detailed list of everything in the picture above:

ITEM | WHAT I PAID | COST NEW | LINK TO BUY NEW
:-- | :-- | :-- | :--
Panasonic GH5 w/Rode Videomic Pro, 2 SD cards and batteries|$1,000.00|$1,500.00|B&H
Lumix 12-35mm 2.8|$550.00|$900.00|Amazon
Mitakon 25mm 0.95 Prime|$300.00|$350.00|B&H
Sigma 50-100mm 1.8|$750.00|$1,100.00|B&H
Tokina 11-16 2.8|$250.00|$400.00|B&H
Viltrox EF-M2 Speedbooster|$150.00|$200.00|B&H
Manfrotto 502 Video Tripod|$400.00|$400.00|B&H
Tripod Bag|$25.00|$25.00|Amazon
Panasonic XLR Adapter|$300.00|$400.00|Amazon
Sennheiser Wireless Mic System|$450.00|$600.00|Amazon
LowePro Camera Bag|$75.00|$75.00|B&H
Neewer 3-Light LED 660 Kit w/Fovitec stands|$350.00|$350.00|Amazon
Kessler Slider w/tripod head|$400.00|$900.00|B&H
Hoya 43mm Filter Kit|$35.00|$35.00|Amazon
Hoya 58mm Filter Kit|$40.00|$40.00|Amazon
Feelworld F570 Monitor|$200.00|$200.00|Amazon
Zoom H6 Recorder|$250.00|$400.00|B&H
Neewer 5-in-1 Reflector|$20.00|$20.00|Amazonn

Given my budget, there really wasn’t much debate over what camera would best suit my needs. I’m doing a lot of paid corporate and event video work, but I also shoot films and documentaries. So the GH5 made the most sense given its quality, versatility, and value. I can transport and operate all of this stuff without the need for additional crew, which is especially nice when a client doesn’t want to pay for that.

I’ve shot a few films and several paid gigs with this set already and it’s working out well so far. Happy to answer any questions over why I chose one thing over the other. We all have our preferences with equipment :)

Cams: 2 of these: http://www.amazon.com/Canon-VIXIA-Camcorder-Internal-Memory/dp/B00AWZFHG0

1 of these: http://www.amazon.com/Canon-VIXIA-Camcorder-Discontinued-Manufacturer/dp/B00C3R14J4

Mic: http://www.amazon.com/Rode-NT1A-Anniversary-Condenser-Microphone/dp/B002QAUOKS

Lavs: http://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-EW-112P-omni-directional-system/dp/B002CWQTXG

This one:

http://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-EW-112P-omni-directional-system/dp/B002CWQTXG

getting downvoted for helping oh well

Only thing I could find out is that it operates in the 2.4GHz range. I've never seen it, or known anyone who has purchased it. I'd be cautious of a consumer camera company making a wireless audio device.

Professional ENG crews use a system like this for their cameras. I've also seen a lot of SONY kits too.

/u/downgarden - it depends on how much you want to spend. The top of the line UHF wireless is probably the [$629.95 Sennheiser EW112 G3] (https://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-EW-112P-omni-directional-system/dp/B002CWQTXG/ref=as_li_ss_tl?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1505992919&sr=1-1&keywords=Sennheiser+EW112&refinements=p_36:62995-62995&linkCode=ll1&tag=battleforthew-20). This is the standard on most pro sets.

But if $600+ is too much of a stretch for your budget, I recommend the [$399.95 dual channel Saramonic UHF wireless] (https://www.amazon.com/Saramonic-96-Channel-Wireless-Microphone-Transmitters/dp/B01AYDSWK2//ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&linkCode=ll1&tag=battleforthew-20) instead. This setup will give you two lavs mixed down to one receiver for interviews - for a couple of hundred dollars less than the single channel Sennheiser.

Nice review of the Saramonic [here] (https://youtu.be/ppLPyyPGWPE), comparison with the Sennheiser [here] (https://youtu.be/UPdpuXcS7a4).

Hope this is helpful and good luck with finding the right wireless lav for your needs!

I would still work on an angle to turn off the fridge. That would be my top priority. The frozen bottle trick works for a very long time and you can always swap out the bottles as needed to maintain temp. Also fill the crisper trays with bags of ice as well.

That being said a http://amzn.com/B002CWQTXG or similar pack would be more than professional enough for you. try to find it used on ebay. http://r.ebay.com/VM9dx4

Have you done a room tone check with your nt3? If the hum of the fridge is consistent enough you can usually do a little noise reduction and eliminate it fairly easily so that its not an issue at all.

Here are a few different options:

• [Saramonic UWMIC10 Wireless System](http://amzn.to/1rwZBr4 "Saramonic UWMIC10 Wireless System") ($270) - decent starter system, receiver can connect to 2 transmitters simultaneously (you can add an additional transmitter later on for $130).
  
• [Rode RodeLink Wireless Kit](http://amzn.to/1rwZlbB "Rode RodeLink Wireless Kit") ($399) - Digital transmission, good quality lav, mostly automatic, transmitter/receiver kinda big
  
• [Sennheiser G3 Wireless Mic System](http://amzn.to/1ob86yj "Sennheiser G3 Wireless Mic System") ($630) - Practically the de-facto mid-level wireless system. More compact than cheaper units above.

It sounds like what I was recommending is a reasonable starter and you can look at adding and improving the video kit as you gain experience.

Have a look at some beginner tutorials on youtube how to use room lighting, how to frame a shot and how to set your audio levels.

Without knowing budget, it's a bit hard to know what to look at recommending equipment wise. Order of priority for spend would be camera 1st, audio 2nd, tripod 3rd. You will need all of these, however value for money will change with different size budgets.

If you are willing to buy 2nd hand, you could make the budget go further, but some business might not want to do this.

Here's a quick budget as an starter example only, you can go cheaper and you can go more expensive and you can add more items (bags etc) as you need to.

Camera + storage card $1000-1500 Canon XA11 (Amazon link)

Mic $450-600 Sennheiser G3 wireless lav mic (Amazon link)

Tripod $100-200 Ravelli video tripod (Amazon link)

The linked items are for illustration purposes to give you a starting point, there may be better options - go read/watch reviews as this is a fast changing market. If you are in the US, B&H are a well known and respected video retail brand (I am not affiliated with them at all), give them a call and get their advice for your budget, then go and research their suggestions.

If you do go with a wireless mic solution make sure you buy a set which transmits on a frequency suitable for your country as this does change around the world and check if you need a licence (there are usually some frequencies which are free to use, but might be more prone to interference).

according to to the faq:
> Cams: 2 of these: http://www.amazon.com/Canon-VIXIA-Camcorder-Internal-Memory/dp/B00AWZFHG0
>
> 1 of these: http://www.amazon.com/Canon-VIXIA-Camcorder-Discontinued-Manufacturer/dp/B00C3R14J4
>
> Mic: http://www.amazon.com/Rode-NT1A-Anniversary-Condenser-Microphone/dp/B002QAUOKS
>
> Lavs: http://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-EW-112P-omni-directional-system/dp/B002CWQTXG


Pretty sure the cameras are out of date tho and they use Lumix GH5s now but I can't say either way for the other stuff. Think they have Rode mics to go with them and a boom as well.

Depending on the work you are doing, you could use one or several of many options.

The first is to use a more directional shotgun mic on top of your camera or mounted on a boom pole above your subject to capture a more focused and cleaner sound.

The second is to use a lavalier/lav/lapel mic clipped to your subject's clothing. Wired (if you are cheaper or are recording to an external recorder) and wireless if you are rich. Wired and wireless both have many options. Wired: option 1, option 2, option 3, option 4, option 5. Wireless: option 1, option 2, option 3. The wired lavs are a bunch of good ones at different price points. The wireless ones are three industry standard sets at different prices.

There are many more options you could do but those would be for more specialized jobs.

I would probably go with this as long as you have someone to run audio

http://www.amazon.com/Zoom-ZH4N-Portable-Digital-Recorder/dp/B001QWBM62/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1375811157&sr=8-1-fkmr0&keywords=h6n+zoom+recorder

http://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-EW-112P-G3-A-omni-directional/dp/B002CWQTXG/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1375811208&sr=8-2&keywords=lavalier+microphone

http://www.amazon.com/Rode-Condenser-Microphone-Videographer-Professional/dp/B007BPDKHM/ref=sr_1_1?s=photo&ie=UTF8&qid=1375811583&sr=1-1&keywords=shotgun+microphone+kit

You want the right tool for the right job. The purpose of a LAV mic is to get audio when a mic is preferred to not be seen or when you really have no way to follow the talent around with a boom (for example, I use a LAV for anything Virtual Reality). The audio quality will never match a mic that has a larger condenser.

As you mentioned it's more about quality and ease of use, I would highly recommend the Audio-Technica AT2020USB (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00B5ZX9FM/). It has a wide frontal pickup pattern and is USB. I set this up for a fellow streamer and it allowed her to put the mic next to her monitor (out of camera view) and listen to music over speakers (she refused to wear headphones). The stand that it comes with can be dodgy and I would recommend some type of mic stand that has a shock mount to prevent desk/keyboard vibrations being picked up. This will also allow more freedom of movement without mic rustling on clothing unless you are really going to take the time to setup your LAV correctly before each broadcast (cable loop and undercover please (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004TGNHBA/)).

If you decide that having a LAV is what you would like to do, there are two sure fire options. The Sennheiser G3 (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002CWQTXG/) and the RodeLink (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00TV90DX0/). If money is no problem, you can never go wrong with Lectrosonics (http://www.lectrosonics.com/US/Wireless-IFB/category/22-wireless-ifb.html).

As far as the audio logistics, you will have the receiver audio out cable go into the mic audio in on the computer. That's if you dont have a mixer or anything like that. The wireless pack will have a dedicated mute switch in the event you need to cough or go to the restroom.

Also to note, wireless packs will chew through batteries and it's always a good idea to replace them when the pack reads one bar for the battery. Last thing you want is a dead mic mid broadcast and you have to scramble for batteries.

Anyone have a tutorial on how they set up their lavs? I know it's these but I can't find a video on how they set it up. Recording through Audacity, with each Lav having it's own layer. How

Hey there, producer here
1st and foremost don't stress about screwing up. You already let him know you aren't 100% confident and he said he wants you to do it anyway, so you get a free learning pass.

2nd I would totally recommend running a couple Lav's for safety/clean. Depending on your budget I would look a couple wireless lavs like these Sennheisers and then use the NTG2 to boom overhead on a different channel. That will get you the cleanest audio and you'll have safety tracks. Or you could use these Tascam lav's for 1/3 the price. I love them, they record a 2nd safety track internally 12db lower (incase of peaking) and everything is internal, so you don't really have to constantly fiddle with levels and can just focus on getting good boom sound.

Side note, if you are running sound solo without a boom op, I recommend a setup like this for the H6. It keeps everything sooooooo much neater for you.

I'd get this:

$630 - Sennheiser G3 Lav
http://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-EW-112P-G3-A-omni-directional/dp/B002CWQTXG

$750 - Canon 70d
http://www.ebay.com/itm/BRAND-NEW-Canon-EOS-70D-DSLR-Digital-SLR-Camera-Body-Only-/151170035589?hash=item23326faf85:g:7~QAAOSwll1W1dmU

$300 - Sigma 17-55 2.8 IS
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Sigma-17-50mm-f-2-8-EX-DC-OS-HSM-Zoom-Lens-for-Canon-DSLR-Camera-BRAND-NEW-/161846419852?hash=item25aecc618c:g:AP4AAOSw~OVW0yd~

You could save money by getting the Canon t5i, 70d has decent autofocus if you want it though, I'd research which is better in low light.

You could get a shoulder mount or monopod, however I think you can get away with handheld. The guy who does Gary Vaynerchuk's vlogs (which seems similar to what you are doing), does it all handheld and it looks fine because it's suppose to feel in the moment anyway.