19/05/2026 3:30 am
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So I’ve been shooting with my 90D for like two years now mostly for wildlife photography and it’s been great but I just got asked to film some behind-the-scenes stuff and interviews for a small theatre troupe here in Seattle next month and I am lowkey panicking about the audio. I thought the built-in mic would be fine for just scratch track but it picks up every single tiny movement of the lens and the autofocus hum is driving me crazy even with the USM motor which is supposed to be silent... spoiler alert it’s not.
I tried using this old battery powered mic I had laying around but the floor noise is so loud I can barely hear the actors speaking over the hiss. I've messed with the manual gain settings in the camera menu but I just cant get it to sound clean no matter what I do. I need something that can sit on the cold shoe but maybe also be boomed if I need to? I only have around $200-$250 to spend since I already blew the rest of the budget on lighting and a decent tripod. Does anyone have a solid recommendation for a shotgun mic that plays nice with the 90D's preamps specifically? I'm looking at the Rode VideoMic Pro+ but I dont know if that's overkill or if there’s a better Sennheiser option for this price range?
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19/05/2026 3:30 am
I went through the exact same struggle with my 90D preamps last year. Honestly, those internal preamps are a bit noisy if you dont feed them a hot signal. I ended up picking up the Rode VideoMic Pro+ Shotgun Microphone for a local documentary project and I have been super satisfied with how it handles the hiss. The trick is basically that +20dB gain switch on the back. It lets you turn the camera internal gain almost all the way down so you arent hearing that gross electronic floor noise.
- The auto-power feature is a total lifesaver because it turns off when the camera does.
- It handles booming really well with a simple 3.5mm extension cable since it is so lightweight.
- That safety channel feature is great for theater stuff where people might suddenly yell. I looked at Sennheiser too but this Rode just works so well with the Canon setup.
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19/05/2026 3:55 am
@Reply #2 - good point! Managing the gain staging is definitely the most important part of this setup. Just be careful tho, because the 90D can be finicky if you dont monitor the levels constantly. I would suggest looking into the <a href=" https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/search?Ntt= Sennheiser+MKE+400+Shotgun+Microphone&BI=8941&KBID=10361&SID=2222&DFF=d50" target="_blank" rel="nofollow sponsored">Sennheiser MKE 400 Shotgun Microphone as a reliable alternative. It has a very solid build and the latest version includes a 3-step sensitivity switch that allows you to bypass those noisy internal preamps by boosting the mic signal instead. If you want to save a bit more of your budget for other gear, you might want to consider the Rode VideoMic GO II Lightweight Directional Microphone. It is quite affordable and very lightweight if you decide to boom it. Just make sure to double-check your cables... theater environments often have a lot of interference that can cause unexpected buzzing. Better safe than sorry when you only have one shot at the recording.
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19/05/2026 4:05 am
> "I am lowkey panicking about the audio." I'm super happy with the Deity V-Mic D3 Pro Shotgun Microphone. Unlike the <a href=" https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/search?Ntt= Sennheiser+MKE+200+Compact+Shotgun+Microphone&BI=8941&KBID=10361&SID=2222&DFF=d50" target="_blank" rel="nofollow sponsored">Sennheiser MKE 200 Compact Shotgun Microphone, the stepless gain dial kills the 90D hiss. It worked wonders for my first interview tho...
