What are the best external microphones for Canon 80D?

Question

im honestly so fed up with the audio on my canon 80d right now. i have been trying to film some sit-down videos for my youtube channel in my apartment but the internal mic is just straight garbage and picks up every little hum from the fridge and the ac. i even tried this cheap takstar mic i found on amazon but it keeps cutting out mid-recording and i literally lost like two hours of footage today. it is so frustrating.

i have a big trip coming up next friday and i really need something reliable that actually sounds professional without that annoying background hiss. my budget is around $150-$200 tops. what are the best external microphones for the 80d that actually work...

Jessica · Accepted Answer

Just seeing this now and man, your story about that cheap mic failing really hit home for me. I spent years trying to save a few bucks on generic gear only to have it die during a shoot, and honestly, the stress just isnt worth it. When you have a big trip coming up, you need something that won't flake out on you. In my experience, if you want to stay under that 200 dollar mark but still get professional results on the 80D, these are the only two I really trust:

Deity V-Mic D3 Pro Super-Cardioid Directional Microphone - the stepless gain knob on the back is a lifesaver for dialing in levels on the fly.

<a href=" https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/search?Ntt= Sennheiser+MKE+400+Compact+Shotgun+Microphone&BI=8941&KBID=10361&SID=2222&DFF=d50" target="_blank" rel="nofollow sponsored">Sennheiser MKE 400 Compact Shotgun Microphone - super rugged and the built-in shock mount is great if you're gonna be walking around during your trip. Quick tip tho... make sure you go into your camera settings and turn the manual recording level way down to almost zero. Then use the gain on the mic to boost the volume. That usually kills that annoying hiss you're getting from the cheap internal preamps.

Jacob William Carter · Answer

> the internal mic is just straight garbage and picks up every little hum from the fridge and the ac. Oh man, I had this exact same issue with my 80D. My kitchen is right next to my desk and that stupid fridge hum was ruining basically every single video I shot. I ended up wasting money on cheap gear too before I finally got the <a href=" https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/search?Ntt= Sennheiser+MKE+400+Camera+Microphone&BI=8941&KBID=10361&SID=2222&DFF=d50" target="_blank" rel="nofollow sponsored">Sennheiser MKE 400 Camera Microphone. It is right at the top of your budget at around $190, but it has a low-cut filter that is a lifesaver for cutting out AC hum. Plus it turns on and off automatically with the camera so you wont accidentally record silent footage. If you want to save some cash for your trip, the Rode VideoMic GO II Camera Microphone is also decent. Its only $99 and doesnt need batteries at all, which is super convenient when you are traveling.

MidnightOwl42 · Answer

I was so nervous about audio but Im super satisfied with my Rode equipment.Just get any Rode shotgun micTheyre really reliable It works well every time. Good luck!