External microphones
Audio-Technica AT8024
£186/$249
The Audio-Technica AT8024 is a shoe-mount shotgun mic that offers a broad array of features. It sports a rubber mount to insulate the mic from camera and handling noise, and offers two pickup patterns for either wide-field stereo or cardioid mono. This means you can use it for recording ambient tracks like traffic or birdsong in full stereo, or home in on a tight pickup pattern for speech and spot sound effects.
Given that it’s the most expensive option here, it’s good that the AT8024 comes with both a foam windscreen and a furry windjammer that’s very effective at cutting out wind noise – even in a strong breeze. This is a real bonus, as windjammers (also known as ‘dead cats’) often have to be purchased separately.
It runs for 80 hours on a single AA battery (included in the box), and delivers a 40Hz-15KHz frequency response. Overall, this is a great fit-and-forget mic that’s
